1944 Paris uprising. How did the FFL take control of german armor?

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Felix C
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1944 Paris uprising. How did the FFL take control of german armor?

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Post by Felix C » 15 Mar 2016, 01:02

I read where the FFL captured some german tank in Paris. Does anyone have the story behind this? Did the crew defect? I ask because do not see how FFI personnel would know how to drive the German tank. ex-french renault I think.

Is there a good book which describes the military aspects of the uprising?

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Manuferey
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Re: 1944 Paris uprising. How did the FFL take control of german armor?

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Post by Manuferey » 15 Mar 2016, 23:02

Felix C wrote:I ask because do not see how FFI personnel would know how to drive the German tank. ex-french renault I think.
Here are a few possibilities: :idea:
Remember that older Frenchmen in Paris, either too old to be mobilized in 1939-40 or demobilized in 1940 (and not taken POW) or in 1942 (after the invasion of southern France), had been through the mandatory military service before WW2. Some of them had learned how to drive French tanks and would probably have been capable to figure out quickly how to drive non-French tanks as well.

In addition, you also have some people who worked in the various plants around Paris that built French tanks (Renault, SOMUA, Hotchkiss) before the war and were not sent to the front in 39-40 as they were considered essential to the war industry as specialized workers. Some of them had to know how to drive tanks in order to move them within the plants.

Separately, ex-French tanks of different types (B 1bis, R35, H 39) were captured and driven in Paris by the FFI in August 1944.

Emmanuel


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