Jules Bastin

Who was Jules Bastin?

Jules A. G. Bastin was an officer in the Belgian army during World War I. The Germans captured him during the invasion of Belgium in 1914. He became famous during his captivity for repeated escape attempts. He eventually succeeded on his tenth try.

At the beginning of World War II, he held the rank of colonel and served as Chief of Staff of the Belgian Cavalry Corps. After the invasion of Belgium by the Germans in 1940 he fled to France and joined the underground movement by taking command of the Belgian Legion. The Belgian government based in London made him the commander of all their underground military forces on December 30, 1942. He was arrested twice, first in April 1943 and later in November 1943. After his arrest in November he was sent to the Gross-Rosen concentration camp where he died on December 1, 1944. The Belgian government promoted him to the rank of major general posthumously in August 1946.