Susan Travers (born
1909) is a
British citizen and daughter of a
Royal admiral who, during
World War II, was informally part of the
French Légion Étrangère and became the
chauffeur for
Free French General Pierre Koenig[?]. Prior to the
war, she was a semi-pro
tennis player. For her actions in the
Battle of Bir Hakeim (
1942), Travers was awarded the
Croix de Guerre[?].
Prior to the invasion of
France (
1940), Travers served as an
ambulance driver in
Finland. By
1941, she was the chauffeur for a medical
officer of the Légion Étrangère, during the
Syrian campaign in which
Vichy French legionnaires fought Free French legionnaires. She then travelled to
North Africa via
Dahomey and the
Congo (where she went on a
crocodile hunt).
In late
May, as the
Afrika Korps prepared to attack
Bir Hakeim[?], General Koenig ordered Travers and other
females out of the area. The
Germans attacked on
May 26. Not long after, Travers joined a
convoy into the rear area and Koenig agreed to her requests to return to Bir Hakeim, as he felt the German attack was a failure. Over the next two weeks, the
Luftwaffe flew 1,400 sorties against the defenses of Bir Hakeim, whilst 4 German\Italian divisions attacked. During the
bombing,
shrapnel tore a hole in the General's
car and Travers (with the assistance of a
Vietnamese driver) carried the part to a field worshop where
mechanics[?] fixed it.
On June 10, Travers drove the General's staff car (a Ford) during the retreat. The retreating column ran into minefields[?] and German machine gun fire. Koenig ordered Travers to drive at the front of the column. Travers states, "He said, "We have to get in front. If we go the rest will follow." It is a delightful feeling, going as fast as you can in the dark. My main concern was that the engine would stall." At 1030, on June 11, the column entered British lines. Travers vehicle had been hit by 11 bullets and not only was a shock absorber destroyed, but the brakes had also been ceased functioning.
Later in the
war, Travers would be wounded when Koenig drove over a
mine. She went on to serve in
Italy,
France, and
Germany, where she drove an
ambulance,
truck, and
self-propelled[?] anti-tank[?] gun. After the war she was formally enrolled in the Légion Étrangère, as an
Adjutant Chef. Travers served in
Vietnam, during the
Vietnam War. She married Adjutant Chef
Nicolas Schlegelmilch[?], who had fought at Bir Hakeim with the
13ème Demi-Brigade[?]. As of
1994, she was living near
Paris,
France.