Groupe résistant Elie

The Élie group was founded in September 1940 by Louis Élie (a transporter and garage owner). Its members came from very different social backgrounds: workers at the St Nicolas pyrotechnics plant and the arsenal, journalists, students, mechanics, shopkeepers etc., the majority of whom lived in the Saint-Martin district of Brest. The group grew to 70 members and several dozen sympathizers.
Their clandestine organization established a link with Colonel Rémy's Confrérie Notre-Dame network, part of the 2nd Bureau de la France Libre (future BCRA).

The Élie group obtained handguns in cafe checkrooms and back rooms from belts left behind by the occupiers. It also managed to get stocks of ammunition and explosives out of the Saint-Nicolas pyrotechnics factory.
It is said to have organized attacks on German soldiers, killing several between January and April 19415. In March 1941, he also led an unsuccessful attempt to rescue internees held in Pontaniou prison.
On the night of April 4, 1941, a fire that lit up Brest as if in broad daylight ravaged the Hôtel Continental, located on Place de la Tour d'Auvergne. A grand banquet was being held there in honor of the officials of the Scharnhorst and the Gneisenau. The cause of the fire is uncertain: was it a bomb planted by the réseau Élie or a bomb dropped by the 5th Bomber Group(en), which was on a raid to bomb the two battleships?

Source Wikipedia
Photo credit and contribution Philippe Boudot.

The Élie group was founded in September 1940 by Louis Élie (a transporter and garage owner). Its members came from very different social backgrounds: workers at the St Nicolas pyrotechnics plant and the arsenal, journalists, students, mechanics, shopkeepers etc., the majority of whom lived in the Saint-Martin district of Brest. The group grew to 70 members and several dozen sympathizers. Their clandestine organization established a link with Colonel Rémy's Confrérie Notre-Dame network, part of the 2nd Bureau de la France Libre (future BCRA).The Élie group obtained handguns in cafe checkrooms and back rooms from belts left behind by the occupiers. It also managed to get stocks of ammunition and explosives out of the Saint-Nicolas pyrotechnics factory. It is said to have organized attacks on German soldiers, killing several between January and April 19415. In March 1941, he also led an unsuccessful attempt to rescue internees held in Pontaniou prison.On the night of April 4, 1941, a fire that lit up Brest as if in broad daylight ravaged the Hôtel Continental, located on Place de la Tour d'Auvergne. A grand banquet was being held there in honor of the officials of the Scharnhorst and the Gneisenau. The cause of the fire is uncertain: was it a bomb planted by the réseau Élie or a bomb dropped by the 5th Bomber Group(en), which was on a raid to bomb the two battleships?Source WikipediaPhoto credit and contribution Philippe Boudot.