Countess Andrée Eugénie Adrienne de Jongh (30 November 1916 – 13 October 2007), called Dédée and Postman, was a member of the
Belgian Resistance
The Belgian Resistance (, ) collectively refers to the resistance movements opposed to the German occupation of Belgium during World War II, German occupation of Belgium during World War II. Within Belgium, resistance was fragmented between many ...
during the Second World War. She organised and led the
Comet Line (''Le Réseau Comète'') to assist
Allied soldiers and airmen to escape from
Nazi-occupied Belgium. The airmen were survivors of military airplanes shot down over Belgium or other European countries. Between August 1941 and December 1942, she escorted 118 people, including more than 80 airmen, from Belgium to neutral Spain from where they were transported to the United Kingdom. Arrested by the Nazis in January 1943, she was incarcerated for the remainder of World War II. After the war, she worked in
leper
Leprosy, also known as Hansen's disease (HD), is a long-term infection by the bacteria '' Mycobacterium leprae'' or '' Mycobacterium lepromatosis''. Infection can lead to damage of the nerves, respiratory tract, skin, and eyes. This nerve da ...
hospitals in Africa.
De Jongh was the recipient of the
George Medal
The George Medal (GM), instituted on 24 September 1940 by King George VI,''British Gallantry Medals'' (Abbott and Tamplin), p. 138 is a decoration of the United Kingdom and Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth, awarded for gallantry, typically ...
from the United Kingdom, the
Medal of Freedom with golden palms from the United States, and many other medals for her work during World War II. In 1985 she was made a
countess
Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New York: ...
by the king of Belgium. Her exploits were described in or inspired several books, movies, and television shows.
Early life
Andrée or Dédée de Jongh was born in
Schaerbeek
(French language, French, ; former History of Dutch orthography, Dutch spelling) or (modern Dutch language, Dutch, ) is one of the List of municipalities of the Brussels-Capital Region, 19 municipalities of the Brussels, Brussels-Capital Reg ...
in Belgium, then under German occupation during the First World War. She was the younger daughter of Frédéric de Jongh, the headmaster of a primary school and Alice Decarpentrie.
Edith Cavell
Edith Louisa Cavell ( ; 4 December 1865 – 12 October 1915) was a British nurse. She is celebrated for treating wounded soldiers from both sides without discrimination during the First World War and for helping some 200 Allied soldiers escape ...
, a British nurse shot in the
Tir national in Schaerbeek in 1915 for assisting troops to escape from occupied Belgium to the neutral Netherlands, was her heroine.
She trained as a nurse and became a commercial artist in
Malmedy
Malmedy (; , historically also ; ) is a city and municipality of Wallonia located in the province of Liège, Belgium.
On January 1, 2018, Malmedy had a total population of 12,654. The total area is 99.96 km2 which gives a population dens ...
. Her nursing endeavours were inspired by Cavell. She was 23 years old when the Germans invaded and occupied Belgium. De Jongh was described by a British airman she helped as a "frail young girl who appears twenty years
ld very pretty, pleasant, kind, cheerful, and simple. She seems to have the carelessness of a young student who would go on vacation after passing her exams". Later, a British colonel would call her a
"pure heroine of legend".
Origin of the Comet Line
After
German troops invaded and occupied Belgium in May 1940, de Jongh moved to
Brussels
Brussels, officially the Brussels-Capital Region, (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) is a Communities, regions and language areas of Belgium#Regions, region of Belgium comprising #Municipalit ...
, where she became a
Red Cross
The organized International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is a Humanitarianism, humanitarian movement with approximately 16million volunteering, volunteers, members, and staff worldwide. It was founded to protect human life and health, to ...
volunteer, ministering to captured Allied troops. In Brussels at that time, hiding in
safe houses, were many British soldiers, those left behind at
Dunkirk
Dunkirk ( ; ; ; Picard language, Picard: ''Dunkèke''; ; or ) is a major port city in the Departments of France, department of Nord (French department), Nord in northern France. It lies from the Belgium, Belgian border. It has the third-larg ...
and escapees from those captured at
Saint-Valery-en-Caux
Saint-Valery-en-Caux (, literally ''Saint-Valery in Pays de Caux, Caux'') is a Communes of France, commune in the Seine-Maritime Departments of France, department in the Normandy (administrative region), Normandy region in northern France.
The ad ...
. De Jongh organised a series of safe houses for these soldiers, while also procuring civilian clothes for them as well as false ID papers. Visiting the sick and wounded soldiers enabled her to make links with this network of safe-house keepers who were trying to work out ways to get the soldiers back to Britain.
In spring 1941, Henri de Bliqui, Arnold Deppè, and Andrée de Jongh organised a group of friends to help Allied soldiers and airmen escape occupied Belgium and return to Great Britain. This was the origin of what became known as the Comet Line, the largest of the
escape and evasion lines in World War II. They initially called themselves the DDDs after their last names. De Bliqui was arrested in April 1941 and later executed after the group was infiltrated by
Prosper Dezitter, a Belgian collaborator with the Germans.
In June 1941, Deppé journeyed from Belgium to southwestern France where he had once lived to look for the means to smuggle Allied soldiers, downed airmen, and other people vulnerable to capture by the Germans out of Belgium. Deppé made contact with
Elvire de Greef and her family and arranged for their help in getting people across the border. De Greef became known as "Tante Go" ("Auntie Go").
De Jongh and Deppé, assisted by the de Greefs, attempted their first crossing of the Spanish border in July 1941 with ten Belgians and "Miss Richards", supposedly an English woman but actually a Belgian secret agent named Frederique Dupuich. After they successfully crossed the
Pyrenees
The Pyrenees are a mountain range straddling the border of France and Spain. They extend nearly from their union with the Cantabrian Mountains to Cap de Creus on the Mediterranean coast, reaching a maximum elevation of at the peak of Aneto. ...
mountains on the Franco-Spanish border, de Jongh and Deppé left their charges to fend for themselves and returned to Belgium. The ten Belgians and "Miss Richards" were arrested by Spanish police. Three Belgian soldiers among them were turned over to the Germans in France. From this experience, de Jongh realised that in future exfiltrations they must establish a relationship with the British Consulate in
Bilbao
Bilbao is a city in northern Spain, the largest city in the Provinces of Spain, province of Biscay and in the Basque Country (greater region), Basque Country as a whole. It is also the largest city proper in northern Spain. Bilbao is the List o ...
to ensure the safety in Spain of the people they escorted out of occupied Belgian and France.
In August, Deppé and de Jongh escorted another group of people, de Jongh taking a longer, more rural, and safer route with three men, including a British soldier, and Deppé a shorter, more dangerous route with six men. An informer betrayed Deppé and his party and they were arrested by the Germans. Deppé was imprisoned for the remainder of the war. De Jongh arrived safely at the de Greef house in
Anglet
Anglet (; , )[ANGELU]
Auñamendi Encyclopedia, Auñamendi Eusko Entziklopedia is a Communes of Fra ...
and crossed into Spain with a Basque smuggler as a guide. She appeared in the British consulate in
Bilbao
Bilbao is a city in northern Spain, the largest city in the Provinces of Spain, province of Biscay and in the Basque Country (greater region), Basque Country as a whole. It is also the largest city proper in northern Spain. Bilbao is the List o ...
with a British soldier (James Cromar from
Aberdeen
Aberdeen ( ; ; ) is a port city in North East Scotland, and is the List of towns and cities in Scotland by population, third most populous Cities of Scotland, Scottish city. Historically, Aberdeen was within the historic county of Aberdeensh ...
) and two Belgian volunteers (Merchiers and Sterckmans), having travelled mostly by train from Brussels to
Bayonne
Bayonne () is a city in southwestern France near the France–Spain border, Spanish border. It is a communes of France, commune and one of two subprefectures in France, subprefectures in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques departments of France, departm ...
and then on foot over the Pyrenees
through the Basque Country.
The British diplomats were initially sceptical of de Jongh. It seemed unlikely to them that this young woman with three soldiers in tow had travelled from German-occupied Belgium, through occupied France, and over the Pyrenees to Spain, a straight-line distance of some (and much further by the roundabout route they had taken). De Jongh promised to exfiltrate additional British soldiers and airmen if the British would pay the Comet Line's expenses which were 6,000 Belgian Francs and 1,400 Spanish Pesetas (the sum of the two currencies amounting to the equivalent of $2,000 in 2018 U.S. dollars) for each Allied airmen or soldier exfiltrated. After three weeks of doubt, suspicion that she was a German agent, and indecision by British authorities in Spain and England, the British agreed to her terms. Except for financial assistance, de Jongh turned down all other British offers of advice and assistance. She rejected efforts by the British and the Belgian government in exile to control or direct the Comet Line. British agent
Donald Darling ("Sunday") gave her the code name of "Postman".
Exfiltrating Allied airmen
The arrest of Arnold Deppé in August 1941 introduced a note of caution into the Comet Line. Andrée de Jongh decided that Belgium was unsafe and thereafter worked and lived in Paris and
Valenciennes
Valenciennes (, also , , ; ; or ; ) is a communes of France, commune in the Nord (French department), Nord Departments of France, department, Hauts-de-France, France.
It lies on the Scheldt () river. Although the city and region experienced ...
, a French city on the border with Belgium. Her father Frederic took over some of her leadership duties in Belgium. In France, de Jongh received airmen from Brussels, cared for them in safe houses, escorted them by railroad to
Bayonne
Bayonne () is a city in southwestern France near the France–Spain border, Spanish border. It is a communes of France, commune and one of two subprefectures in France, subprefectures in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques departments of France, departm ...
or nearby cities near the Spanish border, and trekked with them across the Pyrenees to Spain. She escorted one group of three airmen in October 1941, another group of three in November, and two groups totaling 11 men in December 1941. That level of activity continued in 1942. Once she had successfully crossed the border, de Jongh turned her charges over to the British who would drive them to Gibraltar where they would be flown back to Great Britain. While the airmen proceeded onward, de Jongh met in
San Sebastián
San Sebastián, officially known by the bilingual name Donostia / San Sebastián (, ), is a city and municipality located in the Basque Autonomous Community, Spain. It lies on the coast of the Bay of Biscay, from the France–Spain border ...
with British diplomat
Michael Creswell, ("Monday"), who gave her money for the Comet Line's expenses plus messages to take back to France. While returning to Paris she reinforced the system of safe houses and helpers along the route and paid necessary expenses, although most members of Comet Line never received any compensation for their expenses.
Estimates of the number of times that de Jongh successfully escorted downed airmen across the border into Spain in 1941 and 1942 vary from 16 to 24 round trips. The number of persons, mostly airmen, she escorted successfully is about 118.
Captured

Comet Line members and their families took great risks. Working for escape lines became more dangerous after November 1942 when southern France was occupied by the Germans and the whole of France came under direct Nazi rule. During the war hundreds of workers for the Comet Line were arrested by the ''
Geheime Feldpolizei'' of the ''
Abwehr
The (German language, German for ''resistance'' or ''defence'', though the word usually means ''counterintelligence'' in a military context) ) was the German military intelligence , military-intelligence service for the ''Reichswehr'' and the ...
'' and many were executed or deported to German prisons and concentration camps.
In January 1943, de Jongh led three British airmen south by train from Paris to Saint-Jean-de-Luz. From the railway station they walked in rain for two hours to the village of
Urrugne, in the
French Basque Country
The French Basque Country (; ; ), or Northern Basque Country (, or , ), is a region lying on the west of the French department of the Pyrénées-Atlantiques. Since 1 January 2017, it constitutes the Basque Municipal Community (; ) presided ...
– the last stop on the escape line before the walk over the Pyrenees. With the airmen and de Jongh was her favorite Basque guide
Florentino Goikoetxea, a smuggler wanted by the police on both sides of the border. They arrived at the safe house belonging to Frantxia Usandizanga, a Basque woman, intending to continue to the border, distant. However, the river
Bidasoa on the border was in flood and it would be too dangerous to attempt to cross. Goikoetxea went to another house to spend the night and de Jongh and the three airmen spent the night at Usandizanga's house. The next morning, 15 January 1943, de Jongh, the three airmen, and Usandizanga were arrested in the house by ten German soldiers. They had been betrayed, probably by a farm worker named Donato whom de Jongh knew but did not trust.
De Jongh was sent first to
Fresnes prison in Paris and eventually to
Ravensbrück concentration camp
Ravensbrück () was a Nazi concentration camp exclusively for women from 1939 to 1945, located in northern Germany, north of Berlin at a site near the village of Ravensbrück (part of Fürstenberg/Havel). The camp memorial's estimated figure of 1 ...
and
Mauthausen. She was interrogated 19 times by the
Abwehr
The (German language, German for ''resistance'' or ''defence'', though the word usually means ''counterintelligence'' in a military context) ) was the German military intelligence , military-intelligence service for the ''Reichswehr'' and the ...
and twice by the
Gestapo
The (, ), Syllabic abbreviation, abbreviated Gestapo (), was the official secret police of Nazi Germany and in German-occupied Europe.
The force was created by Hermann Göring in 1933 by combining the various political police agencies of F ...
. Although she admitted being the leader of the Comet Line to protect her father who was under suspicion, the Germans did not believe that this slight, young woman was more than a minor helper in the Comet Line. Their underestimation of de Jongh's importance in the Comet Line probably saved her from execution. Later, while she was a prisoner in Ravensbrück, the Gestapo realized who she was and searched for her, but she eluded them by hiding her identity.
In de Jongh's absence and under the leadership of
Jean Greindl and Antoine d'Ursel, the Comet Line continued to function and helped more than 700 Allied soldiers reach safety during the war. Although de Jongh survived in the concentration camps, she became gravely ill and undernourished by the time she was released by the advancing Allies in April 1945. Many of her colleagues died in captivity. Her father, Frédéric de Jongh was arrested in Paris on 7 June 1943 and executed on 28 March 1944. The three airmen arrested with her survived the war in
prisoner-of-war camp
A prisoner-of-war camp (often abbreviated as POW camp) is a site for the containment of enemy fighters captured as Prisoner of war, prisoners of war by a belligerent power in time of war.
There are significant differences among POW camps, inte ...
s. Usandizanga was beaten to death in Ravensbrück by a guard shortly before the camp's liberation in April 1945. Goikoetxea continued to be the preferred Comet Line guide until wounded and captured by the Germans (but rescued by the de Greef family) shortly before
France was liberated by the Allies in 1944.
After her concentration camp experiences, de Jongh resurfaced in summer 1945 in the middle of the night at Donald Darling's Paris Awards Office. She still wore the pink and white striped dress that was the camp uniform. She was thin and suffering from health problems that lasted for the rest of her life.
Later life
Post-war, de Jongh finished her nursing studies and worked in
leprosarium
A leper colony, also known by #Names, many other names, is an isolated community for the quarantining and treatment of lepers, people suffering from leprosy.
''Mycobacterium leprae, M. leprae'', the bacterium responsible for leprosy, is believ ...
s, first in the
Belgian Congo
The Belgian Congo (, ; ) was a Belgian colonial empire, Belgian colony in Central Africa from 1908 until independence in 1960 and became the Republic of the Congo (Léopoldville). The former colony adopted its present name, the Democratic Repu ...
, then in
Cameroon
Cameroon, officially the Republic of Cameroon, is a country in Central Africa. It shares boundaries with Nigeria to the west and north, Chad to the northeast, the Central African Republic to the east, and Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the R ...
, next in
Addis Ababa
Addis Ababa (; ,) is the capital city of Ethiopia, as well as the regional state of Oromia. With an estimated population of 2,739,551 inhabitants as of the 2007 census, it is the largest city in the country and the List of cities in Africa b ...
, Ethiopia. and finally in
Senegal
Senegal, officially the Republic of Senegal, is the westernmost country in West Africa, situated on the Atlantic Ocean coastline. It borders Mauritania to Mauritania–Senegal border, the north, Mali to Mali–Senegal border, the east, Guinea t ...
. While de Jongh was working in Ethiopia, her mother was on her deathbed in Belgium and, in a measure of respect to her, the
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the Air force, air and space force of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. It was formed towards the end of the World War I, First World War on 1 April 1918, on the merger of t ...
made an unscheduled stop in Addis Ababa to take her to Belgium and later returned her to Ethiopia.
In 1959, while working at a
leper colony
A leper colony, also known by many other names, is an isolated community for the quarantining and treatment of lepers, people suffering from leprosy.
'' M. leprae'', the bacterium responsible for leprosy, is believed to have spread from East ...
in
Coquilhatville, she met English novelist
Graham Greene
Henry Graham Greene (2 October 1904 – 3 April 1991) was an English writer and journalist regarded by many as one of the leading novelists of the 20th century.
Combining literary acclaim with widespread popularity, Greene acquired a re ...
. Greene recorded her candid account of her war experiences in his journal which was published in 1961. In ''
In Search of a Character: Two African Journals'', Greene wrote that he asked her why she had come to the Congo; she replied, "Because from the age of fifteen I wanted to cure lepers. If I had delayed any longer it would have been too late."
In poor health she eventually returned to Belgium with her colleague, Thérèse de Wael.
For her wartime efforts, she was awarded the United States
Medal of Freedom with golden palms, the British
George Medal
The George Medal (GM), instituted on 24 September 1940 by King George VI,''British Gallantry Medals'' (Abbott and Tamplin), p. 138 is a decoration of the United Kingdom and Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth, awarded for gallantry, typically ...
on 13 February 1946, and became a Chevalier of the French
Légion d'honneur
The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and Civil society, civil. Currently consisting of five cl ...
. She also became a Chevalier of the
Order of Leopold, received the Belgian
Croix de Guerre/Oorlogskruis with palm, and was granted the honorary rank of lieutenant-colonel in the
Belgian Army
The Land Component (, ), historically and commonly still referred to as the Belgian Army (, ), is the Land warfare, land branch of the Belgian Armed Forces. The King of the Belgians is the commander in chief. The current chief of staff of the Land ...
. In 1985, she was made a
Countess
Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New York: ...
in the
Belgian nobility
The Belgian nobility comprises Belgian individuals or families recognized as noble with or without a title of nobility in the Kingdom of Belgium. The Belgian constitution states that no specific privileges are attached to the nobility.
History
...
by
King Baudouin.
Death
The Countess de Jongh died on 13 October 2007, aged 90, at the
Cliniques universitaires Saint-Luc,
Woluwe-Saint-Lambert
Woluwe-Saint-Lambert ( French, ) or Sint-Lambrechts-Woluwe ( Dutch, ) is one of the 19 municipalities of the Brussels-Capital Region, Belgium. In common with all of Brussels' municipalities, it is legally bilingual (French–Dutch). In French, ...
, Brussels. Her funeral service was held at the
La Cambre Abbey,
Ixelles
(French language, French, ) or (Dutch language, Dutch, ) is one of the List of municipalities of the Brussels-Capital Region, 19 municipalities of the Brussels-Capital Region, Belgium. Located to the south-east of Pentagon (Brussels), Brusse ...
, Brussels, and she was interred in the crypt of her parents at the
Schaerbeek Cemetery.
In popular culture
* ''The Last Passage'', Lurre Telleria et Enara Goikoetxea, Moztu filmak & Amo films, 2010.
*
The Belgian Girls, a dual timeline novel by Kathryn J. Atwood, details the workings of the Comet Line from the perspective of its young female couriers.
See also
* ''
The Nightingale'' (2015) an historical fiction novel inspired by de Jongh's WW II experiences, written by
Kristin Hannah
Kristin Hannah (born September 25, 1960) is an Americans, American writer. Her most notable works include ''Winter Garden'', ''The Nightingale (Hannah novel), The Nightingale'', ''Firefly Lane (novel), Firefly Lane'', ''The Great Alone'', and ''T ...
.
* ''The Postwoman'' (2018) an historical fiction novel based on the story of Andrée de Jongh's life, written by Michael Kenneth Smith.
* ''
Secret Army'', a
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...
television series is based on Comet Line operations in Belgium.
["Secret Army: Why You'll Want to Join the Resistance"]
accessed 5 Oct 2019
*
Airey Neave
Lieutenant Colonel Airey Middleton Sheffield Neave, () (23 January 1916 – 30 March 1979) was a British soldier, lawyer and Member of Parliament (MP) from 1953 until his assassination in 1979.
During the Second World War he was the first ...
of MI9 was responsible for supporting the Comet Line. His biography of de Jongh is titled ''The Little Cyclone.''
References
Citations
Works cited
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External links
Houston Chronicle: Countess who helped WWII pilots escape Nazis dies*
{{DEFAULTSORT:de Jongh, Andree
1916 births
2007 deaths
People from Schaerbeek
Belgian countesses
Belgian nurses
Belgian resistance members
Recipients of the George Medal
Recipients of the Medal of Freedom
Knights of the Legion of Honour
Recipients of the Croix de guerre (Belgium)
Women in World War II
Night and Fog program
Burials at Schaerbeek Cemetery
Belgian expatriates in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
Female resistance members of World War II
Ravensbrück concentration camp survivors
Red Cross personnel