Created and led by historian Yannis Kadari (Cadet CEO), Vanguard is an international group of historians and authors who are passionate about WWII history.
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Paulette was born and raised in the Normandy town of Flers where her parents had a café on the market square. In the early days of the occupation, she lost her job at the Banque de France in Flers and found work as a secretary in the Warein textile factory in the town. 2/8 
The drive to buy Spitfires had started in May 1940, based on an idea by the Anglo-Canadian media tycoon Max Aitken (Lord Beaverbrook) and before long, towns, businesses and people were raising money to buy their own Spitfire, costed at a theoretical 5,000 pounds. 2/8 
Eugénie had turned 21 the day before. She had trained in Algeria as a "Merlinette" transmissions expert before being transferred to England in March 43 and joining the SSMF-TR (Sécurité militaire en France - Travaux ruraux) intelligence branch. 2/4 
By the time that jackboots sounded on the cobbles of the Champs Elysées, she was working as a volunteer at the Musée Jeu de Paume, Place de la Concorde where she had organised exhibitions on foreign contemporary art. 2/8 
The strategic train line running through Ascq had already been the object of two acts of sabotage carried out by a small Ascq resistance group led by Paul Delécluse (executed on 7 June 44) and investigating German police were present in the town. 2/8 
The exfiltration mission, named 'Dahlia', soon went wrong as the rough seas damaged the hull of the ageing fishing boat 'Jouet des Flots' and she started to take on water. In the early hours of 3 February, she was beached in a nearby cove and the men dispersed... 2/13 
Germaine returned to her home town of Limoges in the unoccupied zone and began helping Jewish children cross the demarcation line to relative safety where they were hidden in villages or moved on via an escape network into Spain. 2/6 
Jean-Jacques father's path eventually crossed that of SOE F Section wireless operator Jean Dubois (photo) who was parachuted into France on April 15, 1943 and who then went on to set up the Hercule Network with Captain Floege, OSS. 2/7 
Born in Algiers in 1904, he moved back to mainland France with his parents at the age of 14. He played in various clubs before being spotted by the French football federation and earned his first cap in 1926. In 1930, he captained the French side in the first World Cup. 2/11 
Lilo and Erich had helped many Jews to hide from Nazi persecution. Erich had worked for the Todt Organisation in Poland and had seen atrocities first-hand. 2/4 
Born in Paris in 1897 - his parents were doctors - his father Pierre and his mother Esfir Cherchewski, born in Brest-Litovsk. In 1915 he enlisted in the French combat engineers and saw frontline service. In 1918 he was a lieutenant and had been awarded the Légion d'honneur. 2/8 
My darling little maman, My adored very little brother, My darling little papa, I am about to die! What I ask you, and you in particular little maman, is to be very brave. I am [brave] and want to be as much as those who came before me. 2/8 
Jewish officer Pechersky arrived at the camp on 23 September 43 along with 2,000 Jews, of whom 1,900 were immediately sent off to the gas chambers. He asked himself, "How many circles of hell were there in Dante's Inferno?". He was selected for work at Lager II. 2/7 
Vaughan Williams was no stranger to the misery that war could bring. Born in 1872, he had served on the Western Front near Vimy Ridge with the 2/4th London Field Ambulance, then in Salonika before returning to France as an artillery Lt. in 1918. 2/10 
After the war, Peiper was put on trial at Dachau with the main accusation concerning his war crimes during the Malmedy Massacre carried out by men of Kampfgruppe Peiper during the Battle of the Bulge. 2/8 
In late 1942, the Vichy authorities had designated the mountain town of Saint-Martin-Vésubie as an accommodation centre for non-French Jews. 300 families thus settled there and were allowed to live as normally as was possible under supervision of Italian troops. 2/4 
Other 2e DB units arrive via Versailles. At around midday, the ultimatum presented to von Choltitz by Colonel Billotte is rejected and German tanks are engaged. A Panther is destroyed on Place de la Concorde. 2/6 
The previous evening, FFI fighters set up a barricade in the village to hinder German units retreating from US forces approaching Troyes. On the morning of the 24th, a small German convoy was fired upon and withdrew. 2/ 
After having been given the go ahead to advance on Paris, the French 2nd AD (2e DB) is now in Rambouillet southwest of Paris and will push on tomorrow in tactical groups along two axis. 2/8 
Madeleine was born in the Somme department in 1924 to school teacher parents - her father had been badly wounded during the Great War. She began showing an interest in resisting the German occupier during the miners strikes of 1941. 2/7 
1924-25 saw Jean carry out his military service in the French navy as a fusilier marin (Marine). He then returned to the music halls, before getting his big break in cinema, namely with the leading role in the 1938 film Quai des Brumes (Port of Shadows) with Michèle Morgan. 2/6 