Mélanie Berger-Volle, WWII Resistance messenger, dies at 105

Mélanie Berger-Volle, a prominent member of the French and Belgian Resistance during World War II, has passed away at the age of 105. Born in Vienna on October 8, 1921, to a Jewish family, she was an early political activist, joining the Austrian Revolutionary Socialist Party at 15.

Following the occupation of Austria in 1938, she fled through Germany to Belgium and eventually to France. Operating under various aliases such as Anna or Nelly, and sometimes disguising herself as a man, she worked in anti-Nazi propaganda and clandestine communications. Despite being pursued by the Gestapo and arrested on three separate occasions, she managed to escape multiple times, including from an internment camp.

After surviving the war, she settled in France and married journalist Lucien Volle. Her lifelong commitment to fighting injustice earned her numerous honors, including the distinction of Chevalier de la Légion d'honneur.