Women of Resistance Andree de Jongh

 

Born under the German occupation of Belgium during World War I, perhaps it is not surprising that two decades later, Andrée de Jongh would create the Comet Line and personally lead downed airmen to safety when her beloved country was once again occupied by German troops. She may have been further inspired by stories of Edith Cavell, a Red Cross nurse who’d been executed the year before Andrée was born for helping soldiers flee the Netherlands.

In 1940, Andrée began working as a volunteer nurse with the Red Cross in Brussels where she cared for captured Allied servicemen. She eventually decided to help them escape and arranged for a series of “safe houses” in which the men could wait until being escorted out of the country. She also provided civilian clothing and false identification papers. Much of the success of the Comet Line, as it became known, was the result of using unconventional hiding places such as farms, convents, and private homes. Ultimately the largest of several escape lines in occupied Europe, the Comet Line was comprised of sixty-five to seventy-five percent women.

The first group to escape had eleven men who traveled on foot through France and into Spain where

they were immediately arrested. Only two of the escapees made it to England. Unhappy with the results, Andrée, with the code name Dédée, decided to lead the next group herself. The mission was a success with the entire group arriving at the British consulate in Bilbao where they were given safe harbor. She requested financial help, but the British were hesitant to back a young woman in charge of a brand-new line. After a period of time during which Andrée and others led several successful missions, the British offered logistical and financial support, however, she was not interested in outside control, so she only accepted money.

Before her arrest in January 1943, Andrée personally led two dozen round trips escorting almost 120 airmen to safety. She would take them by train to Bayonne or cities close to the Spanish border, then hike with them across the Pyrenees Mountains into Spain. Her arrest followed that of a large number of Comet Line workers, one of whom was her father. She later indicated that she was probably betrayed by a farm worker at one of the safe houses.

After her arrest, she was interrogated nineteen times by the Abwehr and twice by the Gestapo, but by all reports told them very little other than to say she was in charge of the Comet Line. Skeptical that such a petite young woman could possibly be telling the truth, authorities sent her to Ravensbrük.

Andrée survived the war and was liberated in April 1945 when the Red Army arrived. Thin and undernourished, she would suffer health problems for the rest of her life, however that didn’t keep her from serving others less fortunate. She attained her nursing degree then worked in African leprosariums (communities for those afflicted with leprosy) during her entire career.

Recognized for her brave work, she received the United States Medal of Freedom with golden palms,
the British George Medal, the Belgian Croix de Guerre with palm, became a Chevalier of the French Légion d’honneur and a Chevalier of the Belgian Order of Leopold, and was granted the honorary rank of lieutenant colonel in the Belgian Army. In 1985, King Baudouin of Belgium made her a countess in the Belgian nobility. She passed away in Brussels in 2007 at the age of 91.

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Linda Shenton Matchett writes happily-ever-after historical Christian fiction about second chances

and women who overcome life’s challenges to be better versions of themselves. A native of Baltimore, Maryland, she was born a stone’s throw from Fort McHenry (of Star-Spangled Banner fame) and has lived in historical places all her life. She is a volunteer docent and archivist at the Wright Museum of WWII. She now lives in central New Hampshire where she explores the history of this great state, immerses herself in the imaginary worlds created by other authors, and drinks copious amounts of tea.

Dutch Dawn

Will they survive the 500-mile journey to freedom?

Isak Westgard is only six missions short to be rotated stateside. Then the unthinkable happens, and he crashes in the occupied Netherlands where the chances of him making it back to England are slim to none. The beautiful and tough-as-nails resistance courier begs to differ and claims she hasn’t lost anyone yet. The problem is the longer they’re together, the less he wants to escape.

Annaliese Claasen has escorted her fair share of refugees and downed Allied pilots to safety - too numerous to remember. Until now. There’s something different about the Norwegian-American lieutenant, and it’s more than his good looks. Can she get him out of the country before losing her heart?

Purchase Link: https://books2read.com/u/bMjoxV

Photo Credits:
Andree in 1941 By Unknown author - Public Domain

Map of Escape Line: Museum of the Air Force
Andree behind desk: The Boston Globe

Sources:
https://www.lowellmilkencenter.org/programs/projects/view/andree-de-jongh-faster-than-a-comet/hero
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DwEVhyDzpfQ
https://www.discoveringbelgium.com/andree-de-jongh/
https://www.liberationroute.com/en/stories/474/andree-de-jongh
https://www.andreecollective.org/who-is-andre