Figure 1.-- Little Marcel Pinte watched the coming and goings of hos parents resistance group. . He was excited and full of wonder by what he saw and of course understanding very little of it. From aged 3 he had witnessed the growth of his father�s resistance work. He wanted to take part and get involved. He may must hve thought it was a game at the beginning but began to realize it was very serious undertaking. The resistance fighters named him Quinquin. This is Quinquin and his father, probably about 1942.

By William Ferguson

Marcel Pinte was born in 1938 a year before World War II. His father was Eugene Pinte who was possibly a clerical worker in the town of Aixe-sur-Vienne. His mother was Paule Pinte. His parents had five children. After the German invasion and occupation of France (1940), his parents formed a local resistance group, a vaey dangerous step, especuially for a familky with five children. They operated around Limogen in central France. Many Jews from Alsace were evacuated to and around Limoges. His father became an important commander. His code nme was Athos. He would build up a unit of 1,200 fighters. The Pinte�s rented a farm near the village of Gaubertie. This was an isolated location and it was from this farm that the resistance operated. vIt was in the unoccupied Vichy zone. In the beginning his office work enabled him to forge fake identities and the necessary documents, including identitification cards. He also had access to official documents. From their Gaubertie center they made contact with the wider resistance in the Limogen. The farm was a good location to be a resistance meeting place. It was liked because the farm was hidden and very difficult to get to and enabled the resistance members to meet cladentintely. Their family life and resistance work became intertwined. There were constant coming and goings, particularly at night, commonly after his bed time. It would have been very difficult for the children to sleep without being disturbed by what was going on. There were many meetings and sometime there were even British airmen hiding in the farm�s loft. To the resistance fighters Marcel was known as Quinquin. Many resistance fighters were quite surprised how Quinquin got involved. He did little tasks about the farm which grew into more dangerous missions. These tasks were suitable for the boy�s abilities and age, tasks he could successfully carry out. He was entrusted to deliver important message to other resistance groups. Quinquin was a very alert little boy with an amazing memory. He was entrusted with taking written messages, even to other resistance chiefs. He hid the messages under his shirt. Little Quinquin was an ideal courier. He was quick to understand what he had to do and remembered his father�s spoken instructions which he followed. He had age on his side for who would suspect such a small child of working for the resistance. He went about his missions unnoticed and without any one being suspicious of a very young boy activities. As a result of the Allied Ooperation Goitch seizing French Nofrth Africa, Hitler ordered the occuopation of the Vuchu unoccuoied Zone (Movember 1942). This increased the danger. The Allies landed in Normandy (June 6, 1944), but were bottled up there for nearly 2 months. Finally the break out began (July 25). Rapidly the Allies began apporoxhing Limogen. Marcel was with his father and other resistance fighters preparing to bgetvweaopms from a large night parachute drop (August 19). They were preoaring for a battle around Aixe. There was an accidental discharge of a sten gun in which Marcel was hit and killed by the stay bullets. He was so close to libertion. Marcel was buried (August 21). Other resistance battalions attended his funeral. His father was aged 49 when he died (1951). He was buried next to his son. Marcel Pinte�s name is inscribed on the Aixe-sur-Vienne war memorial as the youngest hero of the French resistance to have died a hero of France.

Created: 2:36 PM 12/22/2020
Last updated: 2:36 PM 12/22/2020