WWII survivors recall hope and pain of liberation
As France prepares to mark the 80th anniversary of the Nazi surrender to Allied forces, survivors of World War II reflect on painful memories of fear, deprivation and persecution shaped by the German occupation of the country and the deportation of Jews and others to death camps.
In May 1940, Nazi forces swept through France. Among those caught in the chaos was 15-year-old Geneviève Perrier, who fled her village in northeastern France to escape the advancing German troops like millions of others. By June, France had surrendered.
Three years later, Esther Senot, 15, was arrested by French police and deported to Auschwitz-Birkenau. In 1944, 19-year-old Ginette Kolinka was sent to the same death camp.
Now close to 100 years old, the women continue to share their stories, determined to keep the memory of the war alive and pass its lessons on to future generations.
AP
