René Gervais, OBE (ʁəne ʒɛʁvɛː 1908–1997) was a French aircraft pilot and spy, Companion of the Liberation.
A member of Georges Ronin's intelligence service, he became head of the organization in mainland France after the Allied landings in North Africa. Hunted by the Gestapo, he flew to Algiers in March 1944 and took command of a section of the DGSS.
Biography René Gervais was born on August 22, 1908, in La Teste-de-Buch. He was the son of carpenter Louis Gervais and schoolteacher Léonie Victorine Courage.René Gervais, Companion of the Liberation
After graduating from the École polytechnique, he joined the Air Force in 1930. He commanded a bomber squadron at the Cazaux Air Base, before being transferred to the Villacoublay flight test center in May 1939.René Gervais, Companion of the Liberation
Second World War On the eve of the Armistice of 22 June 1940, René Gervais took off for Oran, where he met up with Paul Badré and Georges Ronin. The latter decided to rebuild an intelligence service in France (SR Air).
In September 1940, Gervais (code name René Gérard) volunteered to observe the German presence on the other side of the Pyrenees at the Spanish border. Obituary of Colonel Gervais, Le Monde, October 25, 1997 Based in Perpignan, he was of little use, as the SR Air was already in contact with Colonel Malaise in Madrid.
In the summer of 1941, he became Paul Badré's assistant in Bellerive (a village near Vichy) where intelligence was radioed to MI6 in London. His task was to gather information on the Luftwaffe in the Occupied Zone and on the German aircraft industry.René Gervais, Companion of the Liberation
On the night of November 9–10, 1942, a few hours before the invasion of the Free Zone, Georges Ronin and his main officers flew to Algeria, leaving Gervais in charge of the organization in France. Obituary of Colonel Gervais, Le Monde, October 25, 1997
He made contact with Captain Boiron (head of the Marseille station, who chose to stay on), Philouze (former deputy of the Limoges station), Henri Pascal (one of the founders of Ceux de la Libération, head of the Narbonne station) and Raymond Puechberty (who was in charge of transferring mail to Spain). Radio broadcasts were resumed with SR Air in Algiers. On January 9, 1943, the Gestapo searched Gervais Vichy home.Jean Bezy, Le SR Air, éditions France Empire, 1979, p.128.
Paul Badré, head of the London branch, organized the parachuting of André Duthilleul (Oscar), on the night of March 14–15, 1943.Jean Bezy, Le SR Air, éditions France Empire, 1979, p.134. Introduced to Gervais by Philouze, Oscar brought him a transceiver and a transmission plan. Transmissions with London began two weeks later. On the night of April 11–12, another agent, Robert Masson ("Samson"), was parachuted into France by the Royal Air Force. In Vichy, he met with Gervais, who agreed to set up independent networks to compartmentalize their activities.Robert Masson, Mes missions au clair de lune, 1975, p.112.
SR Air was divided into five sectors (Paris,The Paris sector was headed by Jean Viaud (Le Foc). Arrested by the Germans on April 29, 1943, he escaped the next day via the rooftops of Avenue Foch. He was then replaced by Philouze and Bourguignon, who narrowly escaped the Gestapo on August 7. Viaud, Philouze and Bourguignon were flown to England on the full moon of August. Gervais entrusted the Paris sector to their deputy Moury (Marcel), then to Marc and finally to Mercier, who remained in charge until the Liberation and became head of SR Air after Gervais' departure in March 1944 (Jean Bezy, Le SR Air, éditions France Empire, 1979, p.143-147). Laon,The Laon branch, organized by Bourguignon, was managed by Paul Berthe. Its network grew to 90 agents. Robert Geneix was in charge of radio transmissions. At the end of 1943, threatened by the Gestapo, Berthe left the area and was replaced by Robert Pique ("Bob"). Troyes,The Troyes sector was entrusted to a young officer from Saint-Cyr, Maurice Dalit ("Deborre"), who led a network of 70 agents. The radio station, set up by Gouriou and Lemoine, was under the responsibility of Foujols (Faure). BrittanyRecruited by Philouze, Jean Lagouche (Jacques or Yves) organized the Breton sector. His branch spied on Luftwaffe airfields and transmitted information on coastal defenses. Radio broadcasts were entrusted to Perrier and his deputy Jacques Philouze ("Fifi"), Philouze's brother. All three were arrested in March 1944 and sentenced to deportation. Jacques Philouze managed to escape during transport, and the other two survived. The area was then covered by Robert Masson's Samson network. and NormandyThe head of the Normandy sector was Pierre Michel (Monnier), who led some 50 agents. He had no radio, and his mail passed through the Paris sector. After the Allied landings on June 6, 1944, Michel crossed enemy lines and placed himself at the disposal of British intelligence. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Order (Jean Bezy, Le SR Air, éditions France Empire, 1979, p.151).) which soon had their own radio broadcasts with London. Two additional networks were integrated into SR Air: that of Pierre PontalYoung lieutenant (Saint Cyr class of 1937) recruited by Henri Pascal (Blaise) in Narbonne in the spring of 1943. Gervais provided him with two Air Force radio specialists, François Ceccaldi and Gérard Hubière, who liaised with London. Pierre Pontal was arrested with his family on June 4, 1944. He was deported to the Neuengamme concentration camp on July 15, then a month later to a Kriegsmarine shipyard in Bremen. On April 7, 1945, he was transferred to the Stalag X-B camp, where he died of hunger and thirst (Jean Bezy, Le SR Air, éditions France Empire, 1979, p.225-226). (Petrus) and that of Maurice Challe (François-Villon).
Gervais was picked up on October 16, 1943, from a field near Estrées-Saint-Denis, to liaise with London and Algiers.Jean Bezy, Le SR Air, éditions France Empire, 1979, p.160. A month later, he landed on the same Estrées-Saint-Denis airfield on the night of November 12–13. At the Vichy train station, Jourdan, one of his agents, informed him that the Gestapo had raided his home precisely this morning.
On October 30, Garrisson (Guillemet), secretary to Boiron, head of the Marseille post, had been arrested by the Germans who found on him the address of Gervais, as well as those of Boiron, Pascal and Koenig (Pascal's assistant in Narbonne). All three were arrested and tortured by the Gestapo.Boiron was whipped and hung by his feet over a basin of water. His wife was also tortured. A cellmate's report states that "Guillemet" was left standing for almost six days, his hands tied behind his back. Koenig was tied to a chair and beaten with a hunting crop. Sent to the infirmary at the Baumettes Prison, he managed to escape on December 8, went into hiding in Marseille and then in the Nièvre region where he was sheltered by Gervais family. Henri Pascal, for his part, had put his affairs in sufficient order that no major charges were brought against him. He was, however, categorized as a "spy" like Boiron. They both died in deportation. (Jean Bezy, Le SR Air, éditions France Empire, 1979, p.166). René Gervais decided to leave Vichy for good.
On December 25, 1943, Oscar was arrested by the Gestapo in Paris.His radio Charles was denounced by a neighbor and arrested the same morning. He was shot during an escape attempt and sentenced to deportation.André Duthilleul (Oscar) was imprisoned in the Neuengamme concentration camp, where he met up with Lagouche, head of the Breton sector, who paid tribute to him on his return, saying that it was largely thanks to him that he had come back alive. Oscar died on May 3, 1945, in the bay of Lübeck. Flying a Nazi flag, the deportee ship on which he had embarked was sunk by the Royal Air Force (Jean Bezy, Le SR Air, éditions France Empire, 1979, p.306). Gervais himself miraculously avoided a Nazi mousetrap.Jean Bezy, Le SR Air, éditions France Empire, 1979, p.170.
In February, Robert Masson was parachuted back into France. He met Gervais in a café near the Champs-ÉlyséesRobert Masson, Mes missions au clair de lune, 1975, p.182. and was given the task of integrating the five SR Air posts into his Samson organization. Particularly threatened by the Gestapo, Gervais was picked-up by the Royal Air Force on the night of March 6–7, 1944, at the Estrées-Saint-Denis airfield.
In Algiers, he was appointed head of a section of the DGSS. Obituary of Colonel Gervais, Le Monde, October 25, 1997 As Operation Overlord approached, SR Air focused on locating German radars and V1 missiles launch facilities.Jean Bezy, Le SR Air, éditions France Empire, 1979, p.279.
After the War He worked in Paris for the Secret Service until 1945, before returning to pilot training. Promoted to colonel, he left the Air Force in 1946. Obituary of Colonel Gervais, Le Monde, October 25, 1997
He ran a food company and also worked as a consultant for Ratier in the 1960s. In 1972, he became vice-president of the French Aeronautical Federation.René Gervais, Companion of the Liberation
René Gervais died on October 22, 1997, in Port-Louis, Morbihan, where he was buried.
Awards Commander of the Legion of Honour Companion of the Liberation War Cross 1939-1945 Aeronautical Medal Officer of the British Empire
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