Nancy Wake

Military Person

1912 – 2011

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Who was Nancy Wake?

Captain Nancy Grace Augusta Wake AC GM served as a British agent during the later part of World War II. She became a leading figure in the maquis groups of the French Resistance and was one of the Allies' most decorated servicewomen of the war. After the fall of France in 1940, she became a courier for the French Resistance and later joined the escape network of Captain Ian Garrow. By 1943, Wake was the Gestapo's most wanted person, with a 5 million-franc price on her head.

After reaching Britain, Wake joined the Special Operations Executive. On the night of 29–30 April 1944, Wake was parachuted into the Auvergne, becoming a liaison between London and the local maquis group headed by Captain Henri Tardivat in the Forest of Tronçais. From April 1944 until the liberation of France, her 7,000+ maquisards fought 22,000 SS soldiers, causing 1,400 casualties, while taking only 100 themselves.

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Born
Aug 30, 1912
Wellington
Ethnicity
  • Kiwi
Nationality
  • France
  • New Zealand
  • United Kingdom
  • Australia
Education
  • North Sydney Girls High School
Died
Aug 7, 2011
London

Submitted
on July 23, 2013

Citation

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"Nancy Wake." Biographies.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 29 Mar. 2024. <https://www.biographies.net/people/en/nancy_wake>.

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