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Georges Bergé | |
|---|---|
| Born | 3 January 1909 (1909-01-03) Belmont, Gers, France |
| Died | 15 September 1997 (1997-09-16) (aged 88) Mimizan, France |
| Allegiance |  Free France France |
| Branch | French Airborne |
| Years of service | 1929–1930 1933–1962 |
| Rank | Brigadier general (1961) |
| Commands | 1ère Compagnie de Chasseurs Parachutistes (1e CCP) French Squadron SAS 14e Régiment d'infanterie parachutiste de Choc (RIPC) |
| Battles / wars | World War II Suez Crisis Algerian War |
| Awards | Commander of the Légion d'honneur Companion of the Liberation Grand Officier of the National Order of Merit Croix de Guerre 1939-1945 Croix de la Valeur militaire Officer of the Order of the British Empire (UK) Military Cross (UK) Commander of the Order of George I (GR) |
Georges Roger Pierre Bergé (3 January 1909 – 15 September 1997) was aFrench Army general who served duringWorld War II. He enlisted in theFree French Forces, where he took command of the1re compagnie de chasseurs parachutistes (1st Parachute Chaser Company). He is mentioned byDavid Stirling as one of the co-founders of theSpecial Air Service (SAS). In Britain and Egypt, he organised the training for Allied agents sent to France and led the first airborne mission in occupied France, namedOperation Savannah. He fought inSyria andCrete. After his capture by theGermans, he was imprisoned inColditz Castle.
Georges Bergé was born in January 1909 in Belmont, in theGers département, France. He was drafted in 1929, and incorporated in the 24th infantry regiment inMont-de-Marsan, where he trained as a reserve officer. In April 1930, he demobilised as asecond lieutenant. In 1933, he eventually chose a military career and integratedl'école de l'Infanterie et des Chars (Infantry and tanks school) inSaint-Maixent. He became a lieutenant in 1934.
His unit was tasked to attack enemy airfields in the Mediterranean zone. Bergé chose theHeraklion airfield, inCrete (Operation Albumen). With a group of four men, he managed to destroy 20 enemy planes.
19 - He was captured at the conclusion of his mission. He was imprisoned in XCOflag inLübeck, from which he tried in vain to escape.
Lieutenant-colonel Bergé was successively allocated to the Parachute inspection administration, to the military cabinet of theProvisional Government of the French Republic, to the National Defense' staff. He was then the military attaché for the French embassy in Rome.