Yvonne Fontaine
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Yvonne Yvette Fontaine (8 August 1913 – 9 May 1996), also known as Yvonne Fauge, code named Nenette and Mimi, 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 ...
and an agent of 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 ...
's clandestine
Special Operations Executive The Special Operations Executive (SOE) was a secret British World War II organisation. It was officially formed on 22 July 1940 under Minister of Economic Warfare Hugh Dalton, from the amalgamation of three existing secret organisations. Its pu ...
(SOE) organization during
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 ...
. The purpose of SOE was to conduct espionage, sabotage, and reconnaissance in occupied Europe against the Axis powers, especially Nazi Germany. SOE agents allied themselves with resistance groups and supplied them with weapons and equipment parachuted in from England. Fontaine worked as a courier for the
Tinker Tinker or tinkerer is an archaic term for an itinerant tinsmith who mends household utensils. Description ''Tinker'' for metal-worker is attested from the thirteenth century as ''tyckner'' or ''tinkler''. Some travelling groups and Romani p ...
and Minister networks (or circuits) in France in 1943 and 1944. She was, in the words of author Beryl E. Escott, "a highly successful and competent agent."Escott, Beryl E. (2010), ''The Heroines of SOE,'' Stroud, Gloucestershire: The History Press, pp. 164–165


Early life

Yvonne Fontaine was born in
Longuyon Longuyon () is a commune in the Meurthe-et-Moselle department in the Grand Est region of north-eastern France. The inhabitants are called ''Longuyonnais''. Geography Longuyon is located at the confluence of the Chiers and Crusnes rivers and ...
on 8 August 1913. In the early days of World War II, she was described as "twice married, once divorced, and her second husband, an Italian, had disappeared. She was not unhappy about his disappearance. "Vivacious, and smart and worldly" with "no family obligations," she worked as the manager of a dye and dry cleaning company in
Troyes Troyes () is a commune and the capital of the department of Aube in the Grand Est region of north-central France. It is located on the Seine river about south-east of Paris. Troyes is situated within the Champagne wine region and is near to ...
. She did not take part in any resistance activities until April 1943. She was anti-German but also criticized the De Gaullist resistance movement as too political, self-seeking, and talkative. As Troyes was an industrial region well connected to
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 ...
, the city was the target of numerous Allied bombings generating numerous pilots and their crews to be hidden when their planes were shot down. Fontaine gradually entered the French Resistance by helping downed airmen evade capture by the Germans.


Special Operations Executive


Tinker network

Fontaine's work with the resistance began in April 1943 when an experienced SOE agent,
Benjamin Cowburn Benjamin Hodkinson Cowburn , Croix de Guerre, Chevalier of the Legion of Honour (1909–1994), code named ''Benoit'' and ''Germain,'' was an agent of the United Kingdom's clandestine Special Operations Executive (SOE) organization during World W ...
, and his radio operator Denis John Barrett came to Troyes to set up a sabotage network, which SOE named Tinker. Cowburn came into contact with Pierre Mulsant and through him met Fontaine who he hired as a courier for a salary of 2,000 francs (about 10 British pounds) per month. Given the code name Nenette, she was adept at the job, carrying messages and sabotage material over a large area in northeastern France. The Tinker network had some successes, including on the night of 3/4 July the destruction of six locomotives used by the Germans. Fontaine also helped eighteen American airmen, shot down near Troyes, escape to Switzerland. However, the Germans infiltrated and destroyed many of the SOE networks in France during the summer of 1943. Cowburn was evacuated from France in September 1943 and on 15 November, the remaining members of the Tinker team, Fontaine, Mulsant, and Barrett, departed France for England from a clandestine airfield. Among the other resistance workers evacuated on the same airplane was a future president of France,
François Mitterrand François Marie Adrien Maurice Mitterrand (26 October 19168 January 1996) was President of France, serving under that position from 1981 to 1995, the longest time in office in the history of France. As First Secretary of the Socialist Party, he ...
.


Minister network

In England, Fontaine underwent SOE training. She was known to SOE by her married name of Yvonne Fauge. SOE officials differed in their assessment of her during her training. One trainer of a group of prospective SOE agents said, "she was the most interesting person here and probably the most intelligent. A lively and indefatigable talker." Another said that she was "egocentric, spoilt, stubborn, impatient, conceited..." Fontaine was the only non-English speaker in her group of SOE trainees. Fortaine returned to France by boat the night of 25 March 1944, landing on a beach in
Brittany Brittany (; french: link=no, Bretagne ; br, Breizh, or ; Gallo language, Gallo: ''Bertaèyn'' ) is a peninsula, Historical region, historical country and cultural area in the west of modern France, covering the western part of what was known ...
. She made her way to Paris where she re-united with her friends Pierre Muslant, the organiser (leader) of the new Minister network, and Denis Barrett, the radio operator. Mulsant installed her in a
safe house A safe house (also spelled safehouse) is, in a generic sense, a secret place for sanctuary or suitable to hide people from the law, hostile actors or actions, or from retribution, threats or perceived danger. It may also be a metaphor. Histori ...
in
Melun Melun () is a commune in the Seine-et-Marne department in the Île-de-France region, north-central France. It is located on the southeastern outskirts of Paris, about from the centre of the capital. Melun is the prefecture of the Seine-et-Ma ...
, about southeast of Paris. She chose the new code name of Mimi. In addition to her travel as a courier, she located farm fields suitable for air drops of arms and supplies for 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 ...
. She organized groups to receive five air drops in April and May. In April she also met on their arrival by parachute a team of three American military officers who were to work with the French Resistance preparing for D-Day, the
allied An alliance is a relationship among people, groups, or states that have joined together for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not explicit agreement has been worked out among them. Members of an alliance are called ...
invasion of France which took place on 6 June 1944. The Minister network was successful in organising and carrying out several small-scale sabotage operations aimed at hindering German logistics and transport of supplies to the battlefields after D-Day. Disaster struck in July 1944. A British commando team of the SAS called Operation Gain radioed they were in trouble in the nearby
Forest of Fontainebleau The forest of Fontainebleau (french: Forêt de Fontainebleau, or ''Forêt de Bière'', meaning "forest of heather") is a mixed deciduous forest lying southeast of Paris, France. It is located primarily in the arrondissement of Fontainebleau ...
. Mulsant and Barrett and others rushed to rescue the SAS team but were captured by the Germans. Benjamin Cowburn returned to France on July 30 in an unsuccessful attempt to free Mulsant and Barrett but both were later executed. Fontaine, the sole survivor of the Minister network, continued work with the Resistance until the liberation of the area from German control in late August 1944. She returned by airplane to England on September 16.


Aftermath

Fontaine was bitter about the capture of her colleagues, Mulsant and Barrett, and put her criticisms in a report to SOE. The capture of Mulsant and Barrett, she wrote, "was entirely the fault of sending in SAS parties in uniform in an area which was very closely patrolled by SS troops." The SAS team was able to withdraw to a safe area, but Mulsant and Barrett, attempting to help the SAS team, "were not aware of this" and were captured. On her return to London, Fontaine was housed in a hotel with two other female SOE agents who also had grievances against the SOE: Anne-Marie Walters and Odette Wilen. An SOE officer reported their indiscreet conversation, openly discussing the arrests of SOE agents. He said of Fontaine, "Her present nervous condition is largely due to the fact that she blames the organization OEfor the arrests of her two friends." He added that "I was seriously shocked by the attitude of these three ladies." Fontaine never received recognition for her work with SOE. SOE's spymaster,
Vera Atkins Vera May Atkins (15 June 1908 – 24 June 2000) was a Romanian-born British intelligence officer who worked in the France Section of the Special Operations Executive (SOE) from 1941 to 1945 during the Second World War. Early life Atkins wa ...
, claimed that Fontaine was recruited in the field and was never an official agent of the French section of SOE.Escott, p. 165 Proposals that Fontaine be awarded the Croix de Guerre and the
Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established ...
were never approved. The
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 Governm ...
government of France did give her the
Medal of the Resistance The Resistance Medal (french: Médaille de la Résistance) was a decoration bestowed by the French Committee of National Liberation, based in the United Kingdom, during World War II. It was established by a decree of General Charles de Gaulle on 9 ...
. Despite the sparsity of her recognition, the appraisal by SOE of Fontaine's work was that she was "an efficient and loyal courier and assistant" with a "gift for clandestine work."O'Connor, p. 287 After the war Fontaine married a Frenchman named Dupont. She died on 9 May 1996.


Decoration


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fontaine, Yvonne 1913 births 1996 deaths French Resistance members French Special Operations Executive personnel