Robert Guédon (1902-1978) was a founding 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 ...

in the ''

zone occupée The Military Administration in France (; ) was an interim occupation authority established by Nazi Germany during World War II to administer the occupied zone in areas of northern and western France. This so-called ' was established in June 19 ...

'' (occupied zone) 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

Guédon was an officer from the ''

tirailleurs A tirailleur (), in the Napoleonic era, was a type of light infantry trained to skirmish ahead of the main columns. Later, the term "''tirailleur''" was used by the French Army as a designation for indigenous infantry recruited in the French c ...

'' (a skirmishing unit) who had graduated from the

Saint-Cyr military academy Saint-Cyr refers to the popular child-saint Cyricus, whose following was strong in France because relics were brought back from Antioch by the 4th-century Bishop Saint Amator of Auxerre. Saint-Cyr may refer to: Places France * École spécia ...

and had fought in the

Rif The Rif (, ), also called Rif Mountains, is a geographic region in northern Morocco. It is bordered on the north by the Mediterranean Sea and Spain and on the west by the Atlantic Ocean, and is the homeland of the Rifians and the Jebala people ...

. He made the acquaintance of

Henri Frenay Henri Frenay Sandoval (11 November 1905 – 8 August 1988) was a French military officer and French Resistance member, who served as minister of prisoners, refugees and deportees in Charles de Gaulle's Provisional Government of the French Republic ...

at some point during military school where he became a specialist of the ''4th Bureau''. Leader of a company of the French 13th motorized infantry, he was wounded by a bomb explosion at the start of the German offensive. In collaboration with Frenay and Lieutenant Pierre de Froment, Guédon organised the ''Libération Nationale'' information and propaganda movement. When the '' Combat Zone Nord'' group was annihilated through arrests, Guédon passed into the ''

zone Sud Zone, Zones or The Zone may refer to: Places Military zones * Zone, any of the divisions of France during the World War II German occupation * Zone, any of the divisions of Germany during the post-World War II Allied occupation * Korean Demili ...

''. He commanded a company of the 7th regiment of Moroccan ''tirailleurs'' in Morocco until the allied landings. During the

Tunisian campaign The Tunisian campaign (also known as the battle of Tunisia) was a series of battles that took place in Tunisia during the North African campaign of the Second World War, between Axis and Allied forces from 17 November 1942 to 13 May 1943. Th ...

, he was head of the 4th ''Bureau'' (transport) of the Moroccan mountain division. Assigned as an instructor in a staff school, he subsequently entered the commissariat of prisoners and deportees, where Frenay charged him with organizing the future repatriation of French nationals held in Germany.

Sources

* File on Colonel Guédon in the Defence Historical Service of France

Bibliographic summary

* Henri Frenay : ''La nuit finira'', Paris, Laffont, 1975 * Marie Granet et Henri Michel : ''Combat, histoire d'un mouvement de résistance'', Paris, PUF, 1957 * FNDIRP-UNADIF : ''Leçons de ténèbres'', Paris, Perrin, 2004 * FNDIRP-UNADIF, Bernard Filaire : ''Jusqu'au bout de la résistance'', Paris, Stock, 1997 * Henri Noguères : ''Histoire de la Résistance en France'', Paris, Robert Laffont, 1972 {{DEFAULTSORT:Guedon, Robert French Resistance members 1902 births 1978 deaths