Neuvic railway robbery

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The Neuvic train robbery in the Dordogne department on July 26, 1944 was an action by the French Resistance . In this attack, the resistance movement fell into the hands of 2.280 billion francs , which were intended to finance the fight against the German occupation of France in World War II . In fact, however, the use of the money after the war led to considerable political entanglements, and parts of it have not yet been clarified.

initial situation

On June 6, 1944, D-Day , Allied units had landed in Normandy ( Operation Overlord ). The night before, Ici Londres had urgently called on the resistance networks to be mobilized. But when the military situation became more difficult than expected for the Allies, the support of the Maquis was not a priority.

On June 10, General Koenig , the commander of the French forces who worked from London, called on the French to hold back attacks on the Germans until more weapons could be made available. The enthusiasm that was shown in the resistance about the landing of the Allies turned into skepticism and confusion, and it was even suggested that the new recruits be sent home again, an idea that did not meet with approval.

King's order did not have the desired effect, it even increased the confusion, as the message only reached those who worked with transmitters and receivers, while the call for mobilization was broadcast on the BBC and was therefore known to all French. So some networks did not know about it, others decided to disregard the declaration and continue the attacks against the Germans. Only networks that really lacked weapons and ammunition were forced to stop fighting.

Ideas for funding the resistance

Some time before, the resistance leaders had decided that it was time for the Vichy regime to "pay for the war." For Robert Noireau (code name Colonel Georges), head of the Francs-tireurs et partisans (FTP) in the Lot department , the reasons for this decision were both political and practical: “Therefore, the post office and the tax office, public coffers as a whole, are also banks become our sources of finance. I've always had the feeling that in the event of a war of national liberation, it was better to wage it with public funds from the Vichy government than to use individuals. "

On February 9, an "autonomous group" attacked a convoy that was targeting the Banque de France branch in the capital of the Puy-de-Dôme department and stole a billion francs. A few days later, a regular FTP unit took 735 million from the command (of which, after the liberation from the Front national of the Resistance , the heir to the FTP, 438 million were returned to the Ministry of Finance - but 297 million were kept for their own use) . After the Banque de France published the serial numbers of the banknotes on March 30, 1944, the police fell into the hands of a further 104 million, leaving the Autonomous with 164 million.

The maquisards in the Dordogne department, who also lacked money, decided to take matters into their own hands. In a letter dated July 1 to Maxime Roux, the prefect of the Dordogne appointed by the resistance on June 8, André Gaucher (alias Martial), the head of department of the Forces françaises de l'intérieur (FFI) in Dordogne, gave a pessimistic assessment of the Situation. Martial fears “a complete moral disintegration” of his men, “followed - if no serious measures are taken - by inevitable crimes with dramatic consequences for the current attitudes of the civilian population.” The fighters are “now without means and presumably the target of coercive measures by the Vichy - and foreign authorities. ”The civilians, on the other hand, threatened by German reprisals and subject to the confiscation of food, were more and more reluctant to support them. In order not to alienate them, Martial believes that "it is absolutely necessary that our combat groups can behave honestly and ensure the processing of their purchases." He asked for a sum for the 7,500 men in the three sectors for which he is responsible of 8.2 million francs, just to cover the period from June 5th to July 5th.

The solution then came from an unexpected source. Martial discussed the problem with Jean Callard, the prefect of the department appointed by the Vichy regime on June 6th and thus head of the local government and police. Callard immediately took a few steps. The trésorier-payeur général of the Dordogne, Latapie, a long-time member of the resistance, is given the task of making cash part of the tax revenue of the cantons occupied by the FFI at the disposal of Martials. However, the growing volume of Martial's financial needs quickly made this measure insufficient, so that another solution had to be found.

In mid-July, Callard learned that the Banque de France branch in Périgueux had eight to ten billion francs in banknotes in its cellars. These banknotes were intended for the branch in Bordeaux, were only stored in Perigueux for fear of bombing, and were brought back to the Gironde capital when necessary, primarily to make payments to the German navy under the armistice agreement.

“The director of the Banque de France of Périgueux underlined the trouble that the existence of these billions in paper made for him,” Callard said later, “including his fear that the maquis would take a coup d'état on his cellar. I immediately see an opportunity there to raise funds for Gaucher and the Prefect of the Maquis, Maxime Roux. I agreed with the director of the Banque de France and suggested that on the occasion of the next request by the Banque de France in Bordeaux, a substantial part of the notes should be removed from the cellar. ”At that time there was a noticeable inclination of the senior officials of the Vichy regime in the direction of resistance is no longer unusual - this is also the case with Callard, who was later described as "vichysto-résistant".

Knowing this, Callard Martial suggested organizing a raid on the railroad and promised to inform him when the next train would transport funds to Bordeaux. He didn't have to wait long: on July 25th he learned that the next day a train, which would be heavily armed, was to take 2.28 billion francs away. The money will be packed in 150 sacks and weigh six tons.

The planning

Martial immediately began planning the robbery, which would be carried out by local Maquis groups: AS Valmy, AS Paul-Henry and AS Ancel along with the Groupe Franc Roland led by Roland Clée. Neuvic train station was selected as the best point to stop the train. The station is on the western edge of the municipality and thus far away from Route nationale 89 (Lyon - Bordeaux), which runs east of Neuvic and was used more and more by the Germans at the time, after the smaller roads had become too dangerous for them. There were also a number of side streets near the station, which were useful in the event of a quick escape, and which led to small villages that sympathized with the Resistance, as probably did most of the station staff.

The Maquis groups Valmy, Ancel and Paul-Henry were tasked with securing the station and keeping the local population away; the Groupe Franc Roland was given the task of checking the station and the passengers on the train as well as reloading the bags. They were given two trucks, one that ran on gasoline and the other that had been converted to run on gas. You would be driven by two of Roland Clée's men, Gilbert Boissière and Roger Rougié.

The information said the train would move the money in a wagon that was coupled to a number of passenger cars. He was probably heavily guarded. The Groupe Franc Roland was given about a week to plan the raid, while the Maquis group Valmy, which was camped in La Taillandiere, could be alerted only a few hours before their deployment. Martial had suggested to Gandoin, the leader of Valmy, that if the mission was successful, each Maquisard would receive 1,000 francs. But Gandoin didn't want to know anything about it: “We are soldiers, not pirates!” He is supposed to have replied.

Callard, in turn, as chief of police, gave the order that the wagon be escorted by a group of police officers, of whom only the most trustworthy - a superintendent and four inspectors of the Renseignements généraux of Périgueux - were informed. The order was: do not use your weapons if the train is attacked by an FFI group and without bloodshed to neutralize the few policemen who were not informed.

The raid

After the Valmy group set out from their camp in the direction of Neuvic, they drove through the small town of Vergt while, according to tradition, they sang the Marseillaise . They arrived at Neuvic train station in the middle of the afternoon, pushed away onlookers who quickly spread rumors in Neuvic that the train was being attacked, blocked access to the train station, laid some mines and set up machine guns. The Maquisard Dormoyer installed his PIAT rocket launcher, but was not happy that he only had three rockets. He told Gandoin that he would not achieve much with it and Gandoin replied, "If you can't hit a tank with two missiles at 100 meters, what do you need a third one for?" Some of the resistance fighters hid in a ditch along the railway line, others in a vineyard behind the freight hall of the station.

Neuvic train station (around 1900)

It was 7:45 p.m. when smoke was seen on the horizon from the station and the train could then also be seen. When the train braked in front of the station, it was assumed, in the absence of a visible escort, that the information about its "cargo" was incorrect, as it looked like a normal passenger train.

Roland Clée ordered nobody to get off the train, jumped on the train himself, went down the corridors and told all passengers to stay in their seats and not to open doors or windows. The maquisard André Legrand and another resistance fighter jumped into the driver's cab of the locomotive, where the instructed train driver told them: "First wagon". The doors of the unmarked wagon were opened and inside were the police officers, one armed with a pistol, who were guarding the 150 sacks labeled “Banque du France”. A couple of Roland Clées men jumped in and a show was agreed: the Maquisards would simulate an attack, the gun would be fired to make it look like there was resistance. Two more men climbed on the locomotive, ordered the mechanic and the stoker to uncouple the car in question from the cars. Then the locomotive and the wagon were maneuvered to the hall next to the station with the help of the station master.

Several of the maquisards, lying in wait in the vineyards that bordered the train station, came running. The sacks began to be loaded into the two trucks. At the same time, Roland Clée went through all the wagons again and checked everyone's identity. In the station master's office, two maquisards guarded the young station employee Gilbert Duchose, 17 years old, when the phone rang, first from the station master from Mussidan (the next station) and then from Saint-Astier (the previous station where the German military was staying) ; When asked because of the delay, Duchose was instructed to say that the train was delayed due to shoes from a neighboring factory, which were intended for the Germans and still had to be loaded. The representative of the Banque de France came to Christophe Raoul, known as Krikri , an officer of the Organization de résistance de l'armée (ORA), who had helped plan the attack, and asked him to acknowledge receipt of the 2.28 billion francs, plus 1500 francs for the 150 linen bags - the officer did it and the bank clerk was satisfied.

After 30 minutes the freight car was unloaded and the sacks were stacked in the truck. Roland Clées men disappeared again into the bushes and the trucks drove slowly off, made another lap in front of the station. Some station employees, including Gilbert Duchose, watched them drive away. He noticed that two sacks had fallen from the back of one of the trucks. He yelled to let the driver know and the two sacks were thrown back onto the truck. A few days later he decided to join the Resistance, but later admitted that it was only out of fear for his life, that he did not dare to return to work. The trucks, flanked by various vehicles used by the Resistance, drove through the place where many people lined the street, cheered and sang Le Chant du Départ .

The withdrawal

To the southeast of Neuvic, some maquisards guarded the intersection where the route crosses the RN 89, the point considered the most likely point where they might encounter a German patrol. Everything went smoothly, except that the gas-powered car struggled to keep up with the other truck and after a while the pouring rain set in. The chosen route was also in such poor condition that after about 15 kilometers the truck driven by Rougié broke down. The vehicle had to be abandoned and all of its sacks had to be loaded onto the car from Boissière, who, looking at its tires, was concerned that it would have another three tons and a few more men on board.

The destination was the headquarters of the FFI in the woods near Cendrieux , 45 kilometers from Neuvic. Since the rain had softened the road to the headquarters of the resistance fighters, the sacks had to be carried the last stretch by the men. It was almost 2 a.m. when the cargo arrived at its destination. The sacks were counted, there were 149, one must have fallen on the way, which no one had noticed, but it was too late and too dangerous to go back and look for him. After the sacks were counted, a meal was served for those who had attended, a simple meal of bread and sardines, and because of their number, most of them slept outside afterwards.

The next day, Maxime Roux took over the delivery of the money together with members of the Comité départemental de Liberation (the civil arm of the Resistance). For safekeeping it was decided to distribute the money to people in the region who could be trusted. Over the next few months, the money was given to leaders of various Maquis groups in Region 5 ( Limousin , Périgord and Quercy ) to arm and feed the Resistance and their families, for hospitals operating in Regions 5 and 6 ( Auvergne ) worked for the Resistance and for ransom money to free resistance fighters, including André Malraux ("Colonel Berger"), who had been arrested on July 21, 1944 at Gromat. Here, too, part of the money was returned to the Banque de France after the region was liberated.

The value of the loot

Neuvic's booty represents 54% of the total "withdrawals" made by the Resistance from the Banque de France between February and October 1944, amounting to 4.237 billion francs, a figure compared to the 6.664 billion of Dunkirk ( Operation Dynamo ) made in June 1940 rescued to England can compare.

It is more difficult to evaluate the looted property in absolute terms. It is stated that Neuvic's 2.280 billion equates to 1.961 billion francs in 1992. Henri Amouroux, in turn, calculated what such a sum represented at that time. “With 2.280 billion francs it was possible in July 1944 to buy 43,000 calves weighing 100 kg each, 12,000 pigs at 120 kilos, 10,000 tons of potatoes at 4.50 francs per kilogram, 25,000 kilos of Cantal cheese at 44 francs each Kilos and to water the whole thing, 20,000 barrels of wine at 2,200 francs per barrel. Or to feed 156,100 maquisards for a year, since each maquisard cost 40 francs a day. (The prices are not those from the black market, but those that were paid by the local maquis to the Lot farmers in June 1944.) ")

Subsequent investigations

As early as 1944, questions arose as to what exactly had happened to the money. On October 28, 1944, Maxime Roux, the only prefect of the Dordogne since August 20, gave the examining magistrate of Ribérac on record that the funds were taken "to be used for the liberation of the area." In 1952, Pierre de Léotard judged more conservatively MP for Paris, a question to the government under Antoine Pinay on all the "withdrawals" by the resistance to the detriment of the Banque de France, the aforementioned 4.237 billion francs. His intention was not so much to clarify the issue, but to accuse some members of the resistance, especially the communists. The government initiated an investigation by a senior official, Bernard Clappier , who found in his report that, aside from the lost sack, most of the money had been used. However, the "Report Clappie" was never published. Bernard Clappier was appointed sous-governor in 1963 and governor of the Banque de France in 1974.

It also seems that the Prime Minister did not answer Léotard's specific question as to whether an instruction issued to the FFI on December 29, 1944 by the Payeur départemental (i.e. an employee of the Prefect Roux and after questioning by the examining magistrate) was authentic: according to this document the spoils from Neuvic were distributed among various resistance organizations in regions 5 and 6, some of it was used for the release of imprisoned resistance fighters (including 4 million for André Malraux , captured on July 22nd in Gramat, although this reading is controversial among historians); in particular, the document recognizes the “loss” of 2.287 million francs and the payment of 450 million francs to a “covert fund” of an unidentified person. Overall, the use of almost a fifth of the amount is unknown. According to Henri Amouroux, from 1945 797.9 million (35%) were repaid to the Ministry of Finance.

André Malraux

In a compilation of the accounts for the Neuvic affair made by the army, dated August 8, 1944, two payments for the release of Colonel Berger, i.e. André Malraux , amount to 4 million francs each. In addition, 800,000 francs were released from AS Corrèze for the same purpose, as well as unspecified funds from London. Olivier Todd also states that “he received money from R.5 [Region 5] ...” dated August 4, 1944: “transferred 500,000 to SR [service des renseignements, intelligence service] and CF [corps franc , Freikorps] of Colonel Berger. ”, Although Malraux neither commanded a Freikorps nor had authority in the secret service (Malraux was not at all active in the Resistance, had mostly lived in princely villas in southern France until March 1944 and only then tried to defend himself to join the Resistance in the Corrèze department ) - there was only one document relating to the SOE (Special Operations Executive, English secret service), to "Jack", who was supplied and financed by London.

Malraux was arrested on July 21, 1944 and, like his fellow prisoners, released from Saint-Michel prison in Toulouse on August 19 , when the Germans withdrew without a ransom. “So we don't know what became of all the money that was paid (or not) to release Malraux and who it actually went to.” Olivier Todd notes, “The writer will have a lot of money in Paris ... But Malraux will have more money than from copyrights. A few days before his release, Maquisards, including a unit loyal to Malraux, Valmy, attacked a Banque der France wagon in Neuvic station ... The money from the resistance was transported for Malraux to Paris by Rosine. Malraux will tell journalist Suzanne Chantal , “If you have financial problems ... don't hesitate. At the moment I'm rich. ""

“He will lead a luxurious lifestyle after the war, live in a duplex apartment in Boulogne-Billancourt , where he insisted on paying the rent ten years in advance” For his family, that is himself, Madeleine and the three sons of Gauthier , Vincent and Alain (his daughter Florence lives with her mother Clara) “he has several servants, valet, butler, his wife, a cook, two maids, chauffeur, housekeeper; the latter's husband helps out. Malraux has a lifestyle that is inconsistent with his ministerial salary and copyrights. Vicious whispers that so many resistance fighters had their hand on the money of the resistance. ”(Although Malraux did not receive the ministerial salary until 1958, the state at this time for the staff, the food in the restaurants and from 1962 also for his accommodation in the hunting lodge La Lanterne at the Palace of Versailles , which at the time was actually the Prime Minister's second residence after his apartment in Boulogne was destroyed by an attack by the OAS ).

Doublemètre

Andrija Urban (known as André Urbanovitch or "Doublemètre" (folding rule)), a Russian or Yugoslav citizen, René Coustellier's memories appear inglorious several times - e.g. B. the arrest of Maurice Chevalier and the attacks during the purges in Dordogne, which were directed by him. “In February 1945, Doublemètre settled in the Faubourg Saint-Honoré in Paris. In the following two years he had a meteoric rise in the art trade ... Got very rich, Doublemètre called himself Maître Hurban and bought a villa in Cannes. He died on the Côte d'Azur in the 1980s. ", As well as:" ... he opened the renowned urban art gallery, rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré in Paris, in 1945, a gallery specializing in contemporary artists. He also boasted (at least Who's Who claims ) that he had a large collection of Impressionist paintings, furniture, bronzes and rare books in his comfortable apartment on Avenue Gabriel or his villa in Cannes. "

There is no proof that Doublemètres wealth has anything to do with Neuvic, only that he was constantly supported by Malraux (whom he had already met in the Périgord). André Urbain finally succeeded in prosecuting his men for the extrajudicial cleansing of the state apparatus and public life (see Commission d'Épuration ) in the Périgord (which the Prefect Maxime Roux in his report of January 26, 1945 regarding the Dordogne was considered very harsh was designated) to escape.

swell

  • Henri Amouroux: La Grande Histoire des Français sous l'occupation. 8 volumes. 1976ff
  • René Coustellier: Le groupe Soleil dans le Résistance. Fanlac, 2003, ISBN 2-86577-200-4 .
  • Jean-Jacques Gillot, Jacques Lagrange : Le Partage des Milliards de la Résistance. Pilote24, 2004, ISBN 2-912347-46-7 .
  • Guy Penaud: Les Milliards du Train de Neuvic. Fanlac 2003, ISBN 2-86577-218-7 .
  • Olivier Todd: André Malraux: Une Vie. Gallimard, 2002, ISBN 2-07-042455-3 .
  • Marie Thérèse Viaud: L'épuration en Dordogne. In: Annales du Midi. 104, 1992, pp. 417-428.

Fiction

Remarks

  1. ^ "Ainsi donc, les postes et les perceptions, les caisses publiques dans leur ensemble, les banques également devenaient nos sources financières. J'ai toujours ou le sentiment que, s'agissant d'une guerre de libération nationale, il valait mieux la financer avec des tonds publics soustraits aux caisses du gouvernement de Vichy, que d'avoir recours à des particuliers. "
  2. ↑ «… une désagrégation morale complète… suivie, si aucune mesure sérieuse n'est prize, d'une crise de banditisme inévitable, aux conséquences dramatiques étant donné l'état d'esprit actuel des populations civiles»
  3. ↑ "... actuellement sans resources et probablement sujets à des mesures de coercition de la part des autorités vichyssoises et étrangères ..."
  4. ↑ «… il est absolument indispensable que nos groupes de combat puissent se comporter honnêtement et assurer le règlement de leurs achats…»
  5. ↑ According to some sources, Callard was appointed in May, before D-Day; However, this contradicts the "List des préfets de la Dordogne" of the French Wikipedia, which states June 6th
  6. ↑ «Le directeur de la Banque de France de Périgueux me soulignait les tracas que lui occasionnait la présence de ces milliards en paper, et notamment sa crainte qu'il avait d'un coup de main des maquis sur ses cave. Je vis immédiatement là la possibilité de procurer des tonds à Gaucher et au préfet du maquis, Maxime Roux. J'abondais dans le sens du directeur de la Banque de France, et lui suggérais, à l'occasion de la prochaine demande de la Banque de France de Bordeaux, de sortir de ses caves un key important de billet. "
  7. ^ Supporters of the government in Vichy, especially of Marshal Pétain , who turned to the Resistance; Callard had been involved in the murder of three resistance fighters in March, so his reorientation may have seemed vital in the light of current political developments.
  8. ↑ A photo with Boissière, Clée and Rougié can be found under Le Groupe Franc Roland
  9. ↑ Unidentified place, but the context shows that it must be east of Vergt in the woods around Cendrieux
  10. ^ "Nous sommes des combattants et non des pirates!"
  11. ↑ according to other information only at 7 p.m.
  12. ↑ There were also 400 tinned mushrooms in the baggage car, which were intended for the Social Committee of the Banque de France in Bordeaux, but which the maquisards did not touch - a detail that is repeatedly mentioned in the literature as proof of the correct behavior of the resistance fighters becomes
  13. ↑ unidentified place
  14. ↑ «Avec 2 milliards 280 millions de francs, il était possible, en juillet 1944, d'acheter 43,000 veaux pesant 100 kilos chacun, 12,000 cochons de 120 kilos, 10,000 tons de pommes de terre à 4.50 francs le kilo, 25,000 kilos de fromage de Cantal à 44 francs le kilo et, pour arroser le tout, 20,000 barriques de vin à 2,200 francs la barrique. Ou encore de nourrir, pendant un an, 156,100 maquisards, puisque la nourriture quotidienne de chaque maquisard coûtait 40 francs. (Ces chiffres ne sont pas ceux du marché noir, mais ceux payés, en juin 1944, aux paysans du Lot par les maquis locaux. ”
  15. ↑ Maxime Roux kept the office of prefect of the Dordogne until April 18, 1946. 1949/50 he was prefect of the Puy-de-Dôme department and from January 26, 1952 to January 11, 1955, prefect of the Loiret department
  16. ↑ "pour être utilisés à la liberation du territoire"
  17. ↑ Journal officiel Débats parlementaires 2ème séance du 18/12/1952 p. 6598
  18. ↑ Amouroux, Volume 8, p. 222.
  19. ↑ "Versé au SR [service de renseignements] et CF [corps franc] du Colonel Berger 500,000."
  20. ^ Marie-Françoise-Jeanne Delclaux, a friend of Malraux's late partner Josette Clotis (1910–1944), who was called Rosine by Malraux
  21. ↑ "L'écrivain disposable sera de beaucoup d'argent à Paris. … Maize Malraux aura plus d'argent que de droits d'auteurs. Quelques jours avant sa libération, des maquisards, dont une unité fidèle à Malraux, Valmy, ont attaqué un wagon de la Banque de France en gare de Neuvic… L'argent de la Résistance aurait été convoyé à Paris du côté de Malraux par Rosine. Malraux dira à Suzanne Chantal: ‹Si vous avez des embêtements financiers… n'hésitez pas. Momentanément je suis riche. ›» (Todd, p. 349)
  22. ↑ «The aura après la guerre un train de vie fastueux, habitera un duplex à Boulogne dont il insistera pour payer dix ans de loyer d'avance. Pour sa famille constituée, avec lui-même, de Madeleine et des trois garçons Gauthier, Vincent et Alain (sa fille Florence vit avec sa mère Clara) »
  23. ↑ «… il dispose de plusieurs domestiques, valet de chambre, maître d'hôtel, son épouse, une cuisinière, deux femmes de chambre, chauffeur, femme de ménage; le mari de celle-ci donne des coups de main. Malraux a un train de vie qui ne correspond pas à son traitement de ministre et à ses droits d'auteur. Des malveillants murmurent que tant de résistants ont mis la main sur l'argent de la Résistance. " (Todd, p. 389f)
  24. ↑ René Coustellier, pp. 194, 202, 208-211, 366, 375f.
  25. ↑ Maurice Chevalier was arrested by members of the resistance on September 14, 1944 and interrogated in Périgueux, inter alia, by Doublemêtre because of collaboration (he had performed in German camps in front of French prisoners of war); the next day he managed to escape with the help of the writer and resistance fighter René Laporte (1905–1954).
  26. ^ "En février 1945, Doublemètre s'installa faubourg Saint-Honoré à Paris. Au cours des deux années suivantes, il fit une fulgurante ascension dans le métier des arts… Devenu très riche, Doublemètre se faisait appeler Maître Hurban et s'acheta un hôtel particulier à Cannes. Il mourut sur la Côte d'azur au cours des années 1980. » (Coustellier, p. 376)
  27. ↑ «… il a ouvert, dès 1945, la prestigieuse galerie d'art Urban, rue du faubourg Saint-Honoré à Paris, galerie spécialisée dans les maîtres contemporains. Il se targuait en outre de posséder (c'est du moins ce que le Who's Who avance), dans son appartement cossu de l'avenue Gabriel ou son hôtel particulier de Cannes, une importante collection de peintures impressionnistes, de meubles, de bronzes et de livres rares. " (Penaud, p. 116)
  28. ^ Viaud