Nancy Wake - La souris blanche

Rédigé par Alain dans la rubrique Opération spéciale, Portrait

I have just heard on the radio the sad news that one of the great ladies of the Resistance Nancy Wake has died.

Her story was an incredible one, she took every risk under the sun but was never caught. In april 1944 she parachuted into the Auvergne with a million francs in her handbag and fought alongside more then 7000 maquisards. She was nicknamed 'the white mouse' and soon there was a 5 million franc price on her head.

After the war she said "In my opinion the only good German was a dead German and the deader the better. I killed alot of Germans, and I am only sorry I didn't kill more." / "Pour moi, un bon Allemand est un Allemand mort. Je suis navree de ne pas en avoir tue davantage."

After the Liberation of France she returned to London where she was awarded the George Medal. France awarded her three Croix de Guerre and the Medaille de la Resistance and later made her Chevalier de la Legion d'Honneur. The Americans awarded her the Medal of Freedom.

2004

Later in life she said that she enjoyed nothing better than "a bloody good drink." To fund her lifestyle she had to sell her war medals - "There was no point in keeping them, I'll probably go to hell and they'd melt anyway."

"When I die" she once said "I want my ashes scattered over the hills where I fought alongside all those men."

In accordance with her wishes her ashes will be scattered at Montlucon in the Auvergne next spring.

A fake French ID card in which Miss Wake was known as Lucienne Carlier.