Extremely Rare
Nancy Wake
The Story
Nancy Grace Augusta Wake was the Gestapo's most wanted person, with a 5 million franc price on her head. Codenamed 'The White Mouse' for her ability to evade capture, she became one of the most decorated Allied servicewomen of WWII.
Born in New Zealand and raised in Australia, Wake was a journalist in Paris when the war began. She married a French industrialist and used his wealth to fund resistance activities, smuggling Allied airmen and Jewish refugees across the Pyrenees to Spain. When her network was betrayed in 1943, she fled to England, leaving her husband behind. He was captured and executed by the Gestapo.
Wake joined the Special Operations Executive (SOE) and parachuted into occupied France in April 1944 to prepare for D-Day. She led a 7,000-strong Maquis group in the Auvergne region, personally killing a German sentry with her bare hands to prevent him raising an alarm.
Her most legendary exploit involved a 500 km bicycle ride through German checkpoints to find an operator to replace her destroyed radio. She completed the journey in 72 hours, cycling through enemy territory alone.
After the war, Wake learned of her husband's fate and the loss of most of her fortune. She worked for British intelligence, attempted politics in Australia, and eventually returned to England. Her story was largely unknown until the 1980s when her biography was published.
Born in New Zealand and raised in Australia, Wake was a journalist in Paris when the war began. She married a French industrialist and used his wealth to fund resistance activities, smuggling Allied airmen and Jewish refugees across the Pyrenees to Spain. When her network was betrayed in 1943, she fled to England, leaving her husband behind. He was captured and executed by the Gestapo.
Wake joined the Special Operations Executive (SOE) and parachuted into occupied France in April 1944 to prepare for D-Day. She led a 7,000-strong Maquis group in the Auvergne region, personally killing a German sentry with her bare hands to prevent him raising an alarm.
Her most legendary exploit involved a 500 km bicycle ride through German checkpoints to find an operator to replace her destroyed radio. She completed the journey in 72 hours, cycling through enemy territory alone.
After the war, Wake learned of her husband's fate and the loss of most of her fortune. She worked for British intelligence, attempted politics in Australia, and eventually returned to England. Her story was largely unknown until the 1980s when her biography was published.
Why You Haven't Heard This Story
Male-dominated post-war narratives marginalized female special operatives. Wake's story was obscured by official secrecy and gender bias in military history.