Pierre Mairesse Lebrun
Encyclopedia
Pierre Marie Jean-Baptiste Mairesse-Lebrun (born March 16, 1912) was a French Army
cavalry officer who became famous for his daring escape from Colditz castle, Oflag IV-C
. He was born in Bauzy
, Loir-et-Cher
.
Lebrun served as a captain in the 4th regiment Chasseurs de l'Afrique and was captured during the Fall of France. He was sent to Oflag IV-C also known as Colditz Castle
from where he escaped successfully on July 2, 1941.
After a walk in the park all POW's gathered to be counted and be escorted back to the main castle. At this moment all guards, who stood around the park fences, also returned to the park entrance leaving the backfences unguarded. Mairesse Lebrun and Lieutenant Pierre Odry used this opportunity to leave the group, and together they ran to the fence at the backside of the park. Three meters in front of the fence, Odry cupped his hands together in which Mairesse Lebrun set his foot. Odry catapulted Mairesse Lebrun over the fence where he ran away. The German guards were so stunned that they did nothing initially, when they recovered they started shooting without success. Mairesse Lebrun climbed a wall successfully and was out in the open. Still in his sports clothes he hid in a field and via Switzerland reached Vichy France. In December 1941 he went to Spain where he got arrested. He tried to escape again but unfortunately fractured his spine paralysing his legs.
On July 20, 1946, he married Christine Solvay de La Hulpe (b. 1922).
Lebrun was created a Commandeur de la Légion d'honneur.
French Army
The French Army, officially the Armée de Terre , is the land-based and largest component of the French Armed Forces.As of 2010, the army employs 123,100 regulars, 18,350 part-time reservists and 7,700 Legionnaires. All soldiers are professionals, following the suspension of conscription, voted in...
cavalry officer who became famous for his daring escape from Colditz castle, Oflag IV-C
Oflag IV-C
Oflag IV-C, often referred to as Colditz Castle because of its location, was one of the most famous German Army prisoner-of-war camps for officers in World War II; Oflag is a shortening of Offizierslager, meaning "officers camp"...
. He was born in Bauzy
Bauzy
Bauzy is a commune in the Loir-et-Cher département in central France....
, Loir-et-Cher
Loir-et-Cher
Loir-et-Cher is a département in north-central France named after the rivers Loir and Cher.-History:Loir-et-Cher is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on 4 March 1790. It was created from parts of the former provinces of Orléanais and...
.
Lebrun served as a captain in the 4th regiment Chasseurs de l'Afrique and was captured during the Fall of France. He was sent to Oflag IV-C also known as Colditz Castle
Colditz Castle
Colditz Castle is a Renaissance castle in the town of Colditz near Leipzig, Dresden, and Chemnitz in the state of Saxony in Germany. Used as a workhouse for the indigent and a mental institution for over 100 years, it gained international fame as a prisoner-of-war camp during World War II for...
from where he escaped successfully on July 2, 1941.
After a walk in the park all POW's gathered to be counted and be escorted back to the main castle. At this moment all guards, who stood around the park fences, also returned to the park entrance leaving the backfences unguarded. Mairesse Lebrun and Lieutenant Pierre Odry used this opportunity to leave the group, and together they ran to the fence at the backside of the park. Three meters in front of the fence, Odry cupped his hands together in which Mairesse Lebrun set his foot. Odry catapulted Mairesse Lebrun over the fence where he ran away. The German guards were so stunned that they did nothing initially, when they recovered they started shooting without success. Mairesse Lebrun climbed a wall successfully and was out in the open. Still in his sports clothes he hid in a field and via Switzerland reached Vichy France. In December 1941 he went to Spain where he got arrested. He tried to escape again but unfortunately fractured his spine paralysing his legs.
On July 20, 1946, he married Christine Solvay de La Hulpe (b. 1922).
Lebrun was created a Commandeur de la Légion d'honneur.
Sources
- http://www.mikekemble.com/ww2/colditz.html
- http://www.colditzappreciationsociety.com/June%20Newsletter.pdf
- Leo de Hartog; Officieren achter prikkeldraad 1940-1945, uitgeverij hollandia 1983
- Entry at Planète Généalogie