Maria Justeau (1912–2008) 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 ...

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 ...

. Along with her husband, Eugene Justeau, she saved the lives of many American, Canadian, and French soldiers in the area of Saint-Seglin,

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 ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

. She is among the few women to have received the "

Croix de Guerre The ''Croix de Guerre'' (, ''Cross of War'') is a military decoration of France. It was first created in 1915 and consists of a square-cross medal on two crossed swords, hanging from a ribbon with various degree pins. The decoration was first awa ...

". She was also awarded an official recognition from the SAS parachutists.

Eugene Justeau

Maria and Eugene had a mill at the location called "Le Pont" (the Bridge). The mill was between Saint-Seglin and

Pipriac Pipriac (; , Gallo: ''Piperia'') is a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine department in Brittany in northwestern France. It lies southwest of Rennes. Population Inhabitants of Pipriac are called ''Pipriatains'' in French. International relatio ...

and is still standing. Eugene had been injured and captured by the Germans. He was able to escape back to his home. When the Germans came to look for him, Maria pretended that she didn't know where her husband was and introduced her husband as a day laborer. Eugene instead participated in the Resistance. Capitaine Toqué, Louis Nadan, Louis Bourgeais, SAS parachutists, and Eugene took part in many sabotages in the region. After the war, he was awarded the "Legion d'Honneur" and a "Lieutenant" grade for his heroic actions.

Battlin Bobbie

''Battlin Bobbie'' was an American

B-17 bomber The Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress is a four-engined heavy bomber developed in the 1930s for the United States Army Air Corps (USAAC). Relatively fast and high-flying for a bomber of its era, the B-17 was used primarily in the European Theater ...

that had been shot down in September 1943 by the Germans at Messac. The pilot, Elton Hoyt, and 9 other Americans escaped from the plane before it crashed. Hoyt and 3 comrades were hidden by Justeau at the mill for 3 weeks. In September 2002, he came back to the mill to thank the local population, including Maria Justeau.

General Allard

General Jean-Claude Allard was the subdivision chief of the secret army. He escaped the Gestapo on November 30, 1943, and had a brief stay at the mill.

Saint Marcel Fighters

During the Battle of Saint Marcel (18 June 1944), which involved 200 Free French SAS parachutists and 3,000 fighters from the

Maquis Maquis may refer to: Resistance groups * Maquis (World War II), predominantly rural guerrilla bands of the French Resistance * Spanish Maquis, guerrillas who fought against Francoist Spain in the aftermath of the Spanish Civil War * The network ...

, more than 20 parachutists were hidden at the mill during the battle. Maria and Eugene Justeau kept the mill running while feeding the French soldiers and taking care of 3 children.

Life

Justeau died in 2008 after raising alone her three children after her husband's death. She spent her last years in her little house. She never talked about what happened during World War II with her descendants.

References

# https://web.archive.org/web/20101224082758/http://www.bocabeacon.com/?p=322 #http://lerot.org/joomla/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=125:maria-justeau-une-figure-de-la-resistance&catid=35:nos-peines&lang=fr {{DEFAULTSORT:Justeau, Maria 1912 births 2008 deaths French Resistance members Recipients of the Croix de Guerre 1939–1945 (France) People from Ille-et-Vilaine