Pierre Loutrel
Encyclopedia
Pierre Loutrel better known by his nickname of "Pierrot le fou" (Crazy Pete) was France's first "public enemy number one" and one of the leaders of the Gang des tractions
.
, forging a reputation as a cold-blooded murderer and carrying out more and more summary executions. He developed links with the underworld of the era, then set up his own network with Raymond Naudy, Abel Danos known as Le Mamouth, Pierre Giblaise, Fernand "Le Poulet" and Jo Attia.
However, little by little, his repeated crimes brought him to the Gestapo
's attention. Sensing that the tide was changing, "Pierrot le fou" thus decided to join the French Resistance
, getting them into talks with him by gunning down a German officer on the terrace of a café in Toulouse
. Upon the Liberation, he renewed his acquaintance with organised crime, getting involved in racketeering and pimping and gaining a reputation as an unscrupulous crime lord. With his team, he formed the famous Gang des tractions
, named after their favoured vehicle, the Citroën 11
, the famous tractions avant (front-drive) cars.
Hunted by Roger Borniche
, the gang was partly dismantled after a raid in Champigny
. It ended up separating and Pierrot le fou, considered to be dangerous and uncontrollable, once again found himself isolated and reduced to petty burglaries.
On November 6, 1946, Pierrot was shot in the bladder during a robbery of a Parisian jewellery store on avenue Kléber
, after having killed its Armenian owner. He succumbed to his wounds five days later, on November 11, 1946, and his body was buried by his accomplices, being found only three years later by the police on May 6, 1949.
Gang des Tractions Avant
In France, the Gang des Tractions Avant was a criminal gang in the Pigalle quarter of Paris, made up of surviving members of the Carlingue militia, lapsed police officers and criminals from the French Resistance...
.
Life
Born into a peasant family, he rapidly distinguished himself by petty thefts before profiting from the German occupation of France and using it to develop his criminal activities. From 1941 to 1944, he was a member of the CarlingueCarlingue
The French Gestapo or Carlingue was the name given to French auxiliaries of the Gestapo, based at 93, rue Lauriston in the 16th arrondissement of Paris, and active between 1941 and 1944...
, forging a reputation as a cold-blooded murderer and carrying out more and more summary executions. He developed links with the underworld of the era, then set up his own network with Raymond Naudy, Abel Danos known as Le Mamouth, Pierre Giblaise, Fernand "Le Poulet" and Jo Attia.
However, little by little, his repeated crimes brought him to the Gestapo
Gestapo
The Gestapo was the official secret police of Nazi Germany. Beginning on 20 April 1934, it was under the administration of the SS leader Heinrich Himmler in his position as Chief of German Police...
's attention. Sensing that the tide was changing, "Pierrot le fou" thus decided to join the French Resistance
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...
, getting them into talks with him by gunning down a German officer on the terrace of a café in Toulouse
Toulouse
Toulouse is a city in the Haute-Garonne department in southwestern FranceIt lies on the banks of the River Garonne, 590 km away from Paris and half-way between the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea...
. Upon the Liberation, he renewed his acquaintance with organised crime, getting involved in racketeering and pimping and gaining a reputation as an unscrupulous crime lord. With his team, he formed the famous Gang des tractions
Gang des Tractions Avant
In France, the Gang des Tractions Avant was a criminal gang in the Pigalle quarter of Paris, made up of surviving members of the Carlingue militia, lapsed police officers and criminals from the French Resistance...
, named after their favoured vehicle, the Citroën 11
Citroën Traction Avant
The Citroën Traction Avant is an automobile which was produced by the French manufacturer Citroën from 1934 to 1957. About 760,000 units were produced.-Impact on the world:...
, the famous tractions avant (front-drive) cars.
Hunted by Roger Borniche
Roger Borniche
Roger Borniche was a French detective of the Sûreté nationale and author of a number of works. He started as a Singer, but his fledgling musical career was interrupted by the German invasion of 1940. To make a living, he took a job as a store detective...
, the gang was partly dismantled after a raid in Champigny
Champigny, Marne
Champigny is a commune in the Marne department in north-eastern France....
. It ended up separating and Pierrot le fou, considered to be dangerous and uncontrollable, once again found himself isolated and reduced to petty burglaries.
On November 6, 1946, Pierrot was shot in the bladder during a robbery of a Parisian jewellery store on avenue Kléber
Avenue Kléber
Avenue Kleber is one of the avenues in Paris. It is one of the twelve avenues leading out of the Arc De Triomphe. It was named after Jean Baptiste Kléber, a French general during the French Revolutionary Wars....
, after having killed its Armenian owner. He succumbed to his wounds five days later, on November 11, 1946, and his body was buried by his accomplices, being found only three years later by the police on May 6, 1949.
External links
- In French: (http://www.13emerue.fr/dossiers/pierre-loutrel-dit-pierrot-le-fou.htm)