France's Last Resistance 'Compagnon' Dies At 101

The last French Resistance fighter against Nazi Germany to be honored as a "Compagnon de la Liberation" (Companion of the Liberation) has died, Deutsche Presse-Agentur (dpa) reported.

Photo Insert: Hubert Germain

Hubert Germain died at the age of 101, Defense Minister Florence Parly announced in the Senate on Tuesday, Oct. 12, 2021. President Emmanuel Macron said Germain was the last survivor of 1,038 people who were honored as Companions of the Liberation by the founder of the Fifth Republic, Charles de Gaulle, for their fight for independence.

Macron paid tribute to Germain as a person who won back France's freedom and rebuilt the country. On June 18, 1940, de Gaulle, the future president of the republic, had appealed from London via the BBC to continue fighting alongside the Allies. Nazi Germany's troops had overrun France in a "blitzkrieg" at the time.

Germain joined de Gaulle in London, and later fought in Syria, Libya, and Italy. He was also involved in the landing of French and US troops - mostly from North Africa - in Provence in 1944. Later he was active as a politician.

De Gaulle created the Order of Liberation in Brazzaville in November 1940, which - with exceptions - was awarded until the beginning of 1946. Those awarded were called Companions of the Liberation.

Macron wants to honor the resistance fighter with a commemoration in the coming days, according to a statement from the Elysee Palace. On November 11, the president plans to attend the funeral ceremony at the Arc de Triomphe in Paris and at the Mont Valerien memorial for resistance fighters.

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