André Serot
André Serot | |
|---|---|
| Born | 24 July 1896 Xertigny, Vosges, France |
| Died | 17 September 1948 (aged 52) Jerusalem, Israel |
| Cause of death | Assassination |
| Allegiance | France |
| Branch | French Army (1915–1917) French Air Force (1917–1948) |
| Years of service | 1915–1948 |
| Rank | Colonel |
| Battles / wars | |
| Awards | Croix de Guerre |
André Sérot (24 July 1896 in Xertigny, France – 17 September 1948 in Jerusalem) was a French military officer.
Sérot enlisted in the infantry in 1915, then saw action in the Battle of Argonne and received the Croix de Guerre. The following year he was an officer candidate at Saint-Cyr. In 1917 he transferred to aviation, flying reconnaissance missions.
In 1919, Lieutenant Sérot transferred to the intelligence service. In 1923 he was sent to Strasbourg. In 1933, he became deputy chief of station Belfort, or Military Communications Service (MCS).
He married Berthe Grünfelder (1898–1971).
During the "Phoney War" period (1939–1940), Sérot was sent behind German lines with a series of false identity papers to perform reconnaissance missions. After the 1940 defeat, he helped organize the counter-espionage section of the Service de Renseignements de l'Armée de l'Air ("Air Forces Intelligence Service") newly created by Colonel Georges Ronin. After the Allied landings in North Africa in November 1942, he and Paul Paillole went there to organize the new Service de Sécurité Militaire ("Military Intelligence Service").
On June 23, 1943, his wife was arrested by the Gestapo in Clermont-Ferrand and was deported to Ravensbruck in Germany. In 1945, she was rescued and released by Count Folke Bernadotte. This led to a friendship between the two men.
In 1944, Captain Sérot headed the SSM.