In the early 1930s, Nancy Wake was a young woman enjoying a bohemian life in Paris. By the end of the Second World War, she was the Gestapo’s most wanted person. As a naive, young journalist, Nancy Wake witnessed a horrific scene of Nazi violence in a Viennese street. From that moment, she declared that she would do everything in her power to rid Europe of the Nazis.
What began as a courier job here and there became a highly successful escape network for Allied soldiers, perfectly camouflaged by Nancy’s high-society life in Marseille. Her network was soon so successful―and so notorious―that she was forced to flee France to escape the Gestapo, who had dubbed her “the white mouse” for her knack of slipping through its traps.
But Nancy was a passionate enemy of the Nazis and refused to stay away. Supplying weapons and training members of a powerful underground fighting force, organizing Allied parachute drops, cycling four hundred kilometers across a mountain range to find a new transmitting radio―nothing seemed too difficult in her fight against the Nazis. Peter FitzSimons reveals Nancy Wake’s compelling story, a tale of an ordinary woman doing extraordinary things.
A really spunky bird! A magnetically inspiring tale of of one of the world’s most amazing women. The memorable “White Mouse” of World War 2 fame’s dogmatic spunk bred of lonely children, is carefully, tenderly and admiringly told in this work. Persistent reiteration, unfortunately cost the work my 5th star, yet still, a mighty read!.Kev Richardson.
Would Make a Good Movie Good read since it is a true story but almost unbelievable in Nancy’s ability to just miss being caught or killed. She seemed to be coated with Teflon. The author has (had, as I think he has passed on by now) the habit of repeating favorite phrases, such as “all up” as we would say “all in all” or “as it would turn out”. They stand out because he sums things up with this phrase over and over again so that I began to count them. A small thing really. I enjoyed reading…
having read both Nancy’s autobiography and then Pete’s – she was a lot better undercover agent Peter’s skill as a writer is outstanding, having read both Nancy’s autobiography and then Pete’s – she was a lot better undercover agent, Freedom Fighter (and Terrorist according to the NAZI’s) than a writer. Fascinating Life