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groups, including the vital wage payments to soldiers. Nancy also had
responsibility for the list of the targets the maquis were to destroy before
the invasion of France in June 44. The destruction of these targets was
to ensure the Germans could not mount and effective response to the
Allied invasion.
On 20th May 1944 a general mobilization of resistance ghters was
called for in preparation, resulting in some 7,000 men that were then
divided into three groups. His objective was to demonstrate that the
resistance was able to liberate areas from the Germans with its own
forces. On the 2nd June, the Germans launched a probing attack on
the resistance base at Mont Mouchet, followed by a larger attack on
the 10th June. The Maquis convened a planning meeting and were
prepared to ght to the death. Nancy convinced them that is was better
to live to ght another day. Finally on the 20th June, the position was
completely encircled and heavy casualties taken, with the remaining
men forced to ee. Her radio operator, Denis Rake took a message from
London for Nancy with orders for a ghting withdrawal under the cover
of darkness. During the ghting Nancy visited each group individually
to deliver ammunition and much needed reassurance as well as relay
orders. On several occasions, while travelling between sectors, her
car came under attack from enemy aircraft but she persisted in her
task, undeterred. The Maquis had a difcult withdrawal and took many
casualties. They lost 107 dead and about the same number wounded.
Nancy later described have cycling 500 km in the aftermath of this
battle in order to send a situation report to SOE back in London. This
apparently took her 71 hours and was vital to get fresh drops of weapons
and other supplies. In a later interview she recounts: “I got there and