Gustave Biéler
| Gustave Biéler | |
|---|---|
| Born | 26 March 1904 Beurlay, France |
| Died | 5 September 1944 (aged 40) Flossenbürg concentration camp, Oberpfalz, Bavaria, Germany |
| Occupation | special operations agent |
Gustave Daniel Alfred Biéler DSO MBE (26 March 1904 – 5 September 1944) was a Special Operations Executive agent during World War II.
Gustave Bieler was born in Beurlay, France to Swiss parents and raised in Lausanne, Switzerland. At the age of twenty, he emigrated to Canada where he settled in the city of Montreal, working as a school teacher and then as a translator for Sun Life Assurance. He became a naturalized British subject. At the outbreak of World War II, although married with two children, Biéler joined the Canadian Army in Le Regiment de Maisonneuve and was shipped to a base in Britain. His wife Marguerite Geymonat worked as a broadcaster to the troops in Europe on Radio Canada International. Because of his familiarity with France and his fluency in the French and English languages he joined the "Special Operations Executive" in London.
Known by his wartime nickname "Guy," following his specialized training, Colonel Maurice Buckmaster, the SOE commander, wrote in his file that Biéler was the best student SOE had. On November 18, 1942, Biéler, along with wireless operator Arthur Staggs and Michael Trotobas were parachuted into France. Unfortunately, in the dark of the night, Biéler severely injured his back after landing on rocks and he spent several months recovering.
He had strong communication and organizational skills, and as the head of the Musician Network he was able to work with fellow SOE agents and members of the French Resistance to organize very productive sabotage missions. Operating from a base in Saint-Quentin in the northern Aisne département, Biéler's twenty-five teams, scattered over different areas of northern France, were successful in damaging or destroying German gasoline storage tanks, rail lines, bridges, canal locks, and the electric tractors used to tow barges on the shipping waterways. Their repeated efforts hampered the movement of enemy arms and troops but the most important job for Biéler would eventually be the preparations for D-Day.
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