Most wanted lady by Nazi regime..!
Do you know who was at the top of the Nazi German Police’s Most Wanted List during World War II? Most don’t, which is a pity. It was Nancy Grace Augusta Wake, codenamed ‘The White Mouse’, woman with a 5 Million Franc bounty on her head.
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Wake was a Journalist, Nurse, Spy, and one of the most prominent figures of the French Resistance during World War II. She was the most decorated servicewoman of the War, and an overall icon. I admire her because of her tenacity, her morals, and how she was never afraid to take action if need be. New Zealand born and known for her daring personality, passion for defeating the Nazis, and spectacular performances as a spy in the Special Operations Executive, Nancy Wake is more than worthy of the title of an Admirable New Zealander.
Gestapo Headquarters.
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You’d think having a career in a war full of bloodshed and hate would perturb your average spy, that all participating in the resistance would be sombre and sad. That was not the case for Wake. She was known by her companions and peers to have a bold personality, and expressive femininity; she went nowhere without her favourite red satin cushion, face cream, and Chanel lipstick. “She is the most feminine woman I know until the fighting starts — then she is like five men,” Henri Tardivat, a friend of Nancy’s and a colleague in the French resistance had once said.
“For goodness sake, did the allies parachute me into France to fry eggs and bacon for the men?” she asked. “There wasn’t an egg to be had for love nor money, and even if there had been, why would I be frying it when I had men to do that sort of thing?”
Nancy’s spunky personality forever inspires me and others to live through hard times without losing who you are.
Wake despised the Nazis ever since she witnessed the barbaric and brutal anti-semitism of the Nazis. As a freelance journalist in the mid 1930s she visited Vienna, where she saw Nazi gangs about the streets randomly beating Jewish men and women. Those injustices made Nancy promise to herself that if ever the opportunity arose, she would do everything she could. “My hatred of the Nazis was very, very deep.” she stated.
Although she was never caught, the German Gestapo caught word of a mysterious dark-haired woman operating the southern escape. They codenamed her ‘The White Mouse’, for her constant ability to evade capture, and placed a 5 Million Franc bounty on her head. Nancy was reportedly glad of what she did during the war and that she was there. She hated war but felt that if it came, she, like other women, had to play her part to end it.
“In my opinion, the only good German was a dead German, and the deader, the better. I killed a lot of Germans, and I am only sorry I didn’t kill more.”
That she had not been captured or killed added to her mystique and allure; a third of the 39 women working in the British Special Operations Executive didn’t make it home. She was a necessary asset to the missions she was a part of, carrying out services that were incredibly important to the success of the Resistance and the SOE. For example, the time she cycled 500 km over 71 hours, going through several German checkpoints, to replace crucial radio codes her wireless operator had been forced to dispose of during a German raid; without the codes there could be no drops of weapons and supplies, and no fresh orders. Wake viewed this as the most useful of her wartime exploits, and referred to it as ‘that bike ride of mine.’ As her participation in the war increased, the British trained Nancy to kill with her bare hands, work a machine gun, and parachute into hostile territory.
“Somebody once asked me: ‘Have you ever been afraid?’ Hah! I’ve never been afraid in my life,” she said.
So, in conclusion, what kind of person was Nancy Wake? She was a fearless, confident, bright, inspiring woman, who took on the responsibility and leadership needed to be a magnificent British agent. She is an idol to everyone, everywhere, a reminder to be brave and step up against the cruelest of people. Wake had the morals and principles to see and act against what was wrong, altogether dismissing any so-called gender roles that might stop her in her path. I admire Nancy Wake because she’s the kind of person I think everybody should be, me included. A kind, strong-willed, courageous person. Nancy Wake inspires me to be an Admirable New Zealander, just like her.
