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    Leon Vatchnadze Bip

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    Paul Timms
    Leo Vatchnadze was born in 1927 in Tiflis, Georgia. As a refugee in France at age 15, he joined the LVF in 1941, making him one of the youngest legionnaires. He was demobilized after the first winter of 1941-1942. In 1944, while in German uniform, he surrendered to the French Resistance but later accompanied retreating German troops. In August 1944, sensing the German defeat, he joined a Soviet resistance battalion and fought against the Germans. After the war he served in the French army and Foreign Legion, receiving the Croix de Guerre in 1946, but was later tried and sentenced to 20 years for his earlier actions with the Germans.

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    Leon Vatchnadze Bip

    Uploaded by

    Paul Timms
    109 views2 pages
    Leo Vatchnadze was born in 1927 in Tiflis, Georgia. As a refugee in France at age 15, he joined the LVF in 1941, making him one of the youngest legionnaires. He was demobilized after the first winter of 1941-1942. In 1944, while in German uniform, he surrendered to the French Resistance but later accompanied retreating German troops. In August 1944, sensing the German defeat, he joined a Soviet resistance battalion and fought against the Germans. After the war he served in the French army and Foreign Legion, receiving the Croix de Guerre in 1946, but was later tried and sentenced to 20 years for his earlier actions with the Germans.

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    15 year old LVF sioldier Leon Vatchnadze biography

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    Leo Vatchnadze was born in 1927 in Tiflis, Georgia. As a refugee in France at age 15, he joined the LVF in 1941, making him one of the youngest legionnaires. He was demobilized after the first winter of 1941-1942. In 1944, while in German uniform, he surrendered to the French Resistance but later accompanied retreating German troops. In August 1944, sensing the German defeat, he joined a Soviet resistance battalion and fought against the Germans. After the war he served in the French army and Foreign Legion, receiving the Croix de Guerre in 1946, but was later tried and sentenced to 20 years for his earlier actions with the Germans.

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    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
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    109 views2 pages

    Leon Vatchnadze Bip

    Uploaded by

    Paul Timms
    Leo Vatchnadze was born in 1927 in Tiflis, Georgia. As a refugee in France at age 15, he joined the LVF in 1941, making him one of the youngest legionnaires. He was demobilized after the first winter of 1941-1942. In 1944, while in German uniform, he surrendered to the French Resistance but later accompanied retreating German troops. In August 1944, sensing the German defeat, he joined a Soviet resistance battalion and fought against the Germans. After the war he served in the French army and Foreign Legion, receiving the Croix de Guerre in 1946, but was later tried and sentenced to 20 years for his earlier actions with the Germans.

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    of 2

    Leo VATCHNADZE

    Légionnaire / Soldat

    Léo Vatchnadze1 was born on April 11, 1927 in Tiflis, Georgia. A refugee in France, he was
    only fifteen years old when he joined the LVF in the summer of 1941, making him one of the
    youngest legionnaires!2 He had to have his uniform specially made for him in Deba. He was
    demobilized after the first winter of 1941-1942.
    Exactly what he did after demobilisation is not known, but he was in the Tarn
    (Southern France) in the summer of 1944. On 14 July 1944 he surrendered himself to the
    Montagne Noire Maquis, saying he was a Georgian deserter (he was in German uniform). He
    was assigned to a section of North Africans, quartered in a farm. On the evening of 26 July,
    he disappeared and the next day German troops appeared at the farm but found only two
    sentries (the platoon had moved), who they captured along with two civilians. Vatchanadze
    was seen accompanying the Germans.
    On 16 August 1944, sensing the German defeat, he joined the Soviet FFI battalion at
    Lisle-sur-Tarn, and fought against the Germans at Albi. Shortly after the liberation he was
    found by former officers of the Maquis in Albi prison3. They handed him over to Military
    Security, but he was a judged innocent and released around November 1944. He managed to
    enlist in the army4, then, knowing his past might catch up with him, in the Foreign Legion (in
    March 1945). He was awarded the Croix de Guerre with a bronze star (the citation came from
    his brigade) on 31 May 19465.
    1
    Sometimes mistakenly named "Léon".
    2
    With the young Merdjian, of Armenian origin, also 15 years old.

    3
    When captured Vatchnadze was confronted: "Little bastard, aren't you ashamed, after having been brought
    up in France, by French people, with French money, to have committed such treachery! “. Vatchnadze
    answered: "I'm glad I did what I did, you Frenchmen, I hate you and if I had to do it again, even knowing that I
    would end up falling into your hands, I would do it again”

    4
    This was facilitated by his uncle, Captain Vatchnadze, an officer in the 5th Armoured Division's
    reconnaissance regiment.
    5
    "This young and courageous legionnaire showed great bravery on many occasions, and particularly on April
    15, 1945 in Lengenbrandt. There in a battle in the woods he distinguished himself during an enemy counter-
    attack, then afterwards he remained on lookout during a violent bombardment. He always volunteers for the
    most dangerous patrols”
    Bel Abbès, May 31, 1946.
    On 12 February 1947 he was tried in the Court of Justice of Toulouse and was
    sentenced to twenty years hard labour and the confiscation of his property. His appeal was
    rejected on 6 March and he was imprisoned in Eysses but is selected for an amnesty on
    August 16, 1947 and is released the following October 23 and retires to Le Vésinet.

    Lieutenant Ansoborlo, commanding officer of the training squadron.

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