André Dewavrin
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André Dewavrin | |
---|---|
Nickname(s) | Passy |
Born | Paris, France | 9 June 1911
Died | 20 December 1998 Paris, France | (aged 87)
Buried | |
Allegiance | France |
Service/ | French Army |
Years of service | 1932–1946 |
Rank | Major |
Commands held | Bureau Central de Renseignements et d'Action |
Battles/wars | World War II |
Awards |
|
Other work | Businessman |
André Dewavrin
Biography
He was born in
After the outbreak of World War II, Dewavrin was assigned to Norway in 1940 before he joined General Charles de Gaulle in Britain. He received the rank of major, took charge of the Free French military intelligence unit Bureau Central de Renseignements et d'Action (BCRA) and took the codename "Colonel Passy". He began to help organise the French Resistance movement and co-operated with the SOE.
Some of Dewavrin's closest colleagues (Captain Fourcaud and Lieutenant Duclos) were
Dewavrin collated information from the French Resistance and planned operations for 350 agents who were parachuted to France to work with them. He secretly traveled to France on occasion to meet with the Resistance and coordinate
Later in 1943, Dewavrin's organization was merged with the conventional secret service of the Free French Forces to form
After the war, Dewavrin was head of intelligence for de Gaulle's provisional government until de Gaulle resigned in January 1946. His successor accused Dewavrin of embezzling Free French money for his own purposes. Dewavrin was jailed for four months in Vincennes. He was eventually acquitted for lack of evidence. The British historian Antony Beevor suspects that Dewavrin might have tried to collect money to work against a possible communist takeover attempt.
Dewavrin published three volumes of memoirs in 1947, 1949 and 1951 and eventually retired from the army to become a businessman.
He portrayed himself in Jean Pierre Melville's film
According to The Secret War by
References
- ^ "matchID - André Dewavrin". Fichier des décès (in French). Retrieved 11 August 2022.
- ^ Lacouture 1991, pp. 254–255
External links
- "Andre Dewavrin : Biography". Spartacus Educational. 2013. Archived from the original on 2013-05-03.
- Whitney, Craig R. (December 22, 1998). "Andre de Wavrin, 87, 'Col. Passy' of Resistance Fame, Dies". ISSN 0362-4331.
- "André Dewavrin dit le colonel Passy". Encyclopédie Larousse (in French). 2013.
- "André Dewavrin-Passy". Ordre de la Liberation (in French). 20 September 2009. Archived from the original on 26 January 2011. Retrieved 8 May 2013.
Books
- Lacouture, Jean. De Gaulle: The Rebel 1890–1944 (1984; English ed. 1991), 640 pp, W W Norton & Co, London. ISBN 978-0393026993