Quote of the day—Nancy Grace Augusta Wake

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.

Nancy Grace Augusta Wake
A.K.A.:
Heléne (SOE)
Andrée (French Resistance/SOE Identity)
White Mouse (Gestapo in France)
Witch (Operation:)
Awards:
Companion of the Order of Australia
George Medal
Officier de la Légion d’Honneur
Croix de guerre (France)
Medal of Freedom (United States)
RSA Badge in Gold (New Zealand)
See also here.
[H/T m.e.

Wake may have been a sociopath and was definitely a new force of nature. She left a trail of dead Nazis in her wake:

By 1943, Wake was the Gestapo’s most wanted person, with a 5 million-franc price on her head.

She also led attacks on German installations and the local Gestapo HQ in Montluçon. At one point Wake discovered that her men were protecting a girl who was a German spy. They did not have the heart to kill her in cold blood, but when Wake insisted she would perform the execution, they capitulated.

From April 1944 until the liberation of France, her 7,000+ maquisards fought 22,000 German soldiers, causing 1,400 casualties, while suffering only 100 themselves. Her French companions, especially Henri Tardivat, praised her fighting spirit, amply demonstrated when she killed an SS sentry with her bare hands to prevent him from raising the alarm during a raid. During a 1990s television interview, when asked what had happened to the sentry who spotted her, Wake simply drew her finger across her throat. “They’d taught this judo-chop stuff with the flat of the hand at SOE, and I practised away at it. But this was the only time I used it – whack – and it killed him all right. I was really surprised.”

Ahh… yes. Women, the gentle sex. Keep this in mind if you ever need help killing Nazis.—Joe]

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2 thoughts on “Quote of the day—Nancy Grace Augusta Wake

  1. Nazis, Fascists, communists, progressive communists, democratic socialists and imperialists. The major conflicts of the 20th century were between those groups, so you’ll forgive me if I’m not terribly enthusiastic about choosing between them.

    Sure, the Nazis had to be crushed, as do all of those others. Paton wanted to go straight into Russia in 1945 and oust the communists after the Krauts gave up. He had the right idea, but first we should have ousted the Progressives from the United States. Otherwise it’s just one crime gang fighting another over turf.

  2. From “To Catch a Thief”:
    H. H. Hughson: The pastries are light as air.
    John Robie: Germaine has very sensitive hands and an exceedingly light touch. She strangled a German general – without a sound

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