Jean Auguste Hérold, better known as Jean Hérold-Paquis (4 February 1912 Arches, Vosges – 11 October 1945), was a French journalist who fought for the Nationalists during the Spanish Civil War - sent as a reporter in Spain in 1937, he gave up his pen for weapons and he joined the Francoist side in the Tercio (foreign legion). After being wounded by a bullet on the Turuel front, he was responsible for French-language broadcasts at Radio Zaragoza. He also founded the Association of Friends of Radio Zaragoza, which has up to 18,000 members. In 1939, he had the opportunity to meet Marshal Pétain, appointed Ambassador of France to Spain, accredited to General Franco.
In 1940 he was appointed as Delegate for Propaganda in the Hautes-Alpes department by the Vichy authorities. From 1942, he broadcasts daily news reports on Radio Paris, in which he regularly called for the destruction of the United Kingdom. His catch phrase was "England, like Carthage, shall be destroyed !". It's broadcasts were pitched directly against the BBC broadcasts of Radio Londres by French figures like Pierre Dac, who sang the taunting refrain "Radio Paris ment, Radio Paris ment, Radio Paris est allemand." That roughly translates to "Radio Paris lies, Radio Paris lies, Radio Paris is German.") He set it to the theme of 'La Cucaracha'. (The song dates back to the 1700s).
He was a member of the French Popular Party, better known as the PPF, one of the two main Fascist parties under the Occupation. In his editorial of 20 November 1943, Herold-Paquis publicly announces that he symbolically commits himself to the Waffen-SS and became a member of the Waffen SS Honorary Committee. He remained very critical of the Vichy regime, considered "too soft" in its policy. After the battle of Paris, in August 1944, he fled to Germany. He continues his chronicles on the antenna of Radio Patrie which emits from German territory. Having yielded to Minister Abel Bonnard's brother his place on the plane taking Pierre Laval to Spain, he went to Switzerland on May 15, 1945. He was handed over to the French authorities on July 8, 1945, and then imprisoned in the Fresnes prison.
In prison he wrote a book of memories, edited by his lawyer and published after his death, in 1948, under the title "Des illusions... Désillusions !.. Mémoires de Jean Herold-Paquis 15 Août 1944-15 Août 1945" which remains one of the best testimonies on the atmosphere of the last days of the Parisian collaboration. He was put on trial and sentenced to death on September 17, 1945. The prosecution did not use any witnesses, merely having the court record of the accused's chronicles and that was enough to sentence to death an innocent man. He was executed for "treason" on 11 October 1945 at the Fort de Châtillon.
Other books he wrote:
- "Paroles en l'air ?" (Words in the air?) Ed. Documents Contemporains 1943.
- "L'Angleterre comme Carthage.." (England as Carthage) Ed. Inter France 1944.
- Disque 33t de "discours de Herold-Paquis" " (Herold-Paquis speech) collection Hommes et Faits du XXe siècle.
- Journal L'Appel, dir. Pierre Constantini,n°175 du 06 Juillet 1944 : Editorial prononcé par Jean Herold-Paquis, au soir de l’assassinat de Philippe Henriot, au poste de Radio-Paris (Editorial pronounced by Jean Herold-Paquis, on the evening of the assassination of Philippe Henriot).
Books on him:
- "Les Procès de la Radio : Ferdonnet et J.H.Paquis" (The Trials of the Radio) A.Michel 1947.
- "Les Procès de Trahisons ,Paquis, Bucard, Luchaire, Brasillach" (The Trials of Betrayal, Paquis, Bucard, Luchaire, Brasillach) Edition de Paris 1947.
He is buried in the Parisian cemetery Thiais (thanks to XdK for the photo of the tomb of Jean Herold-Paquis). The epitaph written on his tombstone:
It's only a goodbye my brothers ...
https://player.ina.fr/player/embed/AFE86002361/1/1b0bd203fbcd702f9bc9b10ac3d0fc21/460/259/1
Anti Bolshevik meeting at Vel 'd'hiv'
At the Vel 'd'Hiv, a large crowd attends the meeting. There is a banner in the public: "Europe united against Bolshevism". At the microphone: -Joseph Darnand: "We have troops all over France who are ready to fight ... We prefer, as for us to die than to suffer the triumph of Israel". -Jean Hérold-Paquis: "There is no lame solution French and French, you are asked to be brave enough, enough decided, enough French to say anything, to take sides.We must be with the legionnaires of the Eastern Front, against the assassins of the French front, or else, you have to come in and say it, to enter the camp of terrorism against your homeland, but it is not possible to to be hesitant between the two or France will be exiled without liberation, or it will be released from the Muscovite killers. - Marcel Déat: "It will be necessary in both areas, the people who for three years fighting in the forefront are not just targets offered to the killers ... It is not possible, the day the Anglo Americans will try to set foot on the continent, it is not possible that does not stand before them a compact nation, gathered, armed ... "- -Philippe Henriot:" The men without honor who went away in London to excite you to murder, vengeance, hatred between the French, are the fighters of the civil war ... So you did not understand that this English radio in French is a company built by rogues at the Program of BBC"
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