Image caption, Hélène Podliasky
When Gwen Strauss' great-aunt revealed she had led a group of nine Resistance women in an escape from a Nazi death march in 1945, Gwen wanted to find out more. It set her on a path that would see her retrace the women's steps and ensure the bravery of their work was recognised over 75 years later.
Gwen Strauss was enjoying a leisurely lunch with her 83-year-old great-aunt, Hélène Podliasky.
Hélène was French and Gwen, an American author, lives in France.
It was 2002 and the conversation turned to Hélène's past. Gwen knew her great-aunt had worked in the Resistance in France during World War Two, but didn't know anything about that time in her life.
Hélène told the story of how she was captured by the Gestapo, tortured and deported to Germany to a concentration camp. As the allies drew near, the camp was evacuated and she was forced to walk for miles on a Nazi death march.
"Then I escaped with a group of women," she said briefly.
Gwen was astounded.
"It was nearing the end of her life, I think she felt ready to speak about it," says Gwen, "and as [with] many survivors who had kept silent for years, they often didn't speak to their immediate family, they would speak to someone a little bit distanced from the family."
Hélène Podliasky was only 24 when she was arrested working as an agent de liaison for the Resistance in the north east of France. Her nom de guerre, or fake name, was Christine. Hélène spoke five languages including German, and was a highly qualified engineer.
"She was quite high up in the Resistance," says Gwen. "She had been working for over a year contacting agents and guiding parachute drops of material. She was brilliant. An elegant, quiet, but forceful person."
