A French "helper" has provided a short biography and translated Sriber's report on the mission (on attachment) where he was captured and interrogated - with various methods by the Germans. B. 1918, D. 2012. If anyone wants the four images of the original report in French please let me know. The report defies the Word Editor function and a human error by the "helper" caused several lines of dots on pg.2. covering the text with a post-it. The bio: I found a short detailed bio: Etienne Jean Sriber - Les Français Libres Wiki has a short mention in a longer thread: From: SOE RF Section - Wikipedia There are two threads where he features as a French SAS soldier: OPERATION AMHERST: French SAS in Holland, April 1945 and a smaller thread: search for name paratrooper/amherst/french SAS stick 14/15 den hulst april 1945 Appears in a TNA File KV 6/32: Jean Etienne SRIBER: French. A SOE agent in France in 1944, SRIBER was interrogated on his return to the UK. File retained till 2003 (60yrs). See: Jean Etienne SRIBER: French. A SOE agent in France in 1944, SRIBER was interrogated on... | The National Archives
Un angle Francais. https://archives.defense.gouv.fr/ecpad/a-la-une/hommage-a-jean-sriber.html Always remember, never forget, Jim. P.S. V1 or V2? Have to get the maps out. EDIT: "V1 or V2?". Both methinks. Anything and everything he could find relating to same.
From: "Revue de la Fondation de la France libre" No.45, September 2012. "Born on January 18, 1918 in Paris into a family of doctors, Jean Sriber completed brilliant studies when the war broke out. A second lieutenant in the 150th infantry regiment, he was taken prisoner at Dunkirk on June 4, 1940 but escaped on June 9. He then joined the 26th RI in Périgueux on August 16, 1940. Jean Sriber was demobilized on January 15, 1941. On January 7, 1943, he escaped from France via Spain with his brother André. Arrested in Figueras, he remained interned there until February 2, 1943, when he was placed under house arrest in Jaraba until May 24, 1943. Directed to Madrid then Gibraltar where he arrived on May 28, 1943, he managed to board bound for Great Britain on the S/S “Santa Rosa” which left Gibraltar on May 30, 1943. Landed at Greenock on June 4, 1943, Sriber stayed in Camberley, then at Patriotic School from June 6 to July 9, 1943 before being assigned to the 3rd Air Infantry Company in Camberlay on July 10, 1943. Finally, tired of waiting and eager to get into action quickly, he volunteered for the BCRA where he was transferred on September 10, 1943. Jean Sriber parachuted into France, on the night of March 2 to 3, 1944, at La Chamelle, near Nogent-sur-Seine, as a sabotage instructor placed at the disposal of the military delegate of the region A. His pseudonym is “Reaper”. Arrested in Paris on March 19, 1944, imprisoned in Fresnes until April 9, 1944, he was transferred to Châlons-sur-Marne on April 10, 1944 before returning to Paris on June 13, 1944. Deported on August 16, 1944 to the Germany, its train is stopped at Brussels station by the Allied advance. Sriber was released there on September 3, 1944 by the Belgian Resistance. Returning to Paris, he joined the FFI staff on September 10, 1944 then the General Directorate of Special Services on September 12, 1944. Assigned to the Services Company No. 1 in Paris from October 1, 1944 with the rank of lieutenant , he was seconded to the DGER School Center on January 1, 1945. Recovered from his injuries and mistreatment, Jean Sriber then volunteered to join the 2nd Parachute Hunter Regiment (2nd RCP) in February 1945. As a lieutenant, he was appointed troop leader within Lieutenant Mairet's 1st squadron and notably ensured the cohesion of his men and the training of young recruits. On the night of April 7 to 8, 1945, he parachuted with his stick into the province of Drenthe (Netherlands) as part of the “Amherst” mission. Demobilized on September 18, 1945 and returning to civilian life, Jean Sriber had a brilliant professional career as a senior civil servant, first as an administrator in Indochina then as chief of staff to Robert Galley at the Ministry of the Armed Forces and finance inspector. He was Commander of the Legion of Honor, holder of the War Cross 1939-1945, the Resistance medal, the escapees' medal and the Dutch War Cross. Died on September 7, 2012 in Paris, he was buried in the Montparnasse cemetery. Fabrice Bourrée" Sources: Defense Historical Service, 16P 555 910 (certification file for Jean Sriber) Kind regards, always, Jim.
Lt. Sriber (standing on the far left) also features in the "Op Amherst" thread. On the night of April 7th, 1945, his stick dropped far off (almost 40 miles) from the intended drop-zone. Sriber quickly made contact with the ground forces (a Jeep patrol of the Belgian SAS). See: OPERATION AMHERST: French SAS in Holland, April 1945
