Collaboration. This word alone sums up the image, that we have from the French police
during the Second World War. The four years of occupation, are generally perceived as
the dark years of this institution. It is obvious that the police
collaborated. She collaborated with the occupier, quite simply because we were in
within the framework of state collaboration. People believe that the police,
like a block, served the government
of Vichy and the Germans. However, this is not true.
It's not a block at all. Indeed, if the great
majority of police officers, blindly applied the policy
criminal of the Vichy regime, some of them also joined
the ranks of the Resistance. In Nancy, the seven police officers
from the foreigners service, risked their career
and their lives to save 350 Jews. Their heroic behavior remained
engraved in the memory of survivors. They took the whole list
from the community and they shared the addresses. They will tell the families, "You leave your home,
You don’t take anything.” This is the only example we have
police resistance, of an entire service. Achille Peretti, a figure
police resistance, achieved the feat of uniting
all the rebel policemen, within the Ajax network. Responsible for overall security
Resistance organizations, these agents will thus infiltrate
the highest authorities, of the Vichy government. The Ajax network provided
orders of battle. We knew who ordered what. They will do
professional counterespionage. In August 1944, the Parisian resistance police
take up arms, to liberate the capital. It was shooting everywhere. We have to be afraid. 177 police officers will die
in the fights for Liberation. Without their heroic action, Paris would probably not be today
more than a field of ruins. The Germans received orders
of Hitler to blow up Paris. He had even started to mine
Paris in several places. Who were then
these resistant police officers? Why did they enter into resistance
and how did they operate? 75 years after the end
of the Second World War, here is finally the truth
on these shadow heroes. June 1940, France is on its knees. In just a month, the French army was swept away
by Nazi troops. Defeat is experienced by everyone
of the French people, like a real drama. So there is a species
psychological shock, of all citizens,
of all the French people. On June 22, Marshal Pétain concludes
with Nazi Germany, an armistice which will have heavy
consequences for the French and in particular for its police. France is the only country to sign, with the winner, an armistice. And this armistice,
that's the key actually, of everything that will happen next. An armistice binds a State, with his instruments,
justice, police, army. According to article three of this famous
armistice agreement, the French police are now
obliged to collaborate, with the Germans. In short, this means that, if an action threatens security occupying troops, sabotage for example, a guerrilla action,
the French must help repress, this kind of action. This German control over the police, she was still very strong
and German laws, were directly applicable, by the French police services. Since the signing of the armistice, the country is split in two. The north is under German occupation, the south under control
of the Vichy government. The diminished French state
is on the verge of chaos. And for Philippe Pétain,
the font therefore appears, as the only institution
able to restore order. There is fear on the Vichy side, that the chaos that developed, at the time of defeat, with the exodus, with the collapse of the country, all this does not
the game of the communists. And so there is an obsession
of maintaining order. And here too, the police must be an important tool
of this national recovery. And to get membership
police officers, the Vichy government
don't hesitate to put the resources into it. And so we will see hatching in 1941, the national police
which brings together the melting pot, which were the different fonts
municipal and other scattered services, which existed in the territory. We offer the police
career prospects, more interesting. We are making increases
salary. We are also looking to play
on the police image. We see it when we look
propaganda posters of the time, the reports
French news, where we want to show
a more modern font, more mobile, better equipped... This new police force, whose recruitment
takes into account both moral values, intellectual and physical,
is ready to make any sacrifices. It will help with backup
of the nation. At the beginning,
only a few isolated police officers, reject the new regime in place and begin to lead
actions of disobedience. At that time,
resistance does not yet exist. Everything has to be built. First, we start on our own, to make certain papers disappear,
to do things like that, and then we get wet, to talk to a colleague about it. We probe ourselves and then we realize
that we can do something together And so on. From the start of the occupation, the Nazis want to disarm France. They imposed by order
that the French, come and lay down all weapons
that they have in the police stations. One of the first acts of resistance
for French police officers, is therefore to hide these weapons. The French must not have
no more weapons, so they must, under penalty of serious sanctions,
hand them over to the police. When you are a resistant policeman,
you do not have to, to hand over 100% of weapons, you put some
aside in a cache. And so on, of course. Among these resistant police officers
from the first hour, a small group is formed
at the end of July 1940, at the Ternes police station,
in the 17th arrondissement of Paris. Gallic rooster. The goal of the Gallic rooster was clearly
the fight against the Germans. It was to find the means
to fight against them, especially weapons,
as a goal, to take all possible actions, can lead
to the liberation of the city. Under the direction of the secretary
of police Albert Louis Lebon, the Gallic rooster group
thus constitutes, a small stock of weapons and ammunition. But what the resistance
had not anticipated, it is that, for his part, the prefect
of Paris police, Roger Langeron, placed men
in all services, to counter
all the desires of resistance. The problem,
it is that Prefect Langeron, he has one of his boys undercover
at the Ternes police station, who will be approached
by one of the conspirators. And so it will drive very quickly, for team identification. The main people responsible
of the Gallic rooster are therefore arrested, after only six months, at the end of January 1941. The investigation is quickly concluded and the file transmitted
to the German authorities. German court hands down sentences
deportation and prison. 25 years in prison
for Albert Louis Lebon, the deputy commissioner
who had taken the lead of the group. Obedience in the police, it really is the ABC of information, of each police officer. From the moment we have
police officers who dare to disobey, we must set an example, to others that we should not
go that way. With the affair of the Gallic rooster, the rebel police officers discover
thus the cost of disobeying. Despite this, everywhere in France, insubordination continues to spread
within the institution, the police no longer hesitate
to sabotage their work. Especially since in 1942, the Nazis plan extermination
Jews of Europe and ask the government
of Vichy to help them. We decide to raid the German side, the entire population
French Jew, men, women,
children, old people... And to save money, also to facilitate, the app
of these different measures, the Germans will negotiate
the fact that these raids, are organized
by the French police. The head of the Vichy government,
Pierre Laval, submits to the demands of the Nazis, but only to deliver
foreign Jews. As a result, during the summer of 1942, French police officers are responsible
the organization of large raids, everywhere in France. They don't know it yet, but they will thus become
one of the cogs, of the Nazi death machine. The police are surprised
of everything that happens and they say to themselves: "Are we there
to do this dirty work? Is it ours
to carry out these orders?" So at this point, we have more
in addition to police officers, who take the initiative
to disobey. Faced with the horror of these raids, French police officers are divided. Some of them will
warn the Jews in advance, that they are responsible for stopping, while others
will be content to follow, scrupulously follow orders. When we talk to people about police
having saved Jews, very often, the reaction,
it’s “Were there any?” They are surprised because the idea
that they have in their skull, it's still 100% police, participated in the extermination
Jews. But that's not true either. We can clearly see all the ambivalence there, the behavior of these police officers
who must, on the ground carry out actions
repressive measures that we ask of them, even if at the same time,
they can try to act, to help a few people
in isolation. Sabotage of organized raids
by certain police officers, will thus have made it possible to save
many lives. The overall toll of arrests, is well below
of what the Germans hoped for. We can say that it is less than 50%, Jews who are going to be arrested. So it's a big failure everywhere, throughout France. The Nazis are furious
against the French police. There are reports saying "We cannot
not trust the French cops, they are not reliable,
they never fulfill their objectives. In Nancy, the seven police officers
from the foreigners service, behaved
like true heroes. They achieved the feat
to join forces, to save 350 Jews
strangers from the city. They were all
deeply humanist and anti-Semitic politics, imposed by the Germans, It really revolted them. So, on July 18, 1942, when the 7 police officers from Nancy
learn that a large-scale raid, is preparing in the city, they decide unanimously
to make it fail. It was a reaction
which imposed itself on them. For each of the police officers,
what they did, it was something normal. In fact, the police
know intimately, community members
Jewish from Nancy and count among them many friends
that they want to save at all costs. These seven police officers knew
perfectly foreign Jews, that there was talk of raiding since
it was they who had established, their papers upon arrival, often before the start of the war. Maurice Quenet was one of the children
of the Jewish community of Nancy. He remembers with emotion the good
relationships that the police maintained with the community. Over the years, links
are created, especially when kids, came with the parents. They were invited
until marriage, what we call bar mitzvahs, that is to say the communions,
circumcisions. They were invited,
they had become close friends. The bonds of friendship are so strong
that Edouard Vigneron, the head of the foreigners service, do not hesitate,
even before the Nancy roundup, to put his career and his life on the line
to help Maurice Quenet's father. Mr. Edouard Vigneron, always accompanied my father. Because every time there was
an identity check, it was Mr. Edouard, who presented his papers to him, official papers and the Germans
who were there or the French police, greeted him and made him believe
that he had arrested my father and that he would repatriate it to Nancy. On July 18, 1942, the 7 police officers therefore organize themselves
to warn the Jews of Nancy, of the threat hanging over them. Door to door, they inform each family
without forgetting a single one. They took the whole list
from the community and they shared the addresses. And everyone went
in a specific neighborhood, the other in another neighborhood, and they knocked on people's houses
who were also very frightened. They will tell the families: "You leave your home,
you don't take anything and you will hide
with acquaintances." If people didn't have
of knowledge, we found places for them
where to hide. Risking his life, the policeman Charles Bouy
welcomes him home, Maurice Quenet and his mother. Mr. Bouy, spontaneously, at the risk of his life
and that of his family, said: “Paulette and Maurice,
I take them home.” There was no question
to go elsewhere, while he was risking very big. During many days, Maurice Quenet and his mother
live underground, fear in the belly. We stayed locked up, we didn't go
To take a walk in the street, but behind,
he had gardens, so it was done
so that in the event of a problem, we can escape from the back. We stayed
long enough, until the ardor of the Germans, or other police officers falls. On July 19, 1942, 32 people are finally
arrested in Nancy. 21 women and 11 men. Despite the instructions given
by the seven police officers, some Nancy Jews estimated, that they wouldn't run
of real danger. My grandfather, Charles Thouron, who was part
from the foreigners service, told of the great sadness
and even despair, to have one of your neighbors
whom he knew very well, who was on the list,
that he went to find and who refused to leave saying: “No, I’m not leaving.
You must be mistaken. It is impossible for the authorities
French women can deliver themselves, to such action. For the Nazis, this roundup
is a total failure. Not even 10% of people targeted.
were arrested. Which means that the Germans, who had commanded a convoy, 3 days later for Auschwitz,
must cancel it. This is the only example we have, police resistance,
of an entire service, in the face of these anti-Semitic persecutions. The Germans know very well
that it's their fault, but they don't have
concrete evidence, to prove that the leak
came from the police. The Nazis are convinced
of the guilt of the Nancy police officers. From now on, the foreigners service
is under close surveillance. The foreigners service
is kept away, of a certain number of news. They had to do
very careful, because there was always
a German who was there. They therefore made sure
to have an activity, but more discreet. The 7 police officers must in fact
ensure that the Jews, who escaped the roundup, can definitely
leave the town of Nancy. In the following days,
they devote all their energy, to make false papers. And it happened at night. They were preparing cards
so as not to wake up, German suspicions
who were with them in the service. To make
credible false documents, The Nancy police officers modify
the names registered, on identity papers. The name was something
of primordial. It was necessary in a way
or another, Frenchify the name. My father's first name was Aaron.
There was no more Jew. And so during the war,
his name was Arsène, Paul. We had removed Aaron, obviously, and the name had been changed a little. The caution of the Nancy police officers
is unfortunately not sufficient. On August 19, 1942, i.e. one month to the day
after the raid, Edouard Vigneron,
the head of the department, is arrested for providing
fake ID cards, to a Jewish couple. They were irregular papers. They were not considered as
false papers because they had, simply forgot to register, the word “Jew”
on these identity papers. This is a pretty important nuance.
because he is on trial, following this arrest and he is condemned
to three months in prison, by a German court. Three months in prison for
a simple mention “Jewish”, missing on an identity card. And it doesn't stop there. When he will be out of jail,
Edouard Vigneron, is placed on early retirement. This does not prevent others
police officers of the service, to continue their action
aid to the Jews, until the end of the war. Several of them thus received, the title of Righteous Among the Nations. There were so many abuses,
so many misfortunes in the 20th century, that when we can not forget, those who have done good deeds, I believe it is necessary
to do. And that's why I worship, an inconsiderate love
for these people. Like the Nancy police officers, 69 police officers and gendarmes
received the title, from “Righteous Among the Nations.” However, they are exceptions
because in the vast majority of cases, the reality is a lot
more contrasted. So we have this police attitude
who, when they can, they help the Jews. And in other cases,
they are very obliged, to apply and the laws
and orders from Vichy. After the big raids
from July 1942, the allegiance of many police officers
to the Vichy regime, gradually cracks. Four months later, in November, the police notice
same as the Vichy regime, is unable to brake
German ardor. Indeed, following the Allied landing
in North Africa, the Nazis are invading
the southern area of France, without the slightest opposition. Vichy worked on the theme,
we limit the damage, it's terrible, but hey, we do what we can.
The myth collapses. We see that Vichy
has done nothing, against the invasion
of the unoccupied zone. Vichy does not protect the French. And at the beginning of 1943, the Vichy government
further strengthens, this feeling with the establishment
of the compulsory labor service, the STO. This new measure which requires
All the french people, aged 21 to 23 from
work in Germany, to serve the effort
Nazi war, is experienced by the whole
of the population as a betrayal. Here are some filmed images
in a large German factory, where a majority are employed
of French workers. Certainly, in the opinion of engineers, among the best workers
foreigners currently in the Reich. The police meet
at the heart of the problem, since they are them
who will be brought, to look for refractories. And a lot of police
have a lot of trouble, to carry out this work
because perhaps they themselves, in their family, they have young people, who are affected by the STO. There is police sabotage
pure and simple. There are files that get confused,
things that have been lost, there are some bad addresses. They brake with all four irons, so as not to deport
these young people in Germany. From there, many police officers
come to grow, the ranks of the Resistance. A phenomenon that does not escape
to the Vichy government. As a result, at the beginning of 1943, the government of Pierre Laval
creates a new organization, to suppress resistance. The militia and its service
of legionary order, Floor. GROUND ! On your knees! I commit myself on honor, to serve France
and Marshal Pétain, leader of the Legion, to devote all my strength, to triumph
the national revolution and his ideal. GROUND ! Standing ! So the militia,
it's an extra step, in the fall towards nothingness of Vichy. Why do we need a
law enforcement agency? Because law enforcement agencies
like the police and the gendarmerie, do not repress enough. Unlike the police, the militia is an organization
paramilitary policy totally subject to the Vichy regime, but also to the Nazis. Joseph Darnand, its leader, even directly
sworn in to Hitler. He is an officer of the Waffen-SS. Under his orders, the militiamen lead
thus a fierce repression and without any limits. This militia freed itself
of all the rules. No rule of law,
no procedure, no penal code. We stopped, we massacred
and we shot. It is a new force which supports, 100% the policy of the Germans. It was considered by the police
like traitors, like enemies. So that's how much
they were hated. The militiamen arrest, terrorize. and execute without distinction
the resistance fighters and their loved ones. During the summer of 1943 in Nice, the police commissioner
resistant Achille Peretti, witnesses this news
fierce repression. He imagines an ambitious plan, to counter the abuses
of the militia. Bring together all the resistance police officers, within the same organization,
the Ajax network. This network will play a major role
within the Resistance. The Ajax network is a specialized network, in the infiltration
of the Vichy police. This is its reason for being. Knowing the morals
and police methods, by definition,
since they are part of it, They will do
professional counterespionage. This is exactly Peretti's idea. It is necessary to core
police administration, You need an organization
which is unofficial, and clandestine within itself, of the official body. And to infiltrate effectively
the Vichy police, Achille Peretti selects his agents, among senior executives
of the institution. You should know that it is a network
which essentially includes, commissioners
and police inspectors. When we know that the administration
policewoman, is strongly hierarchical, we measure all the importance, to have for resistance, executives and management
police services. Of course, it is preferable, to recruit high-ranking people, only basic police officers, not
that they despise the rank and file police officers, but because quite simply,
at a certain rank, in the police, we know a lot
more things and we have a lot more entries too. To make operational
the Ajax network, Achille Peretti even gets
support from the BCRA, the Central Office
intelligence and action, who represents the secret services
of free France, of General de Gaulle. Free France sees everything
immediately the interest of the network, what is being organized
Achille Peretti. De Gaulle never hid, that he wants to reconstitute a State and avoid that at the Liberation
there is a void. So the core
public administrations, that is to say the emergence
of a clandestine state, within the Vichy State, ready to take over,
it's still important. In just a few months,
from the summer of 1943, the Ajax network is established
in all the big cities, South of France. Achille Peretti pilots the whole
operations from the city of Lyon. This is where it is located
the network center, the command body
which transmits daily, information
and reports to London. Transmissions in London
were carried out by radio, according to predetermined shifts, secret, of course. And then we changed frequency
during operation, we also changed location
so as not to be spotted. So it was very complicated,
very dangerous. At the end of 1943, the AJAX network covers
the whole of France and has nearly 1,200 agents. Agents who will reveal themselves
formidable adversaries, for the Vichy regime. Police officers
have a mass of information, which reach them
In all areas, economic, political,
social, administrative. It was enough for everyone in their place, communicates information
to agent Ajax, in his service, and the information could
then go back up, very quickly to the BCRA. The anecdote exists
where files processed, on Day X in Paris, are on the table in London, before they are
on the Vichy table, quite extraordinary feats! The information collected
the agents of Ajax, are strategic
for free France, but also decisive
for the safety, other resistance organizations. An Ajax agent stationed at the
Directorate of General Information, thus makes it possible to avoid
lots of drama. This is the commissioner
police officer Germain Vidal. Vidal was an old resistance fighter,
at Ajax since the very beginning. And then he arranged
with his colleague from the PJ, so that all
repressive operations, be communicated to him. The information that will come
through the Vidal sector, will help inform
resistance movements at the net
in preparation or to say, so and so has been spotted, there was an investigation,
we start to monitor... What will happen is that often, the actions that will
be led by the militia, for example, will hit the void. Simply because people
will have been warned. Ajax is a kind
protective shield, networks of resistance. From 1943, resistance begins to take hold
truly big. More and more French people
join its ranks. In this context,
the Ajax police officers, are responsible for sorting
among the new arrivals. Among those people who,
for the overwhelming majority, are completely sincere
and indeed want, act against the occupier,
you have the possibility, to have agents of the occupier, who try to infiltrate, or just thugs,
or simply adventurers, who at the first hard blow,
will go and upset everyone. It is necessary, if possible,
test whether this or that person, which seems very well placed
and who could make us, great services
if this person is reliable. At the end of 1943, BCRA asks Ajax
to give priority, to military intelligence. The Allies are preparing
the future landing, from June 1944. They therefore need to know which
types of military installations, the Nazis built
on the French coasts. And to carry out this complex mission, Achille Peretti then constitutes
a new independent subnetwork, of around a hundred agents. Micromegas. The coastal area,
these are the prohibited areas. The Germans built everything
a system of zones in which, you have to be able to penetrate
because it's there, that we will have the information
Most important. Risking their lives, the agents of Micromégas
are therefore introduced regularly, in prohibited areas
to spy on the Nazis and assess their strengths. The Ajax network provided
battle orders, that is to say the organization of armies
in the field of operations. We knew who ordered what. We also knew
the movements of these units. They were followed practically
day by day. Ajax agent, René Deterville, even achieves a real feat. This policeman from Rouen
manages to identify, in the north of France, several launch pads
V1 flying bombs, one of the secret weapons of the Reich. Deterville managed to pick up the plans, more than fifteen ramps
launch of V1. It was something quite wonderful
and quite exceptional, for resistance, because the V1s, initially,
we didn't know what it was. Deterville risked his skin
and it is recognized, as being one of the big names
of the Norman resistance. Always in perspective
of the disembarkation, BCRA charges Ajax boss, to put pressure on colleagues, to convince them to join
the Resistance camp. Achille Peretti then writes
a call that is broadcast, on the BBC. No one can claim, that he was forced to obey. If necessary, you will pass
in a state of open rebellion, against the Laval government. De Gaulle and Peretti know that the
font is a pyramid structure. Either, it switches to the resistance side,
or she remains loyal to Vichy. And you should definitely not
that she remains loyal to Vichy. There is indeed this pressing call
to choose the camp of the Resistance, because the time
liberation is approaching. More than ever, the government
of Vichy also puts, pressure on the police. To bring the institution back into line, Philippe Pétain names
on December 30, 1943, militia leader Joseph Darnand
to the position of general secretary, to maintaining order. From there,
police officers suspected of resistance, are now hunted
like common criminals. Darnand will try to control, a police device
which escapes him more and more. These resistant police officers
will be the subject, research sheets
like the criminals. So there are hundreds of photos, descriptions of police officers
who are sought. And this will result in
arrests of police officers, by deportations as well. The landing of allied troops
in Normandy on June 6, 1944, now force the police
to definitively choose their side. Vichy and the Nazis on one side, or free France
and the allies of the other. Many police officers, who had not committed
until then commit. Finally, we throw away the mask,
we will be able to fight. That's enough of this story now. For their part, the Nazis
understood perfectly, that the vast majority
French police officers, switched to the Allied camp. Germans distrust the police. These are troops in uniform, with weapons. German services
will actually write, that it is the structure
which we must be most wary of, because she is going
shoot them in the back. At the beginning of August 1944, the Allies continue
military victories, but are always
stuck in Normandy. The rest of France
is on the verge of insurrection. The Nazis feel that the situation
can escape them at any time. So they decide
to neutralize the police. In the first days
from August 1944, in the provinces then in Paris, police services will be
disarmed by the Germans, because of this distrust. In Paris, it led to the explosion. This was felt by all, Parisian police officers, like a humiliation. This event will
fire to the powder. The Parisian police
will then take up arms, to liberate the French capital. On August 14, he launched
a call for a general strike. The Gestapo has just given the order, to disarm the Parisian police
and intern them. To this measure of provocation, All the personnel
from the police headquarters, will have to stop work. Police officers who would not obey
will be considered traitors and collaborators. So the police are going to strike, this strike will be followed by 99%. That's approximately 20,000 men, the police forces
Parisian in 1944. So this defection
Parisian police officers, is a problem for the Germans who
would like to bring them into line. Robert Pinçon is the last policeman
survivor of this period. At the time, he came
just turned 20. These events marked
forever his life. Among us, we said to ourselves: "You don't have to go there anymore,
you don't have to go to work anymore." then that's all,
then hide. The 3 big movements
of police resistance in Paris, honor of the police,
the National Police Front, as well as Police and Homeland, mobilize their 3,000 members
to prepare this time, an armed insurrection. On the morning of August 19, 1944, resistant police officers
take action. A general instruction is given, to gather in front
The police headquarters and take possession
of the police headquarters. This is what is happening
from 7 a.m. Prefect Bussière is confined
in his apartments, then put under arrest and a form
transfer of power, is then carried out even
that Paris is not liberated. It's Charles Luizet,
the representative of General de Gaulle, which becomes the new
Paris police chief. Prefect Luizet arrived and said: "In the name of General de Gaulle,
I’m taking over the police headquarters.” From the police headquarters.
Long live France, long live the Republic! Long live de Gaulle! Gathered in the courtyard of the prefecture, police officers at attention
intone the Marseillaise, to everyone's surprise. The police took the initiative
to launch the insurrection, without even informing
the military commander, of the Parisian Resistance, Colonel Rol-tanguy. Rol-tanguy learned it at the time, while passing by on his bike, he hears
sing the Marseillaise. He thinks something is happening. It appeals to him somewhat and so he will enter
in the prefecture and it's from
from that moment it takes, hand on the insurrection
which started without him. Colonel Rol-Tanguy then asked the
police officers to abandon their uniform, for the FFI cuff. One gesture all at once
strategic and symbolic. The colonel of the Resistance,
Rol-tanguy, requests that the police
are in civilian clothes, so that they are not
confused with the police, who could be the object of attacks
because they were believed to be faithful, to the Vichy government. On the morning of August 19, the insurgent police officers prepare
therefore to face the Nazis. But despite the enthusiasm, weapons are sorely lacking. We didn't have what we needed. We only had our personal pistols. We didn't have a machine gun,
we had nothing at all. And only gradually, that the refueling
in arms will be done. But we will never arrive, afterwards, to arm all the FFI. They will never all be armed. For their part, the Nazis
still have in Paris, about 20,000 soldiers
and several tanks. The imbalance is therefore total. To trap the Nazis, a significant part of the police
then leaves the police headquarters, in order to erect barricades
Citywide. They said to me: “Where do you live? I say: “I live on rue de la Huchette.” "You're going to take care of
a barricade at rue de la Huchette to attack the soldiers
Germans passing by. In the early afternoon of August 19, 1944, the trap set by the insurgents, closes in on the Nazis. In several districts of Paris, the police attack
German convoys. This is where we are given the order
to attack German trucks, and the tanks because the tanks,
it was not convenient. It was shooting everywhere! The truck guys,
they defended themselves at first. The Nazis will even lead
a major counterattack. Three German tanks
storm, the Paris police headquarters. This is a key moment. Inside,
the police are a little desperate and one of the shells will smash the door, which is located next to Notre-Dame. A policeman will succeed, to sneak out of the prefecture, to throw in one of the tanks
a Molotov cocktail. The tank catches fire
and the other two leave. The heroism of the Parisian police officers, is somewhat slowed down
at the end of the afternoon, because they no longer have any ammunition. He then decides
to change strategy and tries a poker game
by negotiating a truce with the military commander
German from Paris, General von Choltitz. Each of the two enemies, don't know very well
what is the potential in front. The Germans don't know that
the insurrection is so weak, otherwise they would not have
accepted the truce. And they say to themselves, we're going to make each other
stuck in an urban fight... It might be better to procrastinate. The truce gave
a little bit of breath, every minute saved was important, because on the first day, the police still
lost 50 people. This truce thus allows the insurgents
to rebuild their strength. But above all, it gives them the opportunity
to contact allied troops, which are now located
200 kilometers from Paris. If the allies
don't arrive fast enough, it could turn into a bloodbath. The Germans can commit
a massacre, they are used to it. Von Choltitz is a good criminal
of war on the Russian front, That’s not what’s going to stop him. The insurrection will change
the plans of the allies. The Allies did not have
their objectives of taking Paris, it was not a goal
strategic in their eyes. It was therefore necessary to negotiate
and General de Gaulle intervened, notably with General Eisenhower, to obtain that the circuit
be inflected, to connect with Paris. After three days of negotiations, on August 22, 1944, the commander-in-chief of the troops
Allies, General Eisenhower, authorizes French soldiers
of the second armored division, of General Leclerc,
to march on Paris. In the meantime, the fighting has resumed
more beautiful in the capital, but no one knows if the insurrection, will be able to hold
until the arrival of the Allies. Let's say the time is long because you don't know
What will tomorrow be made of. It must be admitted
that we have to be afraid. It's sure, it's farting everywhere... I was thinking of my wife. I thought :
“I might not see her again.” We had been married for a month. On Thursday August 24, the second armored division
of General Leclerc, finally arrives on the outskirts of Paris. General Leclerc, conscious, because the resistance
from the police headquarters continued to feel isolated,
sends them a message, flying over the prefecture
police by a small plane. We bowed down. There is a nylon package
who fell. It was a message that told us: “Hold on, we’re coming!” We now know that the army
French woman arrives, so it obviously galvanizes, the defenders of the prefecture. The next day, French troops
invade Paris. Police and soldiers engage
then a final fight, with the Germans to liberate
definitely the capital. Around 15h,
General von Choltitz surrenders. And sign the surrender
German troops. Paris is liberated. The Parisian police
are extremely popular. We have testimonies from Parisians
who shout “Long live the cops!” Which is still quite rare. I remember an old gentleman
who was a police officer at that time, who explained that it was
the police's happiest day. The popularity of police officers
is all the stronger, that without their heroic action, the capital would probably not
than a field of ruins. Von Choltitz received orders
of Hitler to blow up, the main monuments
from Paris, Notre-Dame, the Eiffel Tower, the bridges of Paris. A real wreck. Hitler had summoned Choltitz, to burn Paris and Choltitz had started
to undermine Paris, in several places. And it's the anticipation
of the insurrection, who made Choltitz
could not finish equipping the city with mines. To save Paris from destruction, the police paid a heavy price. 177 of them lost their lives
during the six days of insurrection. On October 12, 1944,
in the courtyard of the Invalides, General de Gaulle pays tribute
to their heroic action, by granting the prefecture
Paris police, the Legion of Honour. The police headquarters,
by defying the occupier, by his patriotic attitude, was one of the main
success factors, fights for liberation
from Paris. But this celebration
was quickly forgotten after the war. Resentments return quickly. The role of police under occupation
is pointed out, by a large part of the population, who even considers them
like traitors. For many people,
the police served Vichy, police resistance
would not exist and would be an invention afterwards. They showed up
the last 2 or 3 days. and then we pass everything to them. As a result, the police suffer
severe purification. 20% of them
are brought to justice and pass in front
a purification commission. The police may be
one of the institutions, where this purification
was the strongest. We saw extraordinary things, decorated police officers for their resistance, in prison. Resistant police officers
are not spared, by this expeditious justice, because most of them
did not resign, during the war. They engaged in a difficult
and necessary double play, who now appears suspicious. They were criticized after the war for but it's the resistance
who asked them to play a double game. The very fact of continuing
to practice their profession, put them in situations
complicated. They obviously have to accept
to create an illusion, that they agree to have a certain
degree of efficiency, in their work. Some police officers were not
rehabilitated only at the beginning of the 1950s, because of this ambiguity
which has weighed for a long time, during this period
quite long purification. The extent of the purification had
for the effect of completely obscuring, actions sometimes
heroic police officers, within the Resistance. However, without the help
of these shadowy agents, resistance as a whole
probably would not have, not been as important. This reality,
remained forgotten for too long, allows us today to put back
in question the image of Épinal, of a French police force, dedicated entirely to the service of the Nazis.
