Louis Nouveau (born c.1896, died 1966[1]) was a French businessman who worked with the Pat O'Leary escape line (Pat Line) during World War II. The Pat Line helped stranded Allied soldiers and downed airmen escape France which had been defeated by Nazi Germany in June 1940. Nouveau, who was wealthy, helped finance the Pat Line and gave temporary shelter to 145 allied soldiers and airmen in his Marseilles apartment. He also guided groups of downed airmen from northern to southern France from where they were smuggled across the border to Spain and hence returned to the United Kingdom.
In February 1943, Nouveau was arrested by the German occupiers of France and spent the remainder of the war in Buchenwald concentration camp. His wife Renée and son Jean-Pierre escaped to England. Nouveau survived the concentration camp and was awarded the George Medal for his wartime service.