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Heroine Nancy Wake, 98, Dies; Resisted Nazis in France

3/6/2026

47 7 Full Breakdown

Summary

Story summary

Nancy Wake, a decorated heroine of the French Resistance, died in London at age 98.
Wake rose from an impoverished childhood to a high-society life in France.
From 1940 to 1943, she saved hundreds of Allied soldiers and downed airmen by escorting them to safety in Spain.
In 1944, she helped establish lines between the British military and the French Resistance, weakening German forces in France before the Allied invasion.

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Story summary

Nancy Wake, a decorated heroine of the French Resistance, died in London at age 98.
Wake rose from an impoverished childhood to a high-society life in France.
From 1940 to 1943, she saved hundreds of Allied soldiers and downed airmen by escorting them to safety in Spain.
In 1944, she helped establish lines between the British military and the French Resistance, weakening German forces in France before the Allied invasion.