The Bezen Perrot (

Breton Breton most often refers to: *anything associated with Brittany, and generally ** Breton people ** Breton language, a Southwestern Brittonic Celtic language of the Indo-European language family, spoken in Brittany ** Breton (horse), a breed **Ga ...

; ), officially the Breton SS Armed Formation (german: Bretonische Waffenverband der SS) was a small

collaborationist Wartime collaboration is cooperation with the enemy against one's country of citizenship in wartime, and in the words of historian Gerhard Hirschfeld, "is as old as war and the occupation of foreign territory". The term ''collaborator'' dates to t ...

unit established by

Breton nationalists Breton most often refers to: *anything associated with Brittany, and generally **Breton people **Breton language, a Southwestern Brittonic Celtic language of the Indo-European language family, spoken in Brittany ** Breton (horse), a breed **Gale ...

German-occupied France The Military Administration in France (german: Militärverwaltung in Frankreich; french: Occupation de la France par l'Allemagne) was an interim occupation authority established by Nazi Germany during World War II to administer the occupied zo ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. It was made up of personnel from Lu Brezhon, a Breton nationalist militia, under the leadership of

Célestin Lainé Célestin Lainé (1908–1983) was a Breton nationalist and collaborator during the Second World War who led the SS affiliated Bezen Perrot militia. His Breton language name is Neven Hénaff. He was a chemical engineer by training. After th ...

. The unit became operational in January 1944 and participated in the arrest of

French Jews The history of the Jews in France deals with Jews and Jewish communities in France since at least the Early Middle Ages. France was a centre of Jewish learning in the Middle Ages, but Persecution of Jews, persecution increased over time, includ ...

, labour service evaders, and resistance members in

Brittany Brittany (; french: link=no, Bretagne ; br, Breizh, or ; Gallo language, Gallo: ''Bertaèyn'' ) is a peninsula, Historical region, historical country and cultural area in the west of modern France, covering the western part of what was known ...

under the leadership of the German ''

Sicherheitsdienst ' (, ''Security Service''), full title ' (Security Service of the ''Reichsführer-SS''), or SD, was the intelligence agency of the SS and the Nazi Party in Nazi Germany. Established in 1931, the SD was the first Nazi intelligence organization ...

'' (SD) secret police as well as a number of

mass murder Mass murder is the act of murdering a number of people, typically simultaneously or over a relatively short period of time and in close geographic proximity. The United States Congress defines mass killings as the killings of three or more pe ...

s of civilians. From August 1944, following the Allied landings in Normandy, it was gradually withdrawn easterwards into France and then

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...

where it was dissolved in the aftermath of the German surrender. Part of the group, including Lainé, managed to evade arrest, while others were imprisoned or executed in the post-war pursuit of wartime collaborators. Bezen Perrot left a legacy of brutality, hampering attempts to form an independent Breton state.

Background

Breton nationalism

became part of

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

in 1536. Although it was gradually integrated into the French

nation-state A nation state is a political unit where the state and nation are congruent. It is a more precise concept than "country", since a country does not need to have a predominant ethnic group. A nation, in the sense of a common ethnicity, may inc ...

, it retained a distinct sense of ethnic and linguistic identity which was increasingly emphasised by local

folklorist Folklore studies, less often known as folkloristics, and occasionally tradition studies or folk life studies in the United Kingdom, is the branch of anthropology devoted to the study of folklore. This term, along with its synonyms, gained currenc ...

s and historians in the 19th century. The survival of the

Breton language Breton (, ; or in Morbihan) is a Southwestern Brittonic language of the Celtic language family spoken in Brittany, part of modern-day France. It is the only Celtic language still widely in use on the European mainland, albeit as a member of t ...

, which was actively discouraged by the French education system, became a subject of contention. By 1914, the Breton language had been embraced by the region's intellectuals who used it creating a literary revival. The language issue, however, failed to reach the masses. Nationalist activity ceased during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

in which many nationalists fought in the

French Army The French Army, officially known as the Land Army (french: Armée de Terre, ), is the land-based and largest component of the French Armed Forces. It is responsible to the Government of France, along with the other components of the Armed For ...

. However, the movement was revived by the periodical ''

Breiz Atao ''Breiz Atao'' (also ''Breizh Atao'') (in Breton ''Brittany For Ever'' cf. Breizh atav), was a Breton nationalist journal in the mid-twentieth century. It was written in French, and has always been considered as a French nationalist journal by t ...

'' ("Brittany Forever") founded in 1919. In 1923, it adopted

Pan-Celticist Pan-Celticism ( ga, Pan-Cheilteachas, Scottish Gaelic: ''Pan-Cheilteachas'', Breton: ''Pan-Keltaidd'', Welsh: ''Pan-Geltaidd,'' Cornish: ''Pan-Keltaidd,'' Manx: ''Pan-Cheltaghys''), also known as Celticism or Celtic nationalism is a political ...

ideals, drawing a line between

Gauls The Gauls ( la, Galli; grc, Γαλάται, ''Galátai'') were a group of Celtic peoples of mainland Europe in the Iron Age and the Roman period (roughly 5th century BC to 5th century AD). Their homeland was known as Gaul (''Gallia''). They s ...

and

Bretons The Bretons (; br, Bretoned or ''Vretoned,'' ) are a Celts, Celtic ethnic group native to Brittany. They trace much of their heritage to groups of Common Brittonic, Brittonic speakers who emigrated from Dumnonia, southwestern Great Britain, par ...

, and arguing that the traditionally federal Bretons were oppressed by the autocratic rulers of France. Support was to be sought instead in the north; the

Easter Rising The Easter Rising ( ga, Éirí Amach na Cásca), also known as the Easter Rebellion, was an armed insurrection in Ireland during Easter Week in April 1916. The Rising was launched by Irish republicans against British rule in Ireland with the a ...

and the

Irish War of Independence The Irish War of Independence () or Anglo-Irish War was a guerrilla war fought in Ireland from 1919 to 1921 between the Irish Republican Army (IRA, the army of the Irish Republic) and British forces: the British Army, along with the quasi-mil ...

were portrayed as the implementations of a successful formula that was to be emulated should France find itself in dire straits. The incorporation of Alsace-Lorraine into France as a consequence of Germany's defeat in World War I, led to the creation of an Alsatian

autonomist Autonomism, also known as autonomist Marxism is an anti-capitalist left-wing political and social movement and theory. As a theoretical system, it first emerged in Italy in the 1960s from workerism (). Later, post-Marxist and anarchist tendenci ...

movement that opposed the French imposition of ''

laïcité (; 'secularism') is the constitutional principle of secularism in France. Article 1 of the French Constitution is commonly interpreted as discouraging religious involvement in government affairs, especially religious influence in the determin ...

'' ("secularism"). In 1928, ''Breizh Atao'' established contacts with the

Alsace-Lorraine Party The Alsace-Lorraine Party (german: Elsäss-Lothringen Partei; also known as Elsässer) was a political party in the German Empire. History The party first contested national elections in 1874,Vincent E McHale (1983) ''Political parties of Europ ...

, which in turn facilitated the spread of

Nordism Scandinavism ( da, skandinavisme; no, skandinavisme; sv, skandinavism), also called Scandinavianism or pan-Scandinavianism,''Völkisch'' ideology into Breton nationalist circles. Ties with the ethnically German Alsatians strengthened and with them the idea of accepting ''

Abwehr The ''Abwehr'' (German for ''resistance'' or ''defence'', but the word usually means ''counterintelligence'' in a military context; ) was the German military-intelligence service for the ''Reichswehr'' and the ''Wehrmacht'' from 1920 to 1944. A ...

'' (German military intelligence) assistance, which was already being provided to the

Flemish Flemish (''Vlaams'') is a Low Franconian dialect cluster of the Dutch language. It is sometimes referred to as Flemish Dutch (), Belgian Dutch ( ), or Southern Dutch (). Flemish is native to Flanders, a historical region in northern Belgium; ...

and Alsatian separatists alike.

Interwar radicalization

Inspired by the message of ''Breizh Atao'', in 1930

, a reserve artillery officer, gathered a small group of companions to found Gwenn ha du, a terrorist organisation advocating the creation of an independent Breton state through

direct action Direct action originated as a political activist term for economic and political acts in which the actors use their power (e.g. economic or physical) to directly reach certain goals of interest, in contrast to those actions that appeal to oth ...

. In August 1932, Gwenn ha du blew up a 400-year-old monument dedicated to the union of Brittany and France. Lainé was arrested, however, he was released after a former coworker provided him with an

alibi An alibi (from the Latin, '' alibī'', meaning "somewhere else") is a statement by a person, who is a possible perpetrator of a crime, of where they were at the time a particular offence was committed, which is somewhere other than where the crim ...

. Gwenn ha du attracted the support of many young nationalists who had become disillusioned with the failure of mainstream political parties to gain ground in formal elections. Gwenn ha du ceased its operations between 1933 and 1936, while Lainé was working at the Kuhlmann plant in Loos, French Flanders. There, he established links with

Flemish nationalists The Flemish Movement ( nl, Vlaamse Beweging) is an umbrella term which encompasses various political groups in the Belgian region of Flanders and, less commonly, in French Flanders. Ideologically, it encompasses groups which have sought to promo ...

, who introduced him to , an Abwehr agent, who converted Lainé to Nordic neopaganism. Lainé returned to Brittany in 1937, relegating Gwenn ha du the responsibility of sabotage and forming Kadevernn a group that was intended to be the nucleus of a Breton national army. Lainé's most trusted supporters from the two groups were placed in Service Spécial, a secret special operations unit. In November 1938, two Service Spécial members departed for Germany under the pretext of pursuing a degree in

Celtic Studies Celtic studies or Celtology is the academic discipline occupied with the study of any sort of cultural output relating to the Celtic-speaking peoples (i.e. speakers of Celtic languages). This ranges from linguistics, literature and art histor ...

at the

University of Rostock The University of Rostock (german: link=no, Universität Rostock) is a public university located in Rostock, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. Founded in 1419, it is the third-oldest university in Germany. It is the oldest university in continen ...

. Their actual mission involved establishing contact with Abwehr's Department II, which was tasked with organising subversive activities abroad. Lainé and Gwenn ha du chief of operations Herve Helloco followed in July 1939. In early August, a crate containing of Breton nationalist propaganda and seditious slogans such as ''

Why Die for Danzig? ''Why Die for Danzig?'' (french: Pourquoi mourir pour Dantzig?) is an anti-war French political slogan created on the eve of World War II. Article The phrase originated in the title of an article ("Mourir pour Dantzig?") by the French Neo-Sociali ...

'' washed up at

Saint Aubin, Jersey St. Aubin (Jèrriais: ''Saint Aubîn'') is a town and port in St. Brelade in Jersey, the largest of the Channel Islands. It is located on the western end of St. Aubin's Bay, on the south coast of the island, opening out into the Gulf of Saint- ...

. British police informed their French colleagues of the incident, prompting the surveillance of Breton radicals. Six members of Service Spécial were arrested, but a five-month interrogation failed to produce any incriminating evidence leading to their release. A shipment of arms, munitions and propaganda material was delivered successfully and hidden in caches with the help of Scrignac priest

Jean-Marie Perrot The abbé Jean-Marie Perrot, in Breton Yann Vari Perrot (3 September 1877 in Plouarzel, Finistère – 12 December 1943 in Scrignac), was a Breton priest, Breton independentist assassinated by the Communist resistance. He was the founder of t ...

Outbreak of World War II

On 3 September, France declared war on Germany and entered

. On 20 October, Breton nationalist parties were suppressed, and their property was confiscated as enemy goods. Lainé was recalled into the army, promptly convicted of sowing defeatism within his unit, and sentenced to five years of imprisonment by a military tribunal. Other nationalists followed his orders, defecting to the Germans at any suitable opportunity. Abwehr and

Ahnenerbe The Ahnenerbe (, ''ancestral heritage'') operated as a think tank in Nazi Germany between 1935 and 1945. Heinrich Himmler, the ''Reichsführer-SS'' from 1929 onwards, established it in July 1935 as an SS appendage devoted to the task of promot ...

set up separate concentration camps for Breton prisoners of war. Recruits from the camps were employed in the establishment of Breiz Radio, a propaganda radio station transmitting messages in Breton. Upon France's defeat, Lainé was freed by his comrades fleeing to

Pontivy Pontivy (; ) is a commune in the Morbihan department in Brittany in north-western France. It lies at the confluence of the river Blavet and the Canal de Nantes à Brest. Inhabitants of Pontivy are called ''Pontivyens'' in French. Map History ...

. Kadevernn was renamed Lu Brezon (Breton Army). Its members took part in drills and studied Lainé's

syncretic Syncretism () is the practice of combining different beliefs and various schools of thought. Syncretism involves the merging or assimilation of several originally discrete traditions, especially in the theology and mythology of religion, thu ...

neopagan religion and the doctrines of Celto–Nordism. On 24 October 1940,

Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Nazi Germany, Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his death in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the le ...

installed

Philippe Pétain Henri Philippe Benoni Omer Pétain (24 April 1856 – 23 July 1951), commonly known as Philippe Pétain (, ) or Marshal Pétain (french: Maréchal Pétain), was a French general who attained the position of Marshal of France at the end of World ...

as the head of state of

Vichy France Vichy France (french: Régime de Vichy; 10 July 1940 – 9 August 1944), officially the French State ('), was the fascist French state headed by Marshal Philippe Pétain during World War II. Officially independent, but with half of its ter ...

in the Montoire Agreement, abandoning the idea of an independent Breton state to ensure French cooperation. Lu Brezon was partially disarmed, while the separatist leaders of the

Breton National Party The Breton National Party (French ''Parti National Breton'', Breton ''Strollad Broadel Breizh'') was a nationalist party in Brittany that existed from 1931 to 1944. The party was disbanded after the liberation of France in World War II, because of ...

were replaced with autonomists. The

German invasion of the Soviet Union Operation Barbarossa (german: link=no, Unternehmen Barbarossa; ) was the invasion of the Soviet Union by Nazi Germany and many of its Axis allies, starting on Sunday, 22 June 1941, during the Second World War. The operation, code-named after ...

in June 1941 prompted many French communists to join the

French Resistance The French Resistance (french: La Résistance) was a collection of organisations that fought the German occupation of France during World War II, Nazi occupation of France and the Collaborationism, collaborationist Vichy France, Vichy régim ...

, augmenting its presence in Brittany significantly. The majority of Breton nationalists adopted a neutral stance, refusing to join French collaborationist units such as the

Legion of French Volunteers Against Bolshevism The Legion of French Volunteers Against Bolshevism (french: Légion des volontaires français contre le bolchévisme, LVF) was a unit of the German Army during World War II consisting of collaborationist volunteers from France. Officially desig ...

, while sharing their hatred of what they perceived as a worldwide Judeo-Bolshevist conspiracy. In the meantime, Breton nationalists became targets of a guerilla campaign waged by

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) who continued to view them as traitors. The first such killing took place on 4 September 1943, with the shooting of Yann Bricler, a relative of Breton nationalist

Olier Mordrel Olier Mordrel (29 April 1901 – 25 October 1985) is the Breton language version of Olivier Mordrelle, a Breton nationalist and wartime collaborator with the Third Reich who founded the separatist Breton National Party. Before the war, he worked a ...

. Lainé decided to aid the Germans in their anti-partisan operations directly, hoping for a change in policy regarding the question of Breton independence. He believed that the mere presence of a purely Breton force would inspire others to join his cause.

Bezen Perrot

Operations in Brittany, 1943–44

On 11 November 1943, Lainé transformed Lu Brezon into Bezen Kadoudal, named after

Georges Cadoudal Georges Cadoudal ( br, Jorj Kadoudal; 1 January 1771 – 25 June 1804), sometimes called simply Georges, was a Breton politician, and leader of the ''Chouannerie'' during the French Revolution. He was posthumously named a Marshal of France in 1 ...

, one of the leaders of the royalist

Chouannerie The Chouannerie (from the Chouan brothers, two of its leaders) was a royalist uprising or counter-revolution in twelve of the western ''départements'' of France, particularly in the provinces of Brittany and Maine, against the First Republ ...

uprising of 1794–1800. Bezen Kadoudal was placed under the supervision of ''

'' (SD) (S.S. Intelligence) ''

Obersturmbannführer __NOTOC__ ''Obersturmbannführer'' (Senior Assault-unit Leader; ; short: ''Ostubaf'') was a paramilitary rank in the German Nazi Party (NSDAP) which was used by the SA (''Sturmabteilung'') and the SS (''Schutzstaffel''). The rank of ''Obersturm ...

'' Hartmut Pulmer, and under the military command of ''

Hauptscharführer __NOTOC__ ''Hauptscharführer'' ( ) was a Nazi paramilitary rank which was used by the ''Schutzstaffel'' (SS) between the years of 1934 and 1945. The rank was the highest enlisted rank of the SS, with the exception of the special Waffen-SS rank ...

'' Hans Grimm. Its headquarters were located at 7 Rue de Vincennes,

Rennes Rennes (; br, Roazhon ; Gallo: ''Resnn''; ) is a city in the east of Brittany in northwestern France at the confluence of the Ille and the Vilaine. Rennes is the prefecture of the region of Brittany, as well as the Ille-et-Vilaine department ...

. Its initial 33 members were recruited from a variety of Breton nationalist organisations, some of which had already served in collaborationist militias. Terms of enlistment specified that it would only engage French opponents within the borders of Brittany. On 15 December, Bezen Kadoudal was renamed as Bezen Perrot (Perrot Unit), in honour of Jean-Marie Perrot who had been assassinated by a communist ''résistant'' several days earlier. German documents record it under the name ''Bretonische Waffenverband der SS''. At top strength, the unit numbered 80 members—the pseudonyms of 65 of whom are recorded. Pseudonyms were used to protect the members' identities. It was headed by Lainé, and his assistants, field commander Ange Péresse and Jean Chanteau, the individual responsible for intelligence. Bezen Perrot began operations in January 1944. It was employed initially on guard and surveillance duty around German installations. It took part in the arrests of Jews,

labour service Labour or labor may refer to: * Childbirth, the delivery of a baby * Labour (human activity), or work ** Manual labour, physical work ** Wage labour, a socioeconomic relationship between a worker and an employer ** Organized labour and the labour ...

evaders, and members of the resistance. Their knowledge of the Breton language was prized, enabling the German authorities to intercept arms drops and infiltrate Breton resistance networks which used it to encode their communications. In March, their civilian clothing was replaced by the uniform of the

Waffen-SS The (, "Armed SS") was the combat branch of the Nazi Party's ''Schutzstaffel'' (SS) organisation. Its formations included men from Nazi Germany, along with Waffen-SS foreign volunteers and conscripts, volunteers and conscripts from both occup ...

that lacked any Breton insignia. They were armed with submachine guns and operated in conjunction with the French collaborationist '' Selbstschutz Polizei''. On 7 February 1944, it took part in the arrests of 37 suspected '' maquisards'' of whom 12 were later sent to concentration camps. The summer months of 1944 were marked by an increase in resistance activities. Between 16 May and 23 July, Bezen Perrot took part in 14 counter-insurgency operations. The most notable of them was a fire fight between

Free French Free France (french: France Libre) was a political entity that claimed to be the legitimate government of France following the dissolution of the Third Republic. Led by French general , Free France was established as a government-in-exile ...

commandos and Bezen Perrot members in the vicinity of

Ploërdut Ploërdut (; br, Pleurdud) is a commune in the Morbihan department in Brittany in north-western France.Alan Heusaff Alan Heusaff, also Alan Heussaff (23 July 1921 in Saint-Yvi, Finistère – 3 November 1999 in Galway) was a Breton nationalism, Breton nationalist, linguist, dictionary compiler, prolific journalist and lifetime campaigner for solidarity betwe ...

) on the side of the collaborationists. On 19 June, Bezen Perrot participated in the arrest and

forced disappearance An enforced disappearance (or forced disappearance) is the secret abduction or imprisonment of a person by a state or political organization, or by a third party with the authorization, support, or acquiescence of a state or political organiza ...

of three resistance fighters. On 3 July, it executed 31 people in the village of

Locminé Locminé (; br, Logunec'h) is a commune in the Morbihan department and Brittany region of north-western France. Toponymy The name Locminé comes from the Breton ''Loc'h menec'h'', itself from the Latin ''Locus monachorum'' – (sacred) place of ...

. Five were deported to Germany and four more to the

Mauthausen-Gusen concentration camp Mauthausen was a Nazi concentration camp on a hill above the market town of Mauthausen, Upper Austria, Mauthausen (roughly east of Linz), Upper Austria. It was the main camp of a group with List of subcamps of Mauthausen, nearly 100 further ...

where they were exterminated. On 7 July, a month after the

Normandy landings The Normandy landings were the landing operations and associated airborne operations on Tuesday, 6 June 1944 of the Allied invasion of Normandy in Operation Overlord during World War II. Codenamed Operation Neptune and often referred to as ...

, Hitler ordered the liquidation of all partisans and resistance fighters. On 14 July, 57 partisans were massacred in the village of Saint-Hilaire. Several days later, six female resistance fighters were shot in the chapel of

Quistinic Quistinic (; ) is a commune in the Morbihan department of Brittany in north-western France. It is twinned with the rural village of Loughshinny in County Dublin, Ireland. Population Inhabitants of Quistinic are called in French . Toponymy ...

Retreat and disbandment, 1944–45

Kristian Hamon - carte actions Bezen Perrot

In early August 1944, as Allied troops continued their advance from the north, Bezen Perrot was evacuated from Rennes, joining the Germans in their retreat to the east. During the unit's stay in

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

, Chanteau deserted, causing others to follow his example. Three of the deserters later defected to the

French Forces of the Interior The French Forces of the Interior (french: Forces françaises de l'Intérieur) were French resistance fighters in the later stages of World War II. Charles de Gaulle used it as a formal name for the resistance fighters. The change in designation ...

, fighting in the

Liberation of Paris The liberation of Paris (french: Libération de Paris) was a military battle that took place during World War II from 19 August 1944 until the German garrison surrendered the French capital on 25 August 1944. Paris had been occupied by Nazi Germ ...

. On 15 August, Bezen Perrot was stationed in Creney-près-Troyes where it participated in the execution of 49 suspected ''maquisards''. It passed through

Strasbourg Strasbourg (, , ; german: Straßburg ; gsw, label=Bas Rhin Alsatian, Strossburi , gsw, label=Haut Rhin Alsatian, Strossburig ) is the prefecture and largest city of the Grand Est region of eastern France and the official seat of the Eu ...

in October, reaching

Tübingen Tübingen (, , Swabian: ''Dibenga'') is a traditional university city in central Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is situated south of the state capital, Stuttgart, and developed on both sides of the Neckar and Ammer rivers. about one in thr ...

in December. On 16 December, the unit celebrated the first anniversary of its formation. Lainé and Péresse were promoted to ''

Untersturmführer (, ; short: ''Ustuf'') was a paramilitary rank of the German ''Schutzstaffel'' (SS) first created in July 1934. The rank can trace its origins to the older SA rank of ''Sturmführer'' which had existed since the founding of the SA in 1921. ...

'' and ''

Sturmscharführer __NOTOC__ (, ) was a Nazi rank of the Waffen-SS that existed between 1934 and 1945. The rank was the most senior enlisted rank in the Waffen-SS, the equivalent of a regimental sergeant major, in other military organizations. Rank usage ''Sturm ...

'', respectively. 18 other members received promotions and decorations owed to them. On 29 December, Lainé reorganized the unit into four groups of eight to ten men. The first group joined the

, the second and third groups were dispatched to the

Black Forest The Black Forest (german: Schwarzwald ) is a large forested mountain range in the state of Baden-Württemberg in southwest Germany, bounded by the Rhine Valley to the west and south and close to the borders with France and Switzerland. It is t ...

where they received sabotage and radio operation training. The fourth group consisted of members who were unsuitable for all other tasks, a self-proclaimed propaganda section. The continued Allied pressure forced the 2nd and 3rd Groups to relocate to

Fürstenfeldbruck Fürstenfeldbruck () is a town in Bavaria, Germany, located 32 kilometres west of Munich. It is the capital of the district of Fürstenfeldbruck. it has a population of 35,494. Since the 1930s, Fürstenfeldbruck has had an air force base. Th ...

on 25 April 1945. The staff of Bezen Perrot moved to

Marburg Marburg ( or ) is a university town in the German federal state (''Bundesland'') of Hesse, capital of the Marburg-Biedenkopf district (''Landkreis''). The town area spreads along the valley of the river Lahn and has a population of approximate ...

in the same month. As Germany's defeat seemed imminent, members were instructed to return to Brittany and go into hiding in areas where it was unlikely they would be recognised. Those who had not joined the Waffen-SS were left to fend for themselves.

Aftermath

Germany finally surrendered on 11 May 1945, in the

French occupation zone The French occupation zone in Germany (, ) was one of the Allied-occupied areas in Germany after World War II. Background In the aftermath of the Second World War, Winston Churchill, Franklin D. Roosevelt and Joseph Stalin met at the Yalta C ...

. Lainé stayed at a farm in the vicinity of Marburg until he was provided with false papers by Celtologist

Leo Weisgerber Johann Leo Weisgerber (25 February 1899, Metz – 8 August 1985, Bonn) was a Lorraine-born German linguist who also specialized in Celtic linguistics. He developed the "organicist" or "relativist" theory that different languages produce different ...

, allowing him to escape to the

Republic of Ireland Ireland ( ga, Éire ), also known as the Republic of Ireland (), is a country in north-western Europe consisting of 26 of the 32 counties of the island of Ireland. The capital and largest city is Dublin, on the eastern side of the island. A ...

in 1947 where he received asylum. During ''

épuration légale The ''épuration légale'' (French "legal purge") was the wave of official trials that followed the Liberation of France and the fall of the Vichy Regime. The trials were largely conducted from 1944 to 1949, with subsequent legal action continui ...

'', 27 Breton nationalists were condemned to death and executed, the majority of them were members of Bezen Perrot. Still, the core members of the organisation evaded arrest, staying back in France and Germany, or fleeing to Brazil, Spain, Argentina and Ireland. A few returned to Brittany in the 1950s to face trial. Despite its small size, Bezen Perrot left a legacy of brutality and wartime atrocities that stigmatised the entire Breton nationalist movement. Dozens of relatively moderate Breton autonomists and regionalists received sentences of between five and ten years of imprisonment. It was not until the 1960s that organisations such as the

Breton Revolutionary Army The Breton Revolutionary Army (french: Armée Révolutionnaire Bretonne, ARB) is an illegal armed organization that is part of the Breton nationalism movement in the Brittany region of France. History Origins of the conflict Until the end of th ...

revived armed struggle as a means of pursuing Breton independence, albeit on the opposite fringe of the political spectrum.

Notes

References

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Bezen Perrot Breton nationalism Breton collaborators with Nazi Germany Foreign volunteer units of Nazi Germany Military units and formations established in 1943 Military units and formations disestablished in 1945 Anti-communist organizations German occupation of France during World War II