Virginia Hall (1906-1982) was one of the most important members of the Allied efforts during World War II, though the public has only known about her exploits since the 1980s. During her most active years, she was known by German soldiers as one of the most dangerous Allied agents in France.
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Hello, from Wonder Media Network, I’m Jenny Kaplan and this is Encyclopedia Womannica.
Today’s spy was one of the most important members of the Allied efforts during World War II, though the public has only known about her exploits since the 1980s. Her story was highly classified, held under lock and key. During her most active years, she was known by German soldiers as one of the most dangerous Allied agents in France. Today, we’re talking about Virginia Hall.
Virginia was born on April 6th, 1906 to a wealthy family in Baltimore, Maryland. As a young woman, she was raised to stay within her social circle, but Virginia had other plans. Stories of wild exploits followed her from a young age: some accounts allege she once wore a bracelet to school… made of live snakes.
Virginia continued down a path of proper education into her young adult years, attending colleges in both the US and Europe. After visiting France, however, Virginia found her calling in foreign service. She wanted to be a diplomat.
At the time, women accounted for only 6 of 1,500 U.S. diplomats. The State Department repeatedly denied Virginia a diplomatic post, though she did serve as a consular clerk throughout Europe.
During these first years of service, Virginia continued to supplement her adventurous streak. One day in Turkey, she attended an ill-fated hunting trip-- a stray bullet went through her foot. The wound eventually required doctors to amputate her leg below the knee. From that point on, Virginia wore a wooden prosthetic.
Though later on, Virginia’s prosthetic would become a signature part of her legacy, her injury made her ineligible for a diplomatic post. As a result, she resigned from the State Department in 1939.
Though Virginia’s initial career seemed derailed, she soon found herself in the midst of one of the biggest intelligence movements in history. Virginia was in Paris when World War II broke out. She initially enlisted as a private in the French Ambulance Corps, but a chance encounter with a British spy sent her on her way to London to become an intelligence agent.
Virginia started out as a code clerk for the U.S. Defense Attache Office, but soon joined the ranks of the British Special Operations Executive, or SOE for short. She became an official special agent in April 1941.
Around about that time in her career, Virginia’s exploits went under highly classified lock-and-key. While working covertly, Virginia also became a legend of spy lore-- and, as such, some of the stories about her work took on somewhat of a mythical touch.
Virginia was stationed in occupied France, disguised as a reporter for the New York Post in order to glean information from members of the French Resistance. She set up routes of information by befriending French sex workers who heard classified intelligence from German soldiers. With her contacts and intelligence, she helped organize, fund, supply, and arm soldiers of the French resistance. With her help, the resistance was able to blow up bridges to halt German troops, cut off supplies, and enable Allied troops to move quickly and safely through the area. She also helped keep track of wounded and missing soldiers and led rescue efforts to recover prisoners of war.
Virginia became a master of disguise. In a day, she could cycle through up to four different identities and codenames. And later on, when her face became too well known by enemy troops, she went to extreme lengths to disguise herself-- she applied makeup to appear older, and even shaved down her teeth to appear like an elderly milkmaid.
German intelligence caught wind of Virginia’s efforts. Just over a year after her arrival, Virginia’s face was plastered on wanted posters calling her ‘one of the most dangerous Allied agents in France.’ Her wooden leg also became a calling card-- to enemy troops, she was known as “The Limping Lady.”
Virginia made quick work of disappearing. Legend has it she escaped to Spain by hiking fifty miles through the snowy Pyrenees Mountains before being called back to London.
Virginia, however, wouldn’t let herself be held down for long. In 1943, just a few months after her escape, she arrived back in France under the employment of the US Office of Strategic Services, a prototype of what would become the CIA. In one retelling of this story, Virginia arrived in the country via parachute, with her leg tucked under her arm. In reality, she probably arrived by boat.
On this second tour, Virginia worked to relay information from France back to London and Allied intelligence agencies as the Allies prepared for Operation Overlord, or the Battle of Normandy. Thanks in part to Virginia’s efforts, Operation Overlord marked the successful invasion of German-occupied Europe.
Virginia was then selected as part of an elite team to take on a mission in Austria.
After the war, Virginia married a man named Paul Goillot, a fellow OSS agent. She joined the Central Intelligence Group, which would later become the CIA, and worked there until her mandatory retirement in 1966 at the age of 60.
Virginia died on July 14, 1982. She was 76 years old.
Today, Virginia is recognized as one of the most important spies in history. In 1945, she became the only female civilian awarded a Distinguished Service Cross during the war. That was the only award she received in her lifetime. But the lack of credit was by choice: 24 years after her death, Virginia was posthumously bestowed with a Royal Warrant giving her membership in the Order of the British Empire. The decree had been signed by King George all the way back in 1943. At the time, she had declined the honor out of worry it would blow her cover.
All month, we’re talking about spies.
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