Andrée de Jongh
Countess Andrée Eugénie Adrienne de Jongh (30 November 1916 – 13 October 2007), called Dédée and Postman, was a member of the Belgian Resistance during the Second World War. She organised and led the Comet Line (Le Réseau Comète) to assist Allied soldiers and airmen to escape from Nazi-occupied Belgium. The airmen were survivors of military airplanes shot down over Belgium or other European countries. Between August 1941 and December 1942, she escorted 118 people, including more than 80 airmen, from Belgium to neutral Spain from where they were transported to the United Kingdom. Arrested by the Nazis in January 1943, she was incarcerated for the remainder of World War II. After the war, she worked in leper hospitals in Africa.
Andrée de Jongh | |
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Andrée de Jongh after visiting Buckingham Palace to receive the George Medal in February 1946 | |
| Born | Andrée Eugénie Adrienne de Jongh 30 November 1916 Schaerbeek, Belgium |
| Died | 13 October 2007 (aged 90) Brussels, Belgium |
| Nationality | Belgian |
| Years active | 1941–1945 |
| Agent | Comet Line |
| Known for | Belgian Resistance |
| Title | Honorary rank of Lieutenant-Colonel in the Belgian Army. |
| Parent(s) | Frédéric De Jongh and Alice Decarpentrie |
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My name is Andrée...but I would like you to call me by my code name, which is Dédée, which means little mother. From here on I will be your little mother, and you will be my little children. It will be my job to get my children to Spain and freedom.
Andrée de Jongh to downed airmen.
Our lives are going to depend on a schoolgirl.
A downed airman referring to de Jongh.
De Jongh was the recipient of the George Medal from the United Kingdom and the Medal of Freedom with golden palms from the United States and many other medals for her work during World War II. In 1985 she was made a countess by the king of Belgium. Her exploits were described in or inspired several books, movies, and television shows.