- Allies
Name given to the coalition of countries at war against Nazi Germany.
- AFMA
Created in 1987, the Association Fonds Mémoire d'Auschwitz is an non-profit association, whose aim is to promote all activities of remembrance and transmission, research and study, as well as educational actions and cultural and ceremonial events relating to persecution and deportation in Nazi concentration camps, and in particular Auschwitz. It occupies premises on the first floor of the Cité de la Muette.
- Aryen
- Nazi term for a human race they consider superior.
- Aryan Spouses
Aryan Spouses are people of other races invented by the Nazis - including Jews - who are married to an Aryan.
- Killing centers
- Killing centers (known as extermination camps or death camps) were designed to carry out genocide. Between 1941 and 1945, the Nazis established six death camps on former Polish territory: Chelmno, Belzec, Sobibor, Treblinka, Auschwitz-Birkenau (part of the Auschwitz complex) and Majdanek.
- General confederation of political party internees
- Association founded by two internees from the Drancy camp, Jacques Darville and Simon Wichené. In 1945, they published a first-hand account, Drancy la juive ou la deuxième inquisition.
- Landing
- On June 6, 1944, the Allies landed on the Normandy coast, heralding the reconquest of Europe.
- Deportee
- A deportee is a person moved to a concentration camp or killing center.
- British Colonial Empire
- This is a group of countries which, under various statutes, were governed or administered from the beginning of the 17th century to the end of the 20th century by England, then the United Kingdom. It includes Canada and Australia, as well as Sudan, Ghana, South Africa and India. Decolonization only began after the Second World War.
- Frontstalag
- German word for camps for soldiers who were prisoners of war. Over the course of the war, the term came to designate all German internment sites, whatever the category of internee (soldiers, resistance fighters, Jews...).
- Gestapo
- It's an acronym of the German expression Geheime Staatspolizei, meaning "secret state police". The Gestapo served as a political police force. It set up surveillance, arrests and torture of opponents in Germany and resistance fighters in occupied countries such as France.
- Provisional government of the French Republic
- In June 1944, the Resistance formed a provisional government to regain power in France. This government declared the Vichy regime illegitimate.
- Vichy government or regime
- Or French State. This was the regime created by Marshal Pétain on July 17, 1940 to govern France. It was an authoritarian regime based on anti-Semitism and xenophobia. It adopted a policy of collaboration with Germany.
- Non-deportable Jews
- At the Drancy camp, some Jews were temporarily excluded from deportation. This applied to certain nationalities, notably from countries allied with Germany. The rules changed over the 3 years of the camp's existence, creating much confusion among internees.
- Convoy numbers
- The convoy numbers are administrative numbers given by the Nazis themselves to track the deportation of Jews. This illustrates the meticulous organization of the genocide.
- Occupied zone
- Between June 1940 and November 11, 1942, France was divided into several zones. One zone, comprising the north of the country and the coast, was considered occupied, and was subject to dual administration: an occupying administration and a French administration linked to the Vichy regime.
- Paris ville ouverte
- Paris ville ouverte meant that the French would not oppose the arrival of the Germans in Paris, and that they could enter without a fight.
- Safety policy
- Nazi policy based on intimidation of the population through the use of hostages, preventive arrests, torture and shootings to set an example.
- Wireless telegraphy or T.S.F. set
- Refers to radio wave transmission tools. They enable communication without the need for legal communications.
- Rafle
- An unannounced mass arrest by the police. It can take the form of street blockades or arrests in homes.
- Air defense artillery regiment
- This is a military unit of the French Army, responsible for monitoring the skies and attacks on territory by aircraft or airplanes.
- Reich
- German word for Empire, used by the Nazis to designate their regime and all conquered territories. The Nazis considered their empire to be the third after the Holy Roman Empire (962-1806) and the German Empire (1871-1918).
- Union of Young Girls of France
- Created in 1936, this is the Communist youth organization for young women.
- General Union of Israelites of France
- Created by French law on November 29, 1941. Its creation was accompanied by the dissolution and transfer of assets of all non-religious Jewish associations. Its mission is to represent Jews in dealings with the public authorities, particularly in matters of assistance, welfare and social reclassification. Membership is open to all Jews living in France.
- Type K wagon
- In railway jargon, these are flatcars used for transporting a variety of goods that can withstand the elements. During the war, they were also used to transport people, whether military troops, civilians or deportees in the German Reich. Transport conditions varied according to category. Deportees were transported in closed, padlocked wagons, often having to stand up.
- Wehrmacht
- German word for German army.
