The French Connection – Capt. Jean Francois Horace Wheelock Bossus
On the 75th year anniversary of the end of World War 2 this blog is of a known member of the family who fought and survived the war in occupied France.
Jean Francois Horace Wheelock was the oldest son of my grandfather Joseph Thomas Wheelock Carazo and Jean Augustine Clotilde Bossus when he lived in France. Jean Francois was born in Chamonix at the footsteps of Mont-Blanc on the 12th of November 1925.
He grew up in France during the great depression years of the 1930s and would have witnessed the Nazi Invasion of France which must have affected him deeply.
The war records are not digitised so a visit to the National Archives must be booked way in advance with specific reference to what you want. His record is redacted so is hard to read his experience and operations, the summary which has been officially release is as follows:
He joined the French Resistance in 1943 at the age of 17
He was in reconnaissance and intelligence of troop movements as recorded in April of 1944. his cell was one 60 intelligence cells across France whose task was solely to collect intelligence as opposed to carrying out acts of sabotage.
He was involved on the raids at the Foret D’Herblay attacking depots and convoys with his section the disruption of rail lines which caused severe disruption of German troop movements.
By June 1944 He was incorporated into the French force of the interior (FFI) the 6th region of the FFI serving under legendary resistance fighter Colonel Jean Bonet dit Lacotte which oversaw the townships of Marly-le-Roi , Saint-Germain-en-Laye , Maisons-Laffitte , Poissy , Meulan .
By July 1944 he was a commander of 32 men and head of section as a Lieutenant. In 1945 the reorganization and reincorporation of the FFI into the French Army he joins officially as a Aspirant (officer candidate) in the 11th Battalion / 22nd Division of the French Forces. His promotions are made official in September 1945. The records state that he eventually rose to the rank of Captaine (Captain) in the French Army.
Beyond that, the record is scant, the next document attests his service and the fact he was a representative of the government of France in Nicaragua.
By the 1950’s he was living in the United States, eventually retiring to Mississippi. He passed away in 2007.
- References:
- https://www.servicehistorique.sga.defense.gouv.fr/en
- https://www.memoiredeshommes.sga.defense.gouv.fr/index.php
- https://www.musee-resistance.com/collections/le-matin/
- http://www.museedelaresistanceenligne.org/index.php
