In the film it seems that the Gerbier et al operated in very small "cells" obviously so they could have an "easier" time protecting their network. Looked to me an extremely lonely job they were in. I'm sure their psych proifles were much much different than the average Frenchman or Frenchwoman. From the looks of the film, I'm not sure we can get the feeling that they thought themselves 'successful' in their apparently ruthless endeavor.
shareI'm not sure any one person truly "ran" the Resistance. I think it was more a bunch of ad hoc groups loosely in communication with each other and with the Free French based in London (who did have a specific leader - de Gaulle). The number of Resistants gradually grew as the occupation dragged on, and rumors circulated that the tide of the war was turning against the Nazis. I think I read once that most Resistance activity took place in the final year of occupation (August 1943-August 1944). What we see in the movie (set from October 1942-February 1943) are actions taken place when the eventual outcome of the war was still uncertain, and many civilians were not ready to take the plunge in the Resistance yet.
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