Josef Brettschneider was born in Düsseldorf in 1924. After leaving school he went to Xanten, where he trained at a Nazi teacher training college as a primary school teacher. In April 1943 he was enlisted for military service and eventually was sent to the officer training centre in Potsdam near Berlin. In March 1944, at the age of 20, he became a training officer for Volkssturm Battalion 3/607. The German Volkssturm was established just a few months before the war ended on the basis of a so-called Führer Decree of 25 September 1944. All men between 16 and 60 who were deemed fit for military service were mobilised to support the Wehrmacht. The Volkssturm units were poorly trained and armed and the recruits had a very low chance of survival. The young Lieutenant Josef Brettschneider fought with the Volkssturm Battalion in the Battle for Berlin in April 1945. He noted in his diary, “Equipped only with infantry weapons, a few machine guns and grenade launchers, we occupy the already dug trenches on a rise at the edge of the woods. We have little hope of holding the enemy at bay. Despair and worry are starting to creep in.” Josef Brettschneider spent the final days of the war in the Zitadelle Spandau, a fortress in the west of the city. Soviet soldiers captured it with-out a fight following negotiations Brettschneider was involved in. After the war Brettschneider was interned as a prisoner of war north of Moscow until September 1946.

Germany

Josef Brettschneider

Allied forces played a decisive role in the rapid liberation of Belgian territory. But their role was not limited to military combat. Indeed, at the Liberation, authority over certain aspects of Belgian political life was in the hands of the allied military more specifically the Supreme Headquarters of the Allied Expeditionary Force (SHAEF) or Staff of the Allied Expeditionary Forces in Europe. The SHAEF Mission to Belgium and Luxembourg was led by George Erskine. From Brussels, Erskine worked closely with the Belgian Civil Affairs Mission. If, at first, the situation seemed rather straightforward, especially when compared to France for example – the Belgian government-in-exile in London government had resumed exercising its prerogatives – it became more complex over time. For the Allies, the maintenance of order was essential. At the Liberation, who could they trust? Who were the resistance fighters and what were their objectives? The Allies were particularly wary of communists. The aim was to make the resistance understand as soon as possible that its role was over and that it must hand over its weapons. In their view, the Belgian government was not firm enough on this issue. As a result, the question of disarming the resistance would only be finally resolved in November 1944. Keeping Allied troops and the local population supplied with basic necessities was another key issue. This continued to remain a delicate balancing act for military and local authorities and there was considerable concern that it would lead to social unrest and therefore strengthen the position of the communists. Thankfully, the situation gradually improved from the beginning of 1945 onwards. With the help of Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles and in partnership with CEGE-SOMA.

Belgium 

George Erskine

Joseph Van de Meulebroeck, who became mayor of Brussels in November 1939 – following the death of Adolphe Max – was dismissed from office by the occupier on the basis of the ordinance of 7 March 1941, which imposed an age limit of 60 years for public servants. When he was dismissed, the Van de Meulebroeck had a bill posted that became famous: "I am, I remain, and I will remain the only legal mayor of Brussels". He was subsequently arrested and imprisoned in Saint-Gilles prison before being placed under house arrest. Jules Coelst, six years his senior, succeeded him and served as mayor until September 1942. Greater Brussels was then established; all the Brussels municipalities were merged and a mayor close to the New Order and the occupier was placed at its head: Jan Grauls. Taking advantage of the prevailing confusion on 3 September 1944, Van de Meulebroeck managed to discreetly return to Brussels, as his predecessor Adolphe Max had done in November 1918. He was the one who officially welcomed the British troops arriving in the capital. On the very first day of his return, he posted a proclamation calling on the people of Brussels to put their trust in the municipal authorities and to obey the instructions of the police, the gendarmerie as well as "patriotic" organisations. He ended his appeal with a tribute to the Allies – England, the United States, Russia – as well as to free and independent Belgium, ending with a solemn "Long live the King! ». With the help of Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles and in partnership with CEGE-SOMA.

Joseph Van de Meulebroeck, Mayor of Brussels

Josef Grohé (1902-1987) was the new strong man of the occupation apparatus. He was a convinced Nazi who joined the NSDAP in 1921. His appointment as head of the civil administration in July 1944 was the high point of his career. Of course, this appointment came in a particular context, a little more than a month after the Normandy landings. During his induction, he spoke of the military evolution of the conflict while, of course, affirming his confidence in Germany's final victory thanks to new weapons to come and the genius of the Führer: "We know that whatever happens Adolf Hitler will be able to overcome the most serious crises of this war". At the same time, the resistance was becoming increasingly reckless in occupied Belgium. Number of attacks  were on the rise and some regions were on the brink of civil war. In practice, Grohé had little time to implement a new policy even though 65 hostages were executed in less than two months (there had been 240 such executions under the military administration, which had been in power for four years). In September 1944, Grohé fled the capital and took part in the defence of Aachen. In 1946, he was arrested by the British. Extradited to Belgium, he did not appear before any war crimes tribunal. Belgium sent him back to Germany where a court sentenced him to just four and a half years' imprisonment for his major role in the Nazi party’s crimes. Grohé would remain faithful to his convictions until his death in 1987. With the help of Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles and in partnership with CEGE-SOMA.

Josef Grohé

Born in the industrial Borinage region and a child of authentic proletarians, René Noël rose, through hard work, to the intellectual and administrative middle class in the inter-war period. He taught at the Ecole moyenne de Mons and became head of an evening school while taking up the activities of a socialist unionist. Allying himself with the communist cause at the beginning of the Occupation (1941) due to his visceral hostility towards the occupier, he quickly became a senior official of the Front de l'Indépendance in his region and then throughout the province (end of 1942), before being appointed to the national leadership of the Front from 1943 onwards. As such, he was one of the creators of the Faux Soir, a well-orchestrated parody of the main collaborationist daily newspaper, which made the whole of Belgium laugh at the expense of the Nazis and their local supporters. Once the country was liberated, he worked as a senior executive in the ministries managed by the communists before holding a series of political mandates, either as a municipal councillor and alderman, or as a provincial councillor and senator (1950-1974). Faithful to his party – while being cautiously critical of its "Stalinist" tendencies – and well-established in his region, he succeeded in pursuing both an honourable professional career (as director of the Ecole industrielle et commerciale de Cuesmes/Mons) and a no less honourable political career, striving even in the early 1970s to set up, with the Union Démocratique et Progressiste, a vast "leftist" confederation to try to revitalize his dear Borinage. If this attempt at political renewal turned out to be short-lived, René Noel, an undeniably courageous, imaginative and strong-willed character, maintained the esteem of his fellow citizens to the very end and well beyond communist circles. With the help of Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles and in partnership with CEGE-SOMA.

René Noël

Jean de Lattre de Tassigny si distinse già nei combattimenti della Prima guerra mondiale, guadagnandosi le più alte decorazioni. Fu il più giovane generale dell'esercito francese a guidare una divisione durante la caduta della Francia nel 1940 e in seguito prestò servizio in varie posizioni militari. Nel novembre 1942, durante l'occupazione tedesca della "Zona libera" di Francia, rifiutò di seguire gli ordini di Vichy di deporre le armi e venne quindi imprigionato. Alla fine del 1943 evase e si unì alle Forze libere francesi come comandante superiore. Nell'agosto 1944 de Lattre de Tassigny prese il comando dell’Armata B, la componente francese dell'operazione Dragoon. Le sue truppe liberarono Marsiglia e, insieme alla 7ª Armata americana, incalzarono i tedeschi fino alla Lorena. Durante l'inverno 1944/1945 comandò la 1ª Armata francese nei combattimenti in Lorena e durante la liquidazione della sacca di Colmar. Nell'offensiva finale degli Alleati sulla Germania, le truppe di de Lattre avanzarono verso il Danubio. Durante la resa incondizionata della Germania nazista a Berlino-Karlshorst, il generale de Lattre de Tassigny era presente come rappresentante francese. Prima della cerimonia spinse con successo gli Alleati a includere la Francia come potenza separata accettando la resa della Germania. Comandò in seguito le truppe francesi in Indocina. De Lattre morì di cancro nel 1952, e venne promosso al grado di Maresciallo di Francia a titolo postumo.

France

Jean de Lattre de Tassigny

Non si sa molto sul tenente generale Alexander Patch. Uno dei suoi subordinati, il generale Lucian Truscott, elogiò Patch come "un uomo di eccezionale integrità, un leader coraggioso e competente e un commilitone generoso". Patch evitava il linguaggio brusco e si prendeva cura dei suoi uomini. Nel marzo 1944 gli venne dato il comando della 7ª Armata degli Stati Uniti per l'invasione della Francia meridionale, nome in codice: operazione Dragoon. La 7ª Armata conteneva anche un gran numero di unità francesi che Patch lodò per il loro eroismo. L'invasione fu un successo e la 7ª Armata cominciò ad avanzare rapidamente nella valle del Rodano, incalzando le forze tedesche in ritirata. Nel giro di un mese l'esercito percorse oltre 640 chilometri e liberò molti luoghi tra cui Marsiglia, Lione e Tolone. Durante l'inverno 1944-1945 Patch e il suo esercito combatterono contro le forze tedesche sui Vosgi e vennero duramente colpiti dall'operazione Nordwind, una delle ultime offensive tedesche in Occidente. Dopo aver fermato l'avanzata tedesca, Patch e la 7 ª Armata proseguirono nuovamente nell'offensiva riconquistando il terreno perso durante Nordwind e attraversando anche il Reno in Germania. Le forze al comando di Patch liberarono il campo di concentramento di Dachau il 29 aprile 1945.

Alexander M. Patch

At the outbreak of the Second World War in 1939 Shalwa Loladze was in service with the Red Army. As a commander of a Soviet squadron his airplane was brought down above Ukraine in 1942. He was taken prisoner by the German Army. To avoid the terrible conditions of a German prisoner-of-war camp he decided to join the Georgian Legion which served the German Army. Here he became lieutenant of the Georgian 882nd Infantry Battalion. Because of different revolts of Georgian troops in Eastern Europe the German Army decided to station these troops in the West. The battalion of Loladze therefore arrived on Texel on 6 February 1945. 2 months later the battalion was told to fight the Allies on the Dutch mainland. According to the battalion a revolt was the only chance to prevent this. Led by Loladze they started their revolt on 6 April at 01:00 and in the early morning 180 German soldiers were killed. However, the tide would soon turn after German reinforcements reached the island. Five weeks later the battalion surrendered. During the revolt 565 Georgians, 120 local citizens and around 800 Germans died. Shalwa Loladze was one of them. He was shot in the back on 25 April. A large number of the Georgians are buried on the Georgian cemetery on Texel. After the war the surviving 228 Georgians returned to their own country.

The Netherlands

Sjalwa Loladze

As a member of the 761st Tank Battalion, Sergeant Ruben Rivers arrived at Omaha Beach in France on 10 October 1944. Here, his unit became part of General George Patton’s 3rd Army. Rivers was 26 years old and known for his bravery. On 19 November he led a peloton of Sherman tanks to the occupied village Guébling. Arriving in the village under enemy fire, Rivers’ tank struck an anti-tank mine. Despite having an open bone fracture on his leg, he refused any morphine the medical team tried to give him.Soon after, he even took command of another thank. Over the following days Rivers fought without morphine and with a swollen and infected leg. On 19 November, the Black Panthers again tried to break through the lines at Guébling, but German troops were waiting with anti-tank guns. Rivers ordered his tank to get out of cover and to attack the enemy so that his comrades could retreat. His plan worked, but Rivers’ tank was blown up.Rivers’ actions were an example for the entire 761st Tank Battalion. After the war, like many other African-American soldiers, he did not gain the recognition he deserved. It wasn’t until 1997 that President Bill Clinton awarded his family his Medal of Honour. Rivers is one of only seven African-Americans to be awarded the Medal of Honour for his actions during the Second World War.

Ruben Rivers

George Dukson, born in French Equatorial Africa (now Gabon), decided to join the French army in Europe immediately after the Second World War broke out. Shortly before the French capitulation, he was taken prisoner by the German army. and after spending two years in a German prisoner-of-war camp he successfully escaped.Dukson returned to France, entering the underground resistance movement in Paris and where he played an important role in the resistance. During the liberation of the city of Paris, he rose through the ranks to gain the command over a group of resistance fighters. With just a few revolvers and grenades, Dukson and his comrades succeeded in capturing a German tank. On 21 August he was hit in his arm by a bullet, but Dukson kept fighting until Paris was liberated.On 26 August General Charles de Gaulle, leader of the Free French Forces, marched with his troops in a victory parade through the city. At the request of the Allies, only white soldiers had been involved with the liberation of the city, therefore the parade was therefore also white, despite a huge part of the French army existing of non-white people. However, George gained a spot in the parade and is seen near General de Gaulle in several pictures.After the Liberation of Paris, Dukson started to trade on the black market, until he was arrested. He was shot as he attempted to flee from his arrest and died from his wounds on 11 November 1944.

George Dukson

Noor Inayat Khan nacque a Mosca il giorno di Capodanno del 1914 da madre americana e padre indiano, discendente del sultano di Mysore in India. Dopo lo scoppio della Prima guerra mondiale nel 1914, la famiglia si trasferì a Londra e poi in Francia nel 1920. Qui Inayat Khan si dedicò alla musica e alla scrittura di storie per bambini.Dopo la capitolazione della Francia nel 1940, la famiglia fuggì a Londra, dove Inayat Khan si unì alla Women's Auxiliary Air Force nel novembre 1940. Qui si addestrò come radiotelegrafista. Alla fine del 1942 fu reclutata nell'Esecutivo per le Operazioni Speciali (SOE) e, nonostante la sua mancanza di esperienza, fu inviata in Francia il 17 giugno 1943. Ciò fu dovuto alla carenza di spie e al fatto che parlava correntemente il francese.In Francia, Inayat Khan divenne operatore radio per la rete di medici del SOE a Parigi. L'obiettivo di questa rete era incoraggiare e aiutare la resistenza francese contro l'occupante tedesco. Inayat Khan mantenne i contatti tra la resistenza e il SOE a Londra. Tuttavia, molti membri furono presto arrestati a causa di infiltrazioni del Sicherheitsdienst (agenzia di intelligence della Germania nazista).Nonostante ciò, Inayat Khan cercò di mantenere i contatti con Londra per tutta l'estate. In ottobre fu tradita da una donna francese e successivamente arrestata dalla Gestapo, la polizia segreta tedesca. Il Sicherheitsdienst sapeva decifrare le note in codice di Inayat Khan e questo li portò ad arrestare molte altre persone. Inayat Khan fu imprigionata nella prigione di Pforzheim in Germania per dieci mesi, dopodiché fu trasferita nel campo di concentramento di Dachau. Qui fu torturata per due giorni. Insieme ad altre tre spie del SOE, fu giustiziata il 13 settembre 1944.

Noor Inayat Khan

Edgard Tupët-Thome was born in Bourg-La-Reine on 19 April 1920. After obtaining his school diploma, he quitted his further education in order to join the French Armed Forces in October 1938. During the German invasion of Western Europe, Tupët-Thomé fought in Lorraine and Belgium. Along with the other Allied armies he was pushed back to Dunkirk. Here he helped with the embarking of the British Expeditionary Force before he was taken prisoner. During his transfer to Germany he managed to escape. After he had escaped, Tupët-Thomé joined the French resistance. He managed to reach England via Spain and joined the Free French Forces led by Charles de Gaulle. He was dropped in France to gather information in December 1941. Even though he was wounded during his parachute jump he stayed for six months to fulfill his tasks. He finally returned to England to let his wounds be treated in May 1942. After he was recovered, he became an instructor for French commando units in Saint-Pierre and Miquelon. In August 1943 Tupët-Thomé joined the British Special Air Service and half a year later he became second-in-command of the French 3rd Parachute Chasseur Regiment. Together with his regiment Tupët-Thomé landed in France in August 1944 where they took part in the liberation of several villages. His last mission took place in the Netherlands on 7 April 1945 and was part of Operation Amherst. The goal of the paratroops was to take bridges and other important locations in Drenthe and Groningen, to pave the way for the liberation of these areas. After the war Edgard Tupët-Thome received several medals including la Légion d’honneur. He died at the age of one hundred in Hôtel National des Invalides on 9 September 2020.

Edgard Tupët-Thomé

Sophie Scholl nacque nel 1921 a Forchtenberg, una piccola città del Württemberg di cui il padre era sindaco. Nel 1932 la sua famiglia si trasferì a Ulm. All’età di dodici anni Sophie entrò a far parte del Bund Deutscher Mädel (Lega delle giovani ragazze), un’organizzazione della Gioventù hitleriana per ragazze, e divenne capogruppo. In seguito all’arresto dei suoi fratelli per attività vietate del movimento giovanile libero nel 1937, Sophie rifiutò sempre più il nazionalsocialismo.&nbsp;​Sperando di evitare il Reichsarbeitsdienst (Servizio del Lavoro del Reich) obbligatorio, Sophie iniziò a studiare come maestra d’asilo. Tuttavia, nella primavera del 1941 fu chiamata a prestare il servizio di leva. L’esperienza della subordinazione forzata e della mancanza di libertà, così come il suo intenso interesse per i temi letterari e religiosi, rafforzarono la sua opposizione al regime nazista.&nbsp; &nbsp;​Sophie Scholl aveva un grande talento artistico e una predilezione per lo studio dell‘arte. Tuttavia, nel maggio 1942 iniziò a studiare biologia e filosofia a Monaco e fu accettata nella cerchia di amici del fratello. I due stabilirono contatti con scrittori, filosofi e artisti. La questione di come comportarsi da cristiana all’interno di una dittatura era uno dei quesiti principali che ella si poneva. Poiché il suo fidanzato Fritz Hartnagel era un ufficiale militare, discutevano spesso sulla legittimità della guerra.&nbsp;​Nell’estate del 1942 Sophie dovette prestare servizio di guerra ausiliario presso una fabbrica di rivetti a Ulm. In quel periodo, suo padre venne imprigionato per tre mesi poiché aveva fatto un’osservazione critica su Hitler. A novembre, tornata all’università, Sophie si trasferì in un appartamento insieme al fratello Hans. Da quel momento in poi, partecipò attivamente al gruppo di resistenza. Comprò buste e francobolli su larga scala, partecipò alla riproduzione e alla distribuzione degli ultimi due volantini a Monaco e portò 3.000 copie in treno ad Augusta, Ulm e Stoccarda. &nbsp;​Il 18 febbraio 1943, quando Sophie e Hans Scholl distribuirono il sesto volantino all’Università di Monaco, furono arrestati. Quattro giorni dopo, il Volksgerichtshof (Tribunale del popolo) la condannò a morte insieme al fratello e al loro amico Christoph Probst. Lo stesso pomeriggio furono decapitati nella prigione di Monaco-Stadelheim.

Sophie Scholl

Claude Mademba-Sy was born on 11 December 1923 in Versailles. His father, Abdel Kader, was the first black commander of a colonial infantry battalion of the French Army. Mademba-Sy did not grow up in France, but spent the first years of his childhood dependant on where his dad was stationed, on Madagascar, as well as in Mali and Senegal.After his father died Mademba-Sy spent several years in an orphanage after which he went to live with his mother, who had remarried, in Tunisia. After the German Army invaded Tunisia in November 1942, nineteen year old Mademba-Sy voluntarily joined the Free French Forces. As part of the French 2nd Armoured Division led by General Philippe Leclerc, he arrived on Utah Beach in Normandy on 1 August 1944. He hereafter played a role at the liberation of Paris and Strasbourg and the capture of Berchtesgaden, Adolf Hitlers’ country retreat in the Alps.It was extremely unusual that Mademba-Sy, as a black soldier, was present at the liberation of Paris, because at the insistence of the Allies it was the intention that only white troops would be present. However, since Mademba-Sy was born in Versailles he had the French nationality and because of this he was part of a white French unit which meant he could attend.After the war Claude Mademba-Sy stayed active in the army and he was one of the founders of the Senegalian army in 1960. He also fought for better appreciation of French colonial troops and for a raise for their pensions. He died at the age of 90 in France on 9 April 2014.

Claude Mademba-Sy

Ibrahim Asem was born on 7 January 1924 in Damascus in Syria, which was a protectorate of France at that moment. After France capitulated in 1940, Vichy France took control over Syria. This changed in July 1941, when the British Army and the Free French Forces took over the area. It was under these circumstances that Asem joined the Free French Forces in September 1942, after which he became part of the British Special Air Service (SAS) in 1943. On the night of 7 to 8 April 1945, he was dropped in Drenthe for Operation Amherst together with 701 other French parachutists. The mission of these parachutists was to make contact with the resistance, secure bridges and above all cause confusion and unrest among the German Army. This to make sure the Canadian troops could liberate the northern part of the Netherlands quickly. In different small groups the parachutists were dropped all over Drenthe. However, the group of Asem ended up in the wrong place and broke up on their way to the right destination. In order to escape from the sight of German troops, Asem and six other soldiers hid in a barn. The next day Asem and his group were discovered by German soldiers and a fire fight broke out. The straw roofing of the barn was shot on fire and collapsed. Three French soldiers were burned alive because of this. Three other parachutists, including Asem, were shot dead behind the barn. Just one Frenchman managed to escape.

Asem Ibrahim

Roscoe Brown was born on 9 March 1922 in Washington D.C. With his father being a dentist and his mother a teacher, Brown grew up in an intellectual climate and performed well at school. After he finished his studies with excellent results, he decided to join the American Air Force in 1943.As an African American, Brown ended up at the flying school in Tuskegee, Alabama. Just like the other parts of the American Army, the Air Force was segregated during this time. The flying school in Tuskegee was founded as an experiment to prove that African Americans were not capable of flying airplanes. However, it proved the contrary.The Tuskegee Airmen turned out to be great pilots and would form escort squadrons in Europe. Divided between different squadrons in the 332nd Fighter Group, the Tuskegee Airmen performed important tasks in Europe. Besides attacking different ground targets by themselves, their main task was protecting Allied bombers against the German fighters. Brown finished his training and was sent to Europe in August 1944. As part of the 100th Fighting Squadron he flew a total of 68 missions, with his most successful flight taking place on 24 March 1945. During a very long escort mission with the goal of bombing a German tank factory in Berlin, he shot down a German jet-fighter. Because of this Brown is known as one of the three jet-killers.After the war Brown went back to school to obtain his Master’s degree and later his PhD. He became, amongst other things, a professor at New York University and later director of Bronx Community College. Roscoe Brown died at the age of 94 on 2 July 2016.

Roscoe Brown

Born on 2 October 1916 in Chicago, Joe attended the University of Chicago before being drafted into the U.S. Army’s 69th Infantry Division in December 1941. As the youngest son of Jewish-Russian parents originally from Kiev, Polowsky spoke fluent Russian. On 25 April 1945, as part of a reconnaissance platoon led by Lieutenant Albert Kotzebue, they became the first Americans to meet Soviet soldiers on the Elbe River near Torgau – a symbolic meeting representing the closure of the Eastern and Western Fronts. The photo of this meeting circulated around the world and still stands today as a potent symbol of the end of the war. Making an oath of peace in Torgau, he dedicated the rest of his life to that mission. He tried in vain to have the United Nations declare 25 April "Elbe Day" - a day for world peace. In 1955, Polowsky visited Moscow together with Soviet veterans for the tenth anniversary of the Elbe meeting. In 1960 and 1961, he returned to Torgau on Elbe Day to speak at the Soviet-American Encounter Monument. Despite many efforts, he was never able to return to East Germany after a 1961. Instead, he led an annual vigil on the Michigan Avenue Bridge in Chicago. Polowsky last wish was to be buried in Torgau. He died on 17 October 1983. Overcoming the political hurdles and after gaining permission from the State Council Chairman Erich Honecker, his funeral was held on 26 November 1983 and became an international media event with American and Soviet veterans and other government officials from the USA, USSR, and East Germany. With his final wish, he succeeded in setting an example that, for a brief moment, brought East and West closer together during the Cold War.   In Torgau today, a peace run past his burial place and the Polowsky Peace Rose Garden at Torgau’s castle commemorate him.

United States

Joseph “Joe” Polowsky

In the summer of 1939, the United Kingdom was on the verge of war with Nazi Germany. Because male farm workers were send to the front, the British government decided to establish the Women’s Land Army (WLA). These women became known as Land Girls and replaced the men on the land in order to avoid a food shortage. Between June 1939 and November 1950 over 200,000 women signed up for the WLA. Coming from all walks of life, they played a critical role in increasing Britain’s food production.Daphne Mary Banks, born on 11 May 1922 in Slough, was a Land Girl. In the summer of 1939 she decided to quit her office job in order to join the newly-formed WLA. Driven by patriotism and supported by her parents she went down to the recruiting office in Portland Terrace, Southampton. At that time Daphne’s knowledge of farming mostly came from magazines she had read.As a Land Girl Daphne worked at several farms in the county of Hampshire. On these farms she performed several tasks, from fertilising the fields to trimming hedges. Daphne’s main task was looking after the cows. She fed them, milked them and moved them around the farm. During her stay at the different farms, Daphne always had a private billet in the farmhouse of the family she worked for.After the war, Daphne met her husband and left the WLA. They married in 1947. She had great memories of her WLA days and always recalled them as being some of the best of her life. She died on 14 March 2019.

United Kingdom

Daphne Mary Banks

Lee Miller was born in Poughkeepsie, New York in 1907, where from a young age her father introduced her to photography. After a successful modelling career in the late 20’s Miller decided to go behind the camera herself. During the 30’s she worked in Paris, New York, Caïro and London.At the outbreak of the Second World War, Miller was living in London and working for Vogue. She ignored the plea of her friends and family to return to the United States. When the male photographers of Vogue were send to the front, Miller was offered the position of photographer. One of her first series was photographing women who were active in the army or worked as nurses.As the war proceeded Miller started to do more fieldwork which lead to her being appointed as one of the few female photographers of the U.S. Army. She arrived in Normandy in July 1944, a month after the allied invasion had begun. Her first task was photographing the American nurses near Omaha Beach. During the following months she accompanied the Allied troops who liberated Europe. She was present during the siege of St. Malo, the liberation of Paris and the Alsace region. Miller also produced impressive pictures of the concentration camps Buchenwald and Dachau, alhough her most iconic photo remains the one she took of herself in the bath of Hitler’s apartment in Munich.After the war, Miller had a difficult time processing what she had seen at the Front. She spoke little about it. Her son only discovered much of her work in boxes in the attic, after her death in 1977.

Lee Miller

From 1941 Eugene Pinte, nicknamed Athos, operated out of a small farm in a town called La Gaubertie in the region Aixe-Sur-Vienne. Pinte was in command over several resistance groups in the west of Haute-Vienne. The farm functioned as command centre and from there messages were sent and received. It was also the gather point for supplies that arrived from England via parachute. Pinte insisted his family helped as well. Even his youngest son, Marcel Pinte, became involved in the resistance.Born on 12 April 1938 in Valenciennes, in the northern part of France, the six-year-old Marcel was appointed an important task. As a courier he delivered secret messages to different resistance leaders. Because he was only a small boy, German troops didn’t suspect him. In August 1944, Eugene Pinte had gathered a group of over 1200 men around him. Together with other groups of the French Forces of the Interior (FFI) they surrounded German troops around Limoges and tried to stop a German breakthrough. They won this battle.However, for Marcel it didn’t end well. On the early morning of 19 August, one of the sten guns of the resistance fighters went off by accident. Marcel was hit and died. Marcel was buried on 21 August, just before the liberation of Limoges. A large group of resistance fighters was present, including leaders of different movements. During the last drop of supplies on the farm the parachutes were black instead of white. The British did this to honour Marcel. Posthumously Marcel was promoted to FFI sergeant and became the youngest resistance fighter of France.

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