Henri Frager
Encyclopedia
Henri Jacques Paul Frager (3 March 1897, France - 5 October 1944, Buchenwald concentration camp
) was a member of the French Resistance
during World War II
. He was in succession, second in command of the CARTE network
(under André Girard
), then head of the SOE
(F section) network DONKEYMAN, rising to the rank of major within SOE. He was betrayed to the Germans, deported and executed.
in civil life. On 25 November 1940 he dined with André Girard in a restaurant in Antibes
. Girard wanted to develop a local network, whereas Frager was then preparing to get to London via Algeria. He reached Algeria in December that year but, after several failed attempts to get from there to London, returned to Antibes in April 1941 and got back into contact with Girard, who recruited him into CARTE as his second in command under the codename Louba. With André Gillois
and Colonel Vautrin, Girard and Frager recruited others for the growing network, and on 19 September 1941 Girard had his first meeting with an SOE agent, Francis Basin (codename Olive).
Exploring the possibilities for CARTE-SOE cooperation, SOE summoned Girard or any other officer of CARTE to come to London. Not wanting to go himself, Girard sent Frager and on 30 June 1942 the Polish trawler Tarana took on Frager and brought him to Gibraltar, from where he flew to England by plane. In London that July, at Orchard Court
, he met SOE's chiefs (Maurice Buckmaster
, Nicholas Bodington
, and probably Charles Hambro
and Colin Gubbins
). In Girard's name, Frager set out CARTE's needs (means of communication, arms, etc.). Wanting to know more, SOE sent him back to France with Nicholas Bodington
(codename Jean-Paul or PROFESSOR) to study the possibilities of cooperation, clarify the confused situation in the Lyon
region and organised possible parachute drop-zones (SPRUCE). They were landed at Cap d'Antibes on the night of 29/30 July 1942 from the boat Seadog, with agents Harry Despaigne (MAGNOLIA) and Yvonne Rudellat (SOAPTREE), and on 12 September Bodington returned to England to make a highly favourable report on CARTE.
In November 1942, however, major disagreements broke out between Girard and Frager. The Germans having occupied the previously unoccupied zone of France, SOE wanted to review its plans with CARTE and demanded in a message on 12 November (received via Adolphe Rabinovitch
, radio operator of the SPINDLE network) that Girard return to London. Several pick-up attempts that December failed and Frager prepared a report criticising Girard, to be transmitted to London, but Girard found out and also noted the good relations between Frager and Peter Churchill
. In January-February 1943, Girard put off his departure for London indefinitely, before finally being picked up by a Hudson on the night of 21/22 February. Frager and Churchill were picked up by Lysander on the night of 23/24 March (landing at Estrées-Saint-Denis near Compiègne
, piloted by Hugh Verity
, flying in Francis Cammaerts
and Georges Dubourdin) and joined Girard in London. However, Girard refused to meet them and SOE distanced itself from Girard, opposing his return to France and warning Frager that he would have to lead what remained of the CARTE network against Hugo Bleicher
(known as "colonel Henri") .
On the night of 14/15 April 1943 Frager was returned to France by Lysander (BRONCHITE drop zone, near Tours
) and welcomed back by Henri Déricourt
. He flew to London again on 20/21 October 1943 (in a Hudson, from the ACHILLE landing strip near Angers
), but his pick-up had been organised by Déricourt, now under Sicherheitsdienst
surveillance. An altercation occurred before this between Frager and Déricourt over breakfast in a café facing Angers' train station. Frager had brought along his substitute and friend, Roger Bardet (in fact released from prison by Bleicher in exchange for Bardet feeding him information, a promise Bardet seems to have kept), to assist in his departure for London, but Déricourt forbade him from doing so. Frager also believed Déricourt to be a Gestapo agent and Déricourt suspected that Frager thought as much. Hugo Bleicher wrote in his book of his recruitment of Roger Bardet as V-Mann, and how Bardet had got into Paul's good books by revealing to him that Gilbert was a double agent working for Kieffer. There was no sympathy between Bleicher (and the Abwehr) and Kieffer (of the SD). Hugh Verity gives Bleicher's account thus:
On 29 February 1944 Frager was returned to France at Beg-an-Fry near Morlaix, under the codename Jean-Marie. He was sent as head of the DONKEYMAN network, with orders to develop Resistance groups in the Yonne
and on the Côte d'Azur. His networks developed normally, one under Bardet and the other under Kieffer (Kiki). A group headed by Frager sabotaged the celophane factory at Mantes, and reports and photographs of its missions were sent to London. Between June and August 1944, Frager's groups were supplied by 25 parachute drops, but Frager was betrayed and handed over to Bleicher on 8 August 1944. Deported to Buchenwald concentration camp
, he was executed on 5 October that year.
Buchenwald concentration camp
Buchenwald concentration camp was a German Nazi concentration camp established on the Ettersberg near Weimar, Germany, in July 1937, one of the first and the largest of the concentration camps on German soil.Camp prisoners from all over Europe and Russia—Jews, non-Jewish Poles and Slovenes,...
) was a member of the French Resistance
French Resistance
The French Resistance is the name used to denote the collection of French resistance movements that fought against the Nazi German occupation of France and against the collaborationist Vichy régime during World War II...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. He was in succession, second in command of the CARTE network
The Carte Organisation
The Carte Organisation was a putative organ of French resistance during the Second World War.It was the brainchild of André Girard, an artist who claimed to have at his command a secret army of hundreds of thousands of would-be résistants waiting to rise against the Germans once they were properly...
(under André Girard
André Girard (1901-1968)
André Girard was a French painter, poster-maker and Resistance worker...
), then head of the SOE
Special Operations Executive
The Special Operations Executive was a World War II organisation of the United Kingdom. It was officially formed by Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Minister of Economic Warfare Hugh Dalton on 22 July 1940, to conduct guerrilla warfare against the Axis powers and to instruct and aid local...
(F section) network DONKEYMAN, rising to the rank of major within SOE. He was betrayed to the Germans, deported and executed.
Life
The son of Alphonse Jean Frager and Eugénie Louis Adolpine Frager née Sauvier, he married the Russian-born Louba Frager and worked as an architect in NiceNice
Nice is the fifth most populous city in France, after Paris, Marseille, Lyon and Toulouse, with a population of 348,721 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Nice extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of more than 955,000 on an area of...
in civil life. On 25 November 1940 he dined with André Girard in a restaurant in Antibes
Antibes
Antibes is a resort town in the Alpes-Maritimes department in southeastern France.It lies on the Mediterranean in the Côte d'Azur, located between Cannes and Nice. The town of Juan-les-Pins is within the commune of Antibes...
. Girard wanted to develop a local network, whereas Frager was then preparing to get to London via Algeria. He reached Algeria in December that year but, after several failed attempts to get from there to London, returned to Antibes in April 1941 and got back into contact with Girard, who recruited him into CARTE as his second in command under the codename Louba. With André Gillois
André Gillois
Maurice Diamant-Berger, known as André Gillois, was a French writer, radio pioneer and - during the Second World War - general Charles de Gaulle's spokesman in London. He was the son of Dr Mayer Saül Diamant-Berger and Jenny Birman, and his brother was Henri Diamant-Berger...
and Colonel Vautrin, Girard and Frager recruited others for the growing network, and on 19 September 1941 Girard had his first meeting with an SOE agent, Francis Basin (codename Olive).
Exploring the possibilities for CARTE-SOE cooperation, SOE summoned Girard or any other officer of CARTE to come to London. Not wanting to go himself, Girard sent Frager and on 30 June 1942 the Polish trawler Tarana took on Frager and brought him to Gibraltar, from where he flew to England by plane. In London that July, at Orchard Court
Orchard Court
Orchard Court was an apartment off Portman Square in London. It was used during the Second World War as the London base of F section of the Special Operations Executive .- Sources :...
, he met SOE's chiefs (Maurice Buckmaster
Maurice Buckmaster
Colonel Maurice James Buckmaster OBE was the leader of the French section of Special Operations Executive and was awarded the Croix de Guerre. He was a corporate manager with the French branch of the Ford Motor Company, in the postwar years serving in Dagenham...
, Nicholas Bodington
Nicholas Bodington
Nicholas Redner Bodington OBE was, during the Second World War, a head of F section of the Special Operations Executive. He took part in 4 missions to France.-Pre-war:...
, and probably Charles Hambro
Charles Jocelyn Hambro
Air Commodore Sir Charles Jocelyn Hambro, KBE, MC was a merchant banker and intelligence officer.-Career:He was born into a banking family of Danish origin which had settled in Dorset and the City of London in the early 19th century. He was the son of Charles Eric Hambro, a partner in C. J...
and Colin Gubbins
Colin Gubbins
Major-General Sir Colin McVean Gubbins KCMG, DSO, MC was the prime mover of the Special Operations Executive in the Second World War....
). In Girard's name, Frager set out CARTE's needs (means of communication, arms, etc.). Wanting to know more, SOE sent him back to France with Nicholas Bodington
Nicholas Bodington
Nicholas Redner Bodington OBE was, during the Second World War, a head of F section of the Special Operations Executive. He took part in 4 missions to France.-Pre-war:...
(codename Jean-Paul or PROFESSOR) to study the possibilities of cooperation, clarify the confused situation in the Lyon
Lyon
Lyon , is a city in east-central France in the Rhône-Alpes region, situated between Paris and Marseille. Lyon is located at from Paris, from Marseille, from Geneva, from Turin, and from Barcelona. The residents of the city are called Lyonnais....
region and organised possible parachute drop-zones (SPRUCE). They were landed at Cap d'Antibes on the night of 29/30 July 1942 from the boat Seadog, with agents Harry Despaigne (MAGNOLIA) and Yvonne Rudellat (SOAPTREE), and on 12 September Bodington returned to England to make a highly favourable report on CARTE.
In November 1942, however, major disagreements broke out between Girard and Frager. The Germans having occupied the previously unoccupied zone of France, SOE wanted to review its plans with CARTE and demanded in a message on 12 November (received via Adolphe Rabinovitch
Adolphe Rabinovitch
Adolphe Rabinovitch was a Special Operations Executive agent during the Second World War. He rose to the rank of captain.- Life :...
, radio operator of the SPINDLE network) that Girard return to London. Several pick-up attempts that December failed and Frager prepared a report criticising Girard, to be transmitted to London, but Girard found out and also noted the good relations between Frager and Peter Churchill
Peter Churchill
Peter Morland Churchill DSO Croix de Guerre was an SOE Officer in France during World War II.He was a brother of Group Captain Walter Churchill DSO DFC and Major Oliver Churchill DSO MC who was also an SOE Officer during World War II.-Biography:...
. In January-February 1943, Girard put off his departure for London indefinitely, before finally being picked up by a Hudson on the night of 21/22 February. Frager and Churchill were picked up by Lysander on the night of 23/24 March (landing at Estrées-Saint-Denis near Compiègne
Compiègne
Compiègne is a city in northern France. It is designated municipally as a commune within the département of Oise.The city is located along the Oise River...
, piloted by Hugh Verity
Hugh Verity
Hugh Beresford Verity was a Royal Air Force officer of the Second World War.At the start of the war he joined a reconnaissance squadron, and in 1941 he joined the RAF's arm of the Special Operations Executive. In 1942, he took command of a section of Lysanders as No. 161 Squadron RAF...
, flying in Francis Cammaerts
Francis Cammaerts
Francis Charles Albert Cammaerts DSO was an outstanding Special Operations Executive agent who organised French Resistance groups to sabotage German communications in occupied France.-Early life:...
and Georges Dubourdin) and joined Girard in London. However, Girard refused to meet them and SOE distanced itself from Girard, opposing his return to France and warning Frager that he would have to lead what remained of the CARTE network against Hugo Bleicher
Hugo Bleicher
Hugo Ernst Bleicher was a German senior non-commissioned officer of the Abwehr who worked against French Resistance in German-occupied France....
(known as "colonel Henri") .
On the night of 14/15 April 1943 Frager was returned to France by Lysander (BRONCHITE drop zone, near Tours
Tours
Tours is a city in central France, the capital of the Indre-et-Loire department.It is located on the lower reaches of the river Loire, between Orléans and the Atlantic coast. Touraine, the region around Tours, is known for its wines, the alleged perfection of its local spoken French, and for the...
) and welcomed back by Henri Déricourt
Henri Dericourt
Henri Dericourt was a French agent for Special Operations Executive. There is ambiguity as to whether he became a double agent for the Sicherheitsdienst , or was working under British instructions.-Life and work:...
. He flew to London again on 20/21 October 1943 (in a Hudson, from the ACHILLE landing strip near Angers
Angers
Angers is the main city in the Maine-et-Loire department in western France about south-west of Paris. Angers is located in the French region known by its pre-revolutionary, provincial name, Anjou, and its inhabitants are called Angevins....
), but his pick-up had been organised by Déricourt, now under Sicherheitsdienst
Sicherheitsdienst
Sicherheitsdienst , full title Sicherheitsdienst des Reichsführers-SS, or SD, was the intelligence agency of the SS and the Nazi Party in Nazi Germany. The organization was the first Nazi Party intelligence organization to be established and was often considered a "sister organization" with the...
surveillance. An altercation occurred before this between Frager and Déricourt over breakfast in a café facing Angers' train station. Frager had brought along his substitute and friend, Roger Bardet (in fact released from prison by Bleicher in exchange for Bardet feeding him information, a promise Bardet seems to have kept), to assist in his departure for London, but Déricourt forbade him from doing so. Frager also believed Déricourt to be a Gestapo agent and Déricourt suspected that Frager thought as much. Hugo Bleicher wrote in his book of his recruitment of Roger Bardet as V-Mann, and how Bardet had got into Paul's good books by revealing to him that Gilbert was a double agent working for Kieffer. There was no sympathy between Bleicher (and the Abwehr) and Kieffer (of the SD). Hugh Verity gives Bleicher's account thus:
On 29 February 1944 Frager was returned to France at Beg-an-Fry near Morlaix, under the codename Jean-Marie. He was sent as head of the DONKEYMAN network, with orders to develop Resistance groups in the Yonne
Yonne
Yonne is a French department named after the Yonne River. It is one of the four constituent departments of Burgundy in eastern France and its prefecture is Auxerre. Its official number is 89....
and on the Côte d'Azur. His networks developed normally, one under Bardet and the other under Kieffer (Kiki). A group headed by Frager sabotaged the celophane factory at Mantes, and reports and photographs of its missions were sent to London. Between June and August 1944, Frager's groups were supplied by 25 parachute drops, but Frager was betrayed and handed over to Bleicher on 8 August 1944. Deported to Buchenwald concentration camp
Buchenwald concentration camp
Buchenwald concentration camp was a German Nazi concentration camp established on the Ettersberg near Weimar, Germany, in July 1937, one of the first and the largest of the concentration camps on German soil.Camp prisoners from all over Europe and Russia—Jews, non-Jewish Poles and Slovenes,...
, he was executed on 5 October that year.
Distinction
- UK : Mentioned in Despatches,
- France : Médaille de la RésistanceMédaille de la RésistanceThe French Médaille de la Résistance was awarded by General Charles de Gaulle "to recognise the remarkable acts of faith and of courage that, in France, in the empire and abroad, have contributed to the resistance of the French people against the enemy and against its accomplices since June 18,...
(rosette).
Monuments
- As one of the 104 agents of SOE's F section F to die for France, Henri Frager is mentioned on the memorialValençay SOE MemorialThe Valençay SOE Memorial is a monument to the members of the Special Operations Executive F Section who lost their lives for the liberation of France. The memorial was unveiled in the town of Valençay in the Indre département of France on May 6, 1991, marking the fiftieth anniversary of the...
at ValençayValençayValençay is a commune in the Indre department in central France.-Geography:Valençay is situated in the Loire Valley on a hillside overlooking the River Nahon.-History:...
(Indre). - Brookwood Memorial, Surrey, panel 21, column 3.
Sources and external links
- Thomas Rabino, Le Réseau Carte, Perrin, 2008.
- Michael Richard Daniell Foot, SOE in France. An account of the Work of the British Special Operations Executive in France, 1940-1944, London, Her Majesty's Stationery Office, 1966, 1968 ; Whitehall History Publishing, in association with Frank Cass, 2004. Ce livre présente la version officielle britannique de l’histoire du SOE en France. Une référence essentielle sur le sujet du SOE en France.
- François Marcot (dir.), Dictionnaire historique de la Résistance, coll. Bouquins, Robert Laffont, 2006, ISBN : 2-221-09997-4. Article "Vomécourt, Philippe de Crevoisier de" signé Michael R. D. Foot, pages 548-549.
- Hugh Verity, Nous atterrissions de nuit..., préface de Jacques Mallet, 5eme édition française, Éditions Vario, 2004.
- Sir Brooks RichardsBrooks RichardsSir Francis "Brooks" Richards, KCMG, DSO, DSC , was a British diplomat and, during the Second World War, a director of operations for the Special Operations Executive. He married Hazel Williams in 1941 - she was the daughter of Lt-Col. Stanley Price Williams, Indian Army, who was also an SOE officer...
, Secret flotillas, 1996