In 1930, he captained France at the first FIFA World Cup — a national football hero at the height of his fame.
After the German invasion of 1940, Alexandre Villaplane chose collaboration. He joined the French Gestapo and later became an SS-Untersturmführer commanding a section of the Brigade Nord-Africaine, a unit used to crush the French Resistance.
In southwestern France, he extorted Jewish families, tortured civilians, and took part in executions — including the killing of 52 people in Mussidan in June 1944. Known for brutality and greed, he became one of occupied France’s most notorious collaborators.
After the Liberation of Paris, Villaplane was arrested and eventually paid the highest price for treason, collaboration, and murder.
Up Next in Season 1
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From French Sports Star to Gestapo ‘H...
Early May 1940. Nazi Germany invades Western Europe, and France soon falls under occupation. To enforce their rule, the Germans rely on local collaborators.
Among them is a woman once celebrated as one of France’s greatest athletes.
Born in Paris in 1893, Violette Morris was a multi-sport champ...
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Gestapo Informer Behind 60% of Arrest...
On 9 April 1940, Nazi Germany launched Operation Weserübung and invaded Denmark. While the country initially experienced a relatively cooperative occupation, growing resistance and sabotage by 1943 pushed the Gestapo to rely increasingly on Danish collaborators to hunt down opponents of the regim...
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Axis Sally: The American Voice of Naz...
During the Second World War, millions of Allied soldiers heard a strange voice on German radio. She spoke perfect American English, joked about home, and warned soldiers they would die far from their families.
Her name was Mildred Gillars — better known as “Axis Sally.” From Berlin she broadcast...
