Headlines
They were world news in October 1960, eleven deserters from the French Foreign Legion. Not so much because these men had deserted from the French Foreign Legion or that it was a relatively large group.
The newsworthiness was the fact that they had got active support from the enemy, the Algerian resistance.
As such these men, no longer willing to serve in the French Army in Algeria provided ideal propaganda for the Algerian cause [1].
The men were presented to the national press in Rabat on the 4th of October 1960
The headlines in the “New York Times” one the 6th of October 1960 were as follows:
Algeria Rebels Say They Helped 5,000 Desert the Foreign Legion;
ALGERIANS REPORT AIDING DESERTERS
RABAT, Morocco, Oct. 4 — Eleven deserters from the French Foreign Legion in Algeria were presented here today as conscientious objectors to colonial wars.
The headlines of the French newspaper “Le Monde” was:
“Onze déserteurs de la légion étrangère sont présentés à la presse à Rabat”
Cornelis de Vries from the Netherlands is the man in the middle of the back row underneath the flag.
Also in the Netherlands there was much attention in the press for this event, almost certainly boosted by the fact that one of these eleven men was from the Netherlands, his name was Cornelis de Vries.
The Immigration Services Archive
Unexpected find
As part of general research into men from the Netherlands who had joined the French Foreign Legion, a dossier from the Netherlands Immigration Services archive in the “Nationaal Archief” in the Hague was requested to be retrieved.
The title translated was “Deserters from the French Foreign Legion” [2]
Amongst others, the dossier, surprisingly, contained detailed information about Cornelis de Vries and a copy of the official press communique issued in Rabat on the 4th of October 1960. Surprisingly because the period the Netherlands Immigration Services archive was supposed to cover was from 1945-1955.
Personal details
Part of the eleven pages long press communique, were 2 pages covering the personal details of the deserters.
Since both their date of birth and the Numero Matricule were given it allows to determine their age and approximately the time when they joined the French Foreign Legion.
Looking at the press photo suggests these men appear all fairly young, maybe with the exception of the fair haired men, second from the right.
1 – ZACKELL Herbert,
né le 17.3.36 à KREFELD, Mle. 118.915
2e classe, lieu de campement AIN SEFRA,
A déserté le 14.8.60 aux environs de TACHATOUFF –
Domicile : KREFELD, AN DE PLANK 2 ( Allemagne )
2 – WIENKE Fritz ,
né le 11.11.34 à STARGGARDT/POMMERN, Mle. 127.742
2e classe, lieu de campement MOGRAR,
A déserté au cours d’une embuscade tendue par l’A.L.N.
Domicile : RUNKEL/ KREIS OBERLAHN BAHNHOF (Allemagne).
3 – DUNKER Eckehardt ,
né le 28.9.41 a HAGEN/WESTPHALEN Mle. 151.089
2e classe, lieu de campement MOGRAR, a déserté au cours d’une embuscade le 26.8.60
Domicile: WUPPERTHAL-OBERBARMEN STENNORT Str. 15/WINDHOEFEL (Allemagne)
4 – RUEDIGER Wolfgang ,
né le 28.8.34 à BERLIN, Mle 125.547
2e classe, lieu de campement AIN SEFRA;
a déserté le 31.7.60 à TACHATOUFF
Domicile : BERLIN W 54 WILHELM PIECKSTRASSE 89 (Allemagne)
5 – SCHOEPFLIN Rolf Martin ,
né le 11.8.36 à PFORZHEIM, Mle. 117.597
1e classe, lieu de campement AIN SEFRA; a déserté le 23.8.60 á TACHATOUFF
Domicile : FREIBURG/BREISGAU SCHWABENDORF STRASSE 8 (Allemagne)
6 – DE VRIES Kornelis ,
né le 3.10.30 à OLDEKERK/Hollande
Mle. 123.387, 2e classe, lieu de campement AIN SEFRA; a déserté aux environs de TACHATOUFF le 23.8.60
Domicile : FRISOSTRAAT 40 GRONINGEN J.W. (Hollande)
7 – SZABO Lajos ,
né le 20.6.37 à BUDAPEST, Mle. 118.541
2e classe, lieu de campement AIN SEFRA,
à déserté à AIN SEFRA le 2.9.60.
Domicile : BUDAPEST VII KER HENAD 8 (Hongrie)
8 – ELES Lajas ,
né le 9.7.39 à BUDAPEST, Mle. 119.851,
2e classe, lieu de campement DJENNIEN BOU REZG; a déserté à AIN SEFRA au cours d’une visite médicale le 2.9.60.
Domicile : BUDAPEST XX KER – TAROK FLORES UTCA 249 (Hongrie)
9 – GUTTKORN Günter ,
né le 30.11.38 à BRESLAU, Mle. 117.563
2e classe, lieu de campement MOGRAR
a déserté le 20.9.60 aux environs de TACHATOUFF.
Domicile : BISMARCKSTRASSE 92 GELSENKIRCHEN (Allemagne)
10 – ARLICH Helmut ,
né le 15.8.39 à BERLIN, Mle. 122.232
1e classe, lieu de campement MOGRAR a désérte le 20.9.60.
Domicile : PFORZHEIN JUGENDSOCIALWERM BERLIN – KARLSHORST (Allemagne)
11 – HERMANN Knie ,
né le 28.12.38 à BERGURG, Mle. 123.613
2e classe, lieu de campement MOGRAR, a déserté le 20.9.60 aux environs de TACHATOUFF.
Domicile : OTTO-BAAH – STRASSE 4
MANNHEIM/PFALZ (Allemagne)
| Name | Age | Mle | Joined | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ZACKELL | 24 | 118.915 | 1957 | |
| WIENKE | 26 | 127.742 | 1959 | |
| DUNKEL | 19 | 151.089 | [ – ] [1960] | Mle most likely not correct. Most likely 131.089 |
| RUEDIGER | 26 | 125.547 | 01-1959 | |
| SCHOEPFLIN | 24 | 117.597 | 06-1957 | |
| DE VRIES | 30 | 123.387 | 05-1958 | |
| SZABO | 23 | 118.541 | 06-1957 | |
| ELLES | 21 | 119.851 | 08-1957 | |
| GUTTKORN | 22 | 117.563 | 06-1957 | |
| ARLICH | 21 | 122.232 | 1958 | |
| HERMANN | 22 | 123.613 | 05-1958 |
[1] West Germany, Cold War Europe And The Algerian War. Author: Mathilde Von Bulow
[2] 2.09.5026 Inventaris van het archief van het Ministerie van Justitie: Beleidsarchief Immigratie- en Naturalisatiedienst (IND) [periode 1945-1955], 1945-1955
Inventarisnummer 2100 Deserteurs uit het Franse Vreemdelingenlegioen.