Thomas Elek
Encyclopedia
Thomas Elek, also known as Támas Elek and KERPAL (b. 7 December 1924, Budapest - d. 21 Feb 1944, Paris) was one of the members of the French resistance
executed at the fort of Mont Valérien as a member of the Manouchian Group
, a volunteer of the French liberation army FTP-MOI
. His name was one of the ten featured on the Affiche Rouge
, displayed on thousands of copies by the Germans citywide after the trial of the 23 captured members of the Manouchian group. His photograph
was displayed with the caption "Elek Juif Hongrois 8 déraillements" (Elek, Hungarian Jew, 8 derailments).
, Hungary
on the 7 December 1924 to a family of communist intellectuals. The Elek family (Thomas, his father Sandor, his sister Marthe and his mother Hélène, then pregnant with a brother, Bela) emigrated to France
in 1930. They settled in Paris
, where his mother, after various minor jobs, became a restaurateur
in 1934.
at the age of 16, to become involved in the underground movement. He joined a group of students at the Sorbonne
who were linked to the Groupe du musée de l'Homme
, wrote and distributed tracts, and stuck papillons (butterflies - flyers) to walls. In August 1942, sympathising with the Jeunesses Communistes (Communist Youth), he became involved with the FTP-MOI
(Francs-tireurs et partisans - Main-d'œuvre immigrée) and took up the armed struggle. His nom de guerre was KERPAL. Shortly after, Elek was assigned a solo attack on the Rive Gauche German bookstore, in which he used a booby-trapped book. In March 1943, along with the young Czech, Pavel Simo, he made a grenade
attack on a restaurant reserved for German officers at Asnières
. Simo was arrested, and executed on the 22 May 1943 at the Stand de tir de Balard.
On 1 June 1943 in a spontaneous attack, Elek threw two grenades into a group of 70 Germans in front of the Jaurès
metro station. He was promoted and named head of the group at the center of the 4th detachment of the FTP-MOI
Paris region; they were known as des dérailleurs and commanded by Joseph Boczov
.
Elek participated in several railway derailments, notably that of the night of 28 July on the Paris-Château-Thierry
line. This derailment is stated to have caused the death of 600 German soldiers .
In 1943 Elek was arrested with others of the Manouchian Group and tortured by the Brigades Spéciales. He was handed over to the Germans and detained in Fresnes Prison
. All but one of the Manouchian group were condemned to death
in a show trial
and shot three days later, 21 Feb 1944, at Mont Valérien.
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...
executed at the fort of Mont Valérien as a member of the Manouchian Group
Affiche Rouge
The Affiche Rouge is a famous propaganda poster, distributed by Vichy French and German authorities in the spring of 1944 in occupied Paris, to discredit 23 French Resistance fighters, members of the Manouchian Group...
, a volunteer of the French liberation army FTP-MOI
FTP-MOI
The Francs-tireurs et partisans – main-d'œuvre immigrée were a sub-group of the Francs-tireurs et partisans organization, a component of the French Resistance. A wing composed mostly of foreigners, the MOI maintained an armed force to oppose the German occupation of France during World War II...
. His name was one of the ten featured on the Affiche Rouge
Affiche Rouge
The Affiche Rouge is a famous propaganda poster, distributed by Vichy French and German authorities in the spring of 1944 in occupied Paris, to discredit 23 French Resistance fighters, members of the Manouchian Group...
, displayed on thousands of copies by the Germans citywide after the trial of the 23 captured members of the Manouchian group. His photograph
Photograph
A photograph is an image created by light falling on a light-sensitive surface, usually photographic film or an electronic imager such as a CCD or a CMOS chip. Most photographs are created using a camera, which uses a lens to focus the scene's visible wavelengths of light into a reproduction of...
was displayed with the caption "Elek Juif Hongrois 8 déraillements" (Elek, Hungarian Jew, 8 derailments).
Early years
Thomas Elek was born in BudapestBudapest
Budapest is the capital of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it is the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation centre. In 2011, Budapest had 1,733,685 inhabitants, down from its 1989 peak of 2,113,645 due to suburbanization. The Budapest Commuter...
, Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
on the 7 December 1924 to a family of communist intellectuals. The Elek family (Thomas, his father Sandor, his sister Marthe and his mother Hélène, then pregnant with a brother, Bela) emigrated to France
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...
in 1930. They settled in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, where his mother, after various minor jobs, became a restaurateur
Restaurateur
A restaurateur is a person who opens and runs restaurants professionally. Although over time the term has come to describe any person who owns a restaurant, traditionally it refers to a highly skilled professional who is proficient in all aspects of the restaurant business.-Etymology:The word...
in 1934.
Second World War
Elek left the Lycée Louis-le-GrandLycée Louis-le-Grand
The Lycée Louis-le-Grand is a public secondary school located in Paris, widely regarded as one of the most rigorous in France. Formerly known as the Collège de Clermont, it was named in king Louis XIV of France's honor after he visited the school and offered his patronage.It offers both a...
at the age of 16, to become involved in the underground movement. He joined a group of students at the Sorbonne
Sorbonne
The Sorbonne is an edifice of the Latin Quarter, in Paris, France, which has been the historical house of the former University of Paris...
who were linked to the Groupe du musée de l'Homme
Groupe du musée de l'Homme
The Groupe du musée de l'Homme was a movement in the French resistance to the Nazi occupation during the Second World War....
, wrote and distributed tracts, and stuck papillons (butterflies - flyers) to walls. In August 1942, sympathising with the Jeunesses Communistes (Communist Youth), he became involved with the FTP-MOI
FTP-MOI
The Francs-tireurs et partisans – main-d'œuvre immigrée were a sub-group of the Francs-tireurs et partisans organization, a component of the French Resistance. A wing composed mostly of foreigners, the MOI maintained an armed force to oppose the German occupation of France during World War II...
(Francs-tireurs et partisans - Main-d'œuvre immigrée) and took up the armed struggle. His nom de guerre was KERPAL. Shortly after, Elek was assigned a solo attack on the Rive Gauche German bookstore, in which he used a booby-trapped book. In March 1943, along with the young Czech, Pavel Simo, he made a grenade
Grenade
A grenade is a small explosive device that is projected a safe distance away by its user. Soldiers called grenadiers specialize in the use of grenades. The term hand grenade refers any grenade designed to be hand thrown. Grenade Launchers are firearms designed to fire explosive projectile grenades...
attack on a restaurant reserved for German officers at Asnières
Asnières
Asnières is the name or part of the name of several communes in France:* Asnières, Eure, in the Eure département* Asnières-en-Bessin, in the Calvados département* Asnières-en-Montagne, in the Côte-d'Or département...
. Simo was arrested, and executed on the 22 May 1943 at the Stand de tir de Balard.
On 1 June 1943 in a spontaneous attack, Elek threw two grenades into a group of 70 Germans in front of the Jaurès
Jaurès (Paris Metro)
Jaurès is a station on Paris Métro Line 2, Line 5, and Line 7bis in the 10th and 19th arrondissements.-History:The station was opened on 23 February 1903, three weeks after line 2 was extended from Anvers to Bagnolet, now called Alexandre Dumas on 31 January 1903...
metro station. He was promoted and named head of the group at the center of the 4th detachment of the FTP-MOI
FTP-MOI
The Francs-tireurs et partisans – main-d'œuvre immigrée were a sub-group of the Francs-tireurs et partisans organization, a component of the French Resistance. A wing composed mostly of foreigners, the MOI maintained an armed force to oppose the German occupation of France during World War II...
Paris region; they were known as des dérailleurs and commanded by Joseph Boczov
Joseph Boczov
Joseph Boczov or József Boczor, aka Ferenc Wolff , was a chemical engineer, Hungarian Jew, and volunteer fighter for the French liberation army FTP-MOI. In 1942 Boczov founded and led the 4th detachment, called the dérailleurs, as they specialized in derailing trains...
.
Elek participated in several railway derailments, notably that of the night of 28 July on the Paris-Château-Thierry
Château-Thierry
Château-Thierry is a commune in northern France about east-northeast of Paris. It is a sub-prefecture of the Aisne department in Picardy.-History:...
line. This derailment is stated to have caused the death of 600 German soldiers .
In 1943 Elek was arrested with others of the Manouchian Group and tortured by the Brigades Spéciales. He was handed over to the Germans and detained in Fresnes Prison
Fresnes Prison
Fresnes Prison is the second largest prison in France, located in the town of Fresnes, Val-de-Marne South of Paris...
. All but one of the Manouchian group were condemned to death
Capital punishment
Capital punishment, the death penalty, or execution is the sentence of death upon a person by the state as a punishment for an offence. Crimes that can result in a death penalty are known as capital crimes or capital offences. The term capital originates from the Latin capitalis, literally...
in a show trial
Show trial
The term show trial is a pejorative description of a type of highly public trial in which there is a strong connotation that the judicial authorities have already determined the guilt of the defendant. The actual trial has as its only goal to present the accusation and the verdict to the public as...
and shot three days later, 21 Feb 1944, at Mont Valérien.
Legacy
- Rather than acting as a deterrent, the Affiche Rouge inspired citizens to more actions with the Résistance.
- Elek is portrayed by actor Grégoire Leprince-RinguetGrégoire Leprince-RinguetGrégoire Leprince-Ringuet is a French actor.-Theatrical:Between 1998 and 2002, he was a member of the choir at the Opéra National de Paris.-Movie:...
in the 2009 French film The Army of CrimeThe Army of CrimeThe Army of Crime is a 2009 French drama-war film directed by Robert Guédiguian and based on a story by Serge Le Péron, one of three credited for the screenplay. It received a wide release in France on September 16, 2009 and opened in the United States in 2010.The film deals with the events of the...
, directed by Robert GuédiguianRobert GuédiguianRobert Jules Guédiguian is a French film director, actor, screenwriter and producer. Most of his films star Ariane Ascaride and Jean-Pierre Darroussin....
.
See also
- Francs-tireurs et partisans - Main-d'œuvre immigrée
- Affiche rougeAffiche RougeThe Affiche Rouge is a famous propaganda poster, distributed by Vichy French and German authorities in the spring of 1944 in occupied Paris, to discredit 23 French Resistance fighters, members of the Manouchian Group...
- Brigades Spéciales
- Geheime Feld Polizei