French World War II Resistance Heroine Solange Alexandre Dies at 104

France is mourning Solange Alexandre, a World War II resistance heroine who commanded a group of about 30 fighters against Nazi occupation forces, following her death at the age of 104.

Alexandre died on November 8, 2026, at a nursing home in Le Mans, western France. Her death was announced by the Sarthe departmental council on Monday, November 9.

Known by her wartime code name, “Corlay”, Alexandre was among the relatively few women who led their own resistance units during the German occupation of France.

Born Solange Dubuisson on September 9, 1922, in Mamers, in the Sarthe department, she was inspired to join the resistance after hearing General Charles de Gaulle’s June 18, 1940, radio appeal urging the French people to continue fighting Nazi Germany.

She was not yet 18 when she decided to take part in the underground struggle.

In September 1941, she began working as a resistance courier and intelligence operative, travelling by bicycle across parts of western France to deliver messages and gather information for the anti-German movement.

Operating under the name Corlay, she carried communications between resistance groups in towns including Laval, Alençon and Rennes, often risking arrest by German occupation authorities.

Her role expanded in April 1944 when she helped establish the Pas-de-Boeuf resistance network near Ruillé-sur-Loir, taking command of approximately 30 men.

The group included French men who had evaded forced labour in Germany, survivors of other resistance units and Allied airmen who had escaped capture.

Under her leadership, the fighters organised sabotage operations, sheltered Allied pilots and took up arms against German forces following the Allied landings in Normandy.

Alexandre and her unit also participated in the liberation of Tours and surrounding areas in September 1944.

She eventually attained the rank of lieutenant in the French Forces of the Interior, the organisation that brought together resistance fighters during the liberation of France.

Her wartime activities were not without danger. She reportedly escaped capture by the Gestapo on two occasions, despite being actively involved in clandestine resistance operations.

Following the war, Alexandre worked as a schoolteacher and raised three children. She also continued her public engagement, later becoming involved in campaigns for the right to die with dignity.

Despite her contribution to France’s liberation, she repeatedly played down her wartime achievements, insisting that she had only fulfilled her duty.

She turned down the country’s prestigious Legion of Honour award twice before eventually accepting it in 2024.

French President Emmanuel Macron paid tribute to her courage, describing her service as an important contribution to the country’s freedom.

“She said she only ever did her duty. But her duty was our freedom. France will never forget. Thank you,” Macron said in a tribute posted on social media.

Her death marks the loss of another member of the generation whose resistance helped France recover its freedom during World War II.

Her story remains a reminder of the role women played in the underground struggle against Nazi occupation, including in leadership positions that were rarely associated with them at the time.