437:
in Paris, Josef
Kieffer, Atkin's principal source of Déricourt's identification as a German agent, had been executed for war crimes. Her other source, Dr. Goetz, had changed his story to say that he did not know whether Agent BOE-48 was in fact Déricourt. "Most extraordinary of all" in the words of author Sarah Helm, nobody representing SOE was at the trial to give evidence against Déricourt. To the contrary, Nicolas Bodington, formerly the deputy in the French section of SOE and Déricourt's old friend, testified that he had known and approved of Déricourt's contacts with the Germans and said, "I had total trust in Déricourt and recommended he maintain his contacts with the Germans." Déricourt was quickly acquitted after Bodington's testimony. Vera Atkins and other SOE agents were infuriated and accused Bodington as being a "perjurer."
458:
speculation expanded to the belief that MI6 employed Déricourt to deceive the
Germans about Allied plans to invade France. One version of the speculation as expressed by some authors is that the British government told unwitting SOE agents to prepare for an allied invasion of France in September 1943 (the invasion did not occur until June 1944) with the knowledge that some SOE agents would be captured by the Germans. Under questioning some of the captured agents told the Germans that they believed an invasion was forthcoming in 1943. The objective of the deception was to persuade the Germans to keep soldiers in France to defend against an invasion, rather than transferring them to the eastern front to fight against the
373:
to France and took 67 back to
England. The air operations were also a means of communications between the London headquarters of SOE and its agents in France. Déricourt was the "postman" who collected letter and reports from agents and gave them to the pilots of the airplanes to take back to England. Unlike wireless messages which were always transmitted in code, most of these letters and reports were in clear language although code names were supposed to be used for people and places.
390:, the leader of the Prosper network. In summer 1943, the Prosper network was destroyed by the Germans. Suttill, Norman and many other members and associates of the Prosper network were captured. Francis Suttill's son lists approximately 180 SOE agents and French associates arrested of whom about 80 were executed or died in concentration camps, including Suttill and Norman. Given the clandestine involvement of many people, that list is incomplete.
428:. She interviewed him in a prison in Germany. She asked him whether there was a traitor among the SOE agents. Kieffer replied, "You know yourself there was one...Gilbert...He was Boemelburg's agent...in fact he was more than an agent. He was a friend going back a very long time...He had the symbol BOE-48, Boemelburg's 48th agent." She asked for the identity of "Gilbert" and BOE-48. Kieffer answered: "Of course, you know. It was Henri Déricourt."
417:
to
Boemelburg who passed them down to Goetz. Thus, the SD acquired personal and operational information about SOE agents which aided in their capture and interrogation and enabled the SD to conduct a disinformation campaign with captured radios. Goetz had met "Gilbert" on several occasions and identified Déricourt as "Gilbert" from a photograph Atkins showed him.
236:, France on 2 September 1909. His father worked for the post office and his mother was a domestic servant. He was trained as a military pilot in 1930, but left military service in 1932 to join an aerial circus. In 1935, he joined Air Bleu as a pilot and flew mail around France from then until the beginning of
402:
refused to believe the reports and Déricourt continued his work in France until
February 1944 when he was recalled to London. An investigation was inconclusive, but he was not allowed to return to France. Buckmaster later said that Déricourt "never once let any of our boys down and that he has by far
449:
later said that "SOE besmirched
Britain." After World War II, MI6 "could not snuff out its awkward wartime rival fast enough and the Foreign office was delighted to see an end to the organisation that had interfered so much with quiet diplomacy." Despite those efforts, SOE attracted the attention of
436:
On 22 November 1946, Déricourt was arrested by French police in Paris and on 26 November he was charged with having had "Intelligence With the Enemy" and further investigations were authorized to "establish the consequence of Déricourt's treason." However, by the time of Déricourt's June 1948 trial
416:
interviewed Dr. Josef Goetz, formerly an SD officer in Paris and now a captive of the allies in
England. Goetz said that agent "Gilbert" worked for Boemelburg. Gilbert's task was to photograph all the agent's mail and SOE documents given to him to be sent back to England by aircraft. He gave copies
411:
Déricourt's complicity in the arrests of SOE agents was revealed after the war, when war crimes investigators received definite information from German sources that Déricourt had been one of their agents and that the information he provided had led to the arrest and execution of many SOE agents and
372:
which delivered four SOE agents and boarded four others to return to
England. The operation was successful and his success continued. Over the next eleven months, he supervised 17 air operations in which 22 aircraft landed at more than six different clandestine airfields and delivered 43 SOE agents
381:
The first known criticism by SOE agents in France of Déricourt was in June 1943 when Jack
Agazarian complained to London that Déricourt's security was faulty. Several more agents complained in July about "Gilbert" although in the terse language of wireless transmissions it was unclear whether they
319:
which reluctantly supplied the planes and pilots for SOE's clandestine operations. The RAF complained about the large number of failed missions. Déricourt with his experience as a pilot and his knowledge of France seemed like a godsend. On the night of 22/23 January 1943, Déricourt was parachuted
360:
coast of France, which also needed his services to move agents. These extensive links among networks, although understandable as Déricourt serviced several networks, violated SOE's doctrine that for security reasons networks should be independent of each other with as little contact as possible
466:
The theory that SOE was deliberately betrayed by MI6 has been widely criticized. The official SOE historian, M.R.D. Foot said, "if you can believe that, you can believe anything." The son of SOE agent
Francis Suttill, who was captured and executed, also debunked the theory that SOE agents were
457:
tracked down Déricourt in the early 1950s and he told her that he had handed over copies of SOE agent's mail to the Germans, but was acting on the instructions of another British agency. The speculation developed that MI6 had planted Déricourt in SOE to keep tabs on its competitor. Later, the
467:
sacrificed in a disinformation campaign of MI6. However, authors Robert Marshall and Patrick Marnham (writing in 2020) are among those who have asserted the opposite: SOE agents of the Prosper network in France were sacrificed as part of the deception plans of British intelligence.
393:
SOE was not immediately aware of the fate of Prosper because the Germans used a captured SOE wireless to feed false information to SOE in London. Déricourt remained at large, and continued to organize aircraft landings into France. In October 1943 veteran resistor
174:
airplanes and organized receptions for the arrival and departure of flights to convey SOE agents back and forth from England to France. Déricourt also acted as a postman, collecting mail and messages from SOE agents for transmittal to SOE headquarters in
283:
At the beginning of World War II, Déricourt flew civilian aircraft supplying French soldiers stationed near the border with Germany and later as a test pilot of a new French bomber. With the surrender of France in June 1940, he was involved in
332:
lived. The SD headquarters of old friend Karl Boemelburg was at 82 Avenue Foch, a short walk away. The two met shortly after Déricourt arrived in Paris. Déricourt lived openly under his own name, saying he was too well known to use an alias.
270:
when he was in Paris. He later recruited Aisner to work for him in SOE. Déricourt had the reputation of being a "witty, self-confident and extremely persuasive charmer, particularly with the ladies." His friend, fellow pilot
462:
which Britain feared was near collapse. Déricourt's role was to copy and give to the Germans the correspondence of SOE agents which hinted that an invasion was upcoming. He also gave them personal information about agents.
193:
Déricourt's service with SOE was controversial and he is widely believed to have been a German agent. He is accused of betraying the Prosper network to the Germans. After the war he was tried but acquitted of being a
208:. The theory has also been advanced by some authors that Déricourt was a triple agent working under British instructions and that the betrayal of many SOE agents was an attempt by the British intelligence agency,
1069:
1064:
275:, said that Dericourt "was unscrupulous enough and arrogant enough to think that he could outsmart anyone--but that he was by nature a man who would not stab his friends in the back."
1039:
336:
Déricourt soon assembled his Farrier team, consisting of Aisner as his courier and another old friend, pilot Rémy Clément, as an assistant. He relied on the Prosper network led by
255:
In Paris in 1937 and 1938, according to author Robert Marshall, Déricourt met and became friends with two people who would become important in his life: a British journalist named
475:
Despite his acquittal, Déricourt's reputation was destroyed and he went through a lean spell before returning to his profession as a pilot. In the 1950s he found employment with
534:
with a load of gold and four passengers, but the plane crashed short of the landing strip due to fuel starvation. There were no survivors. His body was never recovered.
186:
In the summer of 1943, the Prosper network was destroyed by the Germans with the arrest of hundreds of Prosper network associates and the execution of many, including
398:
took a Déricourt-organized flight to London with the objective of telling SOE that Déricourt was a German agent. Senior SOE staff members and French Section leader
494:(C-45) for Air Laos Commerciale, a concern that was often referred to by the name 'Air Opium'. The drug trade was organized by Bonaventure 'Rock' Francisci of the
307:(SOE) in November 1942. Déricourt's old friend, Nicolas Bodington, now the second in command of SOE's French section, endorsed his employment enthusiastically.
266:
On 13 December 1941 Déricourt married a recently divorced woman, Jean Rose "Jeannot" Gamerre. He "was devoted to Jeannot, but never faithful" staying with
445:
The British foreign policy establishment was never enthusiastic about the existence of SOE, regarding it as a terrorist organization. Historian
1044:
931:
220:, the official historian of the SOE, believed that Dericourt was a German agent but debunked the assertion that Dericourt was a triple agent.
299:(Security Service) which said that it was "unable to guarantee his reliability." Despite those concerns he was subsequently recruited by
288:
activities. He renewed his friendship with Boemelburg, now SD chief in Paris. Beginning in July 1941, he was a pilot for an airline in
1010:
985:
967:
903:
295:
In August 1942, Déricourt, unhappy in Vichy and leaving his wife behind, was transported by ship to Britain. He was investigated by
324:. He made his way to Paris, reunited with his wife, and, perhaps by coincidence, moved into a house next door to the house where
292:, at that time unoccupied by Germany. He also came into contact with American intelligence officials as a source of information.
170:
network (or circuit) in France. Déricourt's job with SOE was air movements officer. He found clandestine landing fields for
304:
144:
94:
554:
159:. SOE agents allied themselves with resistance groups and supplied them with weapons and equipment parachuted in from
241:
240:
in 1939. In 1936, he also became involved with French intelligence services and delivered aeroplanes to the
1054:
1049:
353:
213:
180:
167:
151:. The purpose of SOE was to conduct espionage, sabotage, and reconnaissance in countries occupied by the
558:
179:
with the airplane pilots. He was highly successful at the job and came into contact with many agents of
1034:
1029:
454:
259:, later to become the second ranking officer in the French section of SOE, and a German policeman,
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1006:
981:
963:
899:
515:
424:, who had been a senior German intelligence officer in Paris and commandant of the SD unit at
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249:
200:
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Officially employed by the government-owned airline, Air Laos, Déricourt flew a twin-engined
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43:
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329:
459:
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303:(Secret Intelligence Service) before having his name and credentials passed to the
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237:
195:
156:
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112:
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Déricourt's first air operation was the night of 17/18 March 1943 when he met two
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413:
272:
217:
152:
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321:
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Manchester: Crecy Publishing Limited, page 168. Originally published in 1978.
527:
480:
245:
562:
507:
491:
369:
263:, assigned to the German Embassy and later the head of the SD in Paris.
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between and among networks and even among members of the same network.
160:
325:
212:, to mislead the Germans about the date of the invasion of France by
176:
487:) before becoming involved in drug-running activities in Indochina.
485:
Société Auxiliaire de Gérance et de d'Exploitation Transport Aeriens
498:. The loads of raw opium were picked up on dirt strips in Northern
233:
47:
412:
hundreds of their French associates. In fall 1946, SOE spymaster
403:
the finest record of operations completed of any member of SOE."
1016:
Anthony Cave Brown, "Bodyguard of Lies" (Harper & Row, 1975)
499:
64:
300:
296:
209:
171:
595:
593:
205:
183:, the SOE's largest and most important network in France.
616:
London: Her Majesty's Stationery Office, pp. 289-304. 307
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helped Aisner with the courier duties. Through courier
320:"blind" (without anybody meeting him) into France near
352:, Déricourt also established links with the large SOE
743:
741:
587:
London: Her Majesty's Stationery Office, p. 289-304.
898:. London: Oneworld Publications. pp. 285–292.
118:
108:
100:
88:
80:
70:
54:
30:
23:
1070:Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in 1962
1065:Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in Laos
131:(2 September 1909 − 21 November 1962), code named
420:In January 1947, Atkins located Sturmbannfuhrer
677:
675:
139:, was a French agent in 1943 and 1944 for the
1040:French Special Operations Executive personnel
526:On 21 November 1962, Déricourt took off from
8:
549:
547:
166:Déricourt was the organiser (leader) of the
228:Henri Alfred Eugène Déricourt was born in
20:
204:(SD), the intelligence arm of the German
881:
514:for onward transport to the Marseilles '
382:meant Déricourt, code named Gilbert, or
818:Baltimore: Johns Hopkins Press, p. 346.
543:
760:London: The History Press, pp. 277-284
629:Glasgow: Fontana Paperbacks, pp. 16-26
190:, the leader of the network.
7:
669:Marshall, pp. 43-48, 52, 64, 97-99
502:and transported to drop points in
14:
16:French WW2 SOE agent (1909-1962)
155:, especially those occupied by
1003:Triple jeu. L'espion Déricourt
603:New York: Doubleday, p. 53-54.
450:many authors and film makers.
315:SOE had difficulties with the
1:
1045:French spies for Nazi Germany
25:Henri Alfred Eugène Déricourt
978:Dericourt: The Chequered Spy
920:"SOE Agents' Personal Files"
756:Suttill, Francis J. (2000),
305:Special Operations Executive
145:Special Operations Executive
95:Special Operations Executive
717:Foot, p. 104, 289, 309-311.
1086:
814:Geraghty, Anthony (2000),
958:Marshall, Robert (1988).
894:Marnham, Patrick (2020).
699:Marshall, p. 108, 110-111
625:Marshall, Robert (1989),
1005:, Robert Laffont, 1992,
980:(Michael Russell, 1989)
555:"The Camouflage Project"
658:We Landed by Moonlight,
647:Marshall, p. 45, 49, 68
638:Marshall, pp. 19, 22-26
612:Foot, M. R. D. (1966),
583:Foot, M. R. D. (1966),
368:airplanes landing near
242:Spanish Republican Army
561:. 2011. Archived from
340:for a radio operator,
976:Jean Overton Fuller,
559:Ohio State University
101:Years of service
872:Suttill, pp 263-270.
854:Suttill, pp. 263-270
805:Marshall, p. 268-269
656:Verity, Hugh (1998)
599:Helm, Sarah (2005),
565:on 19 September 2011
279:World War II and SOE
147:organization during
884:, pp. 234–251.
758:Shadows in the Fog,
627:All the King's Men,
471:Post-war activities
455:Jean Overton Fuller
441:Conspiracy theories
198:who worked for the
960:All the King's Men
896:War in the Shadows
769:Foot, pp. 289, 299
747:Foot, pp. 299-302.
726:Foot, pp. 291, 298
601:A Life in Secrets,
422:Hans Josef Kieffer
400:Maurice Buckmaster
932:National Archives
836:Helm, pp. 383-385
778:Helm, pp. 300-301
516:French Connection
366:Westland Lysander
257:Nicolas Bodington
250:Spanish Civil War
201:Sicherheitsdienst
126:
125:
1077:
992:
973:
945:
944:Marshall, p. 277
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518:' heroin trade.
512:Gulf of Thailand
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58:21 November 1962
41:2 September 1909
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388:Francis Suttill
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356:network on the
350:Lise de Baissac
338:Francis Suttill
317:Royal Air Force
313:
281:
268:Julienne Aisner
261:Karl Boemelburg
230:Coulonges-Cohan
226:
188:Francis Suttill
143:'s clandestine
129:Henri Déricourt
119:Other work
76:
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44:Coulonges-Cohan
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922:. 6 March 2003
911:
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816:The Irish War,
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614:SOE in France,
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585:SOE in France,
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541:
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496:Corsican Mafia
483:, and SAGETA (
472:
469:
442:
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426:84 Avenue Foch
408:
407:Investigations
405:
384:Gilbert Norman
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358:Atlantic Ocean
342:Jack Agazarian
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311:Air operations
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1053:
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1050:MI6 personnel
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1011:2-221-06836-X
1008:
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999:Jean Lartéguy
996:
995:Bob Maloubier
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986:0-85955-149-0
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969:0-00-217786-2
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952:Bibliography
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930:– via
924:. Retrieved
914:
895:
889:
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868:
863:Foot, p. 307
859:
850:
845:Helm, p. 385
841:
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827:Helm, p. 371
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787:Helm, p. 356
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681:Foot, p. 291
665:
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584:
579:
567:. Retrieved
563:the original
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489:
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460:Soviet Union
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444:
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419:
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396:Henri Frager
392:
386:, deputy to
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335:
328:spy catcher
314:
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290:Vichy France
286:black market
282:
265:
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238:World War II
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199:
196:double agent
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157:Nazi Germany
149:World War II
136:
132:
128:
127:
113:World War II
109:Battles/wars
60:(1962-11-21)
18:
1035:1962 deaths
1030:1909 births
991:(in French)
962:. Collins.
690:Helm, p. 53
530:, Laos for
447:John Keegan
414:Vera Atkins
273:Hugh Verity
248:during the
218:M.R.D. Foot
153:Axis powers
1024:Categories
735:Helm, p 33
538:References
510:, and the
477:Aigle Azur
377:Suspicions
224:Early life
81:Allegiance
37:1909-09-02
1060:Smugglers
532:Sayaboury
528:Vientiane
481:Air Liban
354:Scientist
246:Barcelona
104:1942–1945
508:Cambodia
492:Beech 18
370:Poitiers
216:forces.
89:Service/
50:, France
926:8 March
569:17 June
453:Author
322:Orléans
181:Prosper
168:Farrier
161:England
133:Gilbert
75:Unknown
1009:
984:
966:
902:
326:Abwehr
214:allied
177:London
137:Claude
91:branch
84:France
71:Buried
522:Death
432:Trial
234:Aisne
122:Pilot
48:Aisne
1007:ISBN
997:and
982:ISBN
964:ISBN
928:2012
900:ISBN
571:2012
500:Laos
135:and
65:Laos
55:Died
31:Born
301:MI6
297:MI5
244:in
210:MI6
172:RAF
1026::
1001:,
993:,
740:^
674:^
592:^
557:.
546:^
506:,
479:,
344:.
252:.
232:,
206:SS
163:.
46:,
1013:.
972:.
934:.
908:.
573:.
39:)
35:(
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