Marguerite Marie Emma Petitjean épouse Bassett - Les Français Libres

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Une Française Libre parmi 62906
 

Marguerite Marie Emma Petitjean épouse Bassett



Naissance : 24 octobre 1920 - Strasbourg (67)

Activité antérieure : liberal / cadre

Point de départ vers la France Libre : Afrique

Engagement dans la France Libre : AEF en aout 1940

Affectation principale : Administration / santé

Décès à 78 ans - 1er aout 1999 - USA

Dossier administratif de résistant : GR 16 P 295615

Dans la liste d'Henri Ecochard V40 : ligne 41243

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Marguerite Marie Emma Petitjean épouse Bassett - son Livre ouvert !
 

De quelques autres photos :

3 avenue Victor Hugo, ma marraine me tient dans les bras, tout juste née. Derrière se profile mon père, Gaston Antébi, présent aussi parmi les Français libres  Plus bas, Marguerite-Binette avec son époux, Hood Bassett, sur le même balcon ...

Elizabeth Antébi le samedi 21 mai 2016 - Demander un contact

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Marguerite Petitjean photographs

Patrick: I have four photographs of Marguerite that I would like to pass on to you. Please e-mail me at justin.a.davis@cogeco.ca and I will get to it!

Justin Davis le vendredi 20 mai 2016 - Demander un contact

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Marguerite Petitjean photo and file

What a wonderful picture Pat. THANKS.
If you haven't seen a copy of her personnel file, I can dropbox it to you.
Bernard (fquirk202@aol.com)

Bernard O'COnnor le vendredi 29 avril 2016 - Demander un contact

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Photo and Text

Bernard: This is one of the very few pictures of Marguerite Petitjean in military uniform during wartime. As my mother, I recall many stories that she told over the years that I can recount when requested. Regards, Pat



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Patrick Bassett le lundi 25 avril 2016 - Demander un contact

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Marguerite's work with the resistance ? 1940 - 1943

Can anyone shed light on Marguerite's work with the French resistance before she was flown to Britain from Algiers on 1 October 1943?
ALSO - Might there be a photograph of her during the war I can use?
I want to include a chapter on her in my book on French women sent into France on secret missions during the Second World War.

Bernard O'Connor le dimanche 17 avril 2016 - Demander un contact

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A saboteur with angels eyes

There is a chapter in the book 'J'y étais' by Jean Fernand who was head of the section for landings and parachutes in the Apt region of the Vaucluse.
He writes (my translation)
"Marguerite Petitjean, alias Binette, which was her nom de guerre, was parachuted , if my memory serves me well, into the department of the Drome near Valence. In the proper sense of the word she was the exact replica of a spy.She was in effect an artful saboteur, and expert in all types of sabotages. She was a close collaborator of Circonférence alias Colonel Burdet, chief of the team Action in the South zone.

On reflection I think we can say of this girl, that at the time she was just 20 years old, that her beauty wasn't the equal of her courage.

As a Saboteur she was actively hunted by the Gestapo and outwitted all the traps that they set for her. Her command post was at Marseille where she received her orders. Under the pressure of certain events, she found herself in a delicate situation it was very urgent that she left Marseille. One day I was given a gift,by her winding route she finished by being washed up in Apt.

Given that she was in need of rest after a sustained period of tension both of the nerves and of her morale, I decided to put her out to grass in a safe place, and billeted her at the home of Rose Grégoire who we called "poussette".

In this haven of tranquility she recovered well and sharpened her convictions to carry on.

Evans, Liz le samedi 01 novembre 2014 - Demander un contact

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The history of her missions

As my mother, I grew up with many tales of her exploits during the war and met and remembered many dear friends of hers from that era. There are even tapes I recorded of her describing her missions and war memories. There is no doubt that my mother was fearless in the face of danger and yet had such love of family and friends that you would never have known her determination during the war. As a proud Alsatian, she would often tell us the germans called them "wooden heads" for their stubborness. I have to agree. I have many a war memory tale of hers that depicts that determination. She accomplished so much during the war but didn't carry outright hostility toward germans after it. Her quote was "forgive but don't forget". Many artifacts from her war years are still with my brother Harry and I. Her war pistol, a colt .32 caliber, named by her as "Josephine" was held by my deceased brother George. It's whereabouts are unknown following his passing. She was an amazing mother with a war history like few others.

Patrick Bassett le lundi 03 mars 2014 - Demander un contact

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Marguerite Petitjean

I wish I had had access to this website earlier as I could have added the extra detail to her story published in 'Churchill's Angels' by Amberley in 2012. I'll add the snippets to this story should there ever be another edition.

Marguerite Petitjean, also known as ‘Binette’, was recorded by Harrison as parachuting into France on 29/30 January 1944 with Yvon Morandat, René Obadia and Eugenie Déchelette  . Not mentioned by Clark, they were four members of the French BCRA, and like Reddé, was part of de Gaulle’s RF Section. Wing Commander Speare of 138 Squadron dropped them from his Halifax on a drop zone, codenamed Ajuster, near St Uze in Drôme, about sixty kilometres southwest of Grenoble. Déchelette broke his ankle on landing so needed assistance in reaching the safe house. Apart from her being a member of the Corps Auxiliaire Féminin, very little detail about her has come to light in SOE literature.
It was her obituary in The Miami Herald that provided most detail. "She was an extremely kind and loving woman," said her daughter-in-law, Melissa Bassett. "But at the same time, she was very stern. You really saw the soldier in her." Marguerite was born in Strasbourg, France, in 1921 and trained as a nurse during her teenage years. In 1939 she volunteered as a Red Cross ambulance driver, but a single act of cruelty persuaded her to become a World War II soldier. She witnessed a Nazi officer shoot a little girl who lived in her town. The incident inspired her to join the French Resistance.
Joining the Free French Forces, she went to England, where she received SOE training. When she returned to France, she worked as a wireless operator for Alexandre Parodi’s network and was involved in seventeen missions before and after D-Day. Her assignments supported military actions to disable enemy bridges and power stations. In one escapade, she suffered multiple injuries, including a fractured skull and a broken spine, and her life was often in grave danger. During one sabotage mission, she was captured by two enemy soldiers. She waited until they fell asleep and then tied them up while holding her .32-caliber gun, which she nicknamed ‘Josephine’ and kept throughout her life.
Her missions were so successful that the Germans placed a 10-million-franc ($500,000) price on her head. To avoid capture, she escaped by crossing the Pyrénées into Spain. In recognition of her work she attained the rank of captain and was awarded the Legion d’Honneur, the highest military decoration in France. She was also a five-time recipient of the Croix de Guerre, a French award for bravery.
On 23 June 1946, she married Henry Bassett, an American she met during the war, at the Cathedral de Notre Dame in Paris and went to live in Florida. She died in August 1999.

Bernard O'Connor le vendredi 14 septembre 2012 - Demander un contact

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She was my Godmother

She was my very beloved Godmother and one of the faithfuller friends of my Father Gaston Antébi, S.A.S. (Parachutist with Bourgoin, St Marcel).
More at :  with her Photo in uniform.

Elizabeth Antébi le vendredi 31 août 2012 - Demander un contact

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Marguerite Petitjean Bassett, 78
The Miami Herald, Florida, 5 Aug 1999

Marguerite Petitjean Bassett lived an extraordinary life - devoted mother, society hostess and the first woman to parachute into enemy territory in France during World War II. Bassett, 78, died Sunday.

"She was an extremely kind and loving woman," said her daughter-in-law, Melissa Bassett. "But at the same time, she was very stern. You really saw the soldier in her." Bassett, born in Strasbourg, France, in 1921, was trained as a nurse during her teenage years. She volunteered as a Red Cross ambulance driver in 1939. But a single act of cruelty propelled her to become a World War II soldier. Bassett witnessed a Nazi officer shoot a little girl who lived in her town. The incident inspired her to join the French Resistance.

Bassett joined the Free French Forces and went to England, where she received special training by the Royal Air Force. She learned how to parachute a perform dangerous acts of sabotage. When she returned to France, she made her first jump near Lyons and eventually completed 17 missions. Bassett's assignments supported military actions to disable enemy bridges and pow stations. She suffered multiple injuries, including a fractured skull a spine, and her life was often in grave danger. During one sabotage mission, she was captured by two enemy soldiers, her family said. Bassett waited until they fell asleep and then tied them up while holding her .32-caliber gun which she nicknamed Josephine and kept throughout her life.

Bassett's missions were so successful that the Germans placed a 10-million-franc ($500,000) price on her head. Known by the code name Binette, she attained the rank of captain and was awarded the Legion of Honor, the highest military decoration in France. She was also a five-time recipient of the Croix de Guerre, a French award for bravery.

When World War II ended in 1945, Bassett cast off her military fashions and immersed herself in the elegant fashions and milieu of high society. At the Cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris, she married American, Harry Hood Bassett, whom she had met during the war. They moved to Palm Beach and then to Miami. Harry Hood Bassett became well known in South Florida banking, rising to chairman of Southeast Banking Corp.

Yellowed newspaper clippings show that Marguerite Bassett cut a striking figure in Miami during the 1950s. "Stunning was Mrs. Harry Hood Bassett, co-chairman of the grand ball, wearing a white silk brocaded sheath with a cascade of white tulle," reported one Miami Herald column that spotlighted her social standing. "It's just incredible how she went from her life as a war hero to become part of the social world," Melissa Bassett said.

After her divorce in 1955, Marguerite Bassett focused her attention on raising three young sons - Harry Hood Jr., Patrick Glenn and George Rodney. "She was always there for the good times and bad times throughout our lives," her son George recalled. "She was always a supporter, and there was a complete sense of trust between her and the three of us." In 1959, Allen Dulles, then director of the CIA, honored her and other World War II heroes at a reception at his home.

Bassett participated in many charitable events and belonged to a variety of civic organizations. "She was also passionate about the issue of desegregation," Melissa Bassett said. "She invited black performers to her home at a time when it wasn't acceptable."

In addition to her three sons, Bassett is survived by eight grandchildren.

A Mass is scheduled for 11 a.m. today at the Church of the Epiphany, 8235 SW 57th Ave.

Bernard O'Connor le dimanche 01 avril 2012 - Demander un contact

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My heritage

My grandmother, Marguerite Petijean Bassett was a French hero in World War II. I am traveling to Paris, France for New Years 2011 and I would like to visit any museums where she is named and honored for her work.

We would like a reference to any historical materials as there is a World War II Museum in New Orleans and we want to honor her there.

Thank you so much.

Emily Bassett

434 566 9792

Emily Bassett le lundi 31 octobre 2011

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Marguerite Petitjean

Marguerite Petitjean, codename ‘Binette’, was recorded by David Harrison as parachuting into France on 29/30 January 1944 ( Not mentioned by Freddie Clark in his Agents by Moonlight, it is possible that, like Danielle Redde, she was an RF agent flown in from Algeria or that she was parachuted in a Carpetbagger operation from RAF Harrington. Apart from her being a member of the Corps Auxiliaire Feminin, very little detail about her has come to light. Accompanying her were three men whose mission was to set up an action network with Alexandre Parodi and prepare for D-Day. Codenamed ‘Hoe’, she acted as their wireless operator until she had to escape the Germans by crossing the Pyrenees.

Bernard O'Connor le dimanche 18 septembre 2011 - Demander un contact

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Marguerite Petitjean ?

"LIEUT. H.H. BASSETT TO MARRY IN PARIS; AAF Officer Is Fiance of Mlle. Marguerite Petitjean, Who Aided Resistance Groups

June 23, 1946, Sunday

Page 37, 271 words

Announcement has been made here of the engagement and approaching marriage of Mlle. Marguerite Marie Petitjean, daughter of M. and Mme. Georges Alfred Petitjean of Strasbourg, France, to First Lieut. Harry Hood Bassett, AAF, son of Mrs. Edward F. Swenson of Palm Seach, Fla., and the late Harry H. Bassett."

select.nytimes.com/ 

Laurent Laloup le samedi 18 octobre 2008 - Demander un contact

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Marguerite Petitjean au BCRA ?

www.plan-sussex-1944.net 

"29 janvier
St Uze, DZ Ajusteur (Drome), France
France
4 BCRA SOE RF (Marguerite Petitjean pseudo Binette, Yvon Morandat pseudo Arnolphe, René Obadia pseudo Pioche & Eugène Déchelette pseudo Ellipse)
Action / Circonference
Mettre en place réseau et préparer Jour-J. Travailler avec Alexandre Parodi"

Laurent Laloup le samedi 18 octobre 2008 - Demander un contact

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Dernière mise à jour le samedi 21 mai 2016

 

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