( 20/05/1926-? )
Grade :SS-Sturmann (SS-Unterscharführer August1944).
Born in 1926 in Marseille (France) in a family of sport coaches,
André Bayle is a former acrobat.
He considers himself " Provençal,a French man,a Catholic and a European."
Being a strong man with blond hair and blue eyes,he had no issues joining
the Waffen-SS.
He attended with his family the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin.
He was very impressed with the social peace and prosperity he saw in Germany
and with the Chancellor Adolf Hitler himself.
André Bayle never got involved in polities even thaugh he blamed the
"Front Populaire" (socialists) for the French defeat in 1940.
Willing to join the French Navy in first place,his dream vanished with its
scuttling in november 1942.
He would never pardon his fellow countrymen for this loss.
André Bayle enlisted the SS on March 15,1943 to fight the Bolsheviks,
the allies,and all group agains Europe.
He was first sent to caserne of Clignancourt then in Sennheim
(Cernay in French) in Alsace.
He fought in the second section of the second compagny of the first battalion
in Galicia.(Ukraine) where he led a combat group.
After the death of their chief (Peyron) and the loss of many comrades in harsh
fights,he successfully took command of his compagny.
For his acts he was awarded the second class iron cross.
André Bayle is the author of 2 books:
- " De Marseille à Novossibirsk " and " San et Persante "
in wlirich he tells aboud his career in the Waffen-SS Division "Charlemagne"
These 2 books have been re-published in one book entitled:
- " Des Jeux Olympiques à la Waffen-SS "
("From the Olympic games to the Waffen-SS")
I would like to pay tribute to this man who shared the tragic adventures
of the French Volunteers on the East Front and who,contrary to some,
has never turned his back on his idéals.
