If, in fact, only Missak Manouchian and his wife Mélinée enter the Pantheon on Wednesday February 21, with them, it is a bit like the 22 other resistance fighters in the group, and more generally the foreign resistance, who are celebrated.
Jews, Spaniards, Hungarians, Poles, Italians, Romanians, Armenians, communists, anti-fascists… Alongside Missak Manouchian, pantheonized this Wednesday, February 21, 2024, eighty years to the day after her execution, there were no less than 22 resistance fighters having been hunted down and then arrested by the special brigades of the French police for having defied the Nazi occupiers. Among the 23 accused, only one woman: Olga Bancic, born in 1912 in Kishinev, Romania, into a Jewish family. As the Nazis had a rule not to execute women in France, recalls L’Humanité, she was transferred to Germany and guillotined on May 10, 1944, her birthday, in Stuttgart. She was not recognized as “Dead for France” until late, on December 14, 2011.
The other 22 defendants come from across Europe. Furthermore, most are young, even very young when they are executed. If Celestino Alfonso, Jonas Geduldig and Spartaco Fontanot are under 30 years old, Thomas Elek, Georges Cloarec, Rino Della Negra, Maurice Fingercweig, Léon Goldberg, Robert Witchitz and Roger Rouxel are not even 20 years old.
Ten of them appear on the now famous “Red Poster”, a propaganda poster whose objective was to discredit the French resistance. It ultimately had the opposite effect. Above, we find Manouchian, described as an Armenian, leader of the gang. But also: Celestino Alfonso, a 27-year-old Spanish communist recognized as “Dead for France” on May 14, 1945, Spartaco Fontanot, a 21-year-old Italian communist recognized as “Dead for France” on August 29, 1946, Marcel Rajman (20 years old , recognized “Death for France” on April 17, 1972), Szlama Grzywacz (34 years old, recognized “Death for France” on February 18, 2023), Wolf Wasjbrot (19 years old, recognized “Death for France” on February 26 1956) and Maurice Fingercweig (19 years old, recognized as “Dead for France” on June 10, 1971), who were four Polish Jews, Thomas Elek (19 years old, recognized “Dead for France” on April 13, 1947), Robert Witchitz ( 19 years old, recognized as “Dead for France” on February 22, 1946) and Joseph Boczor (38 years old, recognized as “Dead for France” on April 17, 1972), who were, for their part, three Hungarian Jews.
There is also the Frenchman Georges Cloarec, 19, who entered the FTP because he was unable to join Free France in London. He was also recognized as “Death for France”. Jonas Geduldig, a 26-year-old Polish Jew, recognized “Death for France” on April 17, 1972. Emeric Glasz, a 41-year-old Hungarian for whom “life is worthless without freedom”. He was recognized as “Death for France” on August 3, 1971. Lajb (Léon) Goldberg, a Polish Jew who had escaped the Vel’ d’Hiv’ roundup unlike the rest of his family. He was executed at Mont Valérien at the age of 20, and was recognized as “Death for France” on February 15, 1949. Stanislas Kubacki, a 36-year-old Polish communist activist, recognized as “Death for France” on November 28 1945.
Cesare Luccarini, a 22-year-old Italian anti-fascist, recognized “Death for France” on April 18, 1946. ArmenakArpen Manoukian, a 44-year-old Armenian communist, recognized “Death for France” on September 18, 1972. Frenchman Roger Rouxel, 19 years old, recognized “Death for France” on December 14, 1945. The Italian Antoine Salvadori, 24 years old and recognized “Death for France” on December 18, 1945. Salomon Schapiro, a 34-year-old Polish Jew, recognized “Death for France” on June 28, 1971. Amedeo Usseglio, an Italian communist, 33 years old, recognized “Death for France” on June 22, 2005. Finally, there is also among them the Italian Rino Della Negra, a young footballer aged 19 years that everything seemed predestined to a career in the world of football before his summons to the STO, his refusal and his choice to take up arms. He was recognized as “Death for France” on November 24, 1950.
