Posted on 08/09/2011 1:57:19 PM PDT by NormsRevenge
Nancy Wake, Australia's greatest World War II heroine and a prominent figure in the French Resistance known as the "The White Mouse" for her ability to evade the Germans, has died in London.
Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard said the woman who was once the Gestapo's most wanted person, was "a devastatingly effective saboteur and spy".
"Nancy Wake was a woman of exceptional courage and resourcefulness whose daring exploits saved the lives of hundreds of Allied personnel and helped bring the Nazi occupation of France to an end," Gillard said.
Wake, who died in a London hospital on Sunday just days short of her 99th birthday, was the nation's most decorated servicewoman from WWII, holding France's Legion d'Honneur, Britain's George Medal and the US Medal of Freedom.
Born in Wellington, New Zealand, she grew up in Australia and politicians in both countries led tributes to the woman who survived several firefights with the enemy, being shot at in a pursuit and a brief imprisonment during the war.
New Zealand's Veterans' Affairs Minister Judith Collins described Wake as "a woman of exceptional courage and tenacity, who cast aside all regard for her own safety and put the cause of freedom first".
Australian National Party leader Warren Truss said Wake's heroic achievements "are the stuff of legend".
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
File photo of Nancy Wake holding up an old French Resistance poster. Wake, who died in a London hospital on Sunday just days short of her 99th birthday, was Australia's most decorated servicewoman from WWII, holding France's Legion d'Honneur, Britain's George Medal and the US Medal of Freedom
Nancy "The White Mouse" Wake, a resistance fighter during World War II, has died after an incredible life
which included thwarting the Nazis and saving thousands of Allies. Source: PerthNow
There is a movie. “The White Mouse”
But, that's OK. She's worth it.
I did a short search on title, not a long, but I agree, she is worth it. :-)
Her multimillionaire French husband was tortured and executed because he wouldn’t give her up to the Gestapo.
From 2003 at FR
keyword - nancy wake
Resistance heroine’s last stand
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/840228/posts
She interviewed Hitler before the war. She spread the word that he was a threat to the world.
It took a hell of a lot of guts to screw with the NAZI’s heads. RIP, Lady.
lighten up. first I heard of it.
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