Nadine
Andree Dumon, Michou’s sister, was just shy of her twentieth birthday when she was betrayed to the Nazis by Jacque Desoubrie, alias Jean Masson, in Brussels. Following her arrest, she had been taken to St. Gilles prison and expected the worse. Her mother and father were imprisoned there as well, and they would soon be separated.
Shortly after arriving at St. Gilles, Andree, code name Nadine, was taken to Gestapo headquarters in Brussels on the avenue Louise. She firmly believed she would be tortured during her interrogation, but she maintained her composure throughout the questioning by telling one lie after another. This tactic frustrated the Nazis and Nadine never revealed any information about the Comet Line.
In August 1943, she was transferred to a castle in Poland, where she made an unsuccessful escape attempt. From there she was moved to Ravensbruck, the notorious all-female slave labor camp that held nearly fifty thousand prisoners. Finally, in early 1945, Nadine was moved again, this time to Mauthausen in Austria, a place designated by the Germans for incorrigible political enemies of the Reich.
Ravensbruck to Mauthausen is a four-day journey by cattle trucks, and Nadine made the trip without food or water. For a long time, only men were imprisoned in Mauthausen. So, being transferred there as a woman likely meant execution or for the purpose of sexual pleasure to male prisoners. Those fortunate enough were forced to work in a munitions factory.
On May 7, 1945, Michou and Pierre were sent to Mauthausen to help process thousands of recently liberated prisoners there.
“Michou, I was just looking at the list of female prisoners the Americans put together,” Pierre excitedly told her.
“What is it, Pierre? Who is on the list?”
“I think it’s your sister Andree, Andree Dumon.”
“What did you say? Andree is here? Oh my God, Pierre, where?” Michou was frantic. They hurried to the American who had provided Pierre with the list.
“Where are the women on this list? Please, one of them is my sister.”
“They are in the infirmary barracks, the building over there.”
They ran to the entrance to the barracks and entered. There were several medical people attending to many of the women there. Michou scanned the barracks as she and Pierre searched frantically for Andree. She was nowhere to be found. They raced back to the American.
“She’s not there. Where else are the rest of the women who are not in the infirmary?”
“They are all over the place. Some of them are well-enough to help the male prisoners who need help.”
Pierre was at Michou’s mercy. He had only seen a photo of Andree, but had never met her. He felt helpless as Michou did not know where to turn.
“Major, you do realize there could be several women by that name, don’t you?”
“Yes, of course. But we must be sure.”
Pierre began following Michou throughout the camp where there were thousands of prisoners being fed and looked at for medical attention. As she worked her way through the massive crowd, she noticed a woman in a striped prison suit with a kerchief covering her shaved head. She gently touched the woman on the shoulder as she was aiding a male prisoner lying on a stretcher on the ground. The woman turned, squinted as the sun struck her pale face, eyes drawn, and her tiny body rose from the ground.
“It is me, Michou. It is your sister Andree. What took you so long?”
They hugged and kissed each other and were locked in tears flowing uncontrollably as all Pierre could do was smile at the two of them.
“Andree, this is Pierre Ugeux, my husband.”
“Hello, Pierre. You must take care of this woman. Even here in this camp, I have heard of what you have been doing…Lily. What of our mother and father?”
“Maman was released from St. Gilles and was living with friends in Paris. I have heard nothing about Papa.”
“I want to go back to our house in Brussels, Michou. That is the only real home I ever had.”