Roquette in Paris in Département de Paris, Île-de-France, France — Western Europe
Olga Bancic (1912-1944)
Photographed by Andrew Ruppenstein, September 10, 2024
1. Olga Bancic Marker
Seule femme du groupe Manouchian
Exécutée par les Nazis
Morte pour la France
FTP-MOI Resistance Fighter
Only woman in the Manouchian group
Executed by the Nazis
Died for France
Topics. This memorial is listed in these topic lists: War, World II • Women. A significant historical date for this entry is May 10, 1944.
Location. 48° 51.364′ N, 2° 22.864′ E. Memorial is in Paris, Île-de-France, in Département de Paris. It is in Roquette. It can be reached from Rue Richard Lenoir. The memorial is located in Square Olga Bancic at the southern end of the park. Touch for map. Memorial is in this post office area: Paris, Île-de-France 75011, France. Touch for directions.
Regionally, it is in the North Atlantic Region, Europe, the European Union, Atlantic Europe, the Schengen Area, Western Europe, a coastal Mediterranean country, and the Western World. Historically, it finds itself in what was once a French colony and also the Roman Empire.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: École Élémentaire Godefroy Cavaignac Deported Jewish Students Memorial (within shouting distance of this marker); Square Olga-Bancic (2006) (within shouting distance of this marker); Le Gymnase Japy / The Japy Gymnasium (about 90 meters away, measured in a direct line); Square Jean Allemane (1962)
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Related marker. Click here for another marker that is related to this marker.
Also see . . . Heroine of French resistance (Jewish Independent, Olga Livshin, April 5, 2013). Excerpt:
When Germany occupied France, Olga left little Dolores with her friends, a French family, and became a member of one of the resistance cells. Her group, comprised mostly of communist immigrants, was involved in multiple partisan actions and acts of sabotage. The French-Armenian poet and communist militant Missak Manouchian led the group, while Olga, under the code name Pierette, was the group liaison.(Submitted on October 11, 2024.)
In November 1943, Olga and 22 other members of the group were arrested and tortured by the Gestapo. In February 1944, the Nazis organized an open trial in Paris, where all the group members were sentenced to death. The men were shot by a firing squad the next day, but not Olga, the only woman inthe group. French law prohibited the execution of women by firing squads, so she was transported to Stuttgart and beheaded there in May 1944.Photographed by Andrew Ruppenstein, September 10, 20242. Olga Bancic (1912-1944) Marker - wide view
During transportation, she wrote a letter to her daughter on a scrap of paper and pushed it out of the train window in the hope that someone would find it. The letter was found and delivered after the war.
She wrote: “My darling daughter, my little love. This is my last letter to you. My dearest girl, tomorrow, on May 10, I will die. My beloved, don’t cry, as your mother doesn’t cry. I’m dying with a clean conscience and I believe that your life and your future will be much happier and brighter than your mother’s. Be proud of me, my darling. I keep your sweet face always in my heart. Goodbye, my love. Your mother, Olga Bancic.”
The letter had a note attached: “May 9, 1944. Dear Madam, I’m asking you to be so kind and deliver this letter after the end of the war to my daughter Dolores. These are the last words of her mother, who has only several more hours left to live.”
Olga’s memory is still alive in France. Two movies were made about her and the Manouchian group, Affiche Rouge (“Red Poster”) in 1976 and L’armée du Crime (“The Army of Crime”) in 2009. A street was named after her in the small town of Vitrolles in the south of France. The Jewish cemetery d’Ivry in Paris boasts a memorial plaque with her name. There is also a commemorative stele with the names and photos of Olga and her comrades – Bessarabian fighters in the French Resistance – at the cemetery Bagneux near Paris. The vignette alongside their photos states: “Bessarabian heroes who died for freedom. Eternal Glory.”
Credits. This page was last revised on November 20, 2024. It was originally submitted on October 11, 2024, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Lamorinda, California. This page has been viewed 176 times since then and 39 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on October 11, 2024, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Lamorinda, California.
