In 2019, the voices of those who lived through World War II and experienced the horrors of Nazi Germany are dwindling. On February 13th, Krannert Center will offer the opportunity to hear from a woman whose name I never heard until today, but who risked her life for the Allied forces. Here is a brief background from Krannert’s Facebook event:
98-year-old Marthe Cohn was born in Metz, France in 1920. She was a beautiful, young woman living across the German border in France, when Hitler rose to power. As the Nazi occupation escalated, Marthe’s sister was sent to Auschwitz while her family fled to the South of France.
Marthe chose to fight back, and joined the intelligence service of the First French Army. Utilizing her perfect German accent and Aryan appearance, Marthe posed as a German nurse desperately trying to obtain word of a fictional fiancé. She traveled the countryside and approached troops sympathetic to her plight, thereby obtaining critical information for the Allied commanders.
Cohn will be telling her story in Foellinger Great Hall beginning at 6 p.m., and the event is free and open to the public. It’s tagged as kid-friendly, so if you have kids who are old enough to sit and listen to her, what a powerful way for them to learn about that time in history.
No ticket is needed, and they will fill seats until the entire theater is full. I’m guessing that getting there a bit early might not be a bad thing.