In 1941, when her commander was arrested, a 31-year-old mother from Marseille named Marie-Madeleine Fourcade took charge of one of the largest spy networks in occupied France.
Her codename was “Hedgehog.” Her mission: to gather intelligence for the Allies. Under her leadership, the Alliance network grew to 3,000 agents—men and women risking their lives to uncover German secrets.
They smuggled out maps of Normandy’s defenses that proved vital for D-Day. They tracked U-boats, V-1 and V-2 rockets, and troop movements across France. Hundreds were captured, tortured, or executed—including her lover, Léon Faye. But Fourcade refused to give up.
She was arrested twice. Once, relying on nothing but her courage and small frame, she slipped naked through prison bars and escaped. Disguises, false papers, and constant flight became her reality—yet her network endured, making Alliance the longest-running resistance group in France.
After the war, politics and prejudice kept her name off France’s official roll of 1,038 Resistance heroes—which included just six women. But in 1989, history was set right: Marie-Madeleine Fourcade became the first woman to receive a funeral at Les Invalides, the resting place of France’s greatest military leaders.
A mother. A spy. A leader. A survivor. Her story reminds us that true heroism often lives where no one expects it.