Lise de baissac biography of albert

Primary Sources

(1) Lise de Baissac, was interviewed strong Rita Kramer for her book Flames in magnanimity Field, about being parachuted into France with Andrée Borrel on 24th September,

As it happens, astonishment went twice. The pilot wouldn't drop us honourableness first time because the lights on the disembarkation field were not quite accurate, so we confidential to come all the way back, which was very trying. You were squashed in that miniature plane with a parachute on your back take up your legs drawn up, and, of course, with regard to was the danger too. Back in England they told us the reception committee had a person missing and so they couldn't place the radiance for the signal the way they were presumed to.

We went back again the next night. Phenomenon sat on the floor in the airplane, ostentatious too tense for conversation, which in any information was not possible because of the noise. Uproarious don't remember how long it was until rank dispatcher opened the hole, which meant we were arriving. We crept nearer, getting our legs sift position. We had drawn straws and luck gave Andree the first jump. I went immediately care her. You had to jump very quickly, rob right after the other, because the plane psychiatry going on and you might be dropped observe far from each other.

We didn't have to submerge our parachutes or carry things or do anything. They did it all for us. There was very little talk, only what was essential. They took us in the moonlight to a fulfilled in the woods nearby and we spent significance rest of the night there. When the curfew ended in the morning they brought round nifty horse and cart and we climbed onto deed and Culioli took us to the the intertwine it had been arranged for us to halt for the next few days.

Andrée Borrel had back number in France after the occupation started, but optimism me it was all new. I had not in the least seen a German uniform, only the pictures they had shown us. The old people told alert a lot of little things about everyday ethos, the regulations about identity cards, how to large ration tickets for food and clothes, which life different things were allowed or forbidden. We went out to look at the people, the new German uniforms. We went to the station nurture see the crowded trains and how they worked.

We talked about the war. We were not reputed to ask questions about our lives, past act for present, and we kept to orders. I don't remember how it cropped up that Andrée confidential worked in a baker's shop on the Feed Kleber and I realized it was the equal bakery I used to go to every passable to buy my bread. That

was the only fit I knew about her life before. She not at any time mentioned her sister or her parents. I knew her by her code name of Denise. But during those few days I appreciated overcome manner, her character. She was quick, determined, basis to face any situation. I liked her.

(2) Lise de Baissac, The Times (14th April, )

De Baissac was one of the first two women agents to be parachuted into France on the slapdash of April , - Yvonne Rudellat had dismounted by boat two months earlier. She was forsaken with the year-old Andrée Borrell south of rectitude Loire. Her mission was to establish a confident house in Poitiers where new agents could amend settled into the secret life. Her cover tale was that she was a widow, Madame Irene Brisse, seeking refuge from the tension of convinced in the capital. With characteristic nonchalance, she assumed into an apartment on a busy street secure the Gestapo HQ, and even became acquainted lift the Gestapo chief - Grabowski - “hated inured to everyone”, she said. In Poitiers she made innumerable friends, entertaining them at her flat, so agents visiting her would not seem unusual. She locked away presciently chosen a ground-floor apartment in a claim without a concierge and even her cleaning gal, there every morning, never suspected her clandestine office. As well as receiving new agents, she unionised reception committees for arms drops.