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Andrée’s Capture
The New York Times article "Andrée Ushered Escapers to Border" states "It (the Comete operation) was also so dangerous that Ms. de Jongh warned recruits that they should expect to be dead or captured within six months. Her own father was captured and executed." On January 15, 1943, Andree shared the same fate she had warned so many others about. She was betrayed and captured at a farmhouse in the foothills of the Pyrenees along with three aviators she was helping escape. |
Life in Concentration Camps
Even after being caught, Andrée continued to bravely take a stand. "She now admitted that she was the leader of the Line to take the pressure off the other captives... After long periods of interrogation by both the Gestapo and the Luftwaffe, it was apparent that Dedee would not change her initial story, and would not betray her friends on the line." (WW2 ELMS Newsletter) The Germans did not believe a young girl like Andrée was capable of leading an escape line. They sent her to Ravensbruck Concentration Camp. “There she managed to get lost in the shaven crowds on the verge of starvation, so that when they came back to re-question her they could not find her.”-"Andrée de Jongh", The Times |
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In this interview clip, Bob Frost talks about Andrée's capture and her life after being released.
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Release From Germans
At the conclusion of World War II, Andrée was released from German captivity. “Ms. de Jongh later worked in leper hospitals in the Belgian Congo and Ethiopia. She was made a Belgian countess in 1985.”-"Andree Ushered Escapers to Border" from the New York Times |