Lea quickly established a reputation of dependably remaining calm and cool under the enduring stress of her situation. Before long the cafe became the headquarters of the entire operation. In 1943 the group set up a "laboratory" in a back room to manufacture forged identity and work papers required for the hidden Jews passing through.
In May 1944, while on a mission to deliver false identity papers to young Jews waiting in Nice, Oswaldo was arrested. He remained in prison for four months. Lea, afraid of reprisals against herself and her young children, fled to the mountainous region of Dauphiné. Because of her reliable composure and reputation for being quickwitted, she took on even more dangerous missions while in hiding. For the Jewish Combat Organization, she deftly smuggled small arms, and munitions, hidden in books and painter's tools.
In a testimonial given by Leon Poliakov after the war, he wrote: "(Lea's) merits were great in warding off any danger, facing questions of neighbors or occasional police who were sometimes intrigued by the presence of strangers in her establishment, and to whom she always managed to furnish proper explanations. The courage and presence of mind of Lea Bardone, especially during the months when her husband was held by the Gestapo in Nice, were beyond any praise."
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