Edith Piaf’s false-passport story is disputed

During the occupation of France, Édith Piaf performed for French prisoners of war in Germany. Her secretary, Andrée Bigard, said photographs of Piaf with prisoners were used to make false identity papers that helped some escape. Piaf credited the operation with freeing 118 men, but historians lack independent confirmation of that number; one researcher notes that former prisoners have not publicly corroborated the photographs’ role in escapes.