While France hosts grandiose ceremonies commemorating D-Day, the heroic role of Missak Manouchian's Resistance fighters in World War II is often overlookedPARIS -- While France hosts grandiose ceremonies commemorating D-Day, Missak Manouchian and his Resistance fighters’ heroic role in World War II are often overlooked. “With them, it’s all foreign Resistance fighters who enter into the Panthéon,” said historian Denis Peschanski, who led efforts to honor Manouchian's memory. During World War II, he joined the French Resistance as a political activist with the then-underground MOI group. Manouchian is the first foreign and first communist Resistance fighter to be inducted into the Panthéon, Peschanski noted. Nazi propaganda officers ordered a poster to be made with the photos and names of 10 Resistance fighters, including Manouchian, displayed in Paris and other French cities.

Source: ABC News February 21, 2024 16:15 UTC