Three Women Were Prisoners Because They Refused to Leave Their Men
There were three women that were held prisoner at Schloss Itter. Christiane Mabire was the mistress of Paul Reynaud and was allowed to be imprisoned with him because she was his office assistant. They allowed her to bring a typewriter which she used to help Reynaud write his memoirs while imprisoned. She also helped him set up his quarters like a true library in order to make his time at the prison more enjoyable.
Augusta Bruchlen was the secretary and partner of Leon Jouhaux. Jouhaux was a labor leader and he had been imprisoned in different places from 1940 onward. But in May of 1943 he was transferred to Schloss Itter. Once there he requested permission for Augusta Bruchlen to join him. The permission was granted and she came to the prison to be by his side.
Bruchlen spoke fluent German and therefore worked as an intermediary between the commander of Itter and his wife. She also kept a diary that detailed her life at the castle and it coincides with the stories of many other prisoners held there.
Madame Weygand made a similar sacrifice in order to be with her husband, General Maxime Weygand. Undoubtedly Madame Weygand made the choice to stand by her husband because he was already quite old and surviving a prison camp was unlikely for a man over 70. But the older couple proved to be stronger together than they could ever be apart, and they both survived their time at Schloss Itter. Madame Weygand died in 1961 at the age of 85, and her husband followed her in 1965 at the age of 98.