Lille during World War II

[4] To prevent strategic resources from falling into German hands, the British destroyed the Boitelle telephone center and burned a stockpile of military equipment that could not be escorted to the zone libre in time.

[11] In Lille, acts of resistance consisted mainly of disobedience, theft, and the distribution of clandestine newspapers, such as L'Homme libre by Jean-Baptiste Lebas.

Three major networks operating in Lille and the greater administrative area in France were particularly active: Examples of acts of sabotage: Between June 1940 and August–September 1944, the city's residents had very tense relations with their German occupiers.

The oldest among them still bore the scars of the previous German occupation during the First World War,[14] while the youngest were unnerved by the Nazi regime.

The German authorities stepped up their efforts to maintain cordial relations with the residents of Lille, in order to facilitate plans to incorporate Nord and Pas-de-Calais into one great Flemish state.

[15] Each resident was sorted into a category based on their age and sex, at which point they received a ration card (carte individuelle d'alimentation) with monthly supply vouchers.

Between September and December 1940, an agency was in charge of amassing supplies of goods and regulating their commercialization, until the establishment of the General Reprovisioning Directorate (Direction du Ravitaillement Général) for the Nord département on January 1, 1941.

Lille residents engaged in trade with their Belgian neighbors, sending food, chemical products, pharmaceuticals, coal, and more.

There were special rules and restrictions in place: Weekly markets in Lille (such as those selling fruits, vegetables, and meats) saw a major drop in customers during the war, a situation that only worsened under the occupation, as all products required a voucher.

Hunting permits were issued by a department of the OFK 670 in Lille, led by Chief Inspector Estorff, a friend of Marshall Göring.

On May 10, 1941, the "Deutsche Theater" was unveiled, with the goal of turning the Opéra de Lille into a veritable German cultural space.

Sign-up fees were often high, so residents from poorer backgrounds would make do by attending secret dances, at the risk of being fined.

The Committee of the French Red Cross in Lille engaged in a variety of activities, such as opening two clinics and offering training for nurses.

Numerous volunteers worked for the Red Cross, and most of the committee's resources were devoted to aiding the suffering (particularly prisoners in Loos, as well as the wounded, the sick, undernourished children, etc.).

The Germans abandoned Saint-Sauveur on August 30, 1944, as well as Calmette Hospital, which specialized in pulmonary conditions (particularly tuberculosis), surgery, and care for victims of gas attacks.

They consisted of keeping the public informed, maintaining lookouts, concealing light sources, sounding alarms, and organizing shelters and relief efforts.

A German circular issued by General Niehoff on June 25, 1940 called on the city's residents to equip their outward-facing windows and other openings with curtains and shutters.

It concluded by warning citizens that "any person in breach of these rules or other ad hoc prescriptions will be fined 10,000 RM or imprisoned for a period of up to one year."

There was also the Sipo-SD (commonly known as the Gestapo), the political police for the Nazi party, based in the La Madeleine suburb of Lille.

"[30] On August 23, 1944, an order stated that striking workers were subject to deportation to mines in the Ruhr region and could see their pay suspended or lose their right to unemployment benefits.

[31] Two days later, a notice was posted ordering all restaurants and performances to be shut down and all civilians to stay in their homes until striking workers agreed to return to work.

The Order of September 19, 1941 stated that "all political prisoners may be treated as hostages held responsible for lethal attacks by unidentified perpetrators on German soldiers, policemen, and their equivalents.

Notices were posted informing the public about executions of political prisoners, saboteurs, and hostages in response to attacks or acts of sabotage against the German occupiers.

Examples include Pastor Nick, Father Stahl, and the German military chaplain Friedrich Gunther, who was gunned down on August 26, 1944 on the steps of the OFK 670 (by one of his former superiors).

[38] German soldiers were attempting to return to Germany, and equipment stored in the Lille barracks, along with heavy tanks, began to be evacuated on September 1 via the Rue Esquermoise in the city center.

The Gestapo and the GFP military police were evacuating their offices on the Rue Tenremonde and the Avenue Saint-Maur in La Madeleine.

[39] On the night of September 2, police cadets who were also members of the Resistance liberated the Citadel, seizing 100 crates of grenades, 1,800 rifles, and 4 heavy machine guns.

The French Forces of the Interior (FFI) received instructions to occupy city hall, the telephone center, and the Lille Chamber of Commerce, former headquarters of the OFK 670.

There were around thirty militiamen in Lille, who carried out arrests and identity checks and participated actively in the black market.

The reason so many victims of the purges came from poor backgrounds stems from the fact that a disproportionate number of collaborators were themselves of humble origin.