3. From Courier to Combat Operative
Segouin was taught how to operate a submachine gun – a weapon with which she became highly proficient. She was also gradually introduced to the activities of the Francs-Tireurs et Partisans, a combat alliance of militant communists and French nationalists. As a courier, she needed a bicycle to get about, but she did not have one.
So her first French Resistance mission was to steal a bike from the Germans. She pulled it off, and the bicycle was repainted and became her personal reconnaissance vehicle. It allowed her to deliver messages and stake out targets. After she demonstrated that she could handle herself in dangerous situations, Segouin was allowed to participate in hazardous combat missions. She began to blow up bridges, derail trains, and kill or capture Nazis.
