Period:

Second World War (1939-1945)

Rank:

Honoray Flight Lieutenant

Unit:

F Section, Special Operations Executive (SOE), British Government

Awarded on:

August 17th, 1945

Citation:
"This officer was parachuted into France in October 1943 to organize immediate sabotage and to prepare for guerilla activities in the area Saone et Loire. He raised and trained his groups in spite of over 100 raids made by the enemy in his area shortly after his arrival. To equip these groups was an unusually difficult matter on account of the distance of the area from the United Kingdom and it was not possible to send a lieutenant or a wireless operator until the end of May 1944. At this time the delivery of supplies improved and Flight Lieutenant Brown-Bartrolli was able to put his group into action soon after D Day. When his stores were about to become exhausted at the end of June as a result of his sustained attacks on communications, a successful engagement with the enemy at Cluny produced 100 machine guns and 20 German bazookas, and twice in July he received over 40 tons of supplies by air by the hazardous means of daylight drops. In early August his groups were attacked by 3,000 Germans with artillery, armour and air support. Flight Lieutenant Brown-Bartrolli personally commanded his men throughout the action which lasted from 6 a.m. until 8 p.m. Twice the enemy reached a point 100 yards from the outskirts of Cluny and the town was bombed. At 7 p.m. the Maquis counter-attacked and the enemy fled leaving behind numerous guns, armoured cars and vehicles, and more than 400 dead. Several prisoners were taken. This was accomplished with the loss to the Resistance of only twelve dead. From that day onwards no Germans entered the area except as prisoners. In September bitter fighting took place around Macon when Flight Lieutenant Brown-Bartrolli's troops harassed the enemy fleeing north. At Sennecy his groups attacked the enemy and finally captured a town just before the French Army arrived. From then onwards these groups acted as infantry with the French tanks in attacking Challons and 900 were embodied in the regular forces as Commandoes. In all this officer armed 5,000 men and built up the Resistance movement in the area Saone et Loire which played a great part in hampering and destroying the enemy retreating from the south. At the end he had a large staff including two teams sent from England to undertake special tasks. The success which these achieved was largely due to the organization of Brown-Bartrolli himself, who, in the open fighting at the end, led his group wherever opportunity offered."

Period:

Second World War (1939-1945)

Unit:

F Section, Special Operations Executive (SOE), British Government

Awarded on:

January 16th, 1946

Décision nº12 Paris - with palm

Period:

Second World War (1939-1945)