The Shadow Army: European Resistance during the Second World War

As the tyrannical regime of Nazi Germany spread its grip over Europe, its criminal oppression of peoples spawned increasingly powerful resistance movements in every occupied country. It became increasingly apparent as the war lengthened that the German Wehrmacht was not invincible. The savage acts of repression, hostage taking, and the persecution of Jews, labor leaders, Communists, Catholics and anyone who dared oppose the Nazi occupation provided more than enough motivation for hundreds of thousands of people to join secret armies. This program will trace how and why resistance forces grew as the war continued and how underground movements differed from country to country. It will celebrate the heroic deeds of many notable individuals who refused to surrender their countries to Adolf Hitler’s twisted “New Order”.

Presenter: Dr. Edward Gordon