Henri Louis Honoré, comte d'Estienne d'Orves (; 5 June 1901 – 29 August 1941) was a

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 ...

officer and one of the major heroes of 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 ...

, said to be the "first martyr of

Free France Free France () was a resistance government claiming to be the legitimate government of France following the dissolution of the Third French Republic, Third Republic during World War II. Led by General , Free France was established as a gover ...

Early life

He was born in

Verrières-le-Buisson Verrières-le-Buisson () is a commune in the southern suburbs of Paris, France. It is from the centre of Paris, in the Essonne department just outside the inner ring of the Île-de-France. The commune borders the river Bièvre. History T ...

(now in the

Essonne Essonne () is a department in the southern part of the Île-de-France region in Northern France. It is named after the river Essonne. In 2019, it had a population of 1,301,659, across 194 communes.department). Educated in a conservative

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

family, he was a remote cousin of writers

Antoine de Saint-Exupéry Antoine Marie Jean-Baptiste Roger, vicomte de Saint-Exupéry (29 June 1900 – 31 July 1944), known simply as Antoine de Saint-Exupéry (, , ), was a French writer, poet, journalist and aviator. Born in Lyon to an French nobility, aristocratic ...

and Louise de Vilmorin, later companion of

André Malraux Georges André Malraux ( ; ; 3 November 1901 – 23 November 1976) was a French novelist, art theorist, and minister of cultural affairs. Malraux's novel ''La Condition Humaine'' (''Man's Fate'') (1933) won the Prix Goncourt. He was appointed ...

. Estienne d'Orves spent the

First World War 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 ...

as a high school student at the prestigious

Lycée Louis-le-Grand The Lycée Louis-le-Grand (), also referred to simply as Louis-le-Grand or by its acronym LLG, is a public Lycée (French secondary school, also known as sixth form college) located on Rue Saint-Jacques (Paris), rue Saint-Jacques in central Par ...

and the Lycée Saint-Louis-de-Gonzague in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

, and entered 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 ...

in 1921. He joined the ''

École Navale École or Ecole may refer to: * an elementary school in the French educational stages normally followed by secondary education establishments (collège and lycée) * École (river), a tributary of the Seine flowing in région Île-de-France * Éco ...

'', (French Naval Academy), two years later, becoming an '' enseigne de vaisseau de 2e classe'' in October 1923 and joining the school ship ''Jeanne d'Arc''. He was then an officer on the battleship ''

Provence Provence is a geographical region and historical province of southeastern France, which stretches from the left bank of the lower Rhône to the west to the France–Italy border, Italian border to the east; it is bordered by the Mediterrane ...

'', and several other vessels. In 1929, he married Éliane de Lorgeril, with whom he had five children. In 1930, he was promoted to ''lieutenant de vaisseau'', and was made a ''chevalier de la Légion d'honneur'' in 1935. In December 1936, he joined the Naval War School for one year. When

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 ...

broke out in 1939, he was serving aboard the ''Jaguar'', as under-chief of the headquarters of the 2nd flotilla of torpedo boats in

Mediterranean Sea The Mediterranean Sea ( ) is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the east by the Levant in West Asia, on the north by Anatolia in West Asia and Southern Eur ...

. In December 1939, he was an aide to Admiral Godfroy in the Headquarters of the "Force X" aboard cruiser '' Duquesne''. On 25 June 1940, the day the

Armistice An armistice is a formal agreement of warring parties to stop fighting. It is not necessarily the end of a war, as it may constitute only a cessation of hostilities while an attempt is made to negotiate a lasting peace. It is derived from t ...

was signed, he was in

Alexandria Alexandria ( ; ) is the List of cities and towns in Egypt#Largest cities, second largest city in Egypt and the List of coastal settlements of the Mediterranean Sea, largest city on the Mediterranean coast. It lies at the western edge of the Nile ...

Egypt Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...

. Politically, d'Estienne d'Orves belonged to the

right-wing Right-wing politics is the range of political ideologies that view certain social orders and hierarchies as inevitable, natural, normal, or desirable, typically supporting this position based on natural law, economics, authority, property ...

, and had sympathies for

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 Catholic

monarchism Monarchism is the advocacy of the system of monarchy or monarchical rule. A monarchist is an individual who supports this form of government independently of any specific monarch, whereas one who supports a particular monarch is a royalist. ...

; nonetheless, while many far-right wing theoricists welcomed the arrival of Marshal

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 ...

, the strongly patriotic d'Estienne d'Orves was unwilling to accept France's defeat. He attempted to join General Paul Legentilhomme, commander of French troops on the coast of

French Somaliland French Somaliland (; ; ) was a French colony in the Horn of Africa. It existed between 1884 and 1967, at which became the French Territory of the Afars and the Issas. The Republic of Djibouti is its legal successor state. History French Somalil ...

, who had announced his intention to refuse the armistice, but the colony had chosen to rally itself to the Vichy régime. D'Estienne d'Orves then gathered a group of volunteer sailors and officers, took the ''nom de guerre'' "Châteauvieux" (name of one of his ancestors) and came into relations with the

authorities. He set sail on a cargo ship from

Aden Aden () is a port city located in Yemen in the southern part of the Arabian peninsula, on the north coast of the Gulf of Aden, positioned near the eastern approach to the Red Sea. It is situated approximately 170 km (110 mi) east of ...

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

, sailing around Africa for two months, and rejoined General

de Gaulle Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle (22 November 18909 November 1970) was a French general and statesman who led the Free France, Free French Forces against Nazi Germany in World War II and chaired the Provisional Government of the French Re ...

in London on 27 September 1940. He met with Admiral Émile Muselier, but was unable to obtain a command at sea. Promoted to ''Capitaine de corvette'' (lieutenant commander) on 1 October 1940, he joined the Second Office of the Free French Naval Forces and requested to be sent to occupied France. After having convinced General de Gaulle, he received the mission to organise an intelligence network in western France, codenamed ''Nemrod'', which had been created in September 1940 by Maurice Barlier and Jan Doornik, but lacked coordination and development. He was officially assigned to this task on 15 December 1940.

Role in Occupied France

D'Estienne d'Orves was codenamed "Jean-Pierre Girard". On 21 December 1940, he set sail from

Newlyn Newlyn () is a seaside town and fishing port in south-west Cornwall, England, United Kingdom.Ordnance Survey: Landranger map sheet 203 ''Land's End'' It is the largest fishing port in England. Newlyn lies on the shore of Mount's Bay and for ...

to Plogoff in

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 ...

on a fishing boat, the ''Marie-Louise'', along with his 20-year-old radio operator Alfred Gaessler, a German-speaking Alsatian, codenamed "Georges Marty". They arrived at the

Pointe du Raz The Pointe du Raz is a promontory that extends into the Atlantic from western Brittany, in France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territori ...

the following day. He set his quarters in

Chantenay-sur-Loire Chantenay-sur-Loire (, ) is a former commune of Loire-Atlantique, Loire-Inférieure, located on the right bank of the Loire, Loire River, on the west side of Nantes, annexed to the latter in 1908 along with the commune of Doulon. The territory is ...

, near

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 ...

, at the house of M. and Mme Clément, and made several trips to Paris and in Brittany, with the notable assistance of Maurice Barlier. He set up the basic organisation of the spying web, and was able to transmit significant information about German forces (coastal defences, submarines, aerodromes and refueling point near Nantes). From 6 January to 19 January 1941, he was in Paris to set up a second network, meeting with Max André, Jan Doornik and numerous other members of the French Resistance. Back in Nantes on 20 January, he came back to the Cléments who reported to him suspicious activities by the radio operator Gaessler, seen hanging around in bars and talking with German soldiers. When interrogated, Gaessler said that this was a good way to gather information. D'Estienne d'Orves decided to lay down Gaessler at the next trip to London but, two days later, 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 ...

stormed the house and arrested him. After a brief resistance, a wounded and handcuffed d'Estienne d'Orves was brought to

Angers Angers (, , ;) is a city in western France, about southwest of Paris. It is the Prefectures of France, prefecture of the Maine-et-Loire department and was the capital of the province of Duchy of Anjou, Anjou until the French Revolution. The i ...

, along with his companions. Gaessler's treason allowed the Nazis to also arrest Barlier, Doornik and most of the network, totaling 26 persons. The small intelligence network created by Max André, however, was untouched, and continued its operations until the

Liberation of Paris The liberation of Paris () was a 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 Germany since the signing of the Armisti ...

in August 1944. For several weeks, Gaessler sent false information to London and allowed the Nazis to arrest several other agents. He was evacuated by the Nazis to

Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...

, and disappeared in 1945.

Trial and death

On 24 January, the prisoners were sent to Berlin, then brought back to Paris, to the Cherche-Midi Prison. D'Estienne d'Orves was treated especially harshly, yet managed to cheer up his fellow prisoners; the moral strength which he would find in his faith would later be testified to by German chaplain Franz Stock. His trial began on 13 May. D'Estienne d'Orves claimed full responsibility of the network, defending his fellow prisoners. On the 23rd, a German court martial sentenced him to death, along with eight of his companions, and transferred them to the Fresnes Prison. Acknowledging their patriotism, the court martial filed a request for grace immediately, and German legal advisor Keyser took it upon himself to make the trip to Berlin and request a grace for the prisoners from Hitler himself. However, the invasion of USSR by the Third Reich, on 22 June 1941, forced the French Communists to join the Resistance and greatly increased the attacks against German forces, inducing a harshening of the repression. Hence, on 28 August, the execution order was given for d'Estienne d'Orves, Barlier and Doornik. The three condemned were granted to spend their last night together, and to be shot standing and without a blindfold. They were blessed by Chaplain Franz Stock. D'Estienne d'Orves had an interview with president Keyser, the German military judge who had sentenced him to death, where he said: "Sir, you are a German officer. I am a French officer. We both did our duty. Please allow me to embrace you". The execution took place on 29 August 1941 at dawn at the Fort du Mont Valérien. Honoré d'Estienne d'Orves was buried in Verrières-le-Buisson. A German poster advertised their deaths. A number of people joined the Resistance as a consequence of this execution. The ''Capitaine de corvette'' d'Estienne d'Orves was later posthumously promoted to '' Capitaine de frégate'' (Commander) and made a '' Compagnon de la Libération'' ("Fellow of the Liberation").

Honours and awards

* ''Chevalier de la

Légion d'honneur 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 ...

'' * '' Compagnon de la Libération'' by decree of 30 October 1944 * Officer of ''Ouissam Alaouite'' * Officer of the Romanian ''Pour la couronne'' order * Officer of the Bulgarian Military Merit * Knight of the Chinese order of the Precious Brilliant Golden Grain * Two ships of the French Navy have been named in his honour: ** A , launched in 1942, and which fought in the French Naval Forces: ** The lead ship of the A69 type aviso F781 ''D'Estienne d'Orves'' * A square in the

9th arrondissement of Paris The 9th arrondissement of Paris (''IXe arrondissement'') is one of the 20 arrondissements of the capital city of France. In spoken French, it is referred to as (; "ninth"). The arrondissement, called Opéra, is located on the right bank of th ...

, ''Place d’Estienne d'Orves'', is named after him, which in turn gives his name to a station of the

Paris Métro Line 12 Paris Métro Line 12 (opened as Line A; French language, French: ''Ligne 12 du métro de Paris'') is one of the sixteen lines of the Paris Métro. It links Issy-les-Moulineaux, a suburban town southwest of Paris, to Aubervilliers, in the north. ...

,: ''Trinité-d'Estienne d'Orves'' * A high-school in

Nice Nice ( ; ) is a city in and the prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes department in France. The Nice agglomeration extends far beyond the administrative city limits, with a population of nearly one million Scouts et Guides de France Scouts et Guides de France (''Scouts and Guides of France'', SGdF) is the largest Scouting and Guiding association in France. It was formed on 1 September 2004 from the merger of two Roman Catholic Scouting organizations: the Guides de France (fo ...

Sea Scout group 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 ...

(

) is named after him.

External links

Ordre de la Libération

{{DEFAULTSORT:Estienne dOrves 1901 births 1941 deaths People from Verrières-le-Buisson French military personnel of World War II Companions of the Liberation École Polytechnique alumni École Navale alumni French Resistance members Resistance members killed by Nazi Germany Military personnel of the Free French Naval Forces Lycée Louis-le-Grand alumni French people executed by Nazi Germany Counts of France People executed by Nazi Germany by firing squad Deaths by firearm in France People affiliated with Action Française People executed by Nazi Germany occupation forces