Réseau AGIR
Encyclopedia
The Réseau AGIR was a World War II espionage group founded by French wartime resister
Michel Hollard
that provided human intelligence on V-1 flying bomb facilities).
Intelligence was collected every 3 weeks directly from volunteer informants who gathered information in their normal jobs (e.g., through the position as station masters, barkeepers, hotel managers, dock workers. To obtain travel permits, a few full-time AGIR agents were registered salesmen of Hollard's employer. Hollard paid the AGIR expenses and smuggled information to the British military attaché
in Bern, Switzerland, from Occupied France making ninety-eight trips from 1941 through February 1944 when he was betrayed and arrested.
One member of the network, Olivier Giran, was taken and executed in 1943. On 5 February 1944, Michel Hollard and 4 other AGIR agents (including Henri Dujarier) were arrested during a cafe meeting on the Rue du Faubourg-Saint-Denis
. Hollard received the "bath treatment" (torture) at the hands of the Milice
and was imprisoned until the end of the war. Jules Mailly died at a Mauthausen camp 4 months after his arrest, and Joseph Legendre led AGIR after he and Robert Rubenach were released.
reported in 1943 unusual constructions in Upper Normandy, Michel Hollard's report of September 1943 to the British Secret Intelligence Service
identified six V-1 flying bomb facilities: " le Faubourg
, , Totes
, Ribeaucourt
, Maison Ponthieu
and Bois Carre". A more detailed report in October about Bois Carré (1.4 km east of Yvrench
) claimed it had "a concrete platform with centre axis pointing directly to London". AGIR reconnoitered 104 V-1 facilities and helped pinpointing the Watten bunker, the first V-2 launching site. AGIR also provided complet sketches of V-1 launching site such as one by André Comps of Bois Carré (In English: "square woods") labeled "La position de Maisons" and B2. Hollard had the site infiltrated by Comps, who copied "the blueprints"—a copy of the compass swinging building blueprint and the Bois Carré sketch were published in 1978.
for V-1 espionage), and Hollard's biographies
provide AGIR history. In 2009, Joseph Brocard was the last surviving AGIR participant.
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...
Michel Hollard
Michel Hollard
Michel Hollard is a French wartime resister and engineer that founded the espionage group Réseau AGIR during World War II.His contribution was recognised by the British with the award of the Distinguished Service Order having "reconnoitered a number of heavily guarded V1 sites and reported on them"...
that provided human intelligence on V-1 flying bomb facilities).
Intelligence was collected every 3 weeks directly from volunteer informants who gathered information in their normal jobs (e.g., through the position as station masters, barkeepers, hotel managers, dock workers. To obtain travel permits, a few full-time AGIR agents were registered salesmen of Hollard's employer. Hollard paid the AGIR expenses and smuggled information to the British military attaché
Military attaché
A military attaché is a military expert who is attached to a diplomatic mission . This post is normally filled by a high-ranking military officer who retains the commission while serving in an embassy...
in Bern, Switzerland, from Occupied France making ninety-eight trips from 1941 through February 1944 when he was betrayed and arrested.
One member of the network, Olivier Giran, was taken and executed in 1943. On 5 February 1944, Michel Hollard and 4 other AGIR agents (including Henri Dujarier) were arrested during a cafe meeting on the Rue du Faubourg-Saint-Denis
Rue du Faubourg-Saint-Denis
The Rue du Faubourg-Saint-Denis is a street in the 10th arrondissement of Paris. It crosses the arrondissement from north to south, linking the Porte Saint-Denis to the Métro station of La Chapelle and passing the Gare du Nord.-History:...
. Hollard received the "bath treatment" (torture) at the hands of the Milice
Milice
The Milice française , generally called simply Milice, was a paramilitary force created on January 30, 1943 by the Vichy Regime, with German aid, to help fight the French Resistance. The Milice's formal leader was Prime Minister Pierre Laval, though its chief of operations, and actual leader, was...
and was imprisoned until the end of the war. Jules Mailly died at a Mauthausen camp 4 months after his arrest, and Joseph Legendre led AGIR after he and Robert Rubenach were released.
V-1 espionage
An AGIR railway engineer at RouenRouen
Rouen , in northern France on the River Seine, is the capital of the Haute-Normandie region and the historic capital city of Normandy. Once one of the largest and most prosperous cities of medieval Europe , it was the seat of the Exchequer of Normandy in the Middle Ages...
reported in 1943 unusual constructions in Upper Normandy, Michel Hollard's report of September 1943 to the British Secret Intelligence Service
Secret Intelligence Service
The Secret Intelligence Service is responsible for supplying the British Government with foreign intelligence. Alongside the internal Security Service , the Government Communications Headquarters and the Defence Intelligence , it operates under the formal direction of the Joint Intelligence...
identified six V-1 flying bomb facilities: " le Faubourg
Faubourg
Faubourg is an ancient French term approximating "suburb" . The earliest form is Forsbourg, derived from Latin foris, 'out of', and Vulgar Latin burgum, 'town' or 'fortress'...
, , Totes
Tôtes
Tôtes is a commune in the Seine-Maritime department in the Haute-Normandie region in northern France. It is famous for being the first home of Charles and Emma Bovary in Gustave Flaubert's Madame Bovary.-Geography:...
, Ribeaucourt
Ribeaucourt, Somme
Ribeaucourt is a commune in the Somme department in Picardie in northern France.-Geography:Ribeaucourt is situated east of Abbeville, on the D185 and D66 crossroads.-Population:-History:...
, Maison Ponthieu
Maison-Ponthieu
Maison-Ponthieu is a commune in the Somme department in Picardie in northern France.-Geography:The commune is situated on the D56e road, some northeast of Abbeville.-Population:-External links:*...
and Bois Carre". A more detailed report in October about Bois Carré (1.4 km east of Yvrench
Yvrench
Yvrench is a commune in the Somme department in Picardie in northern France.-Geography:Yvrench is situated 9 miles northeast of Abbeville, on the D108 road, the route of the old Roman road, the Chaussée Brunehaut.-Population:...
) claimed it had "a concrete platform with centre axis pointing directly to London". AGIR reconnoitered 104 V-1 facilities and helped pinpointing the Watten bunker, the first V-2 launching site. AGIR also provided complet sketches of V-1 launching site such as one by André Comps of Bois Carré (In English: "square woods") labeled "La position de Maisons" and B2. Hollard had the site infiltrated by Comps, who copied "the blueprints"—a copy of the compass swinging building blueprint and the Bois Carré sketch were published in 1978.
Post-war
AGIR agents received various British and French military awards (including Hollard's DSODistinguished Service Order
The Distinguished Service Order is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, and formerly of other parts of the British Commonwealth and Empire, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typically in actual combat.Instituted on 6 September...
for V-1 espionage), and Hollard's biographies
Michel Hollard
Michel Hollard is a French wartime resister and engineer that founded the espionage group Réseau AGIR during World War II.His contribution was recognised by the British with the award of the Distinguished Service Order having "reconnoitered a number of heavily guarded V1 sites and reported on them"...
provide AGIR history. In 2009, Joseph Brocard was the last surviving AGIR participant.