- Joined
- Oct 11, 2010
- Messages
- 12,380
- Reaction score
- 6,941
- Age
- 60
Marcel Pinte, a six-year-old boy who was a liaison officer for the French Resistance against the Nazis.
Marcel's father, Eugène Pinte (aka Athos) was leading a Resistance network from the remote family farmhouse in La Gaubertie, a village in the Aixe-sur-Vienne area and the boy was happy to spend time in the forest with members of the Resistance, known as maquisards, where he learned of their clandestine methods. Eugène Pinte, together with his wife Paule, organized secret meetings on the farms and even hid a British paratrooper in the attic of his house.
One of his sons of him, Marcel, understood everything at once, so he quickly gained the confidence of the guerrillas. The boy was eager to play a role in the fight against Nazi Germany and became an agent nicknamed "Quinquin", or "the little boy."
Marcel earned the respect of the guerrillas for the ability to memorize codes and carried messages under his shirt from him. With the school bag on his back, nobody suspicious.
[Marcel with a member of the resistance]
When the Allies entered France from Normandy in the summer of 1944, the Resistance intensified its operations against the Germans.
One night (Aug 19, 1944), Marcel went with a group of maquis to parachute ammunition and other supplies. They had received a code message via the BBC: "The forget-me-not is my favorite flower."
Marcel's father, Eugène Pinte (aka Athos) was leading a Resistance network from the remote family farmhouse in La Gaubertie, a village in the Aixe-sur-Vienne area and the boy was happy to spend time in the forest with members of the Resistance, known as maquisards, where he learned of their clandestine methods. Eugène Pinte, together with his wife Paule, organized secret meetings on the farms and even hid a British paratrooper in the attic of his house.
One of his sons of him, Marcel, understood everything at once, so he quickly gained the confidence of the guerrillas. The boy was eager to play a role in the fight against Nazi Germany and became an agent nicknamed "Quinquin", or "the little boy."
Marcel earned the respect of the guerrillas for the ability to memorize codes and carried messages under his shirt from him. With the school bag on his back, nobody suspicious.
[Marcel with a member of the resistance]
When the Allies entered France from Normandy in the summer of 1944, the Resistance intensified its operations against the Germans.
One night (Aug 19, 1944), Marcel went with a group of maquis to parachute ammunition and other supplies. They had received a code message via the BBC: "The forget-me-not is my favorite flower."
The appointment was at La Gaubertie and suddenly, while they were waiting, one of the men's Sten pistols went off by accident, killing Marcel with multiple shots.
The British paid tribute to the boy by using black parachutes on their next supply drop. Marcel was buried in August 1944, a few hours before the liberation of Limoges, in the presence of numerous battalions; his coffin de él was covered with the French flag.
Marcel's role was finally recognized by the French state. In 1950 he was posthumously awarded the rank of Resistance sergeant. Then, in 2013, the National Office for Ex-combatants and War Victims issued him a posthumous official card for "volunteer Resistance fighters."
Marcel's role was finally recognized by the French state. In 1950 he was posthumously awarded the rank of Resistance sergeant. Then, in 2013, the National Office for Ex-combatants and War Victims issued him a posthumous official card for "volunteer Resistance fighters."