Jacques Desoubrie
Encyclopedia
Jacques Desoubrie was a French
traitor
and double agent
who worked for the Gestapo
during the German occupation of France during World War II
.
, Desoubrie was the illegitimate son of a Belgian doctor. Never having a proper home and abandoned by his mother at an early age, he became a drifter and later took up a trade as an electrician.
Desoubrie was described as a short, stocky man with piercing grey eyes set behind a pair of moderately thick-lensed spectacles
. He was always smartly dressed, with his light brown hair always neatly combed. His smile revealed bright gold
fillings in his front teeth and he spoke excellent English
.
He entered the Gestapo in 1941, and infiltrated first the Resistant
group Vérité Français, where he had 100 Resistants arrested, and then Le Guales where he had 50 Resistants arrested. He infiltrated other groups, such as the escape network known as the Comet Line
, that helped Allied airmen whose planes were lost over France or Spain
to return to Britain
. He used various aliases including; Pierre Boulain, Jean Masson, Jacques Leman and Captain Jacques, as he liked to be known.
Desoubrie was responsible for the capture of many of the 168 allied airmen
, including Squadron leader
Phil Lamason
, who were taken to Buchenwald concentration camp
in August 1944.
After the Liberation, he fled to Germany. Although Desoubrie used the alias Jean Masson, he is not to be confused, as F. Venner did, with the Jean Masson (1910–1965) who participated to the creation of the traditionalist Catholic
Cité catholique
group, along with Jean Ousset
, in 1946. Desoubrie was arrested after being denounced by his ex-mistress, and executed as a Collaborationist in December 1949 in the fort of Montrouge, in Arcueil
(near Paris).
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...
traitor
Treason
In law, treason is the crime that covers some of the more extreme acts against one's sovereign or nation. Historically, treason also covered the murder of specific social superiors, such as the murder of a husband by his wife. Treason against the king was known as high treason and treason against a...
and double agent
Double agent
A double agent, commonly abbreviated referral of double secret agent, is a counterintelligence term used to designate an employee of a secret service or organization, whose primary aim is to spy on the target organization, but who in fact is a member of that same target organization oneself. They...
who worked for 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...
during the German occupation of France 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...
.
Early life
Born in 1922 (some sources say 1921) at TourcoingTourcoing
Tourcoing is a city in northern France. It is designated municipally as a commune within the département of Nord.Tourcoing is situated near the cities of Lille and Roubaix and the Belgian border.-Main sights:...
, Desoubrie was the illegitimate son of a Belgian doctor. Never having a proper home and abandoned by his mother at an early age, he became a drifter and later took up a trade as an electrician.
Desoubrie was described as a short, stocky man with piercing grey eyes set behind a pair of moderately thick-lensed spectacles
Glasses
Glasses, also known as eyeglasses , spectacles or simply specs , are frames bearing lenses worn in front of the eyes. They are normally used for vision correction or eye protection. Safety glasses are a kind of eye protection against flying debris or against visible and near visible light or...
. He was always smartly dressed, with his light brown hair always neatly combed. His smile revealed bright gold
Gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...
fillings in his front teeth and he spoke excellent English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
.
World War II
When World War II broke out, the Belgian teenager eagerly accepted the Nazi propaganda, readily adopting their doctrines.He entered the Gestapo in 1941, and infiltrated first the Resistant
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...
group Vérité Français, where he had 100 Resistants arrested, and then Le Guales where he had 50 Resistants arrested. He infiltrated other groups, such as the escape network known as the Comet Line
Comet line
The Comet line was a World War II resistance group in Belgium/France which helped Allied soldiers and airmen return to Britain. The line started in Brussels, where the men were fed, clothed and given false identity papers before being hidden in attics and cellars of houses...
, that helped Allied airmen whose planes were lost over France or Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
to return to Britain
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. He used various aliases including; Pierre Boulain, Jean Masson, Jacques Leman and Captain Jacques, as he liked to be known.
Desoubrie was responsible for the capture of many of the 168 allied airmen
KLB Club
The KLB Club was formed on 12 October 1944, and included the 168 allied airmen who were held prisoner at Buchenwald concentration camp between 20 August and 19 October 1944...
, including Squadron leader
Squadron Leader
Squadron Leader is a commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence. It is also sometimes used as the English translation of an equivalent rank in countries which have a non-English air force-specific rank structure. In these...
Phil Lamason
Phil Lamason
Phillip John Lamason DFC & Bar was a pilot in the Royal New Zealand Air Force during the Second World War, who rose to prominence as the senior officer in charge of 168 Allied airmen taken to Buchenwald concentration camp, Germany, in August 1944...
, who were taken 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,...
in August 1944.
After the Liberation, he fled to Germany. Although Desoubrie used the alias Jean Masson, he is not to be confused, as F. Venner did, with the Jean Masson (1910–1965) who participated to the creation of the traditionalist Catholic
Traditionalist Catholic
Traditionalist Catholics are Roman Catholics who believe that there should be a restoration of many or all of the liturgical forms, public and private devotions and presentations of Catholic teachings which prevailed in the Catholic Church before the Second Vatican Council...
Cité catholique
Cité catholique
The Cité Catholique is a Traditionalist Catholic organisation created in 1946 by Jean Ousset, originally a follower of Charles Maurras and Jean Masson , not to be confused with Jacques Desoubrie, who also used the pseudonym Jean Masson...
group, along with Jean Ousset
Jean Ousset
Jean Ousset was a French ideologist of National Catholicism born in Porto, Portugal. He was an activist of the Action française monarchist movement in the 1930s, and personal secretary of its leader, Charles Maurras...
, in 1946. Desoubrie was arrested after being denounced by his ex-mistress, and executed as a Collaborationist in December 1949 in the fort of Montrouge, in Arcueil
Arcueil
Arcueil is a commune in the Val-de-Marne department in the southern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the center of Paris.-Name:The name Arcueil was recorded for the first time in 1119 as Arcoloï, and later in the 12th century as Arcoïalum, meaning "place of the arches" , in...
(near Paris).