WITH LINE MAGINOT. Bockange. Robin captain.

Captain ROBIN (162eRIF)

by Mrs. Chantal ROBIN BOUTAREL, girl of the captain Jean ROBIN

Civil statue

Jean Rene ROBIN.

Born in Saignes (Cantal) on August 11th, 1902. He is the son of Alexandre Robin, Adjudant-Chef of Gendarmerie, and Mathilde Meilhoc. Deceased in Clermont Ferrand on April 15th, 1967.

Married on April 19th, 1932 with Vebret (Cantal) with Jeanne Boutarel (Bourges 1908 - Grenoble 1991). 2 children, my brother (1934) and myself (1948).

Career

Left Maixent Saint, promotion 1927-1928.

Transferred to Morocco at the time of the Lyautey Marshal. Transferred as lieutenant to the 92e of Infantry of Clermont Ferrand at the time of its marriage. In 1937, as a captain it is transferred to the 162e RIF where, with the camp of Bockange, it takes the command of the 2nd company.

In 1938 it is affected with the 2nd CEFV (Company of machines and fusiliers acrobats) of which it takes the command on September 2nd, 1939.

Quotation 592/C with the order of the Brigade:

Excel officer having cold blood and authority. June 19th, 1940 in the morning whereas the Company was in liaison with the enemy much higher of number which badgered it, did not hesitate with the receipt about fold of the Major to go over the line of fire to give orders to its section heads. With, because of the provisions taken, succeeded in bringing back its unit on the new position which had been assigned to him with the minimum of losses and most of its material. June 20th in the evening being still in the presence of a corrosive enemy held it in failure during several hours.

Captive fact by German in 1940, it is directed on Oflag VI A, to Westphalia, from where it will be released by American in 1945.

It is then transferred a time to Orleans, then definitively in Rennes (Commander then Lieutenant-colonel) with the direction of Recruitment. It takes is reprocessed with the rank of Colonel in 1962.

Decorations

Colonial medal with staples “Morocco 1925”. Military Cross 1939-1940. Medal commemorative of the war 1939-1945. Knight then Officer of the Legion of Honor. Cross of the Combatant.

Testimony relating to the war

My father spoke very little about his military life. The captivity had it much affected and I personally did not know much the man of Morocco or the Maginot Line. I think that it did not understand why the Line had not been made until the English Channel, because it knew very well that the Line was impregnable; the proof, “fritz” its step passed by there (SF Boulay)! But, like any respectful officer of the political decisions, he did not say mot. I believe that he did not think about it less!

Life with the camp of Bockange

Testimony of Mrs. Chantal ROBIN

Bockange (SF Boulay). House of my parents.

General information

I hardly have but oral testimonies of my parents, especially of my mother who spoke to me about the houses assigned to the officers (camp of Bockange) and about the life that they carried out to it. They were a little away from the neighbouring villages and, obviously, the contacts were not very wished or were hardly done with Lorraine vintage. The women of officer thus lived a little between them and the officers between them.

They were close to the oldest daughter of the Giraud General who ordered the place of Metz and, as his/her daughter said it, - my father ruined himself to hold his row in this government of Metz. The husband of this lady (young officer as my father) was made besides kill immediately at the beginning of the war.

My father liked much this life of fortress. Mom said that they left - any greens after two weeks locked up in the line where there were even coffins if.

When it returned to the house, with the camp of Bockange, it was often with horse (in fact it made it to aggravate my mother nicely which was very afraid of the horses especially when she saw the head of that of my father passing by the window of the kitchen to claim salt!). My brother was only 5 years old and thus does not have many memories of this time, except that of its wooden horse which it had called Fadette like the butch-looking woman of his dad.

Ordinances

My father had two ordinances (for him, which remained much at the house, and the other which dealt with the horse and remained with the barracks).

At the time the ordinances (which, for economic reasons, were removed after the war, except for the general officers) were essential because an officer in uniform did not have for example not the right to carry packages in the street. An officer could give the arm to his wife only if it were pregnant etc the regulation in this field were very constraining. This being the presence of ordinances arranged well the unmarried officers who, inter alia, made them maintain their linen.

The ordinances assigned to a married officer were implicitly assigned to its family since they went almost daily to the residence of the officer! The problem was that certain women of officer deceived a little these soldiers to make them do anything a little (in any good any honor, of course, at least I hope for it). Having finished their military service these ordinances - gave with new arrived the addresses of the good houses where one was treated suitably and my mother had always full candidates to the detriment of other women with officers.

In my parents, the ordinance arrived the morning; my mother made him a good breakfast (he ate, soupait and slept with the barracks) then he did a little housework, the parquet floors, kept my brother sometimes and played with him etc Among those which followed one another Bockange some liked to deal with the garden which surrounded the house and raised some hens (much came from the countryside). The ordinance dealt certainly also business with my father although this one preferred for example to wax itself its boots and to make its sharpening! I also think that he asked him to deal with problems more - military that my mother was unaware of.

Bockange (SF Boulay) after 1945

Transport at the schools

In 1933, whereas some of the first strengthened works are about to become operational, the question of their permanent occupation with reduced manpower arises. But as it is not question of living permanently under ground one builds camps with open sky, on the immediate backs of the Maginot Line. These new grosses barracks shelter the whole of the personnel as well as the families of the military careers assigned to a strengthened zone.

The families are placed in periphery of the barracks itself, in quoted of houses. But, which says camps for the families says required to transport the wives towards the cities, for the races and the children towards the schools!

April 25th, 1933

April 25th, 1933, under the n° 3557 I/II, the State Major of the organization and the mobilization of the army enacts the following note:

Transport of the children at the school. Camp of Bitche, Drackenbronn, etc (RF of Lauter)

The question raised by the general ordering the 20th Area, of the setting at the disposal of families of the camp of Bitche of average car free for the transport of the children at the school is identical to that which is posed [elsewhere]. Being given the number of the families in residence to the camp of Bitche, the EM of Armed (1st Office) delivers an favorable opinion to the replacement of the station-wagon by a coach, to the maintenance of the exemption from payment of this service and to the charge of the expenditure of gasoline and ingredients on the appropriations of general transport of the camp

The question of use of the same coach for the families of the executives of the camp of Bitche, for reasons other than the instruction of the children deserves to be taken into account being given the inconvenience and the announced dearness of the civil means of transport and the number of the interested parties.

Follows an analysis of assumptions per paying military transport and an analysis of the accident risks which the army cannot deal with. Then the document ends in a proposal.

If a convention could be last with a local company of bus, for the establishment of a regular service to acceptable tariffs one could consider a contractual participation of the Department of the War for the transport of the children so as to maintain for those the benefit of the exemption from payment. The EM of the Army gives the preference to this solution, which is more in the spirit of measurements taken to reorganize transport of garrison by avoiding with the army all the mobilizations of personnel and material without relationship with the instruction.

Signed: The general Chief of the general EM of the Army (Doumene). The lieutenant-colonel chief of the 1st Office (Senior)

September 18th, 1935

We did not resist emulously to make you read an emanating document of the Ministry for the War, 29 months later, in the direction of all the Areas. Taste all savor then one finds itself at the end of the page.

General secretary Section Administration N°022190/AD of the 18-9-1935

Transport at the schools by motor vehicles of the children of the officers and Non-commissioned officers of the strengthened areas.

The creation of the camps in the RF where have to remain the families of the military careers, raised the question of transport at the schools, by motor vehicles, of the children of the officers and non-commissioned officers. The urgency of this question is essential because of the return to school. I have, consequently, the honor to ask you to agree to prescribe the immediate study of the organization on a purely provisional basis, of transport by average soldiers, in all the cases where this organization is essential, because, either of the distances to be traversed by the children, or of the absence of all regular services of local transport.

I give you delegation for the approval of the programs and schedules of transport to be established, in the most strict spirit of economy, by the generals ordering the RF.

Transport by average soldiers will be accomplished free, but this provision could be only provisional. It is essential, indeed, to know the importance of the loads to be imposed, if necessary, with the budget of the War, before deciding that no royalty will be requested from the interested parties. The question of the insurance of the children against the accidents will be the subject of later instructions [etc]

The service being thus organized, it will be appropriate to examine without delay if, in certain cases, it would not be more advantageous to sign from the contracts with certain civil companies ensuring a regular service already. Signed Jean Fabry

You will certainly have noticed that in 29 months the problem of transport had not evolved of an inch in spite of worn ink and time spent to rewrite in an office what had already been written in others (because us presented to you only two documents on this subject, the others being identical). Will one want (or one will be able) one day to reform the Administration and his art to turn in round?

Introduction

Officers of the 162e_RIF

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