Joseph Boczov or József Boczor, aka Ferenc Wolff (3 August 1905 – 21 February 1944) was a Romanian
chemical engineer
In the field of engineering, a chemical engineer is a professional, equipped with the knowledge of chemical engineering, who works principally in the chemical industry to convert basic raw materials into a variety of products and deals with the ...
,
Hungarian Jew
The history of the Jews in Hungary dates back to at least the Kingdom of Hungary, with some records even predating the Hungarian conquest of the Carpathian Basin in 895 CE by over 600 years. Written sources prove that Jewish communities lived ...
, and volunteer fighter for the French liberation army
FTP-MOI
The Francs-tireurs et partisans – main-d'œuvre immigrée (FTP-MOI) were a sub-group of the ''Francs-tireurs et partisans'' (FTP) organization, a component of the French Resistance. A wing composed mostly of foreigners, the MOI maintained an arm ...
. In 1942 Boczov founded and led the 4th detachment, called the ''dérailleurs'', as they specialized in derailing trains. A specialist in
explosives
An explosive (or explosive material) is a reactive substance that contains a great amount of potential energy that can produce an explosion if released suddenly, usually accompanied by the production of light, heat, sound, and pressure. An expl ...
, Boczov had participated in military operations during the
Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil War ( es, Guerra Civil Española)) or The Revolution ( es, La Revolución, link=no) among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War ( es, Cuarta Guerra Carlista, link=no) among Carlists, and The Rebellion ( es, La Rebelión, lin ...
. He was executed in 1944 by the Germans after a show trial in Paris of the
Manouchian Group
The Francs-tireurs et partisans – main-d'œuvre immigrée (FTP-MOI) were a sub-group of the ''Francs-tireurs et partisans'' (FTP) organization, a component of the French Resistance. A wing composed mostly of foreigners, the MOI maintained an arm ...
.
Early life and education
Boczov was born into a Jewish
Hungarian family in
Felsobanya. In 1918, Transylvania became part of Romania. He studied science and math, and in college studied chemical engineering. As an young man, he joined the Romanian Communist Party.
War
At the age of 23, Boczov left his home town on foot to fight in Spain for the
International Brigades
The International Brigades ( es, Brigadas Internacionales) were military units set up by the Communist International to assist the Popular Front government of the Second Spanish Republic during the Spanish Civil War. The organization existed f ...
. He spent six months on the roads and in prisons before reaching his goal. While there, he applied his education to explosives warfare. After the defeat of the
Spanish republic
The Spanish Republic (), commonly known as the Second Spanish Republic (), was the form of government in Spain from 1931 to 1939. The Republic was proclaimed on 14 April 1931, after the deposition of King Alfonso XIII, and was dissolved on 1 A ...
and refugees' seeking shelter in France, the French interned him and other brothers-at-arms in the camps of
Argelès and
Gurs
Gurs is a commune in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department in south-western France.
History
Gurs was the site of the Gurs internment camp. Nothing remains of the camp; after World War II, a forest was planted on the site where it stood.
Geogr ...
. Along with many of his compatriots, Boczov discarded his nationality. As a
stateless person
Stateless may refer to:
Society
* Anarchism, a political philosophy opposed to the institution of the state
* Stateless communism, which Karl Marx predicted would be the final phase of communism
* Stateless nation, a group of people without ...
, he was deported to Germany. Boczov was the leader of the Romanian group in the camp; he organised an escape during their deportation, and during the escape, he was the last to leave.
Second World War
Migrating to Paris, Boczov arrived in the 1930s and became connected with the many other Hungarians there. After the
Fall of France
The Battle of France (french: bataille de France) (10 May – 25 June 1940), also known as the Western Campaign ('), the French Campaign (german: Frankreichfeldzug, ) and the Fall of France, was the German invasion of France during the Second World ...
, when the first groups of the ''
Francs-Tireurs et Partisans
The ''Francs-tireurs et partisans français'' (FTPF), or commonly the ''Francs-tireurs et partisans'' (FTP), was an armed resistance organization created by leaders of the French Communist Party during World War II (1939–45). The communist par ...
'' (FTP) were formed, he became chief of the first detachment of FTP-Immigrés, composed of Hungaro-Romanians from the region. He organized the first
grenade
A grenade is an explosive weapon typically thrown by hand (also called hand grenade), but can also refer to a shell (explosive projectile) shot from the muzzle of a rifle (as a rifle grenade) or a grenade launcher. A modern hand grenade genera ...
attack on the train station at
Belleville, where large quantities of goods were stored in the depots.
Boczov's detachment specialized in derailing
SS and
Wehrmacht
The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the ''Heer'' (army), the ''Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmacht''" replaced the previous ...
trains. They first worked with simple tools, but refined their techniques as German surveillance improved. As a chemical engineer, Boczov faced with many challenges, and carried on with ingenuity and initiative. As the underground struggle unfolded to higher and higher levels, Boczov's intelligence and experience earned him the leadership of the 4th detachment, assigned to commit sabotage against the railways used by the German army.
From 24 September 1943, Boczov saw he was being followed by the
Brigades Spéciales n° 2 of the
Renseignements généraux, so went into hiding. He used various addresses in Paris: 85, rue de Turbigo; 1bis, rue Lanneau; and 9, rue Caillaux. On 21 October 1943, Boczov,
Léon Goldberg and four other fighters left on a mission to stop a German convoy on the Paris –
Troyes
Troyes () is a commune and the capital of the department of Aube in the Grand Est region of north-central France. It is located on the Seine river about south-east of Paris. Troyes is situated within the Champagne wine region and is near to ...
line at
Grandpuits near
Mormant. They successfully derailed the train that night, but failed to notice they were being followed. In a firefight, three resistance fighters were killed or taken prisoner, and the others got away but were identified. The noose was tightening.
Joseph Boczov was arrested on 27 November 1943. Accused of having carried out 20 attacks (which surpassed his successes), he was brought before the military tribunal in February 1944 in a show trial of the
Manouchian Group
The Francs-tireurs et partisans – main-d'œuvre immigrée (FTP-MOI) were a sub-group of the ''Francs-tireurs et partisans'' (FTP) organization, a component of the French Resistance. A wing composed mostly of foreigners, the MOI maintained an arm ...
. He was shot at the fort
mont Valérien
Mont may refer to:
Places
* Mont., an abbreviation for Montana, a U.S. state
* Mont, Belgium (disambiguation), several places in Belgium
* Mont, Hautes-Pyrénées, a commune in France
* Mont, Pyrénées-Atlantiques, a commune in France
* Mont, ...
on 21 February 1944 with 21 other members of the group.
Boczov was one of ten men of the Manouchian Group whose name and photo were featured on the
Affiche rouge
The ''Affiche Rouge'' (Red Poster) is a notorious propaganda poster, distributed by Vichy France and German authorities in the spring of 1944 in occupied Paris, to discredit 23 immigrant French Resistance fighters, members of the Manouchian Gro ...
German propaganda poster; he was described by the following:
:"BOCZOV JUIF HONGROIS CHEF DÉRAILLEUR 20 ATTENTATS".
Before the war, Boczov worked as a
carpenter
Carpentry is a skilled trade and a craft in which the primary work performed is the cutting, shaping and installation of building materials during the construction of buildings, Shipbuilding, ships, timber bridges, concrete formwork, etc. ...
and lived in the
13th arrondissement of Paris
The 13th arrondissement of Paris (''XIIIe arrondissement'') is one of the 20 arrondissements of the capital city of France. In spoken French, this arrondissement is referred to as ''treizième''.
The arrondissement, called Gobelins, is situated ...
.
See also
*
Francs-tireurs et partisans - Main-d'œuvre immigrée
*
Affiche rouge
The ''Affiche Rouge'' (Red Poster) is a notorious propaganda poster, distributed by Vichy France and German authorities in the spring of 1944 in occupied Paris, to discredit 23 immigrant French Resistance fighters, members of the Manouchian Gro ...
References
Sources
* F.F.I. – F.T.P.F., ''Pages de gloire des Vingt-trois'', Paris: Immigration, 1951. (French)
*
External links
c/La journée d'un "Terroriste" (French) Affiche Rouge
Anciens Combattants Arménien (Former Armenian Fighters)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Boczov, Joseph
French Resistance members
1905 births
1944 deaths
Hungarian Jews
Executed Hungarian people
FTP-MOI
Resistance members killed by Nazi Germany
Executed Romanian people
Romanian people of Hungarian-Jewish descent
Romanian participants in the French Resistance
People from Baia Sprie
International Brigades personnel
People executed by Germany by firearm
Hungarian people executed by Nazi Germany
Romanian people executed by Nazi Germany
Affiche Rouge
Jewish socialists
Jews in the French resistance