France pays tribute to 'youngest resistant' who has died aged 91

France has paid tribute to one of its youngest members of the Resistance during the Second World War, who, at the age of 11, hid false identity cards under her dolls in her  family home during German army raids in Normandy.

France has paid homage to Annette Lajon, who fought Nazi occupation in Normandy from the age of 11, passed away this week at the age of 91. © L’Orne combattante

Annette Lajon, who died on Wednesday at the age of 91, had decided to join the Normandy Resistance at an early age in 1942, alongside her father and mother.

French President Emmanuel Macron posted on X (formerly Twitter), "In 1942, Annette Lajon was eleven years old when she decided to resist the Nazis in Normandy. Her death commits us to taking up her torch."

For his part, Minister of the Armed Forces Sébastien Lecornu posted: "Having joined the Resistance at the age of 11, hiding her equipment behind her dolls, Annette Lajon became a tireless witness to the Normandy Resistance. She passed away at the age of 91. Her legacy will live on. We will continue to carry on her work of remembrance."

Le combat pour les valeurs de la France n'a pas d'âge : en 1942, Annette Lajon avait onze ans quand elle décida de résister contre les Nazis en Normandie. Sa mort nous engage à reprendre son flambeau de transmission.

Pensées à tous ses proches. pic.twitter.com/o7wPm8epP0

— Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) August 17, 2023

Tricking the Gestapo

An only child, Lajon decided to follow in the footsteps of her parents, who had refused to accept the 1940 armistice and joined the Resistance.

Never one to shy away from a fight, the little girl told her parents: "I know you're in the Resistance, and I want to join in with you!

"Despite my young age, I was well aware that one unfortunate word could cost the lives of others and myself. I had to maintain absolute secrecy", she confided to journalists a few years ago.

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She recounted the visit of Gestapo chief Richard Reinhardt to Normandy's Orne region in February 1944, for a thorough search. 

"On several occasions, we were very lucky, as was the case on the day of this search. At the entrance to the room, my toys and dolls were on the floor. When Reinhardt saw this, he signaled to his men not to search there, and yet it was in this room, above the ceiling, that the material for false identity cards was kept... At my age, I was mainly a liaison officer. The Germans had no idea that such a young girl could join the resistance", she recalled. 

Among other things, her parents made false identity cards and hid stamps, weapons, plastic explosives and other equipment parachuted into France from the British.