Michelle Dumon

Not to be confused with Micheline Dumont (historian).

Michelle Dumon
Born
Micheline Aline Dumon

20 May 1921
Brussels, Belgium
Died16 November 2017(2017-11-16) (aged 96)
Saint-Siffret, France
NationalityBelgian

Micheline Aline Dumon (20 May 1921 – 16 November 2017), (code names Lily and Michou), was a member of the Belgian Resistance during World War II with the Comet Line (Réseau Comète). Her surname often appears misspelled as "Dumont" in historical sources.[1] She was awarded the British George Medal and United States Medal of Freedom for helping allied airmen shot down over Belgium and France evade capture and imprisonment by Nazi Germany.[2] As a member of the Comet Line,[3] founded by Andrée de Jongh, she aided in the escape of more than 250 allied airmen. She guided downed airmen from Belgium and France to the border of neutral Spain from where they could be repatriated to Great Britain.[4]

Dumon, despite her youth, was one of the Comet Lines most experienced and longest-serving members. In 1944, she unmasked a German infiltrator, Jacques Desoubrie, who had been responsible for the arrests of many Comet Line members. Known to the Gestapo, she fled to England and remained there until the end of the war.

  1. ^ Last Best Hope: A True Story of Escape, Evasion, and Remembrance. 2006.
  2. ^ "Micheline Dumon Obituary". The Times. 24 November 2017. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 29 November 2017.
  3. ^ Eisner, Peter (23 April 2010). "Robert Grimes dies at 87; WWII pilot evaded Nazi capture". The Washington Post. Retrieved 15 March 2016.
  4. ^ Little “Michou”