French World War II resistance fighter Solange Alexandre, who led a group of about 30 fighters against the German occupation, has died at the age of 104.
Her death was announced on November 9 by the Sarthe departmental council in western France. She died on November 8 in Le Mans.
Alexandre was born Solange Dubuisson on September 9, 1922, in Mamers, Sarthe. She joined the French Resistance in 1941, shortly after hearing General Charles de Gaulle’s appeal against France’s surrender to Nazi Germany.
Operating under the code name “Corlay”, she initially worked as a liaison and intelligence agent, carrying messages by bicycle between towns including Laval, Alençon and Rennes.
She later became one of the few women to lead a French Resistance group, establishing the Pas-de-Bœuf maquis in April 1944 in Ruillé-sur-Loir, in the Sarthe region.
The group comprised about 30 fighters and carried out sabotage operations, sheltered Allied airmen and took part in the liberation of Tours and surrounding areas.
Alexandre reportedly escaped capture by the Gestapo twice and finished the war with the rank of lieutenant in the French Forces of the Interior (FFI).
Despite her wartime role, she remained modest about her contribution and repeatedly declined official honours, saying she had only fulfilled her duty.
Her death has prompted tributes from local leaders, who have remembered her courage and contribution to France’s liberation during the Second World War.
