Marie-Madeleine Fourcade
Encyclopedia
Marie-Madeleine Fourcade (1909, Marseille
- 1989) was the leader of the French Resistance
network "Alliance," after the arrest of its former leader Georges Loustaunau-Lacau
, during the occupation of France in the Second World War,
In 1945, she created and became president of the Association Amicale Alliance (Alliance Friendly Association. She then took care of 3,000 resistance agents and survivors, as well as social works and the publication of Mémorial de l'Alliance, dedicated to the resistance group's 429 dead. Published in 1968 under the title Noah's Ark, the history of the group was a bestseller.
She chaired the Committee of Resistance Action from 1962, as well as the jury of honour of Maurice Papon
in 1981. She remarried, was a mother of five children, a commander of the Légion d'honneur
, vice president of the International Union of Resistance and Deportation from 1960 and the National Association of Medal-holders from 1947, and a member of the L.I.C.R.A.. Marie-Madeleine Fourcade was represented at the assembly of the European Communities and in 1982 chaired the Defense of Interests in France and Europe. Her last fights were for the end of the Lebanese conflict and the Klaus Barbie
lawsuit in Lyon
.
Marie-Madeleine Fourcade died on July 20, 1989 at the military hospital of Val-de-Grâce
; the government and the few survivors of the resistance group paid an exceptional homage to her on July 26 at the time of her funeral in the Saint-Louis Church of the Invalids and her burial in the Cimetière du Père-Lachaise in Paris
.
. Some, however, were able to escape, including Fourcade herself, who escaped capture on two occasions. Arrested with her staff on November 10, 1942, she escaped due to a stroke of luck and was taken by plane to London, from where she continued to direct the network. After returning to France to direct the network on the ground, she was captured a second time. Her second escape was more harrowing; in the small hours of the morning, she stripped naked and was able to force her petite body between the bars of the cell window. At the conclusion of the war she was decorated for her service.
Marseille
Marseille , known in antiquity as Massalia , is the second largest city in France, after Paris, with a population of 852,395 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Marseille extends beyond the city limits with a population of over 1,420,000 on an area of...
- 1989) was the leader of the French Resistance
French Resistance
The French Resistance is the name used to denote the collection of French resistance movements that fought against the Nazi German occupation of France and against the collaborationist Vichy régime during World War II...
network "Alliance," after the arrest of its former leader Georges Loustaunau-Lacau
Georges Loustaunau-Lacau
Georges Loustaunau-Lacau was a French army officer, anti-communist conspirator, resistant, and politician.Loustaunau-Lacau was born in Pau, Pyrénées-Atlantiques and in 1912 began his studies at the French Army's officer school, the École Spéciale Militaire de Saint-Cyr...
, during the occupation of France in the Second World War,
In 1945, she created and became president of the Association Amicale Alliance (Alliance Friendly Association. She then took care of 3,000 resistance agents and survivors, as well as social works and the publication of Mémorial de l'Alliance, dedicated to the resistance group's 429 dead. Published in 1968 under the title Noah's Ark, the history of the group was a bestseller.
She chaired the Committee of Resistance Action from 1962, as well as the jury of honour of Maurice Papon
Maurice Papon
Maurice Papon was a French civil servant, industrial leader and Gaullist politician, who was convicted for crimes against humanity for his participation in the deportation of over 1600 Jews during World War II when he was secretary general for police of the Prefecture of Bordeaux.Papon also...
in 1981. She remarried, was a mother of five children, a commander of the Légion d'honneur
Légion d'honneur
The Legion of Honour, or in full the National Order of the Legion of Honour is a French order established by Napoleon Bonaparte, First Consul of the Consulat which succeeded to the First Republic, on 19 May 1802...
, vice president of the International Union of Resistance and Deportation from 1960 and the National Association of Medal-holders from 1947, and a member of the L.I.C.R.A.. Marie-Madeleine Fourcade was represented at the assembly of the European Communities and in 1982 chaired the Defense of Interests in France and Europe. Her last fights were for the end of the Lebanese conflict and the Klaus Barbie
Klaus Barbie
Nikolaus 'Klaus' Barbie was an SS-Hauptsturmführer , Gestapo member and war criminal. He was known as the Butcher of Lyon.- Early life :...
lawsuit in Lyon
Lyon
Lyon , is a city in east-central France in the Rhône-Alpes region, situated between Paris and Marseille. Lyon is located at from Paris, from Marseille, from Geneva, from Turin, and from Barcelona. The residents of the city are called Lyonnais....
.
Marie-Madeleine Fourcade died on July 20, 1989 at the military hospital of Val-de-Grâce
Val-de-Grâce
This article describes the hospital and former abbey. For the main article on Mansart and Lemercier's central church, see Church of the Val-de-Grâce....
; the government and the few survivors of the resistance group paid an exceptional homage to her on July 26 at the time of her funeral in the Saint-Louis Church of the Invalids and her burial in the Cimetière du Père-Lachaise in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
.
Noah's Ark
Fourcade wrote a memoire of her wartime experience in the book L'Arche de Noé, published in 1968 and later abridged and translated into English as Noah's Ark. She describes how, as a young woman in her early 30s, she became head of the underground intelligence network which was to become known as "The Alliance." The name of the book is a reference to the name given to the network by the Nazis, because it assigned animal names to it members as code names. Fourcade's was "Hedgehog." Their assignment was to gather information about German troop and naval movements and logistics inside France, and transmit this intelligence to Britain using a network of clandestine radio transmitters and couriers. It was extremely dangerous work; many of Fourcade's closest associates were captured, tortured and killed by the GestapoGestapo
The Gestapo was the official secret police of Nazi Germany. Beginning on 20 April 1934, it was under the administration of the SS leader Heinrich Himmler in his position as Chief of German Police...
. Some, however, were able to escape, including Fourcade herself, who escaped capture on two occasions. Arrested with her staff on November 10, 1942, she escaped due to a stroke of luck and was taken by plane to London, from where she continued to direct the network. After returning to France to direct the network on the ground, she was captured a second time. Her second escape was more harrowing; in the small hours of the morning, she stripped naked and was able to force her petite body between the bars of the cell window. At the conclusion of the war she was decorated for her service.
Sources
- L'Arche de Noé - Marie-Madeleine Fourcade - Fayard - 1968
- Noah's Ark, - Marie-Madeleine Fourcade O.B.E., E.P. Dutton and Co., New York, 1974
- Marie-Madeleine Fourcade , un chef de la Résistance - Michèle Cointet - Perrin - 2006
- Website
See also
- French ResistanceFrench ResistanceThe French Resistance is the name used to denote the collection of French resistance movements that fought against the Nazi German occupation of France and against the collaborationist Vichy régime during World War II...