Henri Lafont

Youth

He grows in an popular environment. His/her father had died and his/her mother gave up it. He often trailed in the district of the Markets in Paris. With adolescence, he exerted many trades of operation to dispach rider.

In 1919, it steals the bicycle of its owner who confiscated a tip to him and decides to leave on the Riviera. It is quickly stopped and passes in front of the court which condemns it to the reformatory. He will travel through the France, of Chambéry to the Havre while passing by Marseilles where he will again be condemned but for Proxénétisme.
In 1932, it makes its military service in the Algerian Tirailleurs, then it Marie and will have two children, Pierre and Henriette. It begins a quiet life with a regular work. But a new hard blow is announced with the escape of his wife who leaves with the case the store where he works. It is responsible for the case; justice requires accounts of him. It decides to escape and changes name. Until the end of 1940, he will be condemned eleven times to custodial sentences.

De Chamberlin with Lafont

At the beginning of 1940, Chamberlin is called Lafont, he is manager of a garage Simca with the Porte of the Lilacs where he becomes acquainted with the vicinity and even of the police force. In March, it successful has to become managing mess of Friendly of the police heaquarters. In May it is continued and arrété for insubordination but like the Wehrmacht approach, it is transferred to the camp from Cepoy. In the camp there are various people and some German S. In June 1940, it is the defeat and the exodus in all France. The disorder of the camp makes it possible Lafont to rather easily escape with two Germans for companions.

“Why not to work with us? ”

The two Germans belong to the Abwehr and as they sympathize with Lafont, proposes to him to come with them to Paris. “Our services have just arrived at the Hôtel Lutetia. Why not work with us? ”

Ce that Lafont will say later to the one its avocats:

“At the beginning, I hardly liked this German history. If the guy of opposite, the resistant ones, had proposed something to me, I would have done it. There is no doubt. And I would not have made gifts with the fritz! Only here, at the time, of resistant I did not know any, I did not see the color of it. I did not even know what it was. It is with that which the destiny of a man holds: a small chance, a history of shunting. Or then it is fate! ”

It creates an office of purchase on behalf of the Wehrmacht. It will buy any kind of products, of clothing to the pieces of furniture while passing by the foodstuffs. He plays the utilities and points out himself by Otto Brandl and the captain Radecke of Wehrmacht. The businesses going well but the buildings become exiguous. He will move twice for finally settling with the 93 Rue Lauriston a building pertaining to American Jew of Polish origin having flees in 1940 for the the United States. Lafont decides to be surrounded by a band but with its manner i.e. made up of old ordinary prisoners.

In August 1940, in company of Radecke, it goes to the Prison of Fresnes provided with one let pass. It will choose 25 people: “Be free for You! … but you will call me owner. ”

A few days later and thanks to " Otto" it will obtain its chart of German police officer n°10474R

“The small chiefs of collaboration make speeches, me I acted. You will judge on parts” says Lafont to Radecke. For its first blow, it will leave to Toulouse where it will stop Belgian spy Lambrecht whom it will torture with his hands, brought back it to Paris in the trunk of its car feet and hand tieds. Resulted led to the arrest from a network of 600 people.

“Everyone is to be sold, it is enough to know to buy. ”

Its band will be composed of a hundred the permanent ones on which it reigns as a Master. It founds a system of fines for those which would make variations with the enacted rules, being able to go until the sorrow of mort.
Il does not have there only gangsters and other shadies but also of the police officers of which most known, old the " first police officer of France" Pierre Bonny which will become the second of Lafont with qualities of ambition and meticulousness.

Failure in Algiers

Towards end of the year 40, Hermann Brandl request in Lafont to make pass a liaison officer in North Africa to install there a clandestine transmitter in communication with the German services. Lafont will settle with its team with the Cape Doumia close to Algiers. But two of the accomplices will be arrété by the police force, and the mission will fail. Lafont was condemned to death in absentia.

Mixing business and politics and tortures

The activity was exerted in several directions, the fight against resistance and the operations concerned with the Gestapo where they were effective, to their credit of many dismantled networks.

The services excelled in the interrogations: pulling up of the nails, filing of the teeth, ox nerve, punch, of foot, burn to the cigarette or the soldering iron. But also torment of the frozen bath-tub, electricity etc

At the beginning of 1942, it gets along with the " Devisen Schütz Kommando" (Detachment for the setting in safety of the currencies, DSK) installed to the 5 Street Pintail Will in charge of the currencies and to fight against the black-market. In the traffics it obtained up to 20% of commissions. It was a question of being introduced into the good company, of putting in confidence its interlocutors, of concentrating on the people having troubles and eager to hide money in Switzerland or to obtain passes. At the time of the appointment, the members of the team left their chart German or French police force and negotiated the repurchase of currencies, of gold of pieces of furniture at sold off prices. When it was about a Jew, all was confiscated to him then he was taken along to SD of the Avenue Foch.

Hunting for the traffickers was more justifying because very lucrative for the permanent ones. The treasures accumulated street Lauriston, one day of December 1942 Lafont divided the spoils of the old US embassy, composed of crockery of luxury, with the German main leaders of Paris.

Henri Lafont carries out a good life, a revenge on his youth, which gets a pleasure to him to see important people making him requests. He organizes, much fashionable evenings where he multiplies the contacts and becomes impossible to circumvent thanks to the favors which he distributes. To reward its chiefs, it take them along in the large cabarets and establishments of night of the capital of which the One-two-two. Having obtained German nationality with the rank of captain, it made the round of the establishments of night Parisian in German uniform what displeased at the intelligence services Wehrmacht

It accustomed much " to it; 93" , like the prefect of police Amédée Bussière, the journalist Jean Luchaire, the actress Yvette Lebon and her daughter like much of women called " Countesses of Gestapo " .

Paradoxically, the relationship with the collaborationnists will be rather bad. Fernand de Brinon will refuse to return in combine of Lafont.

In 1943, the band eliminates the network " Defense of France" to which Genevieve de Gaulle niece of the general belongbelonged, stopped the July 20th 1943 by the former inspector Bonny with the 68 Rue Bonaparte. This one will be locked up in a private mansion requisitioned in June 1940 by Wilhelm Radecke with the 3bis Place of the United States whose owner had flees with New York. Lafont will make use of it like warehouse of goods, and in spring 1943, Karl Boemelburg will make move in on the last floors cells with bars.

" The war of the gestapos"

The problem of Lafont was that it was to divide and compose with other Parisian gestapists. The frictions and the settlings of score sometimes mortals, were constant. There was " the band of Corses" whose indiscipline aggravated Lafont. Many incidents one opposed with " Gestapo de Neuilly" directed by Frederic Martin alias Rudy de Mérode known to be one of the most dangerous gestapist, a time associated with Gédéon van Houten. The band with Lafont will end up stopping men of Mérode and sending them in deportation to get rid of them.

End of the war

In August 1944, the people compromised in collaboration flee Paris towards the Germany, Sigmaringen, Baden-Baden, Steinhorst. But Lafont remains in France because it is trustful, can be too much because it will end up being denounced. It will settle in its farm of Baslins with Bazoches-on-the-Betz leaving behind him the buildings of the Rue Lauriston given up, while asking however Pierre Bonny to destroy the files. It was accompanied by its mistress, her two children as well as Bonny and its family. They hoped all to wait until the situation become again normal for then fleeing in Spain and recovering part of the accumulated nest egg. However, at this time there, the roads were not any more sure, and one rançonnement was possible. FFI réquisionnèrent their cars, Bentley and unforeseen Jaguar.
Cet obliged Lafont to send the son Bonny to join Paris in the bicycle and to obtain Joseph Joanovici cars.

Joanovici known as " the ragman milliardaire" was agent of the Comintern, Gestapo and support of the resistance movement " Honor of the police". It delivers Lafont and its tape to the Morin inspector by indicating the farm to him.

on August 30th, 1944 in the morning, the farm is encircled and Lafont and its assistants are stopped without resistance. Five 5 paper and weapon, jewel, franc million in liquid is seized

Lawsuit and sentence

Bonny and Lafont were questioned with the Conciergerie.
In front of the examining magistrate Bonny will acknowledge all, and will quote more than thousand names implied in " the business of the street Lauriston". A wave of panic is spread in Paris especially after the revelation of a market to the black of false certificates of resistant.

The lawsuit will begin on February 1st 1944 to finish the December 11th. People will testify in favor of Lafont for rendered service, including the resistant ones for which it would have had an indulgence or would have saved a member of their family. The police force will find with the farm, in a vat with linen salts 2,5 franc Million in small cuts.

At the time of the verdict, Bonny will be supported by the gendarmes whereas Lafont accommodates it with the smile with the lips, very slackened.

the December 26th with the Extremely of Montrouge, Lafont addresses some words to its M^eDrieu lawyer:

“I do not regret anything, Madam, four years in the middle of the orchises, of the Dahlia S and of the Bentleys, that is paid! I lived ten times more quickly, here all. Said to my son that the " never should be attended; caves". How he is a man like his father! ” In " the countess of Palmyre" , delivers of Marie-Cecile de Taillac published to the Belfond editions in 1995, Henry Lafont who would have been a time the lover of heroin, would have launched to his defender before being shot: " That is equal for me to die. I lived ten lives, I can lose one of them well… " previously, going towards the firing squad, it will have pointed out: " one should modernize all that - to send a beautiful chick, for example, in the place of a curé"

It is 9:50, Lafont is attached to the post, the head discovered and the cigarette with the lips.

the French Connection would have been financed by the money of the fuselage via Auguste Ricord, agent of Lafont, is stopped in September 1972 and is considered and condemned to the United States.

References

See also: Amorce=A to also see:, Friedrich Shepherd, Gédéon van Houten, Christian Masuy, Rudy de Mérode,

Magazine Historia Except Series n°26 1972 by Fabrice Laroche
the Band Bonny-Lafont ED. Black river, 1992 per Serge Jacquemard,
countesses of Gestapo ED. Grasset, 2007 by Cyril Eder,

External bonds

nonofficial Site on Patrick Modiano
About the shadies of the Fuselage

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