this blog is centred on daniel cordier’s book alias caracalla, first published in french by gallimard in 2009.
daniel corder joined charles de gaulle’s free french in june 1940, straight after the collapse of the French army and MARSHAL PÉTAIN’S CALL FOR ARMISTICE. HE WAS 19 AT T.HE TIME
A FIERCE PATRIOT AND ADMIRER OF THE FAR-RIGHT, ROYALIST POLEMICIST CHARLES MAURRAS, CORDIER WANTED TO BE GIVEN A RIFLE AND TO KILL GERMANS.
INSTEAD, HE SPENT TWO YEARS IN BRITAIN TRAINING FIRST AS AN INFANTRYMAN AND LATER IN SOE SCHOOLS AS A SECRET AGENT.
PARACHUTED AT LAST INTO FRANCE IN JULY 1942, HE MET DE GAULLE’S REPRESENTATIVE JEAN MOULIN, WHO MADE HIM HIS SECRETARY.
SINGLEHANDED, HE BUILT UP MOULIN’S SECRETARIAT IN LYON, RECRUITING TYPISTS AND MESSENGERS, ATTENDING HIGH LEVEL MEETINGS BETWEEN MOULIN AND THE FRACTIOUS RESISTANCE MOVEMENTS.
CORDIER RECOUNTS HIS WORK, HIS ENCOUNTERS WITH SENIOR FIGURES AS WELL AS HIS COMRADESHIP WITH RESISTERS AND YOUNG FREE FRENCH LIKE HIMSELF.
THE BLOG WILL PUBLISH PHOTOS, BRIEF BIOGRAPHIES OF PEOPLE MENTIONED IN THE BOOK, AND SHORT ITEMS ON THE MOVEMENTS, PRESS TITLES AND OTHER ELEMENTS RELATING TO THE WARTIME PERIOD.
THIS IS A relaunch of previous sites (Caracacallacompanion and caracallacompanioncom) that seem to have locked me out of further editing.
FEEDBACK WELCOMED.
Caracallacompanionblog 