Comes with hand-signed C.O.A.

In total, nearly 1,000 secret sabotages were carried out by the French resistance from June 5th to 6th, 1944. In the evening of June 6, 1944, the losses of Normandy resistance fighters are estimated at 124 killed, wounded, missing or taken prisoner. Their excellent knowledge of the Normandy terrain represented an undeniable added value for dismounted troops and airborne units.

This incredibly rare and museum-grade WWII France flag is heavily battle damaged and contains the amazingly preserved mark of the French Resistance Fighters. This WWII France battle flag was flown by the French Resistance located in the Normandy region of Rouen, France. During the German occupation, Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine had its headquarters until it was liberated by the Canadians on August 30th, 1944 after the Allied D-Day landings and the breakout from Normandy.

The German occupation of Normandy began in June 1940, four years exactly before the Allied D-Day landings. The first actions of French resistance begin immediately, like the destruction of the telephone cable connecting the aerodrome of Boos and the German headquarters of Rouen.

The Gestapo in Normandy set up its offices first in the “rue du Donjon,” Rouen. Then, progressively, they had different headquarters throughout Normandy. In the cellars of the tower of Rouen echoed the cries of the French Resistance who were captured, tortured, and then deported or shot.

Rouen was heavily damaged during World War II – approximately 45% of the city was destroyed. In June 1940, the area between the Rouen Cathedral and the Seine river burned for 48 hours as the Germans did not allow firemen access to the fire. Other areas were destroyed between March and August 1944, just before and during the Battle of Normandy, which ended on the left bank of the Seine with the destruction of several regiments belonging to the German 7th Army. Rouen's cathedral and several significant monuments were damaged by Allied bombing.

The role of the French resistance during the Battle of Normandy

After the landing, the Resistance continued to provide intelligence to the Allies throughout the Battle of Normandy. At the beginning of July 1944, when the front stagnated at the same time as it entered the war of hurdles, the acquisition of information on German positions and devices remained limited; the Allies ask the resistance, via the S.O.E., to obtain a maximum of information. From July 12 to 21, 31 resistance fighters provide information that is immediately exploited by the Americans: bombarding the armored groupings in the south of the Channel, they pierce the front as part of the operation Cobra from July 25.

In order to limit the arrival of future German reinforcements to Normandy after the landing, French commandos were parachuted above Brittany. These side operations took place in June (named Cooney Parties, Lost and Grog) and in August 1944 (Derry), with the participation of 538 paratroopers of the Special Air Service (S.A.S.). They coordinated the various resistance networks to fight effectively against the occupier.

In anticipation of the Allied liberation of their town, many citizens in France secretly made Allied and French “Liberation Flags”. Their make-do attributes are nearly limitless. A lack of specific knowledge about the flag itself, a lack of time, and a lack of suitable materials in an utterly devastating region combine to result in a collection of flags where nearly every example is unique and rare. French civilians caught making liberation flags during the German occupation were executed immediately.