The miraculous story of the hairdresser who ended up being decorated by three great powers of the world. He defied Nazism, survived the camps, torture, disease and died at 105
One hairdresser collected more military decorations in World War II than an entire army. She managed to be honored by three different countries, showing exceptional ambition and courage. He miraculously survived torture, concentration camps, and lived to be 105 years old.
Andree Peel PHOTO Sophie Munro/womenhistorynetwork.org
Throughout history, heroes have not only been those with a sword or rifle in hand. Or even of those who commanded large armies and undertook impressive campaigns of conquest. Of particular heroism were apparently simple people, who showed extraordinary courage and strength of character. One of the best examples is Andrée Peel, a hairdresser from France who became one of the most decorated people of World War II. The French state recognized his exceptional merits by awarding him the Legion of Honor at the age of 99, completing a panoply of decorations that included the Croix de Guerre (France), the Medal of Freedom (USA) and the personal recognition of Winston Churchill (UK). After a life in which she met death repeatedly and miraculously survived totalitarianism, Andrée Peel died at the age of 105 and was buried with military honors. From her memoir, originally published in the UK under the title “Miracles Do Happen!”, we learn her incredible life story. Something few could imagine.
A murderous war and the quiet life of a hairdresser
Andrée Peel was born on February 3, 1905, in the city of Brest, in the region of Bretagne, France. Her name was Andrée Virot, her maiden name, and she came from an ordinary family with no connections to the military or clandestine activities. Little is known about her childhood, but it is known that she was attracted to the field of beauty. She had a knack for hair and manicures and quickly built up a loyal following. Around 1938, he opened his own salon in Brest.
After two years of activity, in the summer of 1940, the war changed his life. With the arrival of Wehrmacht troops in Brest, Andrée began hiding retreating French soldiers in her home and salon. He procured them civilian clothes and helped them leave the city without being captured. He was acting out of humanitarian convictions.
On June 18, 1940, he heard General Charles de Gaulle's call on the radio. His words led her to become actively involved in the fight against the occupation. He continued to help the French military and later joined the Resistance. He organized his own network, becoming the leader of a subsection under the code name “Agent Rose”.
“Agent Rose”, one of the most important fighters of the Resistance
Andrée Peel realized that she could do a lot for her country. He continued, on a large scale, to hide, clothe and help French soldiers remaining in the area to escape. He later joined the French Resistance and managed to organize his own network, becoming the leader of a subsection known by the code name “Agent Rose”.
While other members of the team were using weapons, explosives or sabotage, “Agent Rose” was making plans, distributing clandestine press and taking part in risky operations. In a strategic port like Brest, information about German naval and troop movements was essential to the Allied services, and she provided it with great accuracy.
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In addition, he risked his life by signaling Allied planes with torches to guide them to improvised landing sites. He also participated in acts of sabotage, including destroying fuel depots and disrupting German supply lines. The most important contribution, however, remains the rescue of 102 Allied airmen, either parachuted into the area and left isolated, or survivors of downed planes, but also British agents exposed to the risk of being discovered.
He hid all of them, provided them with new clothes and identities, and helped them reach Allied ships at sea. “At that time, we were all putting our lives in danger, but we were doing it because we were fighting for freedom. It was a terrible time, but looking back, I'm proud of what I did and I'm glad I helped defend the freedom of future generations.” said Andrée Peel.
She confessed that she did not think about personal safety, being animated above all by the desire to help her country. “You don't know what freedom is if you've never lost it. Our only fear was that we would not be tortured and that we would not succumb to torture. I rarely thought about my safety. I just acted and did what I thought was right”declared Andrée.
The beginning of the ordeal and the way of miracles
The efficiency of his network inevitably attracted the attention of the German secret police, the Gestapo. Sensing she was being followed, Andrée Peel fled to Paris under a false identity. Shortly after the Normandy landings, a member of his network, captured by the Germans, succumbed to torture and revealed her identity. Andrée was arrested.
She was interrogated for days on end, subjected to methods of extreme brutality. However, he said nothing and betrayed no one. “I was born with courage. I did not allow cruel people to find in me a person they could torture,” he would later declare.
Enraged, the Nazis blacklisted her and deported her to several women's camps. It was a road strewn with limit moments. The first time he arrived at Ravensbrück, where the prisoners were led to a gas chamber. For reasons unclear, the doors opened and the inmates were taken out.
Later, she was transferred to Buchenwald, where she contracted meningitis. She survived without treatment, although many of the other inmates died. Later, when she was about to be taken back to the gas chamber, a Polish prisoner snatched the paper with the number condemning her from her hand and hid it before the guards noticed.
The most dramatic moment occurred in April 1945. As American troops approached the camp, the SS began executions to wipe out the tracks. Andrée was already lined up in front of the firing squad when the first American tanks entered the perimeter of the camp. He escaped at the last moment.
Most decorated woman of World War II
After the war, Andrée Peel moved to London, where she married the Englishman John Peel. They later settled in Bristol and led a low-key life until the publication of his memoirs, Miracles Do Happen!. She was decorated with some of the highest honors for her work in the Resistance, awarded by France, Great Britain and the United States.
Andrée Peel died in 2010, aged 105, and was buried with full military honors in France and Britain.
