Suzanne Hiltermann-Souloumiac

Suzanne Hiltermann-Souloumiac, née Hiltermann, alias Touty, (17 January 1919 - 2 October 2001) was a member of the French Resistance. Captured by the Nazi she was sent to Ravensbrück concentration camp. After the war Suzanne Hiltermann supported the independence of Algeria, moved to China in the 1960s, but after few years returned to France where she participated in the events of May 1968.

Suzanne Hiltermann was born in a family of magistrates and industrialists of Amsterdam. At the age of 20, she left her native country for Paris in order to undertake studies in philosophy and ethnology. Shortly after the German invasion of France, she entered in the French Resistance.

In 1943, Suzanne joined the resistance network Dutch-Paris just founded by the Dutch diplomat Herman Laatsman and directed by Johan Hendrik Weidner in direct coordination with the Allied forces.. In fact the réseau was particularly active in saving Allied pilots shot down in Nazi controlled West Europe, and helping them to return to their bases. The network was active also in helping the Jewish population to escape Nazi persecution.

Through the connections Touty had in the German Embassy, in particular with Karl-Heinz Gerstner, the network Dutch-Paris received services, confidential information and forged papers.

As air missions increased, and more planes were shot down, Suzanne Hiltermann was more and more involved in all the operations needed first for sheltering the pilots and then for moving them out of the Nazi controlled areas. Touty accompanied several groups of pilots to the Gare d'Austerlitz to entrain for Toulouse, from where they would escape to Spain. More than 120 pilots in total, according to statistics from the US Department of Defence were saved thanks to Dutch-Paris.

Leo Marc Mincovschi works as an interpreter at the German Embassy. He informs Touty, on her return from Toulouse, that Suzy Kraay has been arrested by French police on February 10 and that the network is blown. Both rush to the apartment of Touty, on Laos Street, to destroy papers, clothes and other incriminating objects. Touty then contacts Hermann Laatsman and Captain Weidner. Both think that there is no reason for alarm: "It's simply a black market history. There is nothing to fear. »

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