French resistance in Normandy: Violet plan
D-Day and Battle of Normandy
The preparation by the Central Bureau of Information and Action (B.C.R.A.) of the sabotage plan “VIOLET” (relative to the French telecommunication networks) was done at the request of the Special Operations Executive (S.O.E.).
Conducted by volunteer engineers of the service of the Large Distance Underground Lines (in French Lignes Souterraines à Grande Distance, L.S.G.D.), these actions of resistance had for objective the paralysis of the means of command of the German forces during three days, from June 5 to June 7, 1944, during the Allied landing in Normandy.
In detail, the expected actions are as follows:
- after cutting the cables in several places on the same path, isolate them at their ends to hinder the search for disturbances by the measurement tables.
- Blow up the poles of the air circuits in the curves.
- Avoid the total destruction of the sentry boxes, central stations, and cables at great distances to be able to restore communications for the Allies
The main consequences of the Violet plan are as follows:
- particularly deteriorated use of German wire transmissions from 6 to 8 June 1944.
- Obligation for the Germans to use their unencrypted radio means, the communications of which have been partially decrypted by the Allies.
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