Madame Fourcade's Secret War: The Daring Young Woman Who Led France's Largest Spy Network Against Hitler

I had recently read Sonia Purnell's 'A Woman of No Importance' about Virginia Hall, an extraordinary American woman who led French resistance groups attached to the British supported disruptive guerilla groups under its Special Operations Executive (SOE) which had been formed by Prime Minister Winston Churchill to harass and undermine the Nazi occupation of France and had become intrigued by clandestine efforts during World War II. Lynne Olsen is an expert historical biography. Her description in "Angry Young Men" of the Members of Parliament who supported Churchill during the 1930s when alone he protested that Hitler was bent on European conquest, uncovers a little-known but highly important piece of British political history. The skills she used there are in evidence throughout "Madame Fourcade's Secret War'. Who knew that this young, highly attractive French woman led Alliance, the most important of all the spy operations in France during the war? Fourcade, unlike Hall, was working with the main spy organization in Britain MI6. There job was information rather than sabotage. Her network was almost destroyed by traitors in its midst several times, but Fourcade rebuilt. Her spies informed Britain about the rocket inventions of Werner Von Braun, possibly changing the direction of the war. They informed Britain of the activities of the U-boats, German submarines, whose savaging of the British merchant fleet threatened to starve the UK into surrender and she and her agents were responsible for getting a senior French general out of France for the North African theatre of war. These were just some of her exploits. Fourcade was not a simple character. She had to convince that she was a woman who could organize and lead at a time when men ruled and had little belief that women could do either. She had children that she rarely saw and was pregnant, by a lover during the war, but continued to operate her networks. This is a great study of a powerful, competent and almost unbelievably couragrous woman who was lucky to survive when many around her died after capture. Her escape from capture when it looked like there was no way out, is the stuff of novels and movies. "A Woman of No Importance" has been acquired for a feature film by JJ Abrams Bad Robot. 'Madame Fourcade's Secret War' should be a European limited series. There is a rash of books about women in the Second World War at the moment, both factual and fiction based on fact. Lynne Olsen's has to be among the best. It fits so well into a climate where women are demanding the same recognition of their competence and daring as men. Fourcade was a trail-blazer whose dedication to her nation surpassed all other considerations. She used her elite upbringing; she is not everyone's idea of the perfect mother, but she changed a world at war. Olsen rightly immortalizes her.

Unbelievable and hidden history of one woman's courage, intelligence, and ability. As a rabid reader of military and espionage history this is the first extensive biography of Marie-Madeleine Fourcade I have read. The subject is extensively covered, character well described and portrayed. A page turner worthy of all history fans. The author deserves high accolades for research and story development. Highly recommended!

This was quite different from my typical reads. It was a part of my book club choice and since I usually prefer non-fiction, I went with this. It was great to learn the story behind Fourcade's struggles and challenges and how she fought hard for her country despite several odds. What I got confused about in between is there are lots of names of people to remember and for me it was a bit confusing to keep track of who they were as the book progressed. Hence it probably took me much longer to complete reading this but definitely glad I did. Learnt a lot of the history being the French resistance movements.

This is a story of courage, determination, faith , loyalty of a unique woman! It proves that bravery and strength have no gender limits and that people can define their own destiny!!!

This book is an absolute must-read for those interested in the art of espionage and for those interested in World War II history. I must admit that over the course of many, many years, I had forgotten some of these important places in Europe. . La patronne (the boss), Madame Fourcade, and the Alliance Network grew from a handful of agents to over 3000 at the end of World War II. An astounding fact to me, is that 20 percent of these agents were female. My thought after reading this extraordinary book, was that Madame Fourcade was indeed underestimated by the Germans because she was a female. A real error on their part. To paraphrase Navarre, she had the memory of an elephant, the cleverness of a fox, the guile of a serpent, ...and the fierceness of a panther. Madame Fourcade epitomized a true leader in all aspects and those in her network had to accept a female as their leader. (I kept thinking back to my USN career while reading this book and remembering what a leader meant ...loyalty, ability to make decisions, the ability to train and develop subordinates, and competence. So, yes, she exemplified all of the qualities of being a leader to me. The book is divided into three separate time frames: 1936 to 1942/1943 to 1944 and 1944 to 1945. Sixteen thousand resistance fighters were arrested during this war. In each of these time frames, the reader is able to witness the bravery and leadership skills of this woman. She was adept at eluding the Germans and starting in November of 1942, she evaded them by changing locations 8 different times. Truly astounding... The agents recruited by the Alliance included Lysander pilots, military officers, radio operators, forgers, social workers, seamstress. observers and many more....a variety of society's classes. And, each of these agents performed their duties in an exemplary matter. Madame Fourcade was not a politician and adamantly avoided these discussions, when possible. As for Madame Fourcade, close calls beyond belief and yet, she carried on... I appreciated the fact that pictures were in the text of some operatives. And, the Zoom was in effect as an added feature so one could see their faces more clearly. Always nice to put a face with a name.. So what motivated Madame Fourcade to become an agent in the first place? Did she have a family she left behind? Interesting questions and they are answered in this book. Most highly recommended.

Lynne Olson writes wonderful histories of the World War II era - I've LOVED all her books for their expert writing, superior research, and fresh look at the period. (Her "Citizens of London" is my all-time favorite book, one I regularly recommend.) "Madame Fourcade's Secret War" is up to Lynne's high standards. I started it the day it arrived (on the publication date) and was instantly drawn in - I could not put it down. Marie-Madeleine Fourcade was a fascinating, courageous, intrepid woman, and I am so grateful to Lynne for bringing her to our attention. Marie-Madeleine's fellow resistance agents are finely drawn - Lynne has a gift for revealing everyone as the real persons they were. My heart was often in my throat as I read about the dangerous missions these brave people embarked upon; my heart also broke many times as their fates were revealed. I congratulate Lynne Olson on producing another remarkable book and introducing us to Madame Fourcade and the French patriots in Alliance. Bravo!

The absolutely only reason I only gave four stars is because some readers may not appreciate the page after page of detail. This book is well written and very thorough throughout. After all these years of reading about WW II, I finally feel that I understand the French leadership during the war. What a mess.

Marie-Madeleine Fourcade was born into a wealthy and prominent French family with an illustrious history and all the right social connections. For her first thirty years she led an unremarkable life treading the path expected of her: early marriage, children, and not much else. But then history caught up with her. In 1940 Germany invaded France and much of Western Europe. With Marie-Madeleine's connections she could have easily made her way to safety and spent the war living comfortably. She was made of sterner stuff. She became first the deputy and then the prime leader of the most successful French underground intelligence network, Alliance, and spent the war years in frequent peril of her life, providing vital information to the British, American, and Free French forces. Lynne Olson has written a series of excellent histories illuminating lesser known aspects of the World War II era, and Madame Fourcade's Secret War is one of her best. Marie-Madeleine's sex, social position, and beauty were both assets and liabilities. Very few men outside of her intelligence network took her seriously or believed her to be capable of anything underhanded or devious. As a result she was often able to pull off diabolically cunning intelligence coups right under the noses of the German military. When she was captured and held prisoner she escaped in a series of hair-raising adventures that rival anything Ian Fleming or Frederick Forsyth ever wrote. Other women in her network had similar successes, including Jeannie Rousseau, whose apparent wide-eyed innocence led German officers to discuss secret military plans in her presence, and who was thus able to alert the British to the dangers of Hitler's missile research at Peenemunde. Unfortunately, after the war the roles played by Marie-Madeleine, Jeannie Rousseau, and many other brave women were discounted by the male officers and historians who established the official record, and it was not until many years had passed that they began to receive the recognition they were due. This was one of those books I could not put down. Marie-Madeleine managed to get herself into so many alarming scrapes and adventures that I had to keep reading to learn how she would finally turn disaster into triumph. I came away from the book with a renewed appreciation for the bravery and dedication of the many women and men of the French Resistance who fed vital information to the Allies during some of the darkest moments of World War II. And in future, if I am ever tempted to believe that the exploits of fictional spies are too sensational to believe, I'll remember Marie-Madeleine Fourcade, and recognize that the truth is stranger yet.

A real crime that The French have not made more of the guts of this incredible heroine. Almost unbelievable in the sheer dedication and grit she displayed throughout the war and her efforts undoubtedly led to a massive assist to the ultimate outcome in so many ways. Spellbinding!

It is an excellent book

This previously unpublished history of an amazing woman's accomplishments in combatting the Nazis in WWII is a great read. Fact is so often more amazing than fiction, and this book is an excellent example of that. Thoroughly researched and including afterword with details of her life after the war ended, this portrait of an amazing human in a time of extreme crisis and danger is especially relevant today.

This is a story about all those unsung heros who stood up against massively overwhelming German powers during WW II and helped to bring them down. Led by girl power her organisation was instrumental in supplying the most vital information about the Germans to the British. It is also proof that European politics is still dominated by male chauvinist pigs.

This is a remarkable book. Written with well researched historical fact. It gives a thorough insight into the French resistance movement Alliance, during WWII occupied France, which was successful in many allied campaigns and assisted in the defeat of German Nazis in Europe in so many ways. Most noteworthy, the book introduces and details the unabridged courage and relentless persistence of Alliance’s leader and operatives. I knew very little about the involvement of French resistance movements, and nothing at all about Madame Fourcade’s war efforts to save her beloved France and her fight for the basic human right of freedom. A woman worthy of the highest honour of war and respect, yet never fought for personal gain or advancement. Simply because she refused to allow Germany to take away the God given right of freedom from France. And she a woman in a male domain! Brilliant book.