HOW THE “LIMPING LADY” VIRGINIA HALL HELPED DESTROY THE THIRD REICH
When you’re speaking about the first woman to be a part of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), you’ll have to look at one name: Diane. Or is it Marie? The Germans even had different names, including Artemis and The Limping Lady. But Virginia Hall is how history would remember her. She overcame being maimed and would go on to help the Allied Forces as well as pave the way for women to work in intelligence. Read next:Triumph Motorcycles Helped America Kick German Butt During WWI & II
How Did Virginia Hall Lose Her Leg?
Virginia Hall had her leg amputated after a hunting accident in which she accidentally shot it. Her prosthetic was nicknamed “Cuthbert,” and her limping would create an obvious difficulty in keeping herself concealed from the Nazis. Nevertheless, while nicknames were given, spy Virginia Hall was very successful in her actions.
Being an American Female Spy in WWII
The story of how a spy known as the "Limping Lady" helped the Allies win WWII may have been born in America but actually begins in England. Hall was from Baltimore, Maryland, but it was her work for Winston Churchill’s new Special Operations Executive (SOE) that would pave her way to fame. She would also end up assisting the American Office of Strategic Services (OSS). Her Heckler network began work in Lyon, France, in 1941, and while Hall would leave France in 1942 to avoid being captured by the Germans, she would return in 1944 for the OSS. Here are some of the things Hall accomplished:
- Helping airmen escape.
- Organizing and supplying resistance movements.
- Providing wounded Allies with a safe house.
- Transporting money and supplies to other agents.
- Breaking 12 men out of a prison camp during the Mauzac escape.
- Pioneering guerilla warfare and espionage techniques.
- Helping blow up multiple bridges, killing around 150 Nazis and having around 500 more captured.
Interestingly enough, part of her success was due to the fact that she had to hide her limp. Hall would end up disguised as an old, unassuming woman and was able to move about by shuffling around France, helping dismantle the Third Reich.
How Did Virginia Hall Change the World?
Virginia Hall’s spy career would prove to be beyond impressive, but it wouldn’t stop after WW2. Virginia Hall beat the odds to be America's top female WWII spy as one of the first females hired by the CIA. Her legacy is that she helped defeat the Nazis and overcame discrimination to help women serve as spies. Hall would earn the Distinguished Service Cross, was made an Honorary Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE), and was awarded the Croix de Guerre with Palme by the French. Hall forgoes fame or attention. She didn’t want to make a big show about her receiving her medals and also declined to speak about her experiences on multiple occasions. This led to her sort of heading toward the backburner of history. It wasn’t until 1988, around six years after her death, that she was added to the Military Intelligence Corps Hall of Fame. Additionally, Virginia Hall would be honored on her 100th birthday by both Britain and France. Hall's name would end up on a CIA field agent training facility in 2016 called the Virginia Hall Expeditionary Center.
Stream the Virginia Hall Movie on Netflix
If you’re eager to learn more about one of the most famous female CIA agents, then you’re in luck. Available for streaming on Netflix, A Call to Spy is a highly-rated drama/historical film that depicts the story of a group of brave women who worked for Winston Churchill’s new British intelligence group during World War II. The film stars Sarah Megan Thomas as Virginia Hall, Radhika Apte as Noor Inayat Khan, and Stana Katic as Vera Atkins. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TbZgLKjrdnA Those who prefer to read would be advised to enjoy A Woman of No Importance featuring Virginia Hall. Its proper title, A Woman of No Importance: The Untold Story of the American Spy Who Helped Win World War II by Sonia Purnell tells the story of Virginia Hall and is a New York Times Bestseller. Being a spy for any cause is going to deliver interesting and harrowing stories, but what Virginia Hall went through is beyond admirable. The ability to assist in destroying the Nazis as well as trailblazing for women to work in the CIA is a full life if there ever was one. Suggested read:Meet Axis Sally: The American Traitor and Nazi Propagandist
Image: Courtesy of CIA
TAGS: