Tag: World War II

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La Chatte

I previously introduced you to some of the brave women who served as foreign agents for the British led Special Operations Executive (SOE).(Click here to read Women Agents of the SOE and click here to read The White Mouse). Today, you’ll meet another female agent of the SOE. Only this time, you’ll see that her exploits don’t quite measure up to the other agents. In fact, you could probably say she was a triple agent and her betrayals shut down the first SOE network in France and cost the lives of many people. The nom de guerre (codename) for SOE agent Mathilde Carré was VICTOIRE. However, she acquired the nickname, La Chatte (The Cat) because some said she walked as quiet as a cat while others said it was her habit of curling up in large armchairs and scratching the arms with her long sharp nails. Mathilde liked her nickname so well that all of her messages to London were signed “La Chatte.”

Did You Know?

We will soon lose the last eyewitnesses to the tragic events of World War II. The soldiers, sailors, men and women who served in the Army Air Corp., Marines, doctors, nurses, and all who supported them will be gone shortly. Survivors of the Nazis’ atrocities, such as Gena Turgel (the “Bride of Belsen” read her story here) and Elie Wiesel, are gone (read about Elie here). The last surviving member of the French Resistance and Companion of the Liberation will soon pass away and be buried with sixteen other combatants, résistants, and deportees in the crypt of the Mémorial de la France combattante at Fort Mont-Valérien in the western suburbs of Paris.

Fortunately, the world has access to written, verbal, and film which document the war and its atrocities. The amount of material available is unprecedented. The Library of Congress began a program called “Veterans History Project” (learn more here)  to provide World War II veterans the opportunity to record their individual stories in writing as well as verbal accounts (hear Violet Gordon’s story here). The number of books written by military participants, former resistance members, and other survivors documenting their first-hand experiences are plentiful. As former classified documents become available, professional historians are able to update and fill-in the history that perhaps wasn’t complete when the first round of books was written between the end of the war and the 1960s. Thousands of images, both still and moving, are available as the U.S. Government provided men and women the opportunity to capture the war in real time.

Today, there are many memorials across Europe honoring the men and women who fought the Nazis and other fascist regimes. One example is the preservation of Fort Mont-Valérien. Today, it stands as a memorial to those who were executed in the hollow depression on its grounds. Another memorial is the privately funded center located on the site of the former Drancy Deportation Center. Elementary school students and others can view and learn the story of Nazi crimes. The director was ten-years-old during the Occupation and he volunteers for the same reason Mont-Valérien’s young director has dedicated his career: to make sure people don’t forget. Then there are the camp survivors such as Gena Turgel who passed away on 7 June 2018 at the age of ninety-five. Most of the survivors dedicated their lives to telling their stories so others would become aware of the horrors and brutality perpetrated by the Nazis. Their primary goal was to ensure people don’t forget. The many Holocaust memorials around the world serve the purpose of reminding us of the Jewish victims who represented approximately ten percent of the war’s total casualties (it is estimated that more than sixty million perished during World War II).

The Holocaust memorials are there to tell us to forgive but never forget. It’s also an opportunity for us to remember the approximately five million others who perished in the death camps alongside the Jews.

Let’s Meet Mathilde Carré

Mathilde Carré (1908−1970) was born in the small town of Le Creusot, a commune (i.e., an administrative division similar to our incorporated municipalities) in the Saône-et-Loire department in the region of Bourgogne—eastern France. Her family was middle class and she was able to attend Sorbonne University, graduating with a teaching degree. In love with a fellow named Marc, Mathilde knew he couldn’t provide the lifestyle she was accustomed to. So, while sitting on the top step of the grand staircase of the Palais de Justice, Mathilde flipped a coin between Marc (“heads”) and another school teacher, Maurice Carré (“tails”). Tails it was and Mathilde and Maurice were married in 1933 but lived apart until they moved to North Africa. By 1939 the marriage had disintegrated and the couple divorced in 1940. The declassified British MI5 file on Mathilde indicates her treatment towards Maurice was indicative of her personality defects which came into play later on during her espionage activities—one of which was operating with unbounded carelessness.

Mathilde Carré in London. Photo by anonymous (c. 1942).
Mathilde Carré in London. Photo by anonymous (c. 1942).

For those of you who have had a cat as a pet (over the years, we’ve had many) know that cats play by their own rules. They are independent and do as they please. A cat is loyal only to themselves and no one else. A cat comes and goes, returning when they want to. Perhaps this should be the real reason why Mathilde Carré was appropriately given the nickname “The Cat.”

Mathilde was in her early 30s and described as attractive but not beautiful. Her face was pale with thin lips and animated green eyes. Mathilde was described as extremely intelligent but very high strung. She always wore a black fur coat, a red hat, and small flat red shoes. Just what every spy should be—conspicuous. Mathilde’s nails were long and sharp, like a cat. Fortunately for her, this cat had many lives. Read More La Chatte

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“Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde”

Most of you are likely familiar with Robert Louis Stevenson’s novel, Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. You’ve read the book, seen one of the movie versions (including The Nutty Professor), or know the story just in passing. By chance you don’t, it’s the tale of a respected doctor, Henry Jekyll, who experiments with and drinks a serum that changes him into an evil, demented, and murderous thug, Edward Hyde.

Doctor Petiot. Photo by anonymous (date unknown). PD-Expired Copyright. Wikimedia Commons.
Doctor Petiot. Photo by anonymous (date unknown). PD-Expired Copyright. Wikimedia Commons.

Today’s blog is about a man who comes as close to the story of Jekyll and Hyde as anyone I’ve ever run across. About the only difference is that Dr. Petiot did not drink serum to transform into the serial killer he was—he did it all on his own.

Did You Know?

After the Nazis successfully invaded France, Hitler decided he wanted France’s occupied zone to be on the same time as Berlin. So, he made Vichy change it. Today, Paris is still on the same time zone as Berlin (UTC+1; CET). France has thirteen separate time zones when its overseas territories are considered. Metropolitan France has only one-time zone called “Central European Time” or, CET. While we are familiar with the American time zones (Pacific, Mountain, Central, and Eastern),  the world uses “Coordinated Universal Time” or, UTC. It is the primary time standard by which the world regulates clocks and time (it does not observe daylight-saving time). UTC is interchangeable with “Greenwich Mean Time” or, GMT. So, France and Germany are one hour ahead of UTC + 0 which runs through Great Britain. Prior to 1891, every French city and town was allowed to set its own time. However, once the trains started running, the government recognized the need to standardize the country’s time and they based it on solar time of Paris (historically speaking, hasn’t everything in France always revolved around Paris?).

After the August 1944 liberation, France decided not to return to the old time as the Allies were using the current one. I’m not going into the daylight-saving time issue as it really makes things complicated. Florida just passed a bill eliminating daylight-saving time but Congress has to approve it. I’m sure the Democrats and Republicans will find some way to bicker about this as well.

Let’s Meet the Good (but Crazy) Doctor

Marcel André Henri Félix Petiot (1897−1946) was born in Auxerre, France. During his childhood, Petiot committed many criminal acts including discharging a gun in school, robbery, and destruction of public property. It was also documented that he tortured small animals and enjoyed setting fires—all classic signs of a serial killer. Petiot was diagnosed as mentally ill and finished his basic education at a “special” school in Paris.

He served on the front during World War I where he was wounded and gassed. Sent to various rest homes, Petiot was arrested for multiple thefts. Thrown into prison, Petiot was again diagnosed with mental illness. So, what did the French officials do? They sent Petiot back to the front where he attempted to blow off one of his feet with a grenade. This exploit managed to get him honorably discharged (Corporal Klinger from M*A*S*H certainly would have been proud).

Petiot earned his medical degree in 1921 whereupon he set up practice in Villeneuve-sur-Yonne. He soon earned a nefarious reputation as a drug supplier, abortionist, and a thief. He also likely claimed his first victim in 1926. That same year, Petiot won the mayoral election which gave him the opportunity to embezzle the city’s funds. One year later, Petiot married Georgette and within a year, a son was born. By 1932, the citizens had figured him out and he moved his family to Paris. Read More “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde”