Roger Degueldre
Encyclopedia
Lieutenant Roger Hercule Gustave Degueldre (1925, Louvroil
Louvroil
Louvroil is a commune in the Nord department in northern France.It is about southwest of Maubeuge.-Heraldry:-References:*...

, Nord - 1962) was a leader of the OAS
Organisation armée secrète
The Organisation de l'armée secrète was a short-lived, French far-right nationalist militant and underground organization during the Algerian War . The OAS used armed struggle in an attempt to prevent Algeria's independence...

 Delta Commandos in the last months of French rule in Algeria
Algeria
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...

. There is some dispute about his origins. He claimed to have been born in northern France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

, near the Belgian border, but there were also allegations that he was a Belgian collaborator with the SS during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

, as well as that he had lied about his origins in order to become eligible for the French Foreign Legion
French Foreign Legion
The French Foreign Legion is a unique military service wing of the French Army established in 1831. The foreign legion was exclusively created for foreign nationals willing to serve in the French Armed Forces...

.

Degueldre, a veteran of Dien Bien Phu
Dien Bien Phu
Điện Biên Phủ is a city in northwestern Vietnam. It is the capital of Dien Bien province, and is known for the events there during the First Indochina War, the Battle of Dien Bien Phu, during which the region was a breadbasket for the Việt Minh.-Population:...

, had deserted from the Foreign Legion in 1960 and took over control of the OAS's active operations, gaining a reputation for ruthlessness. He recruited Albert Dovecar
Albert Dovecar
Albert Dovecar was a sergeant in the French 1st Foreign Parachute Regiment of the French Foreign Legion. He was executed by firing squad at the Fort du Trou d'Enfer for his part in the assassination of French National Police Divisional Commissaire Roger Gavoury during the Algerian War.- Biography...

 as his lieutenant along with as many as 500 others.

He was arrested on 7 April 1962, condemned to death on 28 June and executed by firing squad in the Fort d'Ivry
Fort d'Ivry
Fort d'Ivry was built in the Paris suburb of Ivry-sur-Seine between 1841 and 1845 as one of the forts in a ring of strong points surrounding Paris. The fort is about 1 kilometer outside the Thiers Wall, built by the same program in response to a perception that Paris was vulnerable to invasion and...

 near Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...

on 6 July. He is buried in the Gonards cemetery in Versailles.
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