German losses to the Marquis...

How many German soldiers were killed by the French Resistance????

 

I dont think there is a way to know for sure but, I would bet it was many thousands if not tens of thousands.

I read a report sometime ago that alone in Paris, it was estimated that there were appx 30,000 British soldiers, 50,000 American soldiers and 90,000 German soldiers who deserted and were living there at one time or another.

 

This is something I did not know much before so I don´t make too many conclusions here. But here´s some articles:

"In 1943 the French Maquis appeared: resistance encampments in remote areas of scrubby Mediterranean hillside brush peopled by those who were fleeing forced labor or deportation. They lived on local support while preparing to aid an Allied invasion. But before that invasion occurred in June 1944 only about 2% of French adults took an active part in the Resistance, while perhaps 10% read the clandestine press."

http://media.ucsc.edu/classes/thompson/history30c/17_occupation.html

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No French resistance without her!

http://www.64-baker-street.org/agent_fany_nancy_wake.html

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By July 1940, it became clear to the British that they were not going to return to the continent anytime soon, and began to organize intelligence units to support partisans around occupied Europe. Called Special Operations Executive (SOE), it organized espionage and sabotage operations, supplied and trained guerilla units, and was the model for the US Office of Strategic Services.

http://www.worldwar2database.com/html/resistance.htm
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SOE, which had built up its own operation in occupied France in competition to the French resistance, answering to General Charles de Gaulle in London, estimated that the French blew up only half of prepared targets around D-day.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/freedom/Story/0,2763,646872,00.html

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According to what I´ve read here the Maquis had some 1500 members until 1943, but after the occupation of Vichy France and French being taken to work labor the number grew fast, as well as the defeat of Germany was showing. If Germans were killed the number must have been low.The main task was to hide pilots and get them back to flying, and inform London on German movements etc. Around the invasion sabotage was huge and probably a lot of Germans were killed, don´t find any numbers precise numbers yet.That SOE mixing its own thing feels a bit weird??

But anyway there was a number of 40 000 killed French in France alone in prisons etc during 1940-44 so something must have been happening.

 

And don't forget the Belgians. The attacked German/SS unites as well, especially in the Ardennes. The subject of my earlier avatar, Hans Waldmuller, was killed in September 1944 by Belgian resistance.

In Holland the resistance didn't attack full scale military units (AFAIK); there was nowhere to run and hide. They took to assinating german soldiers and dutch colloborators. Don't know how many were killed this way, but The German High SS and Dutch SS heads got so pissed off at this, that they launched operation Silbertanne; the assassination of Dutch people on a Black List (people who were thought to have ties with the resistence or critical of the German rule). For every German killed, 10 Dutch men were to be shot. This was scaled back to three. Hit squads of Dutch SS-ers would go to their victim house and shoot him right there and then. I think around 40 - 80 Dutch people were assassinated like that. I think Himmler himself stopped this.

Once the resistance shot up a german staff car with three people, which they thought were just ordinary soldiers. Turned out to the the High SS commissioner for Holland, General Rauter. He survived. The whole male(?) population of the nearby village of Petten was taken hostage and sent to concentration camps. Many were not to return. Don't know if all the facts are correct here; I am not really up to scratch when it comes to the resistance. Maybe other Dutch participants could correct and/or elaborate on this...

 

Well, they should not have been very high. But I do know that France lost 668.000 men in WWII since 1939-1945.