An English translation of Daniel Cordier’s epic portrait and memoir of the French Resistance during WWII.

Daniel Cordier’s fascinating, intimate memoir is a major contribution to our understanding of the fraught and historic relations between General Charles de Gaulle’s Free French and the fractious resistance movements under the Occupation during World War II. As the first young secretary to legendary Jean Moulin, one of the leaders of Conseil National de la Résistance, Cordier recounts Moulin’s tense negotiations to bring together the resistance movements and persuade them to join forces under de Gaulle’s banner between 1942 and ‘43. Cordier was a lookout on the fateful day the National Resistance Council was created, confirming de Gaulle’s legitimacy in the eyes of the French people and, crucially, in the eyes of Roosevelt and the Allied leadership. Later in life, Cordier penned his first-hand account of his role in the creation of Jean Moulin’s secretariat in Lyon and then Paris. Alias Caracalla is a brave and passionate story of action and self-discovery in times of war, with a sensitive and nuanced translation by Rupert Swyer.

Daniel Cordier (1920–2020) was a French Resistance fighter and historian. In his youth was a member of the far-right organization Camelots du Roi, and yet later engaged with the Free France resistance in June 1940 that fought the Nazi Occupation and the collaborationist Vichy regime. After the war he became a prominent art dealer, historian, and advocate for gay rights. Rupert Swyer is an independent scholar, translator, and journalist. He lives in Paris. 

Notice

Foreword by Rupert Swyer

P R E L U D E 

I. FROM PAU TO BAYONNE

I. Pétain betrays hope, June 17-21, 1940

I I. LONDON

II. We shall never be slaves—June 12-July 2, 1940

III. Olympia Hall, July 2-10, 1940

IV. Delville Camp, 11 juillet-26 septembre 1940

V. Camberley, September 26-October 30, 1940

VI. Old Dean, October 31, 940-August 14, 1941

VII. BCRA volunteers, August 10, 1941-June 17, 1942

I I I. L Y O N
IX. *Rex, my boss, July 26 -August 17, 1942

X. The chiefs and their Resistance, August 18 -September 28, 1942

XII. De Gaulle, the end? November 6 -December 13, 1942

XIII. The battle for the Conseil de la Résistance, December 14, 1942-February 12, 1943

XIV. *Bip.W on his own, February 14 -March 24, 1943

I V. P A R I S
XV. Snake dance, March 24-April 12, 1943

XVI. The National Resistance Council, at last, April 15-May 30, 1943

V. C A L U IR E
XVII. *Rex alone against all, June 1-23, 1943

Aftermath
Noms de guerre and their corresponding names
Names of individuals and their noms de guerre
Acknowledgements