André Bollier (May 30, 1920 – June 17, 1944) was a member 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 ...

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 ...

Biography

Bollier was born in Paris and enrolled in 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 1938. He was called up for military service after his first year of studies, in September 1939, at the start of the

Phoney War The Phoney War (; ; ) was an eight-month period at the outset of World War II during which there were virtually no Allied military land operations on the Western Front from roughly September 1939 to May 1940. World War II began on 3 Septembe ...

. He trained in

Fontainebleau Fontainebleau ( , , ) is a Communes of France, commune in the Functional area (France), metropolitan area of Paris, France. It is located south-southeast of the Kilometre zero#France, centre of Paris. Fontainebleau is a Subprefectures in Franc ...

and was sent to

Alsace Alsace (, ; ) is a cultural region and a territorial collectivity in the Grand Est administrative region of northeastern France, on the west bank of the upper Rhine, next to Germany and Switzerland. In January 2021, it had a population of 1,9 ...

in February 1940 assigned to the 68th Artillery Regiment of the 70th Infantry Division. He saw combat there and was severely wounded and captured in an engagement with German troops on June 21, 1940. Due to his injuries he was released by the Germans in November 1940 and returned to study at the Polytechnique. In 1941, Bollier became active in the resistance participating in the distribution of the underground newspaper '' Les Petites Ailes'' (''Small Wings''). Following his graduation from the Polytechnique he made contact with the resistance organization

Combat Combat (French language, French for ''fight'') is a purposeful violent Conflict (process), conflict between multiple combatants with the intent to harm the opposition. Combat may be armed (using weapons) or unarmed (Hand-to-hand combat, not usin ...

. He wrote in the group's newspaper, also named ''Combat'', under the pseudonym ''Lefranc''. His participation in effecting the escape of Berty Albrecht on December 23, 1942, caused him to be briefly arrested and subsequently to go underground. In 1943–44 he devoted himself to organizing the printing of ''Combat'', taking over as printer from the first printer, Martinet, and turning it into a significant operation that printed over a million newspapers in several regions. During this period he used the pseudonyms ''Carton'' and ''Vélin''. Bollier was arrested in

Lyon Lyon (Franco-Provençal: ''Liyon'') is a city in France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of the French Alps, southeast of Paris, north of Marseille, southwest of Geneva, Switzerland, north ...

on March 8, 1944, and subjected to interrogation and torture. He eventually escaped on May 2, 1944, and rejoined the resistance. A little over a month later, however, on June 17, 1944, a large

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 ...

and

Milice The (French Militia), generally called (; ), was a political paramilitary organization created on 30 January 1943 by the Vichy France, Vichy régime (with Nazi Germany, German aid) to help fight against the French Resistance during World War ...

force surrounded his clandestine printing office. In a shootout, Bollier was shot, and then shot himself to avoid being taken alive. Following the war, he was posthumously awarded the ''

Ordre de la Libération The Order of Liberation (, ) is a French Order which was awarded to heroes of the Liberation of France during World War II. It is a worn by recipients only before the ''Légion d’Honneur'' (Legion of Honour). In the official portrait of G ...

''.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bollier, Andre 1920 births 1944 deaths People from Saint-Maur-des-Fossés Suicides by firearm in France École Polytechnique alumni Recipients of the Croix de Guerre 1939–1945 (France) French Army soldiers Companions of the Liberation 1944 suicides French Army personnel of World War II French prisoners of war in World War II World War II prisoners of war held by Germany French Resistance members French escapees Escapees from German detention