Fred Scamaroni

Fred Scamaroni, born with Ajaccio the 24 October 1914 and died in the citadel of this same city on March 19th, 1943, is a French senior official, member of the free France since 1940, hero and martyr of the Résistance. It committed suicide anything to reveal with its of torture Italian. With Jean Moulin, he is the most important member of the prefectoral body engaged in Resistance.

Biography

Wire of a prefect, student, laid off Faculty of Law of Paris in 1934, Fred Scamaroni begins in his turn in the administrative career. He is principal private secretary of the prefect of Doubs in 1936 then Apple-brandy in 1937-1939. Although being able to be exempted of enrôlement, it makes a point of taking share with the combat at the time of the declaration of war. During the Funny one of War, it is affected in the infantry. By refusal of the inaction, it joint aviation, and is wounded in aerial combat on May 19th, 1940, full German offensive.

To the current of the call of June 18th launched by the General de Gaulle, he manages to embark on June 21st, 1940 for England. He is one of the first French Free S.

At the time of the raid gaullist on Dakar, which tries to rejoin immense the Africa Occidentale French with the allied cause, Fred Scamaroni is stopped by the Vichyist ones with several comrades. Imprisoned under hard conditions, repatriated in metropolis, it is released in February 1941. But, erased the prefectoral one, it must accept a modest employment in a ministry to survive.

Immediately renewing contact with Resistance and London, it founds in Corsica the Copernic network again, then joined London in December 1941. Member of BCRA, it ensures several missions of confidence for free France.

He in parallel works out a project of insurrection in his Corsica native, occupied by the fascistic Italy since November 1942. January 7th, 1943, a submarine deposits it in Corsica. Under a false identity, it must contact the resistant buildings, to unify the existing organizations, to locate the grounds of unloading and parachutings, to prepare a future unloading in the island.

The frightening fascistic political police, OVRA, tracking the network which it assembled, and stops its radio operator on March 18th, 1943. This last, after 30 hours of appalling tortures, delivers the name of its chief. Fred Scamaroni is stopped in Ajaccio in the night from March 18th to 19th, and subjected in his turn with the Torture. In its cell, it opens the veins with a wire, and dies after having written with the wall with its own blood: " Live France, lives de Gaulle! " Its torturers throw his body with the common grave.

Fred Scamaroni is Compagnon of the Release and, by decree of February 26th, 1945, appointed prefect on a purely posthumous basis, with retroactive effect starting from June 17th, 1940.

His/her sister Marie-Claire, resistant and French political woman, wrote her biography.

Decorations

Chevalier of the Legion of Honor
Companion of the Release - decree of October 11th, 1943
Quoted to the Order of the Nation
Military Cross 39/45
Distinguished Service Order (GB)

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