Joseph Kessel and Maurice Druon wrote the French lyrics.
It was performed by Anna Marly, broadcast by the BBC and adopted by the maquis.
The lyrics of the song revolve around the idea of a life-or-death struggle for national liberation.
After the war the "Chant des Partisans" was so popular, it was proposed as a new national anthem for France.
It became for a short while the unofficial national anthem, next to the official "La Marseillaise".