Jacques Camille Louis Stosskopf (27 November 1898 – 1 September 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 ...

and war hero killed by the

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. He held the post of deputy director of naval construction at the German-held

Lorient Lorient (; ) is a town (''Communes of France, commune'') and Port, seaport in the Morbihan Departments of France, department of Brittany (administrative region), Brittany in western France. History Prehistory and classical antiquity Beginn ...

U-boat U-boats are Submarine#Military, naval submarines operated by Germany, including during the World War I, First and Second World Wars. The term is an Anglicization#Loanwords, anglicized form of the German word , a shortening of (), though the G ...

arsenal An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...

Early years and military career

Born in

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' 10th arrondissement on 27 November 1898, Jacques Stosskopf was of Alsatian origin and spoke fluent

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. Mobilized in 1917 as an

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in the French artillery, he was awarded the

Croix de Guerre The (, ''Cross of War'') is a military decoration of France. It was first created in 1915 and consists of a square-cross medal on two crossed swords, hanging from a ribbon with various degree pins. The decoration was first awarded during World ...

. Admitted to 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 October 1920, he graduated 23rd in his class in 1922. In 1924, he became a marine engineer at the Cherbourg arsenal. He was appointed principal engineer in 1929, then Chevalier of the

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 ...

the following year on July 9, 1930. In 1936, he became head of the Nantes district of the Surveillance Department. Chief Engineer 2nd class in 1937, he was promoted to Officer of the Legion of Honor on January 1, 1939. As a

naval construction Shipbuilding is the construction of ships and other floating vessels. In modern times, it normally takes place in a specialized facility known as a shipyard. Shipbuilders, also called shipwrights, follow a specialized occupation that traces i ...

specialist, he was appointed in 1939 as head of the new construction unit at the Lorient arsenal and promoted to the rank of Chief Engineer, 1st Class.

Resistance hero

In June 1940, the base fell under control of the German

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, who used it to repair and resupply their

s. Beginning in September 1940, Stosskopf pretended to collaborate with the Germans, using his position to inform Allied forces of submarine movements at

. Stosskopf was denounced under torture by a captured agent of the Alliance network within the French Resistance. He was arrested by the SD in February 1944, but many French believed that the Germans had promoted him. Plaque Base sous-marins Stosskopf

The reality was quite different: Stosskopf was tortured by the Gestapo and deported under the

Nacht und Nebel ''Nacht und Nebel'' ( German: ), meaning Night and Fog, also known as the Night and Fog Decree, was a directive issued by Adolf Hitler on 7 December 1941 targeting political activists and resistance "helpers" in the territories occupied by Na ...

programme. He was executed at Struthof camp in

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on 1 September 1944, before the arrival of the Allies. Stosskopf was posthumously made a Commander 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 ...

in August 1945, then received the

Resistance Medal The Resistance Medal (, ) was a decoration bestowed by the French Committee of National Liberation, based in the United Kingdom, during World War II. It was established by a decree of General Charles de Gaulle on 9 February 1943 "to recognize the ...

at the final date of award in 1947. He was also declared

Mort pour la France (, ) is a legal expression in France and an honour awarded to people who died during a conflict, usually in service of the country. Definition The term is defined in L.488 to L.492 (bis) of the ''Code of Military Disability Pensions and War ...

. The submarine base at Lorient was renamed in his honour in July 1946 as ''Base Ingénieur Général Stosskopf''. A BRF (A726) was also named in his honour.

References

French Resistance members French civilians killed in World War II Commanders of the Legion of Honour Recipients of the Croix de Guerre 1914–1918 (France) École Polytechnique alumni Engineers from Paris 1898 births 1944 deaths French people executed in Nazi concentration camps Resistance members who died in Nazi concentration camps French people who died in Natzweiler-Struthof concentration camp {{France-engineer-stub