Women in the War 1939 - 1945

The testimonies, which form the living substance of this book, were set down in writing after being recorded on camera. They constitute the audiovisual material of a documentary series in five one-hour episodes, broadcast on France 3 and Arte.

« Women in the War » was released as a DVD box set distributed by Janus-diffusion in Fnac stores and video libraries, as well as online. The war as women experienced it. Told by the women themselves; as they lived it — the war of 39-45, that gigantic convulsion in the history of humanity during which 80 million human beings perished. They knew Pétain, Hitler, Mussolini, Churchill, de Gaulle. They witnessed roundups of Jews, endured the bombing raids and the exodus, sang « Maréchal, nous voilà », supported their husbands as prisoners, resorted to the black market, conceived a child for their Führer or listened to Radio-Londres; they took part in the Resistance, exchanged fire in the Corps francs, wrote for the clandestine press, piloted bombers. Some were tortured, imprisoned, deported. Others were simply very cold, very hungry, in great pain and very frightened for five years, for mechanised warfare spares no one.

This exceptional experience that marks a life forever — women had spoken little about it, before realising they could not disappear without passing it on to future generations. Thanks to this book, built on the collection of more than fifty testimonies, that has now been done. Their memory will not be lost. From their accounts, interwoven by the author, emerges an incredible strength born of plain speaking, a power of emotion that comes from lived experience.