France Bloch-Serazin
Encyclopedia
France Bloch-Sérazin, born on February 21, 1913 in Paris
and executed on February 12, 1943 in Hamburg
, Germany
, was a militant communist
who fought in the French resistance
during World War II
.
where she obtained a degree in Chemistry
. In October 1934, she began working at the laboratory of Professor Urbain at the National Institute of Chemistry. She joined the Communist Party in Paris, becoming involved in the support of the Spanish Republicans.
In May 1939, she married Frédo Sérazin, a metallurgist working at the automobile factory Hispano-Suiza. Together they had one son, Roland. Frédo was arrested in February 1940 by the Daladier government. After the installation of the Vichy
regime, she was barred from her laboratory as a Jewish communist and had to work as a tutor in order to survive. In 1941, she participated in the first groups of the communist resistance led by Raymond Losserand and installed a small, rudimentary laboratory in her two-room apartment on the Place du Danube. Working with Colonel Dumont, she made grenades and detonators used in attacks organized by the youth resistance at the end of August 1941.
France Bloch was arrested by the French police on May 16, 1942. After 4 months of interrogation and torture, she was condemned to death by a German military tribunal, and along with 18 co-conspirators, who were all immediately executed. Meanwhile, Bloch herself was deported to Germany and imprisoned in a fortress at Lübeck. She was subjected to further torture there, and was decapitated by axe in Hamburg on February 12, 1943.
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
and executed on February 12, 1943 in Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, was a militant communist
Communism
Communism is a social, political and economic ideology that aims at the establishment of a classless, moneyless, revolutionary and stateless socialist society structured upon common ownership of the means of production...
who fought in the French resistance
French Resistance
The French Resistance is the name used to denote the collection of French resistance movements that fought against the Nazi German occupation of France and against the collaborationist Vichy régime during World War II...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
Biography
Daughter of the writer Jean-Richard Bloch, France Bloch was initially a student in the countryside near PoitiersPoitiers
Poitiers is a city on the Clain river in west central France. It is a commune and the capital of the Vienne department and of the Poitou-Charentes region. The centre is picturesque and its streets are interesting for predominant remains of historical architecture, especially from the Romanesque...
where she obtained a degree in Chemistry
Chemistry
Chemistry is the science of matter, especially its chemical reactions, but also its composition, structure and properties. Chemistry is concerned with atoms and their interactions with other atoms, and particularly with the properties of chemical bonds....
. In October 1934, she began working at the laboratory of Professor Urbain at the National Institute of Chemistry. She joined the Communist Party in Paris, becoming involved in the support of the Spanish Republicans.
In May 1939, she married Frédo Sérazin, a metallurgist working at the automobile factory Hispano-Suiza. Together they had one son, Roland. Frédo was arrested in February 1940 by the Daladier government. After the installation of the Vichy
Vichy
Vichy is a commune in the department of Allier in Auvergne in central France. It belongs to the historic province of Bourbonnais.It is known as a spa and resort town and was the de facto capital of Vichy France during the World War II Nazi German occupation from 1940 to 1944.The town's inhabitants...
regime, she was barred from her laboratory as a Jewish communist and had to work as a tutor in order to survive. In 1941, she participated in the first groups of the communist resistance led by Raymond Losserand and installed a small, rudimentary laboratory in her two-room apartment on the Place du Danube. Working with Colonel Dumont, she made grenades and detonators used in attacks organized by the youth resistance at the end of August 1941.
France Bloch was arrested by the French police on May 16, 1942. After 4 months of interrogation and torture, she was condemned to death by a German military tribunal, and along with 18 co-conspirators, who were all immediately executed. Meanwhile, Bloch herself was deported to Germany and imprisoned in a fortress at Lübeck. She was subjected to further torture there, and was decapitated by axe in Hamburg on February 12, 1943.