Fighters of the French Resistance Gathered Once More, 8 Decades Since the Conclusion of World War II
In an emotional reunion in April, two courageous women — Dedee (Andree Dupont) and Guette (Renee Guette) — shared tears of joy and reminisced about their harrowing experiences during World War II. It had been a staggering 80 years since they last laid eyes on each other, having been reunited after their release from a German concentration camp.
"Hey girl, can you believe it's been all this time?" Guette said, using Dedee's nickname.
"Honestly, it feels like yesterday," Dedee replied, her voice quivering with emotions.
"I'm giving you a big virtual hug, darling," Guette added, mimicking a kiss on the screen.
"Are the memories coming flooding back for you too?" Dedee questioned.
"Oh, you betcha!" Guette replied. "But there's just so much we can't explain."
As the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II on the continent approaches, the women's profound stories serve as a heart-wrenching reminder of their wartime sacrifices and suffering.
Born in French villages around 350 kilometers apart in 1927, both women found themselves thrust into the chaos of war at just 16 years old. With Nazi Germany invading France, they joined resistance networks in their local villages in 1943.
Dedee became a "liaison officer," covertly transmitting messages and sometimes weapons across the western Sarthe region, using only her bicycle. One time, she proudly recalled carrying a hidden revolver in a towel.
Guette, on the other hand, functioned as a postal worker, smuggling ration coupons and messages to resistance fighters.
Tragedy struck in April of 1944 when Dedee and members of her village's resistance network were arrested, including her father and aunt. Four days later, Guette was captured by a treacherous French agent of the Gestapo.
In a prison in Romainville, the two acquaintances would meet and learn about D-Day, but their newfound hope was short-lived as they were forced to work in the war factories.
On June 25, 1944, Guette, prisoner 43,133, was transported to the HASAG Leipzig sub-camp linked to Buchenwald. As prisoner 41,129, Dedee would join her, enduring unimaginable hardships, including working long hours at night with newspapers stuffed under their clothes for warmth, lice-infested hair, and brutal beatings from German guards.
The horrors never seemed to end for these two resilient women. They described witnessing the emaciated bodies of prisoners waiting to be moved to the crematorium and the unspeakable atrocities they faced.
"They did some awful things to us," Guette confessed.
As the war neared its end, the Nazis evacuated the Leipzig camp, and the prisoners were forced onto "death marches"—long and grueling journeys intended to keep them away from the Allies.
Guette spoke of walking for days with swollen feet, subsisting on little more than rapeseed and potatoes. She was relieved to eventually find sanctuary as she washed in the Elbe River, central Europe's largest waterway, and narrowly escaping a gunfight between German and American soldiers, a bullet whizzing past her ear.
Victory in Europe was finally declared on May 8, 1945. Dedee found her mother in Paris, but her father and aunt did not survive the camps. Guette returned home on the train, but her homecoming was bittersweet, as she wasn't even sure if she was truly back home.
"You know, Dedee," Guette asked. "Did you feel the same way about homecoming?"
To which Dedee responded, "I knew I was home when I saw the village clock tower."
A poignant reminder of the resilience and enduring spirit of these two remarkable women, Guette, who has spent recent decades living in America, looks forward to the possibility of a future reunion with Dedee.
"Lots of love, Dedee," Guette said as they concluded their call. "Maybe someday we'll find each other again."
"The 80th anniversary of the end of World War II in France and the United States is fast approaching, and the heart-wrenching stories of Guette and Dedee serve as a stark reminder of the hardships endured during wartime."
"Born in French villages in the 1920s, these two women found themselves caught up in the politics of war-and-conflicts at a young age, when Nazi Germany invaded France in 1940."
"Despite their different roles in the resistance – with Dedee serving as a liaison officer and Guette smuggling ration coupons and messages – they both faced the horrors of the war, including arrests, imprisonment, and hard labor in crematoriums."
"As politics shifted and the war came to an end, both women found themselves in unfamiliar territory, trying to rebuild their lives and come to terms with the atrocities they had witnessed."
"Now living in different countries, Guette in the United States and Dedee in France, they continue to share their stories and smile at the memory of their emotional reunion, a testament to the power of resilience and the enduring bond of friendship that was forged in the darkest of times."
