The
Organisation civile et militaire was founded in December 1940 in
Paris through the amalgamation of the ''Équipe française d'organisation du redressement
of the industrialist Jacques Arthuys (the "rue de Logenbach group") and the Confédération des travailleurs intellectuels
inspired by Maxime Blocq-Mascart. From January 1941, employees of the public works ministry reinforced the OCM, under the leadership of André Boulloche and the couple Georges et Raymonde Ricroch. The OCM also recruited from the bourgeoisie'', industry, businesspeople, former soldiers, and professionals such as
architects,
lawyers and
academics. Two political tendencies were particularly represented:
conservatives who were
militaristic but
Germanophobic and opposed to national revolution, and socialists. The former were the majority initially, but the latter became important as the war progressed. In late 1941 the OCM only had a few hundred members; two years later, according to Guillaume Piketty, they had 45,000. The OCM's organisation was endowed with military rigour. The OCM was decapitated in December 1941 with the arrest of Arthuys; Colonel Alfred Touny, formerly in charge of the second bureau of the fourth army became the new leader.
Pierre Brossolette put the OCM in contact with
colonel Rémy (
Gilbert Renault), head of the
Confrérie Notre-Dame (CND) network, which was linked to the
Bureau Central de Renseignements et d'Action of
colonel Passy (
André Dewavrin). Touny then organised the
Centurie network to coordinate the OCM and the CND. The OCM was also linked with the Hector d'Alfred Heurteaux network and with
Libération Nord. Touny's reorganisation, together with the help of the CND and the influx of socialist fighters including
Guy Mollet allowed the OCM to take on a new dimension in 1942–1943. Despite some sharp blows dealt by the
Gestapo, including the dismantling of the CND in November 1943 and Touny's arrest in February 1944, the OCM stood up, particularly thanks to Jacques Piette]. In total, 4,000 OCM members were killed, shot, assassinated or died following deportation. == Principal members ==