MADAME FOURCADE'S SECRET WAR : THE DARING YOUNG WOMAN WHO LED FRANCE'S LARGEST SPY NETWORK AGAINST HITLER
by Lynne Olson 

When Marie-Madeleine Fourcade was thirty-one years old she became the head of the largest resistance network in France. It was 1941 and as soon as France occupied her country, she joined this organization. The group's name was Alliance and they all used the names of animals and birds as their aliases. Hers was Hedgehog: looks unthreatening but when challenged all the spines come out. It definitely fit her as she was very strong-willed, independent, and tough. Known as la patronne (the boss) she would eventually command three thousand agents, who immersed themselves in every port and town in the country. This network supplied crucial intelligence to both American and British  commanders on Germany's military secrets, such as: troop movements; the sailing schedules of submarines; the Reich's terror weapons; and also supplied a 55-foot-long map of the beaches and roads on which the Allies would land on D-Day. Needless to say, the Gestapo pursued Alliance wanting to completely wipe them out. Many of her spies were caught, tortured, and executed. By 1944, Fourcade had no idea if any of them were still alive. Her chances of surviving were growing dim. To stay away from the Nazis she would constantly change her headquarters moving elsewhere, and disguise herself. Soon enough, though, she was caught. and then managed to escape both times. What fortitude! All she cared about were her agents, sustaining the network, and making sure that Alliance would not crumble.
I have read so many books on the French Resistance, and yet never have I heard about Marie-Madeleine Fourcade until now. She was one heck of a woman who was fearless. Fourcade was the only woman to head up a resistance group during World War II. It didn't take long for the male members of her group to be completely won over by her courage, strength, and her skills. Lynne Olson has written a tremendous book on an unforgettable woman, who has risen out of obscurity.
Very highly recommended.