Georges Loustaunau-Lacau
Georges Loustaunau-Lacau | |
|---|---|
Loustaunau-Lacau at the trial of Philippe Pétain in 1945 | |
| Born | April 17, 1894 |
| Died | February 11, 1955 (aged 60) |
| Allegiance |
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| Branch | |
| Service years | 1912–1938, 1939–1955 |
| Rank | Brigadier general |
| Conflicts | |
| Awards | Legion of Honour |
| Alma mater | École Spéciale Militaire de Saint-Cyr |
Georges Loustaunau-Lacau (French pronunciation: [ʒɔʁʒ lustono lako]; 17 April 1894 – 11 February 1955) was a French army officer, anti-communist, anti-Nazi resistant, and politician. His codename in the French Resistance was Navarre. Before the Second World War, Loustaunau-Lacau was involved in far-right anti-communist activities. During the war, he was contracted by the British Secret Intelligence Service to spy on his bosses in the Vichy French government, organizing a massive movement in the French Resistance known as ALLIANCE, before being arrested in North Africa. His organization was taken over by the siblings Jacques Bridou and Marie-Madeleine Fourcade. He was sent to a concentration camp, but managed to escape. After the war, despite having been instrumental in the defeat of the Nazis, he was thought of as untrustworthy by the French, especially because he was an anti-Gaullist. His involvement in anti-communism was often seen as a smokescreen for Fascist sympathies.