Fritz Erler - German spy

Apologies for not being able to converse in French - I have used Google translation to covert the following enquiry from English to French.

A few years ago I read here that Desfourneaux had executed the Nazi spy Fritz Erler in June 1940 because a firing squad could not be arranged due to the military situation as the Germans approached Paris.

I have since read that this was not the case and Erler was indeed executed by a firing squad.

Can anybody clarify please ?

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Toutes mes excuses pour ne pas pouvoir converser en français - j'ai utilisé la traduction de Google pour convertir la demande suivante de l'anglais au français.

Il y a quelques années, j'ai lu ici que Desfourneaux avait exécuté l'espion nazi Fritz Erler en juin 1940 parce qu'un peloton d'exécution n'avait pas pu être organisé en raison de la situation militaire alors que les Allemands approchaient de Paris.

J'ai lu depuis que ce n'était pas le cas et qu'Erler a bien été exécuté par un peloton d'exécution.

Quelqu'un peut-il clarifier s'il vous plaît?

J'ai longtemps pensé comme vous mais Nemo m'a détrompé dans un échange sur le site de La Veuve intitulé Septembre 2021.
J'espère que vous y trouverez votre profit.

Merci

C'est sur ce site, il y a quelques années, que j'ai lu où Desfourneaux avait accepté d'exécuter Fritz Erler en l'absence d'un premier peloton militaire - et avait été tenu pour responsable par les Allemands à leur arrivée à Paris.

En fait je pense que cette histoire est peut-être encore sur le site ?

Je vous suis obligé de corriger cette erreur afin que Desfourneaux ne soit pas jugé coupable.

Toutes mes excuses pour l'utilisation d'un outil de traduction, j'espère qu'il n'y a pas d'erreurs de grammaire, etc.

https://www.ft.com/content/c2576500-62e7-11df-b1d1-00144feab49a

The Erler story...
The fact that a German spy was beheaded by Desfourneaux was unfortunately mentioned too many times in books, and that's when I found actual documents that I was able to know it was a big fat lie.
Erler's death certificate appears in archives of the city of Ivry-sur-Seine, where military sentenced had to be executed after June 1939.
The case file, detained by the military archives of Le Blanc, say the same : he was shot by a firing squad.
Why bother to create such a conspiracy just to hide the fact Erler was guillotined, even if Germans were about to conquer France ? After all, death was death, and in 1940, the Third Reich already was cutting heads of political opponents and murderers without distinction...

No conspiracy there, and no mistake too... It was deliberate.
In fact, the first to speak about Erler's last morning seems to be Me Albert Naud, in his books against death penalty.
He said that nine terrorists were decapitated at la Santé on May 1st, 1944 and "executioners were wading in blood".
That is an invention too.
In the 50's, if French justice was already trying to abolish death penalty step by step, people were still attached to that sentence, and Naud, as one of the leaders of the abolitionist movement, knew it.
So, he exaggerated stories about the guillotine to make it even more unbearable that it already was, just to shock readers and inducing changes in their barbaric mentality.
And since he particularly hated Desfourneaux, who beheaded his client Michel Watrin in 1950, it was a way to show how ruthless and obedient the executioner was... no more better than a nazi...

Thank you for reply and explanation - that clears up my misunderstanding of information I had seen here some years ago.

Your English is excellent.

Concerning the execution of the nine terrorists in May 1944 - I had read that Desfourneaux was responsible for this - thank you for correcting that error as well.

A few years ago the film about Jacques Mesrine was on British TV - in the scene where he escapes from prison in Paris there is a brief glimpse of the memorial on the street wall to these nine men.

I am obliged for your help.

ScottishMaiden a écrit:

Thank you for reply and explanation - that clears up my misunderstanding of information I had seen here some years ago.

Your English is excellent.

Concerning the execution of the nine terrorists in May 1944 - I had read that Desfourneaux was responsible for this - thank you for correcting that error as well.

A few years ago the film about Jacques Mesrine was on British TV - in the scene where he escapes from prison in Paris there is a brief glimpse of the memorial on the street wall to these nine men.

I am obliged for your help.

You're welcome : anyway, when you want to write a biography, you have to be cautious and check for facts !