Directed by Albert Mahuzier and filmed by Gaston Madru, “Reseau X” is a documentary that shows the French “secret service” trying to rescue Allied pilots who were shot down over Occupied France. The film also shows the French underground and its support of the liberation of France. The airmen shown in the film are U.S. Army Air Force 2nd Lt. Alfred Richter, Sgt. Robert Peterson, and First Officer James Stewart of the RAF. The film was primarily shot on 12 June, 1944, just about a month prior to the liberation of Paris. Post war it was shown at Cannes in 1946.

The film opens with images of German identification papers burning (:42). A civilian leads his horse and cart through the streets (:57). Resistance posters are seen on city walls (1:16). A farmer with a scythe rakes a field and looks up as a plane crosses overhead (1:38). The plane is hit and an explosion follows (1:44). Three survivors from the crash — Allied airmen — approach a farmer in the field. He must decide what to do — the threat of what could happen to him is shown through a montage showing a Vichy poster that emphasizes that the penalty for helping enemy airmen is death. Now the scheme to get them out of France is put into action. Members of the Resistance — a business man and a peasant sit alongside one another on a park bench (2:54) and they are seen greeting one another again shortly afterwards on a dirt road (3:16). One shows the man fake identification papers (3:24). Meanwhile the aviators change into civilian clothes and shoes. An animation shows a series of question marks on the screen (indicating what to do with the aviators) (4:03) and methods to get to a Paris safehouse pointed out (4:04). A signal has been sent out to alert the Resistance and Allied staff (4:09). A man on a bicycle (4:16) later climbs out of a window to attach communication lines (4:35) for a French Resistance handler. Inside of the building another man sends messages in Morse code (4:38) using what appears to be a typewriter and transmitter — but could possibly be a coding machine like an Enigma. A message is transported from one man to another as the lines of communication are formed (5:11). A female artist works to craft an insignia for fake identification papers for French resistance members (5:34). The image is blown up on the wall and Haute-Vienne is placed on it which refers to a region in west-central France. (This town was the site of a massacre led by Nazi forces in June of 1944.) The image is copied and processed (6:25) and set onto identification papers (7:00). These papers are then seen stuffed into the headlight of a motorcycle (7:40). After the rider arrives at his destination, he discreetly pulls the papers out (7:47). The screen with question marks appears again and references the possibility of the airmen escaping through Spain (8:04). At 8:19 Marshal Phillipe Petain, puppet of the German military administration, is seen as well as a German victory parade. A Nazi flag (8:37) is seen waving in France and Hitler follows with other Nazi officials including Hermann Goering (8:51) walking among German tanks. A French Resistance meeting follows (8:54) of the “Union of Revolutionary Forces”. A resistance poster shows the American and British flags near Rome in Italy (9:11) as of January, 1944. French newspaper headlines mention German defeats in Italy (9:16), the presence of American paratroopers (9:26) and the activation of German defenses. Explosions light up across a map of France (9:32) and a rail line is pointed to which cuts through the country (9:43). The rescued Allied airmen are shown in Paris (9:56) and walk past the Notre Dame Cathedral. German troops are seen mingling with crowds along side walk stands (10:40), followed by the airmen, one of whom picks up a French language primer. The Eiffel tower is then seen, with relaxed-looking German troops mingling with the French (11:17) The same farmer with the scythe from the beginning of the film is seen pausing to look up and the skies (12:32). The film concludes with the Arc du Triomphe (12:56) and the French flag (13:00).

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This film is part of the Periscope Film LLC archive, one of the largest historic military, transportation, and aviation stock footage collections in the USA. Entirely film backed, this material is available for licensing in 24p HD, 2k and 4k. For more information visit http://www.PeriscopeFilm.com