Alphonse Antoine

Alphonse Antoine (1890-1969) French general, resistant, specialist in the transmissions.

Specialist in the military transmissions

Alphonse Antoine was born in 1890 with Raon-on-Plain (the Vosges), of a mother embroidering-machine and a customs father at the border post of Donon (which delimits separation between France and the German empire occupying the Alsace then).

After primary studies higher than the Colbert school of Paris, it is received with the contest of the Railroads of the East, company exploiting the railway lines between Paris and the Lorraine.

Mobilized during the war of 1914-1918, he becomes second lieutenant in the weapon of the genius and makes almost all the war on the face of Lorraine, in particular in the sector of Chapelotte (the Vosges).

After the end of the war, it continues its activity within the army and is charged to organize the interallied Exchange of Berlin. It takes part, with the general Gustave Ferrié (1868-1932), with the creation of Radio Eiffel Tower, first French transmitter of wireless telegraphy, with military vocation in the years 1920.

Resisting, person in charge of the sabotage of telephone equipment

Alphonse Antoine teaches in 1930-1940, at the school of the transmissions, then is affected with the ministry for the war, and that of the armament. Of 1940 with 1942, it is affected in Tunisia where, under the orders of the Général of Lattre de Tassigny, it orders the transmissions. It takes part in the clandestine fight and organizes the camouflage of the material and the personnel.

It returns in metropolis, and joined the resistance movement main road “the Burning ones”, under the pseudonym of Dammartin (or Damemartin, or Andre). It is charged to implement, in the Southern zone, the sabotage of the German network of the underground lines at long distance, the against-sabotage and the repairing of the domestic network. Its integration in the group would have taken place in 1944.

Jacques Chaban-Delmas (Lakanal) names it national delegate with the Transmissions in spring 1944. It is in charge of the execution of the “Purple Plan”, which envisages the sabotage of the German phone networks. It implements it on June 5th, 1944, at 9 p.m. 15, following a message on the waves of the radio operator British in French language BBC (“the Colonel their cut the whistle”).

Alphonse Antoine is promoted general in 1944. He leaves the army in 1946 and joined privately held company RTI (Intercontinental Technical Relations) where he develops apparatuses of transmission, in particular of the oscilloscopes.

Deceased in Paris on February 9th, 1969, it is buried with the cemetery of Allarmont, commune where it had a residence.

Alphonse Antoine was commander of the Légion of honor, holder of both Military Cross (1914-1918 and 1939-1945) as well as Médaille of Resistance. He is the father of Gerald Antoine, philologist, vice-chancellor of the academy of Tours Orleans, mayor of Allarmont.

Sources

Internet site of the town hall of Allarmont
National movement of resistance Burning the

Random links: