SYNOPSIS

In April 1943, during the Easter holidays, I had a visit from my brother Maurice Gallet, bureau chief at the 'Préfecture dis Ardennes' in Mézières. I was very interested in his remarks concerning his involvement in the Ardennes Resistance Movement. I asked him to arrange it with the resistance chiefs for me to play an active part in any resistance organisation in my area.

After some weeks and months of waiting, impatient with not having received any answer, I asked my brother, who told me that my role was being considered. He said I should receive a visit in the near future and to stay at home until 15th August. At the same time, he gave me one half of a 5 FF note to be produced on this first contact.

On the 14th August, at noon, I received a visit from a man in his forties, who looked at me intensely, then said he had come from my brother and was wishing to talk to me. I invited him into my office and we proceeded to check the two halves of the 5 FF note. This gentleman told me his name was Nollet [Dominique Edgard Potier], a commercial salesman from the Blagny factories at Carignan. From his accent, I knew I was dealing with a Belgium. As my wife and I were about to have lunch, M. Nollet accepted my invitation to join us.

During the meal, M. Nollet told me that in the Intelligence Service he was known by the name of Martin. His mission was to set up, in the triangle of Lâon-Soissons-Reims, an accommodation centre for RAF pilots, who had baled out over occupied territories, as well as their repatriation which would be by plane; to this effect, we were to immediately search for emergency landing strips acceptable to the RAF.

During that day and the next, 15th August, we made trips around the area, to familiarise Commandant Nollet with the geography of the region. During these trips, while briefing me on the subtleties of my new job, Commandant Nollet told me that it would be necessary to find a trustworthy person to complete the three man team needed to set up the three lamp flarepath, and at the same time, if possible, to install at his place a permanent R/T set. I chose my friend, Camille Beuré, an electrician from Fismes. He was an old mate, a soldier from the 1914-18 war, an excellent worker, clever in many ways and definitely able to handle the clandestine installation of R/T sets. With the general plan clearly set out, Commandant Nollet then briefed each of us, in confidence, about his own task. Together with Beuré, we went out in search of landing strip sites and drew plans of the topography, as detailed and precise as possible, which were then shown to our chief for his approval. He gave them strange names – HORLOGER - FORGERON - AVOCAT, etc.

My own job then was to organise sheltering in my sector, find as many safehouses as possible, check on the welfare and security of the sheltered men, compensate the people who owned the safehouses, provide cigarettes (most frequently bought from the Germans for 20,000 FF at a time), clothes, spare underwear, washing gear, as well as taking care of the needs of the sick and wounded through the use of trustworthy doctors. Also, finding food on the black market, which was a thankless task requiring constant attention, correcting errors, carelessness and indiscretions from some members.

My role was also broadened, enlarging our network and providing Commandant Nollet with trustworthy contacts, allowing him to secure organising and sheltering centres outside our sector - Reims, Chauny, Vitry-le-François, Charleville, Sedan, Carignan. In November 1943, I escorted two American pilots from Fismes to Reims, on the train, and others by car to various places. In early October 1943, it was my job to ensure the transit of airmen from Belgium into France; so one group came through Pussemange, North of Charleville, another at the border post near Sedan, a third at Carignan. There was shelter for six men at each of these crossings. The success of these missions was due to contact with Captain Bruchon from Charleville, head of the border guards.

I took part in various night operations. On the night of 12-13th September 1943, the message:

"La nuit n'est pas aveugle" [Other sources give the message as "Le soleil luira pour tout le monde"]

was broadcast and three persons were returned to England by a Lysander aircraft: an English airman, a New Zealand airman and a Belgian agent known to the Gestapo, pseudo "Grand-Pierre", a Belgian subject.

When our organisation was first set up, I gave shelter to Commandant Nollet and his agent "Grand Pierre" before the latters flight to London.

During the September moon period. The message:

"Le soleil brillera pour tout le monde"

was broadcast on three successive nights, after which we went to the landing strip, without any result, due to bad weather.

On the night of 19-20th December 1943:

"Le fils de Roger a vu sa sœur"

was the message broadcast for the parachuting of three IS agents including Commandant Nollet. Also, two parachutes with several R/T sets, one parachute with an arms container [operation Brasenose III].

On 31st December 1943, the day I was nearly arrested, I took shelter in various parts of France and settled down in Cluny, Department of Saône & Loire, from June 1944, regarded by the resistance as a sedentary maquisard [un maquisart sedentaire?] in collaboration with Doctor Oudot, from the city of Azé in Saône & Loire.

On 13th October 1944, I went back home.

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Translation of an extract from a document in the CEGES:POTIER file.
[Handwritten letter from Raymond Gallet to Catherine Waltener?]

…… Mister Potier informed me that I would receive a visit from a Mister Ambroise, Pierre’s pseudonym [Pierre Geelen], who was working a few kilometres north of Fismes, at the "Chemin des Dames", well known to the veterans of that other war, 1914-18, where he was checking out sites for landing airstrips, a task he was particularly suited to, from experience previously gained in this field all over France, and which was the reason he had been discovered on several occasions by different Gestapo groups [Pierre Geelen was then working for the SOE PROSPER network].

Around 17th August [1943], I made contact with Pierre for the first time, and we immediately established a mutual trust. As he had not found a safe hotel …. I offered to put him up for a few days, until his luggage arrived from the Ardennes. It had been left at the house of two old ladies, when he had lain low for three months.

…… on the afternoon of 11th September [1943], an Englishman and a New Zealander arrived, the third evader having failed to cross the frontier. There was a spare place and knowing that Pierre Geelen's cover was totally blown, Commandant Potier told me in confidence that Pierre would be leaving for England, reckoning that his continued presence could compromise all of us, .... Commandant Potier advised me not to talk to anyone of this, even to Pierre himself. In spite of the trust he placed in his collaborators, our chief was very careful, he would only reveal his secrets and tasks at the very last moment. On the 11th September, we waited in vain for our message; on the next day, the 12th, during the broadcast at 19:15 hours the electricity went off. One of us went round to a friend, who owned a battery operated receiver. We eventually heard our message at 21:32 hours. Pierre and Commandant Potier came to my house and, it was at that moment, our chief told Pierre he would be taking the spare place in the plane. The poor boy was taken by surprise and seemed a bit nonplussed but, very disciplined, he accepted without argument, simply saying "I'll do what you say". M. Potier took from Pierre anything he no longer needed: false papers, food tickets and currency, in exchange for a letter. We immediately set off for our landing strip after collecting our two parachutists and another resistance friend who was helping us mark out the landing strip [with torches]. Our group of six left at 22:45 hours. As the German telephone lines had been sabotaged that day, Commandant Potier decided to go cross country to avoid their patrols. ……… at about 23:20 hours, about halfway there, which meant about 3 kms from our strip, we heard a plane flying low in the right direction. Since it was well before the appointed time, our chief did not believe it was our plane; but after a while, as it widened its circuit it flew close to us. M. Potier recognised the special duty Lysander devoted to the air escape networks, and sent him his signal. The pilot saw us and replied, OK; the plane was an hour earlier than scheduled. We later learned that London had omitted to specify GMT or Central European Time which amounts to a two hour time difference. Immediately after this initial contact, M. Potier sent a short message [by S-Phone?] to the pilot to leave the area for a while, until we had arrived. This exchange of signals was repeated a few times. At midnight, we were at last in position, and the beacons were lit. I was at post “B“, that is about 150 metres from Commandant Potier, which I was only allowed to leave after take-off. Pierre was standing just behind our chief and we couldn't say goodbye. This operation lasted barely 10 minutes. M. Potier told us after we regrouped, that Pierre had been put into the tail of the plane, lying on his back . It was his first flight!

We were back at 4 o'clock., and some hours later, London was congratulating us on a successful mission.

Pierre never knew that our repeated signals were picked up by a location finder [une poste de repérage?]. On the 13th [next day] road blocks were set up all around our area, and during the night, a German patrol sent to find us, had crossed within 500 metres of our path.

<There's more to come!>