Michèle Moet-Agniel (born 11 June 1926) was a member of the

French Resistance The French Resistance (french: La Résistance) was a collection of organisations that fought the German occupation of France during World War II, Nazi occupation of France and the Collaborationism, collaborationist Vichy France, Vichy régim ...

, distributing leaflets and later helping Allied aviators escape back to Britain. She was arrested and deported to the Ravensbruck concentration camp, but was rescued by Russian soldiers. After the war, Agniel became a

teacher A teacher, also called a schoolteacher or formally an educator, is a person who helps students to acquire knowledge, competence, or virtue, via the practice of teaching. ''Informally'' the role of teacher may be taken on by anyone (e.g. whe ...

Early life

Michèle Moet-Agniel was born Michèle Moet in 1926 in

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

to a French World War I veteran and a Dutch immigrant.

World War II

At the outbreak of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, Moet-Agniel, then 14, was on vacation with her family at

Fort-Mahon-Plage Fort-Mahon-Plage () is a commune in the Somme department in Hauts-de-France in northern France. Geography The commune is situated on the coast of the English Channel and endowed with a sandy beach and massive sand dunes, Fort-Mahon-Plage attra ...

. They stayed there until May 1940, returning to Paris on foot. Her family became supporters of

Charles de Gaulle Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle (; ; (commonly abbreviated as CDG) 22 November 18909 November 1970) was a French army officer and statesman who led Free France against Nazi Germany in World War II and chaired the Provisional Government ...

Free French Army Free France (french: France Libre) was a political entity that claimed to be the legitimate government of France following the dissolution of the Third Republic. Led by French general , Free France was established as a government-in-exile ...

. Moet-Agniel's activities in the Resistance began with graffiti art near the

Porte de Vincennes The Porte de Vincennes () is one of the city gates of Paris (France) situated in the Bel Air neighborhood of the 12th arrondissement. Location The Porte de Vincennes is located where the northeast corner of the 12th arrondissement meets the ...

of the Free French emblem. In November, Moet-Agniel's former English teacher gave tasked her with retrieving a bundle of leaflets from

Versailles The Palace of Versailles ( ; french: Château de Versailles ) is a former royal residence built by King Louis XIV located in Versailles, about west of Paris, France. The palace is owned by the French Republic and since 1995 has been managed, u ...

and distributing them. From their home in

Saint-Mandé Saint-Mandé () is a high-end Communes of France, commune of the Val-de-Marne Departments of France, department in Île-de-France in the eastern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the Kilometre Zero, center of Paris. It is one of the sm ...

, the Moets hid French, British, and American soldiers and provided them with false documents for the Burgundy Network. Moet-Agniel's father, working at his local

town hall In local government, a city hall, town hall, civic centre (in the UK or Australia), guildhall, or a municipal building (in the Philippines), is the chief administrative building of a city, town, or other municipality. It usually houses ...

, forged and recycled the documents of deceased French citizens so that the errant Allied personnel could receive German-rationed food. In October 1943, aged 17, Moet-Agniel accompanied a member of her network to Britain and would personally assist downed Allied aviators getting to England.

Arrest and deportation

On 28 April 1944, German officials arrested the Moets with two Englishmen. They were taken

Nogent-sur-Marne Nogent-sur-Marne () is a Communes of France, commune in the eastern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the Kilometre Zero, centre of Paris. Nogent-sur-Marne is a ''Subprefectures in France, sous-préfecture'' of the Val-de-Marne ''Depar ...

, then to

Fresnes Prison Fresnes Prison ('' French Centre pénitentiaire de Fresnes'') is the second largest prison in France, located in the town of Fresnes, Val-de-Marne, south of Paris. It comprises a large men's prison (''maison d'arrêt'') of about 1200 cells, a smal ...

. The family escaped torture, but were deported to Germany on 15 August, just before the

liberation of Paris The liberation of Paris (french: Libération de Paris) was a military battle that took place during World War II from 19 August 1944 until the German garrison surrendered the French capital on 25 August 1944. Paris had been occupied by Nazi Germ ...

. Moet-Agniel's father died in

Buchenwald Buchenwald (; literally 'beech forest') was a Nazi concentration camp established on hill near Weimar, Germany, in July 1937. It was one of the first and the largest of the concentration camps within Germany's 1937 borders. Many actual or su ...

in March 1945 while Moet-Agniel and her mother were interned at Ravensbruck. They were freed when the

Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army (Russian: Рабо́че-крестья́нская Кра́сная армия),) often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic and, after ...

reached the camp on 5 February 1945, then were repatriated to Paris on 21 June.

Post-war

For her role in the escape of several Allied servicemen, Moet-Agniel received a number of distinctions from France, the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

, and the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

. When

Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until her death in 2022. She was queen regnant of 32 sovereign states during ...

and

Philip Philip, also Phillip, is a male given name, derived from the Greek (''Philippos'', lit. "horse-loving" or "fond of horses"), from a compound of (''philos'', "dear", "loved", "loving") and (''hippos'', "horse"). Prominent Philips who popularize ...

visited Paris 1948, Moet-Agniel was presented to them. After the war, Moet-Agniel resumed her education, became a teacher, and married a Mr. Agniel. In the 1980s, she testified against

Holocaust denial Holocaust denial is an antisemitic conspiracy theory that falsely asserts that the Nazi genocide of Jews, known as the Holocaust, is a myth, fabrication, or exaggeration. Holocaust deniers make one or more of the following false statements: ...

as a witness.

Legacy

A street in the French town of Migné-Auxances is named after Moet-Agniel.

Bobbie Ann Mason Bobbie Ann Mason (born May 1, 1940) is an American novelist, short story writer, essayist, and literary critic from Kentucky. Her memoir was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. Early life and education A child of Wilburn and Christina Mason, Bobb ...

's 2011 novel ''The Girl in the Blue Beret'' is based on Moet-Agniel's activities in the Resistance and particularly her aid of Mason's father-in-law. Moet-Agniel was given an

American flag The national flag of the United States of America, often referred to as the ''American flag'' or the ''U.S. flag'', consists of thirteen equal horizontal stripes of red (top and bottom) alternating with white, with a blue rectangle in the c ...

that had flown over the US Capital on behalf of Senator

Johnny Isakson John Hardy Isakson (December 28, 1944 – December 19, 2021) was an American businessman and politician who served as a United States senator from Georgia from 2005 to 2019 as a member of the Republican Party. He represented in the United State ...

Citations

References

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Moet-Agniel, Michele Living people 1926 births Educators from Paris French Resistance members Female resistance members of World War II Ravensbrück concentration camp survivors