The Waterbury Democrat., 1944-11-02
Modern Maid of Orleans
sre Helene of the Moquis as Todoy' Saint Joon
By TOM WOLF NEA Stan Correspondent

ORLEANS Nov. 2-This is the story of modern Maid of OrleansTa complement to history which must not be lost in the backwash of the martial riptide which has already left Orleans far behind.
 Like the famous St. Joan, this modern Maid of Orleans rode in hevanguard of the resrgent French forces which refused to accept ensayement She too. her greatest victory here in this castled city on the banks of the Loire.
 Helene, as we will call her, is much more than the wife of the leader of the Maquis for large region of France-although she is that, too. One small ep- sode illustrates the importance of her leadership in her own right
 While I. was talking with her in handsome apartment in the shadow of the Norman towers of the Cathedral where St. Joan knelt to thank God for similar victory more than five centuries ago, captain of the Maqus interrupted our conversation His men were fighting the Germans few miles away and they needed some instructions. Was Mme. Helene,s husband available? He was not
 "very we'll" said the captin. My instructions to ask your orders in case of your husbands ab- Sence."
 Most of Helene's story can now be told with safe- y, for the gestapo already knows many of its details The Germans have had handsome price on her head for three yearS-one which, according to friend who recently slipped through the lines has been consider ably increased now that Helene is safe in Allied hands.
 CHARM AND VITALITY
 Helene is a charming vital brunette, now prob- ably in her middle thirties. Her husband, French regular army officer refused to sign pledge of loy- alty to Petain in 1940 he was delegated to desk job in the supply branch. For two years after the l nal of material which he managed to mfSdirect' to Morocco in anticipation of the Allied landings. In December, 1942 his mission accomplished, he left the army and went underground. Helene went with him. During the next two years Helene lived in dozens of places under dozens of names, always only step ahead of the Gestapo betrayal. She was far more than just her husbands housekeeper, confidante and chief adviser. She often did the most dangerous jobs, because cool woman could smile her way out of jams which would often have been fatal to
 Much of my job." Helene told me, twas carry ing the most secret orders-the coordinates for ample, of the location where arms were to be para chuted by the Allies.
 "This was the most dangerous part of the job, not much because it would have meant torture and death if I'd been caught, as because it would have meant that precious arms would be parachuted to the Germans instead of But the reward was worth the risk. You can't imagine what wonderfully thrill ing thing it was to stand in field wood at md- night, waiting for the hum of airplane motors, and watching containers of arms and ammunition float down exactly where waiting. Tons and tons came down. The Germans got very, very little of 1t !" The toughest times for Helene followed the arrest of her accompliceS 'No hold out indefinitely against the gestapo tortures," Helene said. You might well make up your mind to that. So when someone was caught, we had to move I'll never for- get the bravery of old of 65. She did won derful work for us, hiding Allied armen in her Paris