Georges Charaudeau (1908–1990), a right-wing Christian Democrat, had connections with French intelligence services since 1936. During the
Battle of France in June 1940, Charaudeau, intending to flee to
England via
Spain, was persuaded by the head of British intelligence to remain and engage in espionage. To cover his activities, Charaudeau established a couture house in
Madrid, and the Alibi Network was born on July 1, 1940. He returned clandestinely to France in August 1940 to organize a large intelligence network, aided by a diplomat from the
United States Embassy in
Vichy, who provided support for transporting documents, funds, and equipment. In October 1941, the network suffered its first losses. The Phill sub-network, established in October 1940, was decimated. Seven members were arrested between October 31 and November 1, 1941, by
Henri Lafont and collaborators of the
French Gestapo on Rue Lauriston. They were interrogated at the
Abwehr headquarters near the
Bois de Boulogne and later at the
Sicherheitspolizei (SiPo) offices. On March 20, 1942, five of the arrested were sentenced to death by the
German military administration in occupied France and executed at
Fort Mont-Valérien on March 21, 1942. The executed members included: • , an aeronautics industrialist •
Georges Paulin, an automotive designer and aerodynamicist • Robert Stéphane Étienne, an aeronautical engineer • Fernand Eugène Fenzi, director of the Paris School of Architecture • Roger Léopold Alfred Raven, an automotive prototype worker Two others received five-year sentences and were deported: • Aileen Mary Sleator, interned in
Anrath and
Jawor, returned on June 1 • Marius Antonin Roubille, a
SNCF controller, who was killed in
Mauthausen concentration camp in May 1945 The Phill sub-network organized the first bombing of the
Renault factories in March 1942 and provided MI6 with intelligence on the development of the
Messerschmitt Me 262. It took 27 years for Georges Paulin to be awarded the
Resistance Medal by France. However, a request for his posthumous admission to the
Legion of Honour in 2006 was declined. A plaque honoring the Phill network was unveiled on June 20, 2006, in Paris. In May 1942, under German pressure, Charaudeau returned clandestinely to France to continue his work. Among Alibi's sub-networks was the
Klan Network led by Colonel
François de La Rocque gathered intelligence from numerous members of the
French Social Party. After November 1942, many members of the
Vichy Army joined the network, strengthening its capabilities. In April 1944, Alibi integrated the
Maurice Network, which had suffered significant losses. == Achievements ==