Tag: French Gestapo

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Dogfight Under the Eiffel Tower

Bill and his P-51 “Berlin Express.” Photo by anonymous (c.1944).
Bill and his P-51 “Berlin Express.” Photo by anonymous (c.1944).

How many of you have been to La Tour Eiffel (Eiffel Tower) in Paris? It’s one of those icons that anyone going to Paris must visit. But like Mount Rushmore and the Grand Canyon, your next reaction is “seen it, done it, let’s move on” (no disrespect is intended). Although the nightly light show is pretty cool so it might warrant a second visit.

Before we get to the meat of today’s blog topic, let’s look at some interesting facts about the Eiffel Tower.

The Eiffel Tower

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Illustration by Dr. Katsuaki Sato

Built by Gustave Eiffel for the Paris Exposition Universelle in 1889 (exactly 100 years after the French Revolution), the tower met with immediate distain (there were some rather colorful comparisons used—you can use your imagination). Today, more than a century later, the Eiffel Tower remains the most iconic symbol of Paris.  Watch the building of the Eiffel Tower.

Here are some fun facts about the tower: Read More Dogfight Under the Eiffel Tower

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The French Gestapo

 

Flag of the Milice. Wikipedia
Flag of the Milice. Wikipedia

Why did the French government collaborate with the Germans during the four years of occupation? Why did the politicians carry out and many times exceed the German directives and expectations (especially for the deportations of Jews)? Why did French organizations form to terrorize their own citizens? Finally, why did individual French citizens denounce their fellow countrymen and women knowing full well the victims would likely not survive?

These are very complicated questions with no simple answers.

Two of the most feared collabo (collaborationist) French organizations were La Carlingue and the Milice.

The Bonny-Lafont Gang

93 rue Lauriston, Paris

Formally known as La Carlingue or the French Gestapo, this group of criminals was better known to the Parisians as the Bonny-Lafont Gang. The Nazis called them Active Group Hesse (after the Gestapo SD officer placed in the gang), Lauristondienst (Lauriston Service), the Gestapo française, or Bande de la Rue Lauriston.

After the Gestapo established itself in Paris, they formed two special units: the Intervention-Referat (teams of killers to do the jobs the Gestapo didn’t want to be identified with) and a unit of Frenchmen for training auxiliary agents. Members of these units were primarily convicted criminals purposely released from prison. One of the principal recruiters was a career criminal who could not read or write: Henri Chamberlin aka Henri Lafont (1902–1944). Read More The French Gestapo