Germain Jousse
Encyclopedia
Germain Jousse was a member of the French Resistance
during the Second World War.
on the battlefield in September 1918, for having advanced to the position of Celles-sur-Aisne and for having destroyed an enemy company and capturing numerous prisoners.
. In 1935 he was promoted to major and transferred to Kabylie
with the 9th Regiment of Zouaves until 1938. In August 1939 he joined his station of mobilization as Chief of the 3rd Office of the Staff of the Commander in chief of the Theatre of operations of North Africa. In June 1940 with the High Command, he vainly proposed various solutions for the continuation of the fight against Germany, which he considered possible in North Africa. He was then transferred, still as Chief of the 3rd Office to the Staff of the 19th Army Corps of Algiers.
and Marshal Philippe Pétain
. Others like him such as Captain Beaufre and the commanders Dartois and Loustanau-Lacau were denounced, arrested and executed. He himself only just escaped from the same fate. Promoted to the rank of lieutenant-colonel in September 1941, he did not discontinue to work for the resistance in secret, by drawing up notes evaluating the technical bases for a future allied invasion of North Africa. In January 1942, he became military adviser to the Algiers resistant group directed by Henri d'Astier de la Vigerie
and José Aboulker
. In disgrace, under Vichy orders he was put in control of regulating supply transport bound for the Rommel army, in accordance with the agreements passed through the general delegation of Weygand and Germany (Dankworth Contract). He benefitted from it as he was able to provide information for the allied secret services, all the while endeavouring to slow down and block the transports bound for Afrika Korps.
in Algiers. He was then assigned to the Directorate-General of Sudies and Research (DGÉR), where he took command of the documentation service. In 1944, he accepted his stars as Brigade General, and in 1946 was promoted to Division General.
He died on March 21, 1988 in Monblanc in Gers
. He was buried in Mans dans la Sarthe.
His decorations were as follows:
General Jousse also published two works:
French Resistance
The French Resistance is the name used to denote the collection of French resistance movements that fought against the Nazi German occupation of France and against the collaborationist Vichy régime during World War II...
during the Second World War.
World War I
In 1914 Germain Jousse conscripted into the army. Promoted to second lieutenant in June 1915, he held the role of company commander from June 1916 and became lieutenant in November of the same year. Wounded at Saint-Dié on October 1 1917, he rejoined his unit after one month of hospitilization having refused any recuperation. Promoted to captain in April 1918, he was decorated with the Légion d'honneurLégion d'honneur
The Legion of Honour, or in full the National Order of the Legion of Honour is a French order established by Napoleon Bonaparte, First Consul of the Consulat which succeeded to the First Republic, on 19 May 1802...
on the battlefield in September 1918, for having advanced to the position of Celles-sur-Aisne and for having destroyed an enemy company and capturing numerous prisoners.
Military career between the wars
In 1919, he was sent to Turkey with the 412th Regiment to fight the 'Kémalistes'. Wounded on May 1 1921, he was made prisoner after hard combat and only returned to France in 1922. In 1925 he was allowed into the École supérieure de guerre, and he then served in AlgeriaAlgeria
Algeria , officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria , also formally referred to as the Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of Northwest Africa with Algiers as its capital.In terms of land area, it is the largest country in Africa and the Arab...
. In 1935 he was promoted to major and transferred to Kabylie
Kabylie
Kabylie or Kabylia , is a region in the north of Algeria.It is part of the Tell Atlas and is located at the edge of the Mediterranean Sea. Kabylia covers several provinces of Algeria: the whole of Tizi Ouzou and Bejaia , most of Bouira and parts of the wilayas of Bordj Bou Arreridj, Jijel,...
with the 9th Regiment of Zouaves until 1938. In August 1939 he joined his station of mobilization as Chief of the 3rd Office of the Staff of the Commander in chief of the Theatre of operations of North Africa. In June 1940 with the High Command, he vainly proposed various solutions for the continuation of the fight against Germany, which he considered possible in North Africa. He was then transferred, still as Chief of the 3rd Office to the Staff of the 19th Army Corps of Algiers.
Entry into resistance
In spring 1941, continuing to refuse defeat, he secretly took part in the establishment of a plan of allied intervention in North Africa, with some comrades from the circles of General Maxime WeygandMaxime Weygand
Maxime Weygand was a French military commander in World War I and World War II.Weygand initially fought against the Germans during the invasion of France in 1940, but then surrendered to and collaborated with the Germans as part of the Vichy France regime.-Early years:Weygand was born in Brussels...
and Marshal Philippe Pétain
Philippe Pétain
Henri Philippe Benoni Omer Joseph Pétain , generally known as Philippe Pétain or Marshal Pétain , was a French general who reached the distinction of Marshal of France, and was later Chief of State of Vichy France , from 1940 to 1944...
. Others like him such as Captain Beaufre and the commanders Dartois and Loustanau-Lacau were denounced, arrested and executed. He himself only just escaped from the same fate. Promoted to the rank of lieutenant-colonel in September 1941, he did not discontinue to work for the resistance in secret, by drawing up notes evaluating the technical bases for a future allied invasion of North Africa. In January 1942, he became military adviser to the Algiers resistant group directed by Henri d'Astier de la Vigerie
Henri d'Astier de la Vigerie
Henri d'Astier de La Vigerie was a French soldier, Résistance member, and conservative politician.-Life:Henri d'Astier was born in Villedieu-sur-Indre, a small village in the Indre département of central France...
and José Aboulker
José Aboulker
José Aboulker was a member of the anti-Nazi resistance who co-founded a resistance network in Algiers in World War II and emerged as one of the main leaders of the resistance movement in North Africa...
. In disgrace, under Vichy orders he was put in control of regulating supply transport bound for the Rommel army, in accordance with the agreements passed through the general delegation of Weygand and Germany (Dankworth Contract). He benefitted from it as he was able to provide information for the allied secret services, all the while endeavouring to slow down and block the transports bound for Afrika Korps.
Contribution to the Putsch of November 8, 1942 and the Torch Operation
From, June 1942, appointed Garrison Major in Algiers, Colonel Jousse actively prepared for the Algiers uprising, storing weapons and contributing to choosing the locations which would be occupied. He himself took part in the execution of the November 8 Putsch and opposing the Vichyist 'plan of the maintenance of law and order' which was intended to be opposed to any invasion. Thus he would facilitate the occupation of strategic points by the resistance by providing them 'VP' arm-bands - 'Public Volunteers', with letters from the Public Commander destined for the military collaborationists, with mission orders to raise the state of security. He personally carried out the arrest of General Koeltz, Commander of the Algerian Army Corps, and went onto the battlefront to put an end to the fire of a resistance battalion protecting the invasion point of Sidi Ferruch for the American troops. The success of the putsch can be attributed to Germain Jousse, who allowed 400 armed civilians to arrest General Juin, Commander in chief, as well as the collaborationist Admiral Darlan, and who paralysed the mobilisation of the Vichyist 19th Army Corps during the 15 hours in which the Allied forces unloaded unopposed, encircled Algiers, and achieved surrender the same evening with its port intact.The end of the war
Colonel Jousse was placed in the Tunisian countryside within the General British Staff from November 1942 to March 1943. In April he was named the Chief of the Staff of General Catroux in Algiers. Then promoted to Colonel, he became assistant manager of the Staff of General Charles de GaulleCharles de Gaulle
Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle was a French general and statesman who led the Free French Forces during World War II. He later founded the French Fifth Republic in 1958 and served as its first President from 1959 to 1969....
in Algiers. He was then assigned to the Directorate-General of Sudies and Research (DGÉR), where he took command of the documentation service. In 1944, he accepted his stars as Brigade General, and in 1946 was promoted to Division General.
Career after the war
Thereafter Germain Jousse commanded the 5th Military Region in Toulon, and, in July 1952, was promoted to the rank of Army Corps General. He was, in addition, the firast president of the Association of the French Liberation of Novembewr 8, 1942.He died on March 21, 1988 in Monblanc in Gers
Gers
The Gers is a department in the Midi-Pyrénées region in the southwest of France named after the Gers River.Inhabitants are called les Gersois or Gersoises.-History:...
. He was buried in Mans dans la Sarthe.
His decorations were as follows:
- Compagnon de la Libération (Membre du Conseil de l’Ordre)
- Grand Croix de la Légion d'honneur
- Croix de Guerre 14/18
- Croix de Guerre 39/45
- Croix de Guerre des TOE.
General Jousse also published two works:
- Considérations sur l'Armée de demain, Paris, 1946
- L'Armée Nationale, Paris 1947