Le samedi 9 mai à 14h, le musée de la Résistance rend hommage à Robert Maloubier, ancien agent secret, décédé le lundi 20 avril 2015.
Recruté par les Britanniques à Alger en 1942, il entre au Special Operations Excecutive (SOE), service chargé des opérations spéciales en terrain ennemi. Alors qu’il n’a que 20 ans, en 1943 il est parachuté pour une première opération de sabotage qui est menée de main de maître dans la zone industrielle de Rouen.
A l’été 1944, le 7 juin, Bob Maloubier est parachuté dans le Limousin, dans le secteur tenu par le colonel Guingouin où il y tient le rôle d’instructeur et de saboteur.La guerre achevée en Europe, il intègre la Force 136 qui lutte contre les Japonais en Indochine. De retour en France, il rentre dans les services secrets français et devient en 1952 le fondateur avec Claude Riffauddu service action et de l’unité des nageurs de combats du service de documentation extérieure et de contre-espionnage (SDECE).
En 1960, il quitte cet univers sans réellement couper les liens. Il entame une seconde vie en Afrique où s’entremêlent l’exploitation forestière, le pétrole et les réseaux Foccart.A la retraite, il demeure très actif et publie de nombreux ouvrages relatant ses expériences et cet univers tel que plonge dans l’or noir espion, (1988)ou parmi les derniers l’espion aux pieds palmés (2013) ou encore colonel Z : 50 ans au cœur du M16(2015).
En 1960, il quitte cet univers sans réellement couper les liens. Il entame une seconde vie en Afrique où s’entremêlent l’exploitation forestière, le pétrole et les réseaux Foccart.A la retraite, il demeure très actif et publie de nombreux ouvrages relatant ses expériences et cet univers tel que plonge dans l’or noir espion, (1988)ou parmi les derniers l’espion aux pieds palmés (2013) ou encore colonel Z : 50 ans au cœur du M16(2015).
A noter que cet hommage aura lieu en présence de sa fille et de son petit-fils.
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| The Queen presenting Bob Maloubier with his DSO |
Bob Maloubier MBE, DSO 1923 - 2015
The highly decorated former SOE agent Bob Maloubier died on April 20th, and tomorrow afternoon (9th May 2015) in Limoges there will be a special event in memory of this remarkable man.
… twice parachuted into his native land, he carried out a series of daring sabotage missions with fellow agents including Violette Szabo, whom he attempted to rescue from the hands of the Gestapo. After the war he was a founder member of France’s special forces.
Daily Telegraph
… one of Winston Churchill’s last living French secret agents, and one of the most colourful heroes of the second world war … Maloubier went on to become a founder member of the French equivalent of the US Navy Seals. He joined the French intelligence services and also designed the famous Fifty Fathoms diving watch worn by the celebrated oceanographer Jacques Cousteau.
The Guardian
… Maloubier received Britain's Distinguished Service Order (DSO) from King George VI in 1945, and the Queen awarded him an MBE during her state visit to Paris last year to mark the 70th anniversary of D-Day. He also received multiple French awards, including the Chevalier de la Légion d'Honneur. He always felt aggrieved that while the French Resistance were treated as heroes after the war, the role of the SOE was played down by the triumphant General de Gaulle.
The Independent
Bob is especially remembered in Limoges because it was he and his SOE organiser who'd accepted the surrender of the city’s occupying German garrison; and following the liberation of France Bob joined SOE’s Force 136 in the Far East. At his funeral last week in Paris Bob’s coffin was carried by serving members of the French special forces to recognise that he had also served in France's post-WW2 special forces and secret service.
Tomorrow afternoon's tribute event will take place in the theatre of the Musée de la Résistance à Limoges 7, rue Neuve-Saint-Etienne, 87000 Limoges. The programme will start at 2pm, be conducted in a combination of French and English and include a documentary, plus exclusive interview footage, tributes and personal memories -
"L'Espion vous salue bien"
This 2012 French documentary will be
Apologies once again for the ultimate in short
"L'Espion vous salue bien"
This 2012 French documentary will be
screened, which recounts Bob’s wartime and subsequent career.
We are very grateful to Martyn Cox for alerting us to the event :
Personal testimony and unique footageFor the recipients of this email who don’t
know me, I’m Martyn Cox - an oralhistorian specialising in filming thetestimonies of British and French veteranswho'd had clandestine roles during WW2.
Since 2007 I’d not only filmedextensively with Bob Maloubier (in English) but also got to know him quite well, andso I’ve been invited to tomorrow's Limoges
event to follow on from the Frenchdocumentary. I’ll show excerpts from myinterviews, and also some very special extrafootage which has never been screened inpublic before.
event to follow on from the Frenchdocumentary. I’ll show excerpts from myinterviews, and also some very special extrafootage which has never been screened inpublic before.
Apologies once again for the ultimate in short
notice but, as you can imagine, this event hasbeen arranged quite quickly. I very muchhope you'll try to be there … and pleaseforward this email to anyone else you believemay be interested in attending.
For more information by all means contact me on 06 25 65 50 95 or by email: mc@secret-ww2.net
Kind regards,
Martyn Cox
Co-founder