Otto Kühne Otto Kühne ( b . 12 May 1893 Berlin - 8 December 1955 Brandenburg an der Havel ) was a German communist militant , who led a maquis group of German antifascist fighters in the French region of Lozère in 1943 and 1944 during World War II . A railwayman by profession , Kühne had been a communist deputy during the Reichstag fire , and had subsequently fled to France . The maquis de Lozère . At the beginning of the war , Kühne was interned by the Vichy regime and sent to a foreign workers ' camp in Chanac in the Lozère département , where he formed a resistance group with former members of the International Brigades which was first attached to the " Combat " network in spring 1942 . He was in contact with the leadership of the and with the Lyon - based Free Germany Committee . In spring 1942 , Kühne was one of the founders of the Maquis de Bonnecombe . At the time he used the false name " Monsieur Schumann " and attempted to develop contacts with the Parti communiste français . This was not without difficulties ; his initial attempts were met with mistrust , for fear of infiltration by Gestapo moles . Nonetheless , the German anti - fascists found strong support among the Protestant - majority population of Cévennes . Kühne quickly became the leader of this maquis , with a reputation for solidity , intransigence and inflexibility . He became the political officer for the " Montaigne " maquis which merged three German maquis at the beginning of 1944 . Kühne fought in the battles of 7 – 8 April 1944 at Saint - Étienne - Vallée - Française ( Lozère ) , where the German maquis destroyed a patrol of the Feldgendarmerie and in an ambush against the Waffen SS on 5 June 1944 at La Rivière . He was leading a small group of about 10 maquisards when the maquis dispersed to evade an attempted encirclement by the SS reacting to these maquis operations . When the various elements of the German maquis reformed at the Plan de Fontmort , a high place of resistance of the Camisards , Kühne took command . He worked with the French " Bir Hakeim " , although this was not without conflict . The GMR and the milice were tracking them in the mountains . The Wehrmacht attacked the " Bir Hakeim " group at La Borie - La Parade on Pentecost Sunday . The fighting left 61 dead ; those maquisards who surrendered were executed . Kühne ' s group lost about ten men . He also fought in the battles for French liberation , welcoming deserters from the Wehrmacht ( particularly Armenia ns ) in the Mende region . At that time , he connected with the FTP - MOI . His resistance name became " Robert " , and he was given military responsibility within FTP - MOI for the Lozère , the Gard and the Ardèche . In June 1944 , he was promoted to lieutenant - colonel and decorated with the Croix de Guerre with a bronze star . By the next month , he had more than 2 , 000 FTP fighters under his command . Kühne seems not to have participated in the liberation of Nîmes in person , or in the parade of 4 September ( unlike other German anti - fascists ) . He quickly returned to Lyon , where he participated in the " Free Germany Committee " ( CALPO ) . Bibliography . Evelyne et Yvan Brès , " Un maquis d ' antifascistes allemands en France ( 1942 - 1944 ) " , Les Presses du Languedoc - Max Chaleil éditeur , 1987 ISBN 2 - 85998 - 038 - 5 ( French )