When WWII started, nineteen year old Andrée Borrel went to the city of Toulon and she trained as a nurse's aid with the ADF or Association des Dames de France. Borrel then worked in Beaucaire where she treated wounded soldiers. When France fell to Germany in 1940, Marshal Petain took control of the ADF, Borrel did not want to declare defeat so she joined the French Resistance instead. Her job was to rescue British pilots who were shot down over France. Then she would save them and they would escape through an "underground railway" which would lead them back to Britain. She helped co-operate the escape route with Albert Guerisse. Later Borrel found out about the French Section of the Special Operations Executive and she signed up. Since she had a lot of knowledge about Paris, she was sent there to test out the new network. once she was in Paris she met up with Germaine and Madeleine Tambour. The head of the network was impressed that Borrel had made it so far and he invited her to be second in command of the network which she accepted in 1943. She managed sabotage operations, the raiding's of power stations and the supervising of weapons. In June 1943 multiple members of the Paris network were arrested as a result of someone tipping of the Gestapo. They were all taken to Gestapo headquarters in Paris and then to the Fresnes prison. In May 1944, Borrel and three other agents were shipped to Natzweiler-Struthof concentration camp. On July 6, 1944 Borrel and the three other agents were given lethal injections and then cremated. After further review of camp records and a review made by a war crimes investigation team it was found that Borrel had regained consciousness just before being put into the oven and she had even fought to get out; permanently scaring the face of the executioner who was placing her into the oven. Borrel was unable to fight her way out and was ultimately burned alive.
"Andree Borrel (1919 - 1944) - Find A Grave Memorial." Andree Borrel (1919 - 1944) - Find A Grave Memorial. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 May 2014.
<http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=66222922>
"Andree Borrel (1919 - 1944) - Find A Grave Memorial." Andree Borrel (1919 - 1944) - Find A Grave Memorial. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 May 2014.
<http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=66222922>
Joeseph Epstein was born on October 16, 1911 in Poland. He studied law at Warsaw University, while in college he became aware of the Communist Party of Poland which he later joined. He began working for the FTP or the Francs-Tireurs et Partisans a communist resistance group. He then became operation commander in the Paris area in February 1943. Up until Epstein took control the FTP had been working in three-person groups: one person attacked and two provided cover for them to get away. Epstein proposed each team should have 10 to 15 fighters. At which point he insisted three or four people would throw grenades or bombs, and the rest would cover them. Since the FTP knew the way the German armed forces formed for parades leading into Place de I'Etoile. With twelve men his group decided to attack. Three of them decided to attack with grenades and the other nine shielded them. Their attack would only kill one supporter and would injure dozens of soldiers. After the attack the Germans reported to the public that they had been attacked by a hundred militia fighters. The FTP was betrayed in 1943, by Joseph Davidovitch, who had been arrested by the Gestapo and then was released. He told the group though that he had escaped capture. Epstein was arrested during a meeting with Manouchian, the leader of another group, and he was taken to Fresnes prison where he was then tortured and indicted along with another nineteen members of the FTP. All of them were sentenced to death and Joseph Epstein was executed by firing squad.
"A LA SOUPE SOUS LA YOURTE." Rencontres Du Film Des Resistance De Th?nes. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 May 2014.
<http://www.alba-valb.org/resources/media/josephEpstein.jpg/image_view_fullscreen>
"A LA SOUPE SOUS LA YOURTE." Rencontres Du Film Des Resistance De Th?nes. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 May 2014.
<http://www.alba-valb.org/resources/media/josephEpstein.jpg/image_view_fullscreen>
Born on October 6, 1905, Jacques Renouvin studied law and became a lawyer. In November 1938, Renouvin received a lot of attention after he publicly slapped Pierre-Etienne Flandin, who had complemented Adolf Hitler in a telegram. He volunteered for the corps francs in 1939. In late 1940, he moved to the free zone where he then joined the underground movement Liberté. They were responsible for propaganda which he used youth commandos to organize the propaganda. Then a break through happened, Liberté and another group Les Petites Alies merged together to form one group called Combat. Renouvin was put in charge of organizing groups within the free zone. As a result Renouvin became the most wanted man by police. On January 29, 1943 he was arrested by the Gestapo at a railway station while he was with his wife. From there he was taken to Fresnes Prison where he was tortured for several months and then he was taken to Germany on August 29, 1943. He was deported to the Mauthausen camp where he died of exhaustion on January 24, 1944.
"Pierre Brossolette." Pierre Brossolette. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 May 2014.
<http://beaucoudray.free.fr/brossolette.htm>
"Pierre Brossolette." Pierre Brossolette. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 May 2014.
<http://beaucoudray.free.fr/brossolette.htm>
Combat a movement in the French Revolution
It was created in the non-occupied region of France in 1939. Originally Combat used newspapers to send out information. In order to send a message they would attack shops that sold Nazi magazines, sometimes they would even blow up the shops. Another way they would get their message across was by bombing roads so that they could steal from arms trucks. They were very innovative when it came to making at home explosives which they would place generally on bridges and railways. Some people saw them as the unsung heroes of France whereas others saw them as armed bandits who operated like terrorists.
"Food for Thought: Week 9." HI 386 Food for Thought. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 May 2014.
<http://www.warhistoryonline.com/war-articles/i-was-an-elite-wwii-fighter-saving-jews-with-the-dutch-resistance-but-i-kept-it-a-secret-until-my-90th-birthday.html>
"Food for Thought: Week 9." HI 386 Food for Thought. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 May 2014.
<http://www.warhistoryonline.com/war-articles/i-was-an-elite-wwii-fighter-saving-jews-with-the-dutch-resistance-but-i-kept-it-a-secret-until-my-90th-birthday.html>