John Robertson

Administrator
Staff member
  • SURNAME
Arnault
  • FORENAME
Claude / Georges
  • UNIT
OSS attached F Section SOE
  • RANK
Lieutenant
  • NUMBER
  • AWARD
Medaille de la Resistance Francaise , Croix de Guerre, Distinguished Service Cross (USA)
  • PLACE
France
  • ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
from U.S.A.
born 29.11.1925, Haiphong, French Indochina
codename Neron
Wheelwright Circuit (assistant)
died 15.08.1986
 

CITATION:

Distinguished Service Cross : The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, July 9, 1918, takes pleasure in presenting the Distinguished Service Cross to Lieutenant Claude G. Arnault, Army of France, for extraordinary heroism in connection with military operations against an armed enemy while attached to the United States Office of Strategic Services, European Theater of Operations, in action against enemy forces on 8 April 1944, in France. Lieutenant Arnault distinguished himself by his exceptional coolness, ingenuity and brilliant performance of duty. Asked to sabotage the Eapalet Powder Factory at Toulouse, France, he worked for an hour in the heavily guarded factory building, setting his demolition charges on the irreplaceable American motors and on other key points of the powder mixing machinery. Despite the fact that the first time the fuses set off its charge before he was ready to leave, he succeeded in escaping from the guards. Lieutenant Arnault's bold and unselfish devotion to duty, contributed immeasurably to the success of military operations in Southern France, reflecting the highest credit upon him and the Allied Armed Forces.

WEB LINKS:

https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C9486513 (SOE File)
http://www.libreresistance.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/La-Resistance-Landaise.pdf
http://museedelaresistanceenligne.org/media8609-iDistinguished-service-cross-i-USA
https://valor.militarytimes.com/hero/23004
https://www.resistancelandaise.org/les-parachutages
Last edited by a moderator:
Hello;
I'm French and from South-Western France. My grand-dad on my fathers'side was in the Résistance (Corps-franc Pommiès, bataillon de l'Armagnac), the area where Arnault operated.
Arnault's forename isn't Jean -Claude but just "Claude". In fact he had two forenames -as usual in France- Claude and Georges. In her book "Moondrop to Gascony", Anne-Marie Walters changed his name to "Jean-Claude", I just don't know why.
He was born in Haiphong, French Indochina, on November 29, 1925. His father was a French civil servant , colonial administration.
He's got the Médaille de la Résistance, the Croix de guerre 1939-1945 and the American Distinguished Service Cross too for sabotaging a powder factory in Toulouse, France on April 8, 1944.
He died on August 15, 1986.

DSC
Period: Second World War (1939-1945) / Rank:Lieutenant (Flying Officer) / Unit:Special Operations, Office of Strategic Services (OSS), U.S. Government / Awarded on: 1946 / Awarded for: Operation Jedburgh
"For extraordinary heroism in connection with military operations against an armed enemy while attached to the United States Office of Strategic Services, European Theater of Operations, in action against enemy forces on 8 April 1944, in France. Lieutenant Arnault distinguished himself by his exceptional coolness, ingenuity and brilliant performance of duty. Asked to sabotage the Eapalet Powder Factory at Toulouse, France, he worked for an hour in the heavily guarded factory building, setting his demolition charges on the irreplaceable American motors and on other key points of the powder mixing machinery. Despite the fact that the first time the fuses set off its charge before he was ready to leave, he succeeded in escaping from the guards. Lieutenant Arnault's bold and unselfish devotion to duty, contributed immeasurably to the success of military operations in Southern France, reflecting the highest credit upon him and the Allied Armed Forces."
Headquarters, U.S. Forces-European Theater, General Orders No. 260 (1946)

If you want more information about him feel free to ask me.



Sources:
- http://www.libreresistance.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/La-Resistance-Landaise.pdf
- http://museedelaresistanceenligne.org/media8609-iDistinguished-service-cross-i-USA
- https://valor.militarytimes.com/hero/23004
- https://www.resistancelandaise.org/les-parachutages
 
Hello;
I'm French and from South-Western France. My grand-dad on my fathers'side was in the Résistance (Corps-franc Pommiès, bataillon de l'Armagnac), the area where Arnault operated.
Arnault's forename isn't Jean -Claude but just "Claude". In fact he had two forenames -as usual in France- Claude and Georges. In her book "Moondrop to Gascony", Anne-Marie Walters changed his name to "Jean-Claude", I just don't know why.
He was born in Haiphong, French Indochina, on November 29, 1925. His father was a French civil servant , colonial administration.
He's got the Médaille de la Résistance, the Croix de guerre 1939-1945 and the American Distinguished Service Cross too for sabotaging a powder factory in Toulouse, France on April 8, 1944.
He died on August 15, 1986.

DSC
Period: Second World War (1939-1945) / Rank:Lieutenant (Flying Officer) / Unit:Special Operations, Office of Strategic Services (OSS), U.S. Government / Awarded on: 1946 / Awarded for: Operation Jedburgh
"For extraordinary heroism in connection with military operations against an armed enemy while attached to the United States Office of Strategic Services, European Theater of Operations, in action against enemy forces on 8 April 1944, in France. Lieutenant Arnault distinguished himself by his exceptional coolness, ingenuity and brilliant performance of duty. Asked to sabotage the Eapalet Powder Factory at Toulouse, France, he worked for an hour in the heavily guarded factory building, setting his demolition charges on the irreplaceable American motors and on other key points of the powder mixing machinery. Despite the fact that the first time the fuses set off its charge before he was ready to leave, he succeeded in escaping from the guards. Lieutenant Arnault's bold and unselfish devotion to duty, contributed immeasurably to the success of military operations in Southern France, reflecting the highest credit upon him and the Allied Armed Forces."
Headquarters, U.S. Forces-European Theater, General Orders No. 260 (1946)

If you want more information about him feel free to ask me.



Sources:
- http://www.libreresistance.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/La-Resistance-Landaise.pdf
- http://museedelaresistanceenligne.org/media8609-iDistinguished-service-cross-i-USA
- https://valor.militarytimes.com/hero/23004
- https://www.resistancelandaise.org/les-parachutages
Thanks, have updated the record.
Best wishes, Craig
 
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