De la désobeissance á la résistance (1939–1945): Héroïnes silencieuses des PTT

During the Second World War, the Post Office was a key part of the French administration. Some employees were transferred to occupied areas and/or the Free Zone. These staff assignments and transfers were carried out by the « German-Vichy authorities », who suspected the employees of either passive disobedience or of joining the Resistance movement. There were many reasons for this disobedience. In the annexed zone, the insubordination of women from Alsace and Lorraine was directed against Nazi propaganda. In other zones, postal workers claimed pseudo-impediments and/or illnesses. The resistance of female postal workers is documented in administrative files on the relegation of staff and in other sources. As activists, they were the eyes, ears and hands of the Resistance. Their stories have been passed down through their post-war involvement in trade unions and the Communist Party.