Solange Alexandre, French Resistance commander, dies at 104

Solange Alexandre, one of the final surviving heroes of the French Resistance during World War Two, has died at the age of 104. Her death was announced at a nursing home in Le Mans, marking the end of an era for the nation's wartime memory. Alexandre was a distinctive figure in the conflict because she co-founded and commanded her own unit of fighters against the German occupation alongside her future husband.

Born in 1922 in the Sarthe department of western France under the name Dubuisson, Alexandre grew up in a family deeply affected by the First World War. She later wrote in her memoirs that her mother had lost her first husband in that conflict and her father was wounded in 1917. These experiences instilled a strong sense of patriotism in her, with the concepts of homeland and honor becoming central to her identity.

Her commitment to the resistance was solidified in June 1940 when she heard General Charles de Gaulle’s appeal from London over the radio. Although she had not previously known the general, she felt an immediate call to action. Months later, she was recruited by Said Belhaffaf, a Tunisian-born French army veteran and friend of her father, who had already joined the underground movement.

Operating under the code name Corlay, Alexandre began serving as a courier in 1941. She traveled extensively on bicycle around the Le Mans region to gather intelligence and relay messages. She noted in a recent interview that the bicycle was essential during this period due to the lack of private cars and mobile phones caused by fuel shortages.

In 1943, she met Guy Deliot, who would become her first husband. Deliot had left the French gendarmerie after refusing to arrest Jewish individuals. The following April, as the Allied invasion neared, the couple moved into the maquis, living clandestinely in forested hills and relying on local farmers for food. Their network, known as Pas-de-Boeuf, was based near the town of Ruillé-sur-Loir.

The unit included approximately 30 men, consisting of deserters from German forced labor programs, survivors from a destroyed resistance group, and two Allied airmen from America and Canada. Alexandre organized sabotage operations and sheltered these airmen. She later recalled that the Gestapo attempted to capture her twice, but she managed to evade them on both occasions.

After the Allied landings in Normandy in 1944, Alexandre joined the fight against the occupying forces. She participated in the liberation of Tours in September of that year and concluded the war with the rank of sub-lieutenant in the French Interior Forces.

Following the war, Alexandre worked as a teacher and accompanied her husband to various postings in French overseas territories. He was killed in Martinique in 1960, and she remarried in 1981. She initially declined the Légion d'Honneur on two occasions, believing others were more worthy, but finally accepted the award in 2024. Upon receiving it, she expressed that it was a great honor, even if it came shortly before her death.

President Emmanuel Macron paid tribute to Alexandre after her passing. He noted that she often said she only did her duty, but emphasized that her duty was the freedom of France. He stated that the nation would never forget her contributions and thanked her for her service.