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The Second War United States Legion of Merit awarded to Lieutenant-Colonel P....
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Description
The Second War United States Legion of Merit awarded to Lieutenant-Colonel P. Leistenschneider, a Free French Resistance Operative and Saboteur codenamed Carré
United States of America, Legion of Merit, Officer’s breast badge, gilt and enamel, the reverse officially engraved ‘Paul Leistenschneider’, with gilt enamel emblem on riband, nearly extremely fine £100-£140
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Importation Duty
This lot is subject to importation duty of 5% on the hammer price unless exported outside the UK
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Paul Leistenschneider was born in Basse-Yutz on 16 January 1907 and was a lawyer by profession. Mobilised at the beginning of the Second World War, he was an early supporter of the Resistance, joining the Kléber network. In November 1940, after the annexation of his native Moselle, he benefited from the imposition of German nationality, which allowed him to travel freely in Germany and Austria, and used this freedom to provide valuable intelligence to his network. However, suspected by the German authorities, he decided to join the Free French in London; having crossed into Spain in November 1942, he was initially interned in the Miranda camp, before finally making it to England in March 1943 where he joined the Free French forces and volunteered for special missions in France under the codename Carré.
Appointed regional military delegate for the Montpellier region, Leistenschneider was dropped by plane near Lons-le-Saunier from where he joined his assignment on 15 September 1943. Creating a large Resistance network of agents, he was soon additionally given operational command of the Toulouse region, where he managed to unify the disparate resistance groups into a co-ordinated force, before adding the Lyon region to his area of operations. In June 1944, after carrying out a short intelligence mission during the German attack on the Vercors maquis, he returned to Lyon; having noted the superiority of the German troops he decided to make contact with the American army and the 1st Free French Division; setting off alone on a motorcycle, he crossed a region heavy with German patrols and managed to join the 36th American Division in order to proide them with vital intelligence prior to their attack on Lyon. With the help of information provided by Leistenschneider, the 36th US Division and the 1st Free French Division liberated Lyon on 3 September 1944.
Appointed Deputy Prefect and Secretary General of the Police for Alsace and Strasbourg in November 1944, Leistenschneider became full Prefect a year later and remained in office in Strasbourg until early 1946. Promoted Lieutenant-Colonel in June 1946, he was demobilised later that year. For his services with the Resistance during the Second World War he was appointed a Commander of the Legion of Honour, and was additionally appointed an Honorary Officer of the Order of the British Empire and an Officer of the American Legion of Merit. He died in Paris on 9 April 1999.
United States of America, Legion of Merit, Officer’s breast badge, gilt and enamel, the reverse officially engraved ‘Paul Leistenschneider’, with gilt enamel emblem on riband, nearly extremely fine £100-£140
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Importation Duty
This lot is subject to importation duty of 5% on the hammer price unless exported outside the UK
---
---
Paul Leistenschneider was born in Basse-Yutz on 16 January 1907 and was a lawyer by profession. Mobilised at the beginning of the Second World War, he was an early supporter of the Resistance, joining the Kléber network. In November 1940, after the annexation of his native Moselle, he benefited from the imposition of German nationality, which allowed him to travel freely in Germany and Austria, and used this freedom to provide valuable intelligence to his network. However, suspected by the German authorities, he decided to join the Free French in London; having crossed into Spain in November 1942, he was initially interned in the Miranda camp, before finally making it to England in March 1943 where he joined the Free French forces and volunteered for special missions in France under the codename Carré.
Appointed regional military delegate for the Montpellier region, Leistenschneider was dropped by plane near Lons-le-Saunier from where he joined his assignment on 15 September 1943. Creating a large Resistance network of agents, he was soon additionally given operational command of the Toulouse region, where he managed to unify the disparate resistance groups into a co-ordinated force, before adding the Lyon region to his area of operations. In June 1944, after carrying out a short intelligence mission during the German attack on the Vercors maquis, he returned to Lyon; having noted the superiority of the German troops he decided to make contact with the American army and the 1st Free French Division; setting off alone on a motorcycle, he crossed a region heavy with German patrols and managed to join the 36th American Division in order to proide them with vital intelligence prior to their attack on Lyon. With the help of information provided by Leistenschneider, the 36th US Division and the 1st Free French Division liberated Lyon on 3 September 1944.
Appointed Deputy Prefect and Secretary General of the Police for Alsace and Strasbourg in November 1944, Leistenschneider became full Prefect a year later and remained in office in Strasbourg until early 1946. Promoted Lieutenant-Colonel in June 1946, he was demobilised later that year. For his services with the Resistance during the Second World War he was appointed a Commander of the Legion of Honour, and was additionally appointed an Honorary Officer of the Order of the British Empire and an Officer of the American Legion of Merit. He died in Paris on 9 April 1999.
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The Second War United States Legion of Merit awarded to Lieutenant-Colonel P. Leistenschneider, a Free French Resistance Operative and Saboteur codenamed Carré
United States of America, Legion of Merit, Officer’s breast badge, gilt and enamel, the reverse officially engraved ‘Paul Leistenschneider’, with gilt enamel emblem on riband, nearly extremely fine £100-£140
---
Importation Duty
This lot is subject to importation duty of 5% on the hammer price unless exported outside the UK
---
---
Paul Leistenschneider was born in Basse-Yutz on 16 January 1907 and was a lawyer by profession. Mobilised at the beginning of the Second World War, he was an early supporter of the Resistance, joining the Kléber network. In November 1940, after the annexation of his native Moselle, he benefited from the imposition of German nationality, which allowed him to travel freely in Germany and Austria, and used this freedom to provide valuable intelligence to his network. However, suspected by the German authorities, he decided to join the Free French in London; having crossed into Spain in November 1942, he was initially interned in the Miranda camp, before finally making it to England in March 1943 where he joined the Free French forces and volunteered for special missions in France under the codename Carré.
Appointed regional military delegate for the Montpellier region, Leistenschneider was dropped by plane near Lons-le-Saunier from where he joined his assignment on 15 September 1943. Creating a large Resistance network of agents, he was soon additionally given operational command of the Toulouse region, where he managed to unify the disparate resistance groups into a co-ordinated force, before adding the Lyon region to his area of operations. In June 1944, after carrying out a short intelligence mission during the German attack on the Vercors maquis, he returned to Lyon; having noted the superiority of the German troops he decided to make contact with the American army and the 1st Free French Division; setting off alone on a motorcycle, he crossed a region heavy with German patrols and managed to join the 36th American Division in order to proide them with vital intelligence prior to their attack on Lyon. With the help of information provided by Leistenschneider, the 36th US Division and the 1st Free French Division liberated Lyon on 3 September 1944.
Appointed Deputy Prefect and Secretary General of the Police for Alsace and Strasbourg in November 1944, Leistenschneider became full Prefect a year later and remained in office in Strasbourg until early 1946. Promoted Lieutenant-Colonel in June 1946, he was demobilised later that year. For his services with the Resistance during the Second World War he was appointed a Commander of the Legion of Honour, and was additionally appointed an Honorary Officer of the Order of the British Empire and an Officer of the American Legion of Merit. He died in Paris on 9 April 1999.
United States of America, Legion of Merit, Officer’s breast badge, gilt and enamel, the reverse officially engraved ‘Paul Leistenschneider’, with gilt enamel emblem on riband, nearly extremely fine £100-£140
---
Importation Duty
This lot is subject to importation duty of 5% on the hammer price unless exported outside the UK
---
---
Paul Leistenschneider was born in Basse-Yutz on 16 January 1907 and was a lawyer by profession. Mobilised at the beginning of the Second World War, he was an early supporter of the Resistance, joining the Kléber network. In November 1940, after the annexation of his native Moselle, he benefited from the imposition of German nationality, which allowed him to travel freely in Germany and Austria, and used this freedom to provide valuable intelligence to his network. However, suspected by the German authorities, he decided to join the Free French in London; having crossed into Spain in November 1942, he was initially interned in the Miranda camp, before finally making it to England in March 1943 where he joined the Free French forces and volunteered for special missions in France under the codename Carré.
Appointed regional military delegate for the Montpellier region, Leistenschneider was dropped by plane near Lons-le-Saunier from where he joined his assignment on 15 September 1943. Creating a large Resistance network of agents, he was soon additionally given operational command of the Toulouse region, where he managed to unify the disparate resistance groups into a co-ordinated force, before adding the Lyon region to his area of operations. In June 1944, after carrying out a short intelligence mission during the German attack on the Vercors maquis, he returned to Lyon; having noted the superiority of the German troops he decided to make contact with the American army and the 1st Free French Division; setting off alone on a motorcycle, he crossed a region heavy with German patrols and managed to join the 36th American Division in order to proide them with vital intelligence prior to their attack on Lyon. With the help of information provided by Leistenschneider, the 36th US Division and the 1st Free French Division liberated Lyon on 3 September 1944.
Appointed Deputy Prefect and Secretary General of the Police for Alsace and Strasbourg in November 1944, Leistenschneider became full Prefect a year later and remained in office in Strasbourg until early 1946. Promoted Lieutenant-Colonel in June 1946, he was demobilised later that year. For his services with the Resistance during the Second World War he was appointed a Commander of the Legion of Honour, and was additionally appointed an Honorary Officer of the Order of the British Empire and an Officer of the American Legion of Merit. He died in Paris on 9 April 1999.
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