Simone Segouin was born October 3, 1925, near Chartres, about 55m from Paris, France. She was born into a farming family and had 3 brothers, so she was used to living in a world of men. In 1944, when she was just 18, Simone joined the Francs-Tireurs et Partisans, a rebel group made up of militant communists and French nationalists. Her father served in WW1 and was a huge source of inspiration for Simone, especially in joining the resistance. When she joined the resistance she was given the "nom de guerre", Nicole Minet and false identity papers; which were intended to protect her family in the event she was ever captured by the Germans. According to her papers, "Nicole Minet" was from Dunkirk, and since the Nazi's bombed the port earlier in the war, her background was overlooked.
One of her first acts was to steal a bicycle, from a German military administrator and repainting it, in order to use it to deliver messages and survey potential targets. Simone was later trained to use weapons like guns and explosives. It wasn't long before she was detonating explosives on bridges and even aiding in the capture of German soldiers. Simone also participated in a number of acts of sabotage including the ambush and looting of enemy convoys and trains.
While taking part in the resistance effort, Simone met and fell in love with, Roland Boursier, a commander of the Thivars Operation. The couple met in her home village and Roland asked her to be a courier for him, delivering messages between him and other members of the Resistance. He eventually asked her to join their group and she happily agreed.
Simone is one of the people credited with liberating the town of Chartres, during which she aided in the capture of 25 German soldiers. She later joined the 2nd Armored Division, which was on it's way to liberate Paris. Once in Paris, Simone waded straight into the thick of the fighting, which still raged in the city.
At the end of the war, Simone was awarded the prestigious Croix de Guerre and she was promoted to lieutenant. Women made up only about 10% of the French Resistance, but their presence helped to shift the French populace's views on women. Like when, French women cast their votes in the 1945 national elections, for the very first time. Simone went on to become a pediatric nurse in Chartres, where she was hugely admired for her contributions to the war effort. A street in Courville-sur-Eure was named after her.
Side notes:
Thivars Operation- Thivars is a commune in northern France, which Chartres was a part of. The aforementioned operation refers to efforts to liberate this region.
https://www.thevintagenews.com/2016/10/06/18-year-old-french-resistance-fighter-simone-segouin-captured-25-nazis-during-the-fall-of-chartres/
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Female Rebels & Activists
No Ficción"We need women who are so strong they can be gentle, so educated they can be humble, so fierce they can be compassionate, so passionate they can be rational and so disciplined they can be free" ...
