A comprehensive and compelling history of the resistance movements that operated in every German-occupied nation between 1939 and 1941.Even though much of Europe eventually succumbed to the Nazis during World War II, many Europeans defiantly resisted occupation in every way possible. This captivating book provides a survey of these resistance movements during the period of Axis occupation and recounts the ways in which unarmed citizens undermined Nazi efforts at domination. A thorough description of the Axis conquest of Europe, the formation of the Special Operations Executive in Britain, and the Office of Strategic Services in the United States provides a backdrop for this turbulent time in history.Chapters cover the resistance organizations, their leaders, and other key individuals behind their operations. The book details the movement's furtive tactics that included spreading information, providing the Allies with key intelligence, conducting industrial sabotage, destroying bridges and factories, and fighting behind the lines. Case studies of resistance operations in France, Norway, Holland, Denmark, Poland, Czechoslovakia, the Soviet Union, the Balkans, Greece, Italy, and within Nazi Germany itself show the scope and breadth of the resistance movement throughout the world.

IntroductionChapter 1 The Axis Conquest of Europe (1938-1941)Chapter 2 Setting Europe AblazeBritain, the United States, and the Creation of the Allied Resistance OrganizationsChapter 3 "Vive la Résistance!"The Story of the French Resistance (June 1940-June 1944)Chapter 4 Resistance in Northern EuropeNorway, Holland, and DenmarkChapter 5 AnthropoidThe Czech Resistance and the Mission to Kill Reinhard HeydrichChapter 6 Tragedy in WarsawThe Polish Resistance and the Tragedy of the Warsaw UprisingsChapter 7 Standing Against HitlerThe Resistance in GermanyChapter 8 Red ResistanceThe Partisan Movement in the Soviet UnionChapter 9 Resistance in the MediterraneanThe Resistance Movements in Italy and the BalkansChapter 10 "The Sun of Our Grandeur"The French Resistance and the Liberation, from D-Day to the Paris UprisingConclusionBibliographyIndex