Léon Degrelle

Léon Degrelle is a Belgian fascist leader and former commander of the unit in which the real Adrián Gallardo fought. At a postwar gathering of fugitives and collaborators, he recognizes the man presented as Gallardo as one of his former soldiers and publicly celebrates him as a defender of Berlin. His endorsement lends authority to Manuel Arroyo’s assumed identity and opens the gathering’s guests to him.

Identity and Background

Degrelle is known in the scene as the commander of the last unit in which the real Adrián Gallardo had fought. The narrative presents him as one of the gathering’s natural leaders: his words carry enough weight to transform a newcomer’s status before the room. He speaks Spanish fluently and invokes a shared military past and a hoped-for political future.

Encounter with the Impostor

At the gathering, where roughly fifty affluent guests of multiple nationalities use mostly false names and no surnames, Degrelle crosses the room without first introducing himself and embraces the man he takes for Gallardo. Manuel responds with heels together, a fascist salute, and an embrace. Degrelle then expresses the wish that they might again serve together, fighting side by side for Europe’s future.

Manuel answers in character, maintaining that their cause is not finished and that their Reich will last a thousand years. Degrelle seizes him by the arms, then changes course and presents him to the assembled guests as a brave man, a hero, a defender of Berlin, and a source of pride to the Reich and its leader. The public praise makes the supposed Gallardo a person of distinction at the gathering; he can speak privately with most of the guests while his actual companion remains unnoticed behind him.

Narrative Function

Degrelle’s recognition is a hinge in Manuel’s infiltration. Manuel has studied the network and its documents, but the endorsement he receives depends on a personal military connection he has borrowed along with Gallardo’s identity. Degrelle’s embrace and praise therefore turn the imposture from a claim into a socially validated role, giving Manuel access that his research alone could not provide. The scene also exposes the network’s public self-image: its members recast service to the Nazi cause as heroism and a continuing struggle for Europe’s future.