Célestin Lainé
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Célestin Lainé (25 October 1908 – 7 October 1983) was a Breton nationalist and collaborator during the
Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
who led the SS affiliated Bezen Perrot militia. His
Breton language Breton (, , ; or in Morbihan) is a Southwestern Brittonic language of the Celtic languages, Celtic language group spoken in Brittany, part of modern-day France. It is the only Celtic language still widely in use on the European mainland, albei ...
name is Neven Hénaff. He was a
chemical engineer A chemical engineer is a professional equipped with the knowledge of chemistry and other basic sciences who works principally in the chemical industry to convert basic raw materials into a variety of Product (chemistry), products and deals with ...
by training. After the war he moved to Ireland.


Breton nationalism

He was born in 1908 in
Nantes Nantes (, ; ; or ; ) is a city in the Loire-Atlantique department of France on the Loire, from the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coast. The city is the List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, sixth largest in France, with a pop ...
and was brought up in Ploudalmézeau,
Finistère Finistère (, ; ) is a Departments of France, department of France in the extreme west of Brittany. Its prefecture is Quimper and its largest city is Brest, France, Brest. In 2019, it had a population of 915,090.École Centrale The écoles centrales (literally ''central schools'') were schools set up in 1795 during the French Revolution to replace the college of art faculties in France's historic universities. The idea for them came from the Committee of Public Instruct ...
. He became closely linked to Guillaume Berthou, a fellow chemist and Breton separatist. Contrary to myth, he denied any involvement with the
secret society A secret society is an organization about which the activities, events, inner functioning, or membership are concealed. The society may or may not attempt to conceal its existence. The term usually excludes covert groups, such as intelligence ag ...
''Kentoc'h Mervel'' (Sooner Death), formed by Berthou in 1929, though Berthou had approached him to join. Instead, in 1930 he set up with Hervé Le Helloco the paramilitary organisation, Gwenn ha du ('white and black'). It was named after the colours of the
flag of Brittany The flag of Brittany (; ), a region in the northwest of France, is called the ''Gwenn-ha-du'' (), which means ''white and black'', in Breton (French: ''blanc et noir''). The flag was designed in 1923 by Morvan Marchal. It is also unofficially ...
, designed by
Morvan Marchal Morvan Marchal (; 31 July 1900, Vitré, Ille-et-Vilaine – 13 August 1963, Paris; also known as Maurice Marchal) was an architect and a prominent member of the Breton national movement. He is best known for having designed the national fla ...
in 1925. Lainé published an article summarizing its creed under the title ''Nos deux bases, Irlande et Prusse'' (Our two models: Ireland and Prussia), referring to the revolutionary zeal of the IRA and the authoritarian discipline of Prussian militarism. The gang perpetrated several bombings. Lainé claimed he made the first bomb in his bedroom from
nitroglycerin Nitroglycerin (NG) (alternative spelling nitroglycerine), also known as trinitroglycerol (TNG), nitro, glyceryl trinitrate (GTN), or 1,2,3-trinitroxypropane, is a dense, colorless or pale yellow, oily, explosive liquid most commonly produced by ...
in a
condensed milk Condensed milk is Milk#Cow, cow's milk from which water has been removed (roughly 60% of it). It is most often found with sugar added, in the form of sweetened condensed milk, to the extent that the terms "condensed milk" and "sweetened condensed m ...
carton with a detonator supplied by a forestry worker. Kristian Hamon claims it was not he but fellow nationalist André Geffroy who placed the bomb which blew up Jean Boucher's statue depicting the ''Unity of Brittany and France'' in
Rennes Rennes (; ; Gallo language, Gallo: ''Resnn''; ) is a city in the east of Brittany in Northwestern France at the confluence of the rivers Ille and Vilaine. Rennes is the prefecture of the Brittany (administrative region), Brittany Regions of F ...
. It happened on the morning of 7 August 1932. According to Hamon, Geffroy placed the bomb on the monument, which portrayed the
duchess Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and above sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they a ...
Anne of Brittany Anne of Brittany (; 25/26 January 1477 – 9 January 1514) was reigning Duchess of Brittany from 1488 until her death, and Queen of France from 1491 to 1498 and from 1499 to her death. She was the only woman to have been queen consort of Fran ...
kneeling before King
Charles VIII of France Charles VIII, called the Affable (; 30 June 1470 – 7 April 1498), was King of France from 1483 to his death in 1498. He succeeded his father Louis XI at the age of 13. His elder sister Anne acted as regent jointly with her husband Peter II, Du ...
. Two people were crossing the Town Hall Square at the time but they subsequently refrained from saying what they had seen, despite the offer of a reward. The explosion tore the mass of bronze from its niche and smashed it on the ground. All the windows within a hundred metres were shattered. Parts of the sculpture have been preserved. In 1936 Lainé created the Kadervenn (Combat tool), a
paramilitary A paramilitary is a military that is not a part of a country's official or legitimate armed forces. The Oxford English Dictionary traces the use of the term "paramilitary" as far back as 1934. Overview Though a paramilitary is, by definiti ...
unit based on the IRA model, comprising a dozen members engaged in military manoeuvres. This organisation instructed new recruits and in 1938 participated in exercises in the Landes de Lanvaux, a belt of heath and woodland north of
Vannes Vannes (; , , ) is a Communes of France, commune in the Departments of France, French department of Morbihan, Brittany (administrative region), Brittany, northwestern mainland France. It was founded over 2,000 years ago. History Celtic ...
. The following year he spent a period in
Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
where he organized the delivery of a batch of arms, which was shipped on board the ship ''Gwalarn''. However, the ship beached at Locquirec in the night of the 8th and 9 August 1939. The arms were recovered and stored in the abbey at Boquen.


Collaboration

Before and during the
Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, Lainé sided with the Germans. He favoured aggressive tactics and sought to establish a distinct Breton army to work with the Nazis against the French state. ("We will continue the tradition of those who, throughout the centuries, have struggled, arms in hand, to affirm our national rights.") With
Yann Goulet Yann Goulet (or Yann Renard-Goulet; 20 August 1914 – 22 August 1999) was a Breton sculptor, Breton nationalist and war-time collaborationist with Nazi Germany who headed the Breton ''Bagadou Stourm'' militia. He later took Irish citizenship ...
he participated in the creation of the ''Bagadou Stourm'' (Stormtroopers). He also set up a unit of volunteers that he controlled personally, called the ''Service Spécial'' (or ''Lu Brezhon'' in Breton). This paramilitary unit was in charge of the maintenance of order within the Breton National Party. In 1941, Lainé helped to oust
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 ...
from the leadership of the Breton National Party when it became evident that the Germans objected to his strident anti-Vichy position. There followed a split between the ''Bagadou Stourm'' and the ''Service Spécial'', as Lainé became increasingly close to the Nazis. On the 11 September 1943, at Rennes, he and Colonel Hartmut Pulmer (chief of the
Sicherheitsdienst ' (, "Security Service"), full title ' ("Security Service of the ''Reichsführer-SS''"), or SD, was the intelligence agency of the Schutzstaffel, SS and the Nazi Party in Nazi Germany. Established in 1931, the SD was the first Nazi intelligence ...
at Rennes) signed the foundation convention of a new unit to be called ''Bezen Kadoudal'', named after the Breton rebel
Georges Cadoudal Georges Cadoudal (; January 1, 1771 – June 25, 1804), sometimes called simply Georges, was a Breton counter-revolutionary and leader of the ''Chouannerie'' during the French Revolution. He was posthumously named a Marshal of France in 1814 by ...
. In 1944 it took the new name ''Bezen Perrot'' (Perrot Militia), the name referring to Abbé Perrot, a parish priest and ardent defender of the Breton language who had recently been assassinated by the
French Resistance The French Resistance ( ) was a collection of groups that fought the German military administration in occupied France during World War II, Nazi occupation and the Collaboration with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy#France, collaborationist Vic ...
. His group brought together around a hundred people; his deputy was Alan Heusaff. In 1943, the organisation functioned as an auxiliary police force for the Nazis fighting against the Resistance. The soldiers of Bezen Perrot enrolled in the ''Waffen-SS'', wearing SS field-uniforms. In May 1944, he symbolically founded a new Breton national party on extreme nationalist lines. At the
Liberation Liberation or liberate may refer to: Film and television * ''Liberation'' (film series), a 1970–1971 series about the Great Patriotic War * "Liberation" (''The Flash''), a TV episode * "Liberation" (''K-9''), an episode Gaming * '' Liberati ...
of France, these collaborationist activities brought opprobrium on the whole of the Breton movement.


Exile

Hunted out of Brittany after the defeat of the Nazis, the last fighters of this unit found themselves at
Tübingen Tübingen (; ) is a traditional college town, 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 (Neckar), Ammer rivers. about one in ...
, from which many stayed in Germany under false identities, assisted by
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 differe ...
. Sentenced to death ''in absentia'', Lainé fled to Ireland, where he lived in various locations, including in County Dublin and at
Oranmore Oranmore ( or ) is a town in County Galway, Ireland, east of Galway city on an inlet of Galway Bay. At the 2022 census, Oranmore had a population of 5,819. The town is in a civil parish of the same name. Etymology Oranmore is the anglicisat ...
in County Galway, until his death in 1983.
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 ...
, co-founder of the Breton National Party, wrote that Lainé "was a strange man. He had become the prophet of a Celtic religion made for himself, where Nordic racism was married to the Nietzschian will to power, and not without flirting with an air of romantic druidism".


Notes


References

* Breiz, E. ''Dictionnaire Breton''. Garnier. Paris (1986) *Hamon, Kristian, ''Le Bezen Perrot: 1944, des nationalistes bretons sous l'uniforme allemand'', Yoran Embanner, 2004, () *Hamon, Kristian, ''Les nationalistes bretons sous l'occupation'', An Here, 2001 ()
Leach, Daniel, ''Bezen Perrot: The Breton nationalist unit of the SS, 1943-5''
* Meurig Evans, H. & Thomas, W. O. ''Y Geiriadur Newydd (The New Welsh Dictionary)'' Llandybie, (1953) * Mordel, O. ''Breiz Atao'' (from fr. Wikipedia) {{DEFAULTSORT:Laine, Celestin 1908 births 1983 deaths People from Nantes Breton Autonomist Party politicians Breton National Party politicians French chemical engineers École Centrale Paris alumni Breton collaborators with Nazi Germany French exiles Nazis sentenced to death in absentia by France Nazi fugitives