WWII Heroines Reunited After 80 Years

Eighty years after the end of World War II, a remarkable reunion unfolded across continents, connecting two women whose youthful courage defined the French Resistance. Renee Guette, 98, residing in Texas, and Andree Dupont, 97, in France, shared an emotional video call in April – their first visual contact since liberation from a German concentration camp.

The women, both teenagers when they joined the resistance networks in 1943, recounted their wartime experiences, filled with both bravery and unimaginable suffering. Dupont served as a bicycle-riding messenger, discreetly transporting vital communications and, on occasion, disassembled weaponry across the Sarthe region. Guette, a postal worker, risked her life smuggling ration coupons and messages to fellow resistance fighters.

Their clandestine activities ultimately led to their capture. Dupont was arrested in April 1944 along with 15 others, including family members. Guette followed days later, betrayed to the Gestapo. Both were imprisoned at Romainville near Paris before being transferred to the HASAG Leipzig sub-camp, a brutal extension of Buchenwald, where they endured forced labor manufacturing weapons under horrific conditions.

The women vividly recalled the camp’s cruelty: the biting cold, lice infestations, beatings, and the constant presence of death. They described witnessing the bodies of those who succumbed to the camp’s horrors, awaiting transport to the crematorium.

As the Allied forces advanced in April 1945, the women were forced onto a “death march,” a desperate attempt by the Nazis to prevent liberation. Guette recounted walking relentlessly, surviving on meager rations, and narrowly escaping gunfire during a clash between German and American soldiers.

Victory in Europe Day, May 8, 1945, brought liberation, but also lasting scars. Dupont was reunited with her mother and father, though her aunt perished in a gas chamber. Guette returned home, feeling disoriented and unsure if she had truly arrived.

Despite the decades and distance separating them, the recent video call rekindled a powerful bond. Guette, who has lived in the United States since the 1970s, expressed a longing to see Dupont again, even if it meant traveling “on all fours.”

Their story serves as a poignant reminder of the courage and sacrifice of those who resisted Nazi occupation, and the enduring power of human connection even amidst the darkest of times. It’s a testament to the resilience of the human spirit and a vital lesson for future generations. The fact that these women, after enduring such trauma, could find joy in reconnecting after eight decades is profoundly moving and underscores the importance of remembering and honoring their contributions.