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THE ROCHAMBELLES

LES ROCHAMBELLES

By Nathalie LEPELLETIER

Historical - Development 2025

The amazing story of the women who landed on Utah Beach with General Leclerc's Second DB. In New York in 1943, a wealthy American woman, backed by powerful feminist associations, formed a battalion of women to fight for the liberation of France.

- Year of production
- 2025
- Genres
- Historical, Documentary
- Countries
- FRANCE
- Languages
- FRENCH, ENGLISH-UNITED STATES, Other
- Duration
- 90 mn
- Director(s)
- Nathalie LEPELLETIER
- Writer(s)
- Nathalie LEPELLETIER
- Producer(s)
- François DE CARSALADE (VIP Théa), Elisa BENOIST (Sharing Productions)
- Synopsis
- 1943, a pivotal year in the Second World War. Germany is attacked in the east, south and west. The Allies are preparing to topple Mussolini's Italy and land in France. De Gaulle, for his part, was in Algiers and set about reuniting all French forces committed to the Allies. At the same time, in New York, a wealthy American woman is embarking on an ambitious project: to create a women's battalion. Funded by powerful feminist associations, Florence Conrad set out to recruit young women capable of driving ambulances, repairing them and providing first aid. The aim: to take part in the liberation of France alongside the Free French Forces. This was the beginning of the great adventure of the girls in the “Rochambeau” group, soon to be christened the “Rochambelles” by the soldiers of the 2nd DB.
  When the group landed in Morocco in September 43, no one was expecting them, and General Leclerc initially thought it was a joke. Taking women to the front was out of the question. But the determination of Florence Conrad and her daughters finally disarmed Leclerc. He never regretted it, and became their greatest protector. As part of the legendary 2nd DB, the Rochambeau group landed on Utah Beach on August 4, 1944. At the wheel of their 19 dodges, the Rochambelles were on the front line. They took part in the Normandy campaign, the liberation of Paris and the liberation of Alsace-Lorraine. Some even went as far as Hitler's “eagle's nest” at Berchtesgaden.
  Forever associated with the exploits of the 2nd DB, the Rochambelles remain an exception in the history of the French Army. Pioneers! At the end of the Second World War, there were several thousand women auxiliaries in the French Army (AFAT), but the Rochambelles were the only women to form a group in their own right, the only ones assigned to a combat unit on the European front.
  Women on the front line... The war in Ukraine shows just how topical this subject remains. Many young women have chosen to stay and fight the Russian enemy, defending their country with weapons in hand. Today, they are admired by all. No one seems shocked or surprised by this patriotic commitment. It took the Rochambelles to get to this point. These exceptional women fought a double front, a double war. Against the Nazi enemy, but also against the conservatism of the military establishment and society in general. Enlisted in the prestigious 2nd DB, they demonstrated that commitment, courage and mastery of nerves were not the prerogative of men. It's time to pay tribute to them. It's essential to give them the place they deserve in the history of the Second World War.