The most well-known young Resistance fighter in France, who in World War II captured 25 Nazis, passed away at the age of 97.
On February 21st, Simone Segouin passed away in the French town of Courville-sur-Eure.
In August 1944, when Hollywood director George Stevens captured her carrying a submachine gun over her shoulder, she received her first widespread acclaim.
At the time, Simone was 18 years old and had just assisted in the capture of 25 German soldiers in her hometown of Thivars, which is located about 63 miles south of Paris.
Days later, after storming into Paris to aid in the liberation of the French capital from the Nazis, she was once more hailed as a hero.
The woman’s notoriety was further solidified when she was photographed by renowned war photographer Robert Capa, whose pictures were then featured the following month in Life magazine.
She stated: “I was a Resistance fighter, that’s all,” in a 2015 interview.
“If I had to do it all again, I would, because I don’t regret anything.”
Nearby Chartres, about 55 miles from Paris, Simone was born into a farming family.
She joined the Free-shooters and Partisans in 1944, at the height of the Nazi occupation, a fighting coalition made up of fervent communists and French nationalists.
Simone was given a new name and a cover for the risky missions she would undertake thanks to false identity papers.
Her first task was to rob a German military official of a bicycle.
She was successful, and the bike was repainted so that Simone could use it as a “reconnaissance vehicle” to scout out potential targets and deliver messages.
Simone began dating Roland Boursier, the operation’s commander, while they were fighting.
After the war ended, Roland told local media: “I studied her for a while to see what her feelings were.
“When I discovered she had French feelings I told her little by little about the work I was doing.
“I asked her if she would be scared to do such work and she said ‘No, it would please me to kill Boche’.”
They never wed but had six kids, all of whom were born with her maiden name listed on their birth certificates despite the fact that they never wed.
Simone first caught the attention of foreign journalists when General Charles de Gaulle, the leader of the Free French and future president, visited Chartres.
After attending a service of thanksgiving at Chartres Cathedral, De Gaulle gave a speech on the steps of the neighbourhood post office while en route to Paris.
Simone was seen nearby munching on a jam-covered baguette while holding her machine gun at her side and sporting an FTP armband.
For a Life magazine article titled “The Girl Partisan of Chartres,” American reporter Jack Belden spoke with Simone while photographer Robert Capa captured the conversation on camera.
Simone received the Croix de Guerre medal and was promoted to lieutenant following the conflict.
Later, Simone worked as a paediatric nurse in Chartres and promoted women’s rights.
Additionally, she has a street in Courville-sur-Eure named after her.
According to a French government statement, “Her photograph had travelled the globe and symbolised the important role that women played in the Resistance.
“With the disappearance of Simone Segouin our country lost a woman whose life was more than an image, and will remain a lesson.
“The President of France salutes the memory of a woman who risked everything to defend our universal values and liberate France.”
