Hidden Ally

How did the French Resistance and Allied forces work together to liberate southern France from the Germans during World War II? Arthur Funk gives the first detailed account of the complex British, French, and American operations in 1944, an account that uses a wealth of original source material on both sides of the Atlantic to evaluate the role of the French Resistance and to assess the problems in coordinating Allied military activities. The study should be of great interest to historians, history buffs, and colleges and universities that wish to fill this gap in the historiography of World War II.The first half of the book deals with preparations for the Allied landings in August 1944, telling about agents first in contact with the French Resistance and about the work of Allied missions, French groups, and British officers and teams directed from London and Algiers. The second half of the book covers the collaboration of French Forces of the Interior with the U.S. Seventh Army in the liberation of Marseilles, Lyon, and other cities in southeastern France. Filled with interesting detail about major figures in the war and little-known agents and officers, the book is unique in weaving together recently declassified OSS sources in Washington with British and French archival information that is rarely noted. Maps and photographs are included in the book, and a useful bibliography is also provided.

?For the reader seeking a very detailed account of the activities of individual Resistance and Allied intelligence units in southern France in summer 1944, this is the book to read. Fine maps and pictures illuminate the text.?-Child & Family Behavior Therapy, ?Funk's admirable analysis of operations by the Resistance and Special Operations forces in 1944 is a fine place to begin such preparation.?-Armor, ?Having thoroughly researched the archival and printed sources, Funk is particularly effective at blending information obtained from U.S. Army unit histories together with that obtained in interviews with members of the Resistance, British SOE agents, and Americans who fought in the Riviera campaign. Excellent maps, prepared by the author, an appendix listing the make-up of the various Special Operations groups, and a selected bibliography add to the value of this important study of the relationship between the U.S. Army and the French Resistance in the Riviera campaign.?- American Historical Review, ?In so doing, he has written a fascinating account that adds significantly to the understanding of the liberation of France.?-The Historian, ?In this latest work Funk (emeritus, University of Florida), a leading American scholar on US forces in southern France, addresses the relationship between special forces (including the French resistance) and the American invasion and advance into France. Funk presents the detailed preparations and movements of all units and their leaders, mentioning every unit and every significant leader by name. Military historians and WW II buffs will be able to trace the actions throughout the southern French campaign with more than adequate maps to assist them. The author proves with little doubt that the Maquis played a major role in the relatively quick success of the allied armies. The best part of the book is Funk's integration of the Maquis and the regulars into a single complete story.?-Choice

ARTHUR LAYTON FUNK is Professor Emeritus of History at the University of Florida. He is a recognized expert on American-French relations in World War II and the author of Charles De Gaulle: The Crucial Years, 1943-44 (1959), The Politics of TORCH (1974) and De Yalta a Potsdam (1982).