Designed by architect Roger Gonthier in the early 1930s, the Les Coutures neighborhood was thrust into war on 19 June 1940, when three German planes bombed the train station and randomly strafed the area. The attack was so swift that no warning was given. The terrified population took refuge in cellars. One woman was killed, and a teenage girl and a young child were injured. At 15 Rue Adrien Pressemane, the scars of this episode have been preserved.

Popular and hostile to the Vichy regime, Les Coutures was placed under strict surveillance by the authorities. Nevertheless, its labyrinthine and enclosed layout made it a haven for Resistance members, allowing them to move discreetly between buildings. Attics provided hiding places for escapees. In the neighborhood, the Front National (affiliated with the Communist Party) took root, with figures like Francis Demay, Marie-Louise Lagrange, and Maria Roche. They also received support from Jeanne Nicot.

Born Grandjean, Jeanne Nicot was a member of the Forces Françaises de l'Intérieur (FFI). She sheltered escapees from the Saint-Germain-les-Belles internment camp in her home. Arrested in 1941 but later released, she was repeatedly targeted by the Vichy police and the Gestapo. Her home was raided 17 times! On 20 March 1944, she was arrested by the Gestapo, imprisoned from 22 March to 15 April at Romainville, and then deported to Ravensbrück concentration camp on 22 April. She was liberated on 21 May 1945.