Frédéric Georges REINHARDT 1901 – 1964

Frédéric Georges Reinhardt was born on October 24, 1901 in Ingwiller (67).

He has an older sister, Rika, born in 1899, and a younger brother, Robert, born in 1905. His father, Fritz Reinhardt, also from Ingwiller, is a building contractor, married to Marie Ehretsmann from Hunawihr (68). His mother died of tuberculosis in September 1907, and his father six months later, in February 1908, of grief, according to family recollections.

Within a year, the couple’s three children were orphaned and raised by their grandmother and paternal great-aunt, who ran a haberdashery in Ingwiller. Frédéric spent his entire childhood in Ingwiller.

Around 1920, he completed an apprenticeship as a hardware merchant at a store in Strasbourg near Place Gutenberg. He then moved to the Paris region to work in Rueil, before moving to the Montbéliard region to take up a new job at BERNARD & MEGNIN, a hardware store.

At the age of 18, he finished 1st in the Tour d’Ingwiller (67), and won a cup that his family treasures. He went on to take part in many other competitions.

A keen sportsman, he practiced gymnastics and rowing when he was in Rueil.

Class of 1921, he was drafted on April 5, 1921, and joined the fleet crew depot in Lorient on May 20, 1921.

He completed his military service on April 1, 1923 and was sent home on April 25, 1923 (he was granted a certificate of good conduct for the duration of his service).

On June 20, 1923 he was posted as a reservist.

On February 1, 1927 he was attached to the Centre Mobilisateur (CM) n°201 de Chasseurs. On December 6, 1934 he was attached to the Sélestat subdivision following a change of address (now living in Barr). On November 1, 1937 he was appointed corporal, then on October 15, 1938 master corporal.

He had a little cousin, Roland Bloch, who was his godfather (22 years older than him, due to a generation gap). As this godson lived in Barr (67), he visited him regularly, and it was certainly during his stays in Barr that he met his future wife, Berthe Willm, who was born on October 26, 1901 and also lived in Barr. They married in 1927 and had the joy of giving birth to their only daughter Marie-Madeleine Christiane on December 24, 1930, whom everyone called Marlène.

From 1927 to 1940, Frédéric and his family lived in Barr (67), where he worked for the Willm company, known at the time for its snail production and wines of the same name.

At the time, it was still relatively rare for an orphan like Frédéric, with no particular assets, to marry into a “well-to-do” family. This was certainly due to the fact that Frédéric got on very well with his father-in-law, who was the founder of the Willm company. The two of them share an entrepreneurial spirit. Throughout his life, before and after the war, Frédéric always had an entrepreneurial and innovative spirit. He filed a patent in the thirties for the creation of an object entitled “l’étend miel” (which remained confidential) and other patents.

He served 2 mobilization periods at Mutzig(67); the first in 1938 and the second in 1939: He was recalled on April 11, 1939 to the CM Infanterie n°202 and sent home on April 19, 1939. Appointed reserve sergeant on March 20, 1939. Following the events of summer 1939 and the growing risk of war, he was recalled on August 23, 1939 and transferred to the 223rd Infantry Regiment on November 4, 1939.

During the “phoney war”, he fights with his unit’s Corps Francs…

In June 1940, he was in the Rambervillers sector of the Vosges, where, after the town was taken by the Germans, he withdrew on June 20 to Brû with the last elements of the 223rd Infantry Regiment.

On June 21, 1940, at 2 a.m., Lieutenant-Colonel Languillaume, commanding the 223rd RI, decided to organize the defense of the village “for the sake of honor”, despite the inevitability of defeat and the request of the mayor and villagers not to resist, to avoid unnecessary destruction. At 9 a.m., the first German elements appeared in front of the French defensive line, marking the start of intense fighting (more than 600 shells fell on the village between midday and 7 p.m.) which lasted until 7 p.m.. By the end of the day, the men of the 223rd Infantry Regiment had run out of ammunition and could no longer cope with the final German charge, which claimed a few more victims. At 7.15pm, the enemy assembles all the prisoners in columns of three…the long and painful ordeal of captivity begins! Frédéric Reinhardt’s service record states that he took part in the French campaign from November 4, 1939 to June 25, 1940.

Following the Armistice of June 22, 1940, the majority of Alsatian and Moselle prisoners were released relatively quickly by the German authorities, who considered them to be German citizens and wanted them to return home as soon as possible…in order to Nazify the populations of the 3 départements (67-68-57) as quickly as possible. Frédéric, prisoner number 567, received his release order from the Lunéville Kriegsgefangenenlager on July 11, 1940.

Entlassungsschein,

Der auf Grund Glaubhafter ausgaben als deutschstämmig erachtete Reinhardt Fritz geboren 24.10.1901 in Barr wird hiermit aus der deutschen Kriegsgefangeenschaft unter dem Vorbehalt des Widerrufes bei Festellung falscher Angaben entlassen, den 11 juli 1940. Für kommandant des Kriegsgefangeenlagers : Hauptmann Raff.

Jeder Entlassene ist verpflichtet so schnell wie möglich in seine Heimat zurückkehren und sich bei dem Ortskommandanten und dem Bürgermeister zu melden. Ausdem geraumten Gebiet stammende Entlassene haben sich bei dem nächst erreichbaren Landkommi-sar (Rückkehrer-Betreuungsstelle) zu melden zwecks Zuweisung eines vorläufigen Aufenthaltsortes. Das Betreten der geräumten Teile des elsass-lothringischen Grenzkreise nordwärts der linie Königsmachern-Hömburg-Bidingen – Bolchen – Falkenberg – Altdorf – Saaralben – Albcabshnitt – Örmingen – Enchenberg – Philippsburg – Langensullzbach – Sulz – Bischweiller – sowie dieser Orte selbst mit Ausname von Bischweiler von Süden her ist nur mit einer Ausnahmeerlaubnis eines Landkommissars zulässig. Zuwiderhandlungen gegen die vorstehenden Anweisungen werden gesetzlich bestraft.

Verpflegt bis zum 13 Juli 1940.

Certificate of release,

Reinhardt Fritz, born on 24.10.1901 in Barr, considered to be of German origin on the basis of credible information, is hereby released from German captivity subject to revocation in the event of finding of false statements, on July 11, 1940. Iron commandant of the prisoner-of-war camp: Hauptmann Raff.

All those released must return home as soon as possible and report to the local commander and mayor. Persons released from the expelled area must report to the nearest Landkommi-sar (return assistance office) to be assigned a temporary place of residence. Access from the south to the evacuated parts of the Alsace-Lorraine border district located north of the line Königsmachern-Hömburg-Bidingen – Bolchen – Falkenberg – Altdorf – Saaralben – Albcabshnitt – Örmingen – Enchenberg – Philippsburg – Langensullzbach – Sulz – Bischweiller – as well as to these localities themselves, with the exception of Bischweiler, is only permitted by dispensation of a district commissioner. Violations of the above instructions are punishable by law.

Supplied until July 13, 1940.

Very soon after his return home, he prepared the family’s departure from Barr for the free zone, as for Frédéric it was inconceivable that they would have to live under the Nazi yoke (he had certainly anticipated a possible expulsion due to his strong Francophilia). On September 1, 1940, the entire Reinhardt family left Barr by private car, on the pretext of a trip to Lyon to buy corks for Willm’s wine bottles. To make it look like a short stay, there was no heavy luggage, so Frédéric’s wife dressed Marlène with twice as many clothes on her.

After being turned away for the first time, Frédéric and his family found a second crossing point and managed to cross the demarcation line unharmed. The real destination of their journey was the town of Pertuis in the Vaucluse region, as Frédéric’s younger brother (Robert) was able to take them in through his in-laws who lived there.

He was demobilized on September 5, 1940 by the Nîmes demobilization center, where he stopped before joining his brother in Pertuis.

They spent a month looking for a farm to buy, and found one in l’Isle-sur-la-Sorgue in the Vaucluse in early October 1940.

As a reminder, the Vaucluse department was the destination of Alsatians expelled from the Bruche valley by the Nazis, and a number of them passed through and stayed at Isle-sur-la-Sorgue, in their large house.

Their daughter Marlène, much later, told her son Jean-François about Canon Bornert of Molsheim (later arrested and deported to Dachau) and Molsheim deputy mayor Henri Meck, both of whom had been expelled by the German authorities.

We don’t know if Frédéric Reinhardt was active in the Resistance in Vaucluse, but in July 1943, the Vichy militia suddenly arrived at his home to arrest him!… for the record, a few years ago, one of his grandsons met a former Resistance fighter in Fontaine de Vaucluse, who told him that when the Resistance fighters saw this fellow (Frédéric) with his German accent come ashore, they wondered if they weren’t going to “shoot” him!

Luckily, he wasn’t there that day, but he had to go into hiding and start a clandestine life. He spent some time in the surrounding hills, and came in the night to see his daughter and his wife. Frédéric left Isle-sur-la-Sorgue for Allanche, and after his departure his ailing wife went to the Charentes region, where Frédéric’s older sister was staying. Marlène, barely 13 at the time, remained alone in the big house for some time, with just Alphonse Hornecker and his family living in a house next to the farm. The Hornecker family had been expelled in 1940 (Alphonse had spoken ill of the Nazi regime in a bistro in 1940) and were originally from Urmatt. Alphonse worked on the farm in Isle-sur-la-Sorgue, and the farm was subsequently occupied by the German army.

His daughter “Méjélé” joins him in Allanche in the Cantal (a young man sent by Frédéric to pick up his daughter and take her by train to her father. The journey ended on foot in 20 cm of snow), but following a denunciation they had to leave in a hurry and headed for Grenoble. In Grenoble, Frédéric had false papers made to leave France, while his wife (who had joined them) and daughter took refuge with a friend, Madame Ferber, who lived in Gap, where they remained in hiding until her liberation on August 20, 1944, before returning to their home in Isle-sur-la-Sorgue in September 1944.

Having escaped from France on April 24, 1944, Frédéric crossed the Pyrenees near Mont Louis, where the brother of a dentist friend in Strasbourg, Monsieur Wennigger, owned a house that could serve as a base camp for his departure. He had difficulty crossing the Pyrenees on foot, due to the heavy snowfalls (and the cold), which in some places reached up to his waist. He managed to cross the passes and arrived in Girona, where he was imprisoned (like so many other brave Frenchmen in Spanish jails). Almost certainly because of his age, 40, he was released very quickly compared with the younger men, most of whom spent months there before being able to reach North Africa…

In Spain, he left Girona for Barcelona, where he stayed at the Grand Hôtel des 4 Nations, before crossing the Mediterranean to North Africa…

…where he joined the French commandos on June 5, 1944.

The 2nd Commando de France was formed on June 6, 1944 exclusively from volunteers who had escaped from France.

Parachuted and trained in the Staouéli and Sidi-ferruch region under the command of Captains Tersarkissof and Villaumé.

He was promoted to staff sergeant on July 1, 1944.

Frédéric Reinhard officially obtained his US Para brevet on August 25, 1944, and his certificate was signed by Lieutenant-Colonel Gambiez, commander of the Bataillon de Choc and Commandos de France.

To this end, on June 21 and 22, 1944, he made the 4 jumps required by automatic opening regulations.

On September 24, 1944, Frédéric Reinhardt sent a message (which cost him 8 francs) through the Red Cross to his wife and daughter to give them news of him.:

“My dears. I have been in Africa since May 27, 1944 and am doing very well. I hope you are both in good health and that you have returned to Isle. I have enlisted for the duration of the war and hope to come to France soon to see you again. How are things at Sorguette? Have you heard from Barr? Bon baisers”

On October 2, 1944, “Fred” wrote a letter from Algiers to his wife and daughter, expressing concern that he had not heard from them, nor had he received a reply to his first 2 letters. In it we learn that he did cross the Spanish border, but with great difficulty. He arrived in Casablanca on May 27, 1944, where he immediately enlisted in the Bataillons de Choc, which a few days later became the Commandos de France. According to him, he was assigned to the 1st group of the Commandos de France, 2nd Commando, 4th platoon. He talks about all the courses he took: runner, parachutist, scout, killer, close combat, German weapons, German anti-tank gun, explosives…and all the training for elite troops. He can’t wait to begin the fight against the Nazi occupiers…

“We’ve been ready for action for 2 months and we’re still here. We are constantly on alert and never leave…I can’t wait to get to France to meet you at Sorguette and I hope to see you there…”.

One senses the man’s determination to liberate his homeland, whatever the cost: “Despite very hard training with men aged between 19 and 25 (he’s 43), I’ve held out for all the reports, but I feel I’m growing old normally. I don’t regret being in this elite corps and I’ve done everything to be ready for the rematch, and if we couldn’t do anything, it’s not our fault. We were promised that we would be the first to be parachuted into France…we were ready for anything and we were forgotten”.

He also asks for news of his dear Berthe and his little “Méjélé”, asking several questions: “…how did you live in Gap?…did the Germans bother you after I left? did you suffer from the fighting to liberate the region? when did you return to Sorguette? is there any damage? how are our family and friends…? He ends his letter with “a big kiss to you both and see you soon, your dad”.

NB: his grandson Jean-François, having spoken with some of his companions, remembers him as a character who marked them, Monsieur Jourquin repeating to him several times “your grandfather was somebody”! He also told him that during the umpteenth delayed departure to liberate France, Frédéric had angrily stabbed his commando dagger into the ship’s rail, loudly expressing his displeasure.

The 2nd Commando de France landed with the cruiser “Montcalm” at Toulon on October 10, 1944.

The Commando de France fought its first battle on November 3 and 4, 1944 at Haut-du-tôt and suffered its first casualties (24 men killed, most of them from the 1st Commando, and around a hundred wounded).

On November 9, 1944 “Fred writes in a letter to his daughter ”…it’s already pretty cold here and today there’s snow…we’re off the line after 5 days of very hard fighting. The worst part was the artillery and mortar bombardment in preparation for the enemy’s counter-attack…despite everything, we had to stay put and take it…We had 25% casualties in killed and wounded…our battalion behaved very well despite the fact that many of them were in the fire for the first time. …the rain didn’t stop for days, sleeping and living outside without a roof isn’t very enviable…lots of kisses to your darling mom, always be good my dear little one and help her while you can”.

On November 19 and 20, 1944, they took Essert against 2 German companies: in eight hours of fierce fighting, 18 commandos were killed. The fighting continued unabated with the liberation of Belfort, where they were among the first to enter on November 20, 1944.

On Saturday November 25, 1944 “Fred writes in a letter to his dear little Méjélé ”…We were engaged and had fierce fighting with the Boche. We took Belfort after infiltrating the village of Essert, 3 km away. All night and morning we had to endure German counter-attacks, and street fighting lasted until 3pm. At that point, our tanks were able to arrive and we rammed into Belfort, which we liberated at around 6am. The people were overjoyed! From there we liberated other villages and hamlets. Last night was the first time we’d slept under a roof, but morale was still superb. Yesterday I was on patrol and we were in Alsace”.

During the Alsace campaign, the French commandos fought in Masevaux between November 25 and 28 (16 killed). On November 26, 1944, the day Masevaux was liberated, Frédéric Reinhardt was one of the first French soldiers to enter the town, according to Mr. Gebel, owner of the “L’Aigle d’Or” hotel-restaurant in the town center: “On November 26, 1944, Mr. Reinhardt visited me at the cellar. He was the first French soldier we’d seen in over 4 years. We toasted with one of my bottles of Gewürztraminer that I had hidden from the Germans”.

November 30, 1944 “Fred writes a letter in Masevaux libérée: ”…For the last two days we have been in reserve…we have spent 15 days which were not very restful…we had a fierce battle at Essert which is the key to Belfort…. despite our losses, we took and held the village against an enemy that was far superior in numbers…we killed many of them…the fight lasted from 3 a.m. to 3 p.m., when our tanks arrived, having been stopped by the anti-tank ditches, and with which we returned to Belfort… 3h to cover 2.5kms…our section was the first to enter Belfort…from there we returned to the enemy rear towards Rougemont…finally the big day arrived with the entry of our troops into Alsace…we were still the first in Masevaux…what a joy for the population. We’re now in reserve, and it’s about time, because out of 31, we’re still 10… Backing down is a word that doesn’t exist for us, and we proved it at very critical moments… We were congratulated by our General de Lattre and by the great Charles”.

On the very day he wrote this letter, Frédéric and his comrades went to the Hundsruck pass in the Thann sector (68), at an altitude of 748 meters, to dislodge the German troops.

On Saturday December 2, Frédéric Reinhardt stepped on two mines while trying to rescue one of his men seriously wounded by a mine. He was wounded in the legs and head during a patrol with Aspirant Pérard (1 platoon) in front of Willer-sur-Thur and Bitschwiller-les-Thann (68) at around 7pm.

“On December 5, 1944, Fred wrote about what had happened to him: “I’m in hospital in Besançon. During a patrol on December 2, I received some mine shrapnel in my leg. I was lucky, others escaped with one or two missing feet.”

Back at the Thannerhubel, he was quickly treated by Bordaguibel and Deficis, then transported to the Masevaux girls’ school, which had been transformed into an advanced first-aid post. He was evacuated from the Masevaux hospital at around 9am on December 3, followed by Rougemont and Lure, arriving in Besançon at 6pm for surgery at 9pm. On December 4, a splinter was extracted from his left eye, and on December 5, X-rays were taken of his feet, thighs and knees: 9 splinters in the right thigh and 1 in the left; left knees, 6 splinters; right foot, small splinters plus a sprain; multiple splinters in the right face, chin and hand. On December 7, his right foot was cast at the Ruty barracks in Besançon. On the 10th, he left at 4pm by medical train and arrived at the supplementary hospital of the Dijon major seminary. He was then transferred to Lyon and Marseille, where he hoped to spend Christmas 1944 with his family, as he wrote in one of his letters. Thereafter, he spent most of his convalescence at home in Sorguette, and made regular visits to the Avignon hospital until May 12, 1945. Barely “back on his feet”, we learn from a press article in the Dernières Nouvelles d’Alsace (DNA) of 26/11/1969 that in May 1945, “a gentleman in civilian clothes, hobbling, helped by a cane, got out of a car on the Place Clémenceau…it was Mr. Reinhardt!” who apparently chose to return to Masevaux for one of his first trips.

For his action in combat he was awarded the following citation

“Section leader, escapee from France, volunteer for the commandos. He distinguished himself on November 19 and 20, 1944 at Essert(90) and on November 25 and 26, 1944 at Masevaux(68) both by his drive and courage and by his great physical stamina. During a patrol in enemy lines near Willer-sur-Thur(68) on December 2, 1944, was wounded by a mine while going to the aid of one of his men who was seriously wounded”. This citation includes the Croix de Guerre 1939-1945.

At the end of January 1945, the remainder of the Commando team continued to fight at Durrenentzen (44 killed) against the formidable Gebirgjäger of the 136th Regiment of the 2nd Gebirgs Division, an elite unit of German mountain troops, and several armoured vehicles.

After the reduction of the Colmar pocket on February 9, 1945, the survivors of the Commando de France were rested at Orschwihr (68) until March 31, 1945, before taking part in the German campaign. The 2nd French Commando was the first to cross the Rhine in early April 1945. It took part in all the battles: Karlsruhe(03-04-1945), Pforzheim(5 to 8-04-45), Langen Brand(14-04-1945), Black Forest, Pfollingen, Walvies. It ended its victorious journey in Austria at Bregenz, Rankweil and finally on May 8, 1945 at the summit of Vorarlberg, where they planted the flag bearing their colors.

The joy of Victory over the Nazis is overshadowed by the many comrades who are missing or wounded: 134 killed (including 102 during the Vosges and Alsace campaigns), 21 missing and 393 wounded.

Frédéric Reinhardt was demobilized on June 26, 1945, when he joined his wife and daughter, to be reunited once again at their farm “La Sorguette” in Isle-sur-Sorgue.

In July 1946, we meet up with his godson Roland (who, like 100,000 Alsatians and 30,000 Moselle residents, was forcibly drafted into the German army after August 25, 1942), who “disembarks” in Sorguette at the home of his uncle (with his consent) Frédéric Reinhardt, whom he affectionately called “Uncle Fred” after resigning from a stable civil service post in Strasbourg. Frédéric Reinhardt came to pick him up at Avignon station, welcoming him warmly, but as usual, he didn’t wait long to “curb” his godson’s enthusiasm, reminding him that he wasn’t coming for a vacation, but to work hard until he could find a solution for his professional future. Roland describes his dear Uncle Fred as follows :

“Anyone who didn’t know him can’t imagine the kind of man he was: physically handsome, with a strong character, a tireless worker, a family man, demanding of himself and others, but with his heart on his sleeve when it came to helping others or bailing out a friend, in short, a heart of gold hidden beneath a hard shell and, at heart, a great sentimentalist who avoided flaunting his reactions, very loyal in friendship and woe betide those who failed him. Not only did he always put his ideas into practice when he felt it was his duty to his family, his work and his country, he was always first to the task, setting a good example and sparing no effort to bring to fruition the projects he tirelessly concocted. For me, he will always remain a role model in every respect”.

Frédéric and his nephew broke down with their new car (the previous one having been stolen) on the N7 at the entrance to Orange, on their way to visit a supplier. As luck would have it, while waiting for a garage to help them out, Frédéric thought he recognized the Peugeot that had been stolen from him. Without saying a word, once he’d been helped out, Frédéric returned home to pick up the revolver he’d carried during his enlistment in the French army, and his friend Mr. Aymard, the garage owner, before returning to Orange to take a closer look at the vehicle, which bore a striking resemblance to his own. After a thorough examination by Mr. Aymard and his confirmation, Frédéric locked himself in the mechanic’s office to have a heated discussion with him (gun in hand), who had no choice but to admit his crime. Under guard (Roland and M Aymard), Frédéric went to the gendarmerie to lodge a complaint, but curiously, the maréchaussée tried to play down the affair. But “Uncle Fred” wasn’t one to be dissuaded so easily… the investigation would prove him right, as it was a gang of criminals specializing in car thefts, under cover of one of the gendarmes. That’s how he got his first car and…a fine and a few days’ suspended prison sentence for carrying a prohibited weapon of war, which was immediately amnestied because of his record of service during the Second World War.

After tidying up one of his cupboards in 1946… Frédéric set up a fish farm on his farm in 1947, which is still run today by one of his grandsons, Michael Meyer (the 3rd generation).

Until his death, Frédéric remained very close to the commune of Haut-du-Tôt, especially with the children of the village school, whom he visited regularly and to whom he sent a coli filled with sweets and fruit jellies every year, much to the children’s delight.

Sadly, he died suddenly on March 5, 1964 following a minor operation, at the age of 63, while still in good health and active in his profession. Having spent his entire childhood in Ingwiller, he is buried there in accordance with his last wishes. His beloved wife Berthe joined him in 1976.

His decorations:

His daughter Marlène has the joy of having eight children who still live in Provence, except for Jean-François who chose to go the other way round and return to Frédéric’s native land to live in Alsace.

Frédéric and Berthe have 8 grandchildren and 28 great-grandchildren, and the family continues to grow with new births.

The Musée Mémorial des combats de la poche de Colmar sincerely thanks Mr and Mrs MEYER Jean-Francois for donating his grandfather’s personal belongings, which today enable us to pay tribute to Frédéric Reinhardt and his Commandos de France comrades to whom we owe our Freedom!!!

LET’S NOT FORGET THEM!

…Sunday, October 27, 2024…

On Sunday October 27, 2024, we inaugurated the Frédéric Reinhardt showcase in the presence of descendants and family members, with the QR code dedicated to him by Jean-François Meyer, his grandson.

Our sincere thanks go to the brothers and sisters of the Meyer family for donating all of Frédéric Reinhardt’s artefacts and documents (“Marlène”, Frédéric Reinhardt’s daughter, is their mother and it was she who carefully preserved all of her father’s belongings throughout her life).

We’re delighted to have been able to inaugurate the showcase dedicated to him, which enables us to pay tribute to him and all his comrades in arms.

We ended the afternoon with a visit to the Musée Mémorial, recalling the tragic story of the liberation battles in the Poche de Colmar, and thinking fondly of all our liberators.

We would also like to thank Henri Simorre for his help and his keen eye for the subject.

To find out more about the history of shocks, we suggest you visit our forum : https://1erbataillondechoc.forumactif.com/

In addition…

NB concerning Alphonse Hornecker: he had a good friend who used to come to his farm in Isle sur Sorgue in the 50s… Albert Camus, who regularly came to Isle sur Sorgue to see the poet René Char, and who used to come and eat the omelette au lard at Alphonse’s house, as the latter welcomed him in a relaxed manner! At the time, Alphonse’s family no longer lived next door to Frédéric and Berthe’s, so Albert Camus was unfortunately never seen at Sorguette. Source: Jean-François Meyer.

sources :

Reinhardt-Meyer archives.

Bas-Rhin departmental archives