Carlingue
Encyclopedia
The French Gestapo or Carlingue was the name given to French
auxiliaries of the Gestapo
, based at 93, rue Lauriston in the 16th arrondissement of Paris, and active between 1941 and 1944. It was headed by Henri Lafont
and Pierre Loutrel
.
This group drew its members from the same milieu as that of its leaders, the gangsters Henri Lafont
and Pierre Loutrel
, alias Pierrot le fou, or from those with at least a troubled past (eg Pierre Bonny
, who was wanted by the police for misappropriation of funds and selling influence, and was also a central figure in the Seznec
and Stavisky
affairs). Their links with the occupiers granted them many contacts with disreputable figures like Joseph Joanovici
. They originated from the north African brigade, made up of Muslims devoted to the Nazi cause, which was involved in suppressing the maquis
in Tulle
.
According to the retired policeman Henri Longuechaud, "one might be scandalised by the numbers of 30,000 to 32000 sometimes quoted [as Carlingue's members]. In Paris, when the occupier launched a recruitment drive for 2,000 auxiliary policeman in their service, they received no fewer than 6,000 candidates."
Its principal members were tried and condemned on the Liberation.
In 2004, a tv film was produced on the Carlingue, entitled 93, rue Lauriston. Although fictional, it was inspired by real events and featured Lafont and Bonny.
Louis Malle
's 1974 film Lacombe Lucien
features characters based on the Bonny-Lafont gang.
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
auxiliaries of the Gestapo
Gestapo
The Gestapo was the official secret police of Nazi Germany. Beginning on 20 April 1934, it was under the administration of the SS leader Heinrich Himmler in his position as Chief of German Police...
, based at 93, rue Lauriston in the 16th arrondissement of Paris, and active between 1941 and 1944. It was headed by Henri Lafont
Henri Lafont
Henri Lafont, real name Henri Chamberlin was the head of the French Gestapo during the German occupation in World War II.-Sources:*Magazine Historia Hors Série n°26 1972 by Fabrice Laroche...
and Pierre Loutrel
Pierre Loutrel
Pierre Loutrel , better known by his nickname of "Pierrot le fou" was France's first "public enemy number one" and one of the leaders of the Gang des tractions.-Life:...
.
This group drew its members from the same milieu as that of its leaders, the gangsters Henri Lafont
Henri Lafont
Henri Lafont, real name Henri Chamberlin was the head of the French Gestapo during the German occupation in World War II.-Sources:*Magazine Historia Hors Série n°26 1972 by Fabrice Laroche...
and Pierre Loutrel
Pierre Loutrel
Pierre Loutrel , better known by his nickname of "Pierrot le fou" was France's first "public enemy number one" and one of the leaders of the Gang des tractions.-Life:...
, alias Pierrot le fou, or from those with at least a troubled past (eg Pierre Bonny
Pierre Bonny
Pierre Bonny was a French police officer. As an inspector, he was the investigating officer on the 1923 Seznec case, in which he has been accused of falsifying the evidence, and left the police before the war. During the Second World War joined the French Gestapo, known as the Carlingue...
, who was wanted by the police for misappropriation of funds and selling influence, and was also a central figure in the Seznec
Seznec Affair
-Course:Joseph Marie Guillaume Seznec, born in Plomodiern in Finistère in 1878 and the head of a sawmill at Morlaix, was found guilty of false promise and of the murder of the wood merchant Pierre Quéméneur, conseiller général of Finistère...
and Stavisky
Stavisky Affair
The Stavisky Affair was a 1934 financial scandal generated by the actions of embezzler Alexandre Stavisky. It had political ramifications for the French Radical Socialist moderate government of the day...
affairs). Their links with the occupiers granted them many contacts with disreputable figures like Joseph Joanovici
Joseph Joanovici
Joseph Joanovici, also spelled Joinovici was a Jewish-French iron supplier, who supplied both Nazi Germany and the French Resistance. He may also have been an agent of the Soviet Comintern...
. They originated from the north African brigade, made up of Muslims devoted to the Nazi cause, which was involved in suppressing the maquis
Maquis (World War II)
The Maquis were the predominantly rural guerrilla bands of the French Resistance. Initially they were composed of men who had escaped into the mountains to avoid conscription into Vichy France's Service du travail obligatoire to provide forced labour for Germany...
in Tulle
Tulle
Tulle is a commune and capital of the Corrèze department in the Limousin region in central France. It is also the episcopal see of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Tulle...
.
According to the retired policeman Henri Longuechaud, "one might be scandalised by the numbers of 30,000 to 32000 sometimes quoted [as Carlingue's members]. In Paris, when the occupier launched a recruitment drive for 2,000 auxiliary policeman in their service, they received no fewer than 6,000 candidates."
Its principal members were tried and condemned on the Liberation.
In 2004, a tv film was produced on the Carlingue, entitled 93, rue Lauriston. Although fictional, it was inspired by real events and featured Lafont and Bonny.
Louis Malle
Louis Malle
Louis Malle was a French film director, screenwriter, and producer. He worked in both French cinema and Hollywood. His films include Ascenseur pour l'échafaud , Atlantic City , and Au revoir, les enfants .- Early years in France :Malle was born into a wealthy industrialist family in Thumeries,...
's 1974 film Lacombe Lucien
Lacombe Lucien
Lacombe Lucien is a 1974 French film that tells the story of a teenage boy during the German occupation of France in World War II. It is based in part on director Louis Malle's own experiences.-Plot:...
features characters based on the Bonny-Lafont gang.