Missak Manouchian, the Armenian hero of the French Resistance

Stateless, he gave his life for France. On the occasion of Missak Manouchian's entry into the Pantheon, Virginie Girod offers you a new story based on Europe 1 archives on this Armenian hero of the Resistance. 

Missak Manouchian was born in 1906 into an Armenian peasant family. In the Ottoman Empire, which is experiencing its last moments, Armenians are persecuted. From 1915, the Turks organized their genocide. Missak loses both of his parents.  

First sent with his brother Garabed to an orphanage under French protectorate, the two men managed to reach France in 1924. Garabed died of tuberculosis in 1927. From then on, Missak was alone. He was hired in the Citroën factories in Paris. When he's not checking his channel, he takes classes at the Sorbonne and devours books from the Sainte-Geneviève library. Missak is himself a poet, sensitive to communist ideas. He was revolted by the rise of the extreme right that he observed in France during the anti-parliamentary demonstrations of February 6, 1934. It was to fight against the rise of fascism that he decided to join the French Communist Party. .  

Soon, war breaks out in Europe. Missak was first incarcerated because of his communist foreign status before being incorporated into the army. But France capitulated and came under German rule. The communists were not supposed to be a threat to the occupiers: Hitler and Stalin ratified a non-aggression pact in 1939. They are just delaying. In fact, Manouchian was arrested during a “preventive” roundup in June 1941. Released, Missak Manouchian joined the Resistance. He found his place in the FTP-MOI: the Francs-Tireurs et Partisans - Immigrant Workforce, where he quickly climbed the ranks on the strength of his courage. Arrested on November 16, 1943 with other members of the network, he was sentenced to death. His face and that of the other members of the “Manouchian group” are printed on a large scale on the famous “Red Poster” of German propaganda. By wanting to make these resistance fighters look like criminals, she made them heroes. Missak Manouchian was shot at Mont Valérien on February 21, 1944. 80 years later, France opened the doors of its Pantheon to him. 

Themes covered: resistance, occupation, second world war, pantheon, communism, Armenian genocide 

“At the heart of history” is a Europe 1 Studio podcast

- Presentation: Virginie Girod 

- Production: Camille Bichler and Caroline Garnier

- Director: Nicolas Gaspard

- Composition of the original music: Julien Tharaud 

- Writing and Distribution: Nathan Laporte

- Communication: Marie Corpet

- Visual: Sidonie Mangin

Archival sound 

The testimony of Mélinée Manouchian, on the occasion of the release of the film "L'Affiche rouge", in the program "Explainez vous sur Europe 1", November 10, 1976 

“L’Affiche rouge” in the program “Histoire d’un jour”, March 9, 1979 

Online resources: 

https://museedelaresistanceenligne.org/media6561-Missak-Manouchian 

https://www.retronews.fr/conflits-et-relations-internationales/echo-de-presse/2020/03/12/resistance-groupe-manouchian 

https://manouchian-au-pantheon.org/ 

https://enseignements.lumni.fr/fiche-media/00000000900/la-manifestation-antiparlementaire-du-6-fevrier-1934-a-paris-muet.html