Women Resistors

I interviewed 4 military and 4 resistance cell women for my research. Although the women military agents’ acts of bravery were recorded in military files, this is not necessarily true for resistance cell women. Yet, the stakes were extremely high for both military and resistance cell women – if caught, they would be thrown into a concentration camp, tortured and/or killed. 

Often resistance cell women’s names were not recorded along with the male cell members as per Episode 1: Service Zero, Edie’s story. When her cell was infiltrated by the Nazis, she was not arrested. Although Edie’s name was not listed because she had a crucial job to perform, most women’s names were not recorded in resistance cell documents because they were not viewed as integral to the résistance cells even though they completed some of the most dangerous tasks, such as couriering documents and weapons. 

This is partly due to the military definition of resistance which leaves many women out of resistance history. You see, most women carried on with their prewar roles of caring for family and friends and as a resistor, this was extended to contributing by organizing their homes as meeting places, providing meals for other resistors and/or caring/feeding Jewish families living in their attics. These aspects are all part of resisting, but they don’t fit the military definition of taking up arms. However, if caught these women would have been killed.

Also, at this time, for instance in France, many thousands of women who had the burden of citizenship via resistance work, weren’t equal in the eyes of the law. They didn’t have the right to vote.

You may be interested in this book about resistance cell women in France.