Eugène Deloncle (20 June 1890 – 17 January 1944) was a French politician and

fascist Fascism ( ) is a far-right, authoritarian, and ultranationalist political ideology and movement. It is characterized by a dictatorial leader, centralized autocracy, militarism, forcible suppression of opposition, belief in a natural soci ...

leader who founded the organisation “Secret Committee of Revolutionary Action" (CSAR), better known as . He became a prominent Nazi collaborator during

World War II 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 ...

. Later on in the war, Deloncle, now doubtful that Germany would win, went into contact with the German resistance. He was later assassinated for these activities by SD agents.

Early life and war service

Antoine Octave Eugène Deloncle was born on 20 June 1890 in Brest,

Brittany Brittany ( ) is a peninsula, historical country and cultural area in the north-west of modern France, covering the western part of what was known as Armorica in Roman Gaul. It became an Kingdom of Brittany, independent kingdom and then a Duch ...

, France. His parents were Antoine Charles Louis Deloncle and Anna Ange Marie. His father died in tragic circumstances in 1898 when his son was 8. He was the captain of the French transatlantic liner SS ''La Bourgogne'' accidentally rammed in thick fog by the sailing ship ''Cromartyshire'' off

Sable Island Sable Island (, literally "island of sand") is a small, remote island off the coast of Nova Scotia, Canada. Sable Island is located in the North Atlantic Ocean, about southeast of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Halifax, and about southeast of the clo ...

with a high death toll. Captain Deloncle did his best to organize rescue in difficult circumstances and refusing to leave the bridge went down with his ship. Eugène Deloncle was a graduate of the

École Polytechnique (, ; also known as Polytechnique or l'X ) is a ''grande école'' located in Palaiseau, France. It specializes in science and engineering and is a founding member of the Polytechnic Institute of Paris. The school was founded in 1794 by mat ...

, and worked as a naval engineer for the

French Navy The French Navy (, , ), informally (, ), is the Navy, maritime arm of the French Armed Forces and one of the four military service branches of History of France, France. It is among the largest and most powerful List of navies, naval forces i ...

. He married Mercedes Cahier on 4 February 1918 in Paris.

World War I

Deloncle served as an

artillery Artillery consists of ranged weapons that launch Ammunition, munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during sieges, and l ...

officer during

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, including the

Champagne Champagne (; ) is a sparkling wine originated and produced in the Champagne wine region of France under the rules of the appellation, which demand specific vineyard practices, sourcing of grapes exclusively from designated places within it, spe ...

frontline, where he was wounded.

1930s political activity

Initially supportive of the integralist , he left the movement in 1935 because of his perception of inaction by the older organisation in combating the French left. Deloncle founded his own group, the (CSAR), with similar political goals. The new group became well known by the

epithet An epithet (, ), also a byname, is a descriptive term (word or phrase) commonly accompanying or occurring in place of the name of a real or fictitious person, place, or thing. It is usually literally descriptive, as in Alfred the Great, Suleima ...

('The Hood'), a term that was first applied by

Charles Maurras Charles-Marie-Photius Maurras (; ; 20 April 1868 – 16 November 1952) was a French author, politician, poet and critic. He was an organiser and principal philosopher of ''Action Française'', a political movement that was monarchist, corporatis ...

and Maurice Pujo of , as the group's tactics reminded them of the American

Ku Klux Klan The Ku Klux Klan (), commonly shortened to KKK or Klan, is an American Protestant-led Christian terrorism, Christian extremist, white supremacist, Right-wing terrorism, far-right hate group. It was founded in 1865 during Reconstruction era, ...

; the name was subsequently embraced by the press.Alt URL
/ref> The was a fascist and anti-communist terrorist group that kept the Orleanist and strongly anti- republican line of the , but added the rhetoric of fascism. It was formed to overthrow the leftist Popular Front government of Léon Blum. In the 1930s the was responsible for assassinations, including those of the antifascist activists and Italian refugees,

Carlo Rosselli Carlo Alberto Rosselli (16 November 18999 June 1937) was an Italian political leader, journalist, historian, philosopher and anti-fascist activist, first in Italy and then abroad. He developed a theory of reformist, non-Marxist socialism inspir ...

and his brother Nello in June 1937, and terrorist attacks, including the bombing of several Paris synagogues.

World War II and death

In 1940, with the

Fall of France The Battle of France (; 10 May – 25 June 1940), also known as the Western Campaign (), the French Campaign (, ) and the Fall of France, during the Second World War was the German invasion of the Low Countries (Belgium, Luxembourg and the Net ...

during

and the

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

period of occupation, Deloncle created a movement backing

Philippe Pétain Henri Philippe Bénoni Omer Joseph Pétain (; 24 April 1856 – 23 July 1951), better known as Marshal Pétain (, ), was a French marshal who commanded the French Army in World War I and later became the head of the Collaboration with Nazi Ger ...

's "

French State Vichy France (; 10 July 1940 – 9 August 1944), officially the French State ('), was a French rump state headed by Marshal Philippe Pétain during World War II, established as a result of the French capitulation after the defeat against G ...

", the (MSR, 'Social Revolutionary Movement'). MSR, a more radical form of the , strongly supported Pétain's

social conservatism Social conservatism is a political philosophy and a variety of conservatism which places emphasis on Tradition#In political and religious discourse, traditional social structures over Cultural pluralism, social pluralism. Social conservatives ...

and

reactionary In politics, a reactionary is a person who favors a return to a previous state of society which they believe possessed positive characteristics absent from contemporary.''The New Fontana Dictionary of Modern Thought'' Third Edition, (1999) p. 729. ...

aims; it viewed with approval the political experiment that was being engineered in

Vichy France Vichy France (; 10 July 1940 – 9 August 1944), officially the French State ('), was a French rump state headed by Marshal Philippe Pétain during World War II, established as a result of the French capitulation after the Battle of France, ...

in the south of the country. Afterwards, he approached the National Popular Rally (RNP) of

Marcel Déat Marcel Déat (; 7 March 1894 – 5 January 1955) was a French politician. Initially a socialist and a member of the French Section of the Workers' International (SFIO), he led a breakaway group of right-wing Neosocialists out of the SFIO in 19 ...

, but conflicts with Déat saw him expelled in May 1942, when he was succeeded as leader by Jean Fontenoy. In October 1941, unbeknownst to his superiors, SS Officer Hans Sommer helped plan an attack on seven synagogues in Paris, inspired by the 1938 pogrom, in collaboration with Eugène Deloncle. By 1942, Deloncle became doubtful of the inevitability of German victory and became a member of François Darlan's secret staff; he was in contact with head

Wilhelm Canaris Wilhelm Franz Canaris (1 January 1887 – 9 April 1945) was a admiral (Germany), German admiral and the chief of the ''Abwehr'' (the German military intelligence, military-intelligence service) from 1935 to 1944. Initially a supporter of Ad ...

. Deloncle's involvement with the made him an enemy of the

Gestapo The (, ), Syllabic abbreviation, abbreviated Gestapo (), was the official secret police of Nazi Germany and in German-occupied Europe. The force was created by Hermann Göring in 1933 by combining the various political police agencies of F ...

. Initially, he was arrested in August 1943, interrogated and detained for a month in Ville-d'Avray. Once released, he renewed contact with Canaris, sustaining the Gestapo's enmity. On 17 January 1944, Deloncle's house was swarmed by SD agents and he was killed in a shootout.

Awards

On 16 June 1920, Deloncle was made a (Knight) of the

Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and Civil society, civil. Currently consisting of five cl ...

References

Sources

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Deloncle, Eugene 1890 births 1944 deaths Assassinated Nazis Politicians from Brest, France National Popular Rally politicians French collaborators with Nazi Germany French fascists Knights of the Legion of Honour People affiliated with Action Française Deaths by firearm in France École Polytechnique alumni French military personnel of World War I French politicians assassinated in the 20th century 20th-century French politicians Politicians assassinated in the 1940s Extrajudicial killings in World War II French civilians killed in World War II People killed in Sicherheitsdienst operations People murdered in Paris