It is a shame to think how long Hall’s tales of bravery have been languishing in the dark. And Hall of Mirrors: Virginia Hall: America’s Greatest Spy of WWIIby Craig Gralley also covers Hall’s fascinating story and how she became the Nazi’s most sought-after enemy, whom they called “The Lady Who Limps.” She then joined the American espionage organization, the Office of Special Services, and returned to France disguised as a peasant woman. The Wolves at the Door: The True Story of America’s Greatest Female Spy by Judith Pearsondetails how Hall worked for the SEO, locating drop zones, recruiting helpers and securing safe houses for agents, and helping prisoners of war flee to England, all while wanted posters bearing her image were circulated around France and her eventual flight from France the only way possible: on foot through the frozen Pyrénées Mountains.Īs we see in A Woman of No Importance: The Untold Story of the American Spy Who Helped Win World War II by Sonia Purnell, the fear of capture didn’t keep Hall away from France for very long. Hall’s many amazing, historically important adventures have been captured in a few recent excellent books. These things, combined with her brilliant mind, helped make Hall an excellent spy and attributed to her lengthy work in France without capture. The fact that she was a woman-led people to underestimate her, and she could also easily change her appearance to fit in, which worked in her favor. Hall worked as a spy in France, garnering information about the Germans. Hall was hired by the newly-created Special Operations Executive and became its second-ever female agent. She then moved to Spain, where she met a British Intelligence officer, who became her connection for her dream job in England.
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So in 1939, she left her post as a consular clerk.ĭetermined to do more than work as a clerk, but with limited options as a woman, Hall took a job as an ambulance driver for the army of France in 1940, at the start of World War II. Her attempts to become a diplomat with the United States Foreign Service were repeatedly denied because women were not permitted to be employees at the time, and she was also rejected because of a rule against hiring people with disabilities. In school in the United States, she had studied she studied French, Italian, and German, and she continued her studies in France, Germany, and Austria, before being appointed a Consular Service clerk at the American Embassy in Warsaw, Poland, and then Venice and Estonia.ĭuring her time in Europe, Hall had a hunting accident, which resulted in the amputation of her lower left leg. A bright, inquisitive child and student, she went on to attend Radcliffe College, Barnard College, and George Washington University, before finishing her schooling in Europe. Hall was born in Baltimore, Maryland in 1906. Though her name may not sound familiar to most people, Hall is regarded as America’s greatest female spy. Everyone loves a dramatic tale of espionage and danger! And there is one spy whose story stands out from all the others: Virginia Hall. A lot of those incredible World War II stories involve spies.
Even after the war ended, it was dangerous to release the names of spies who may still be involved in operations, or potentially make people targets for retaliation.īut now that it is safe to declassify information about the war, we are learning of some incredible tales of bravery and dazzling heroics at long last. Part of the reason is because of the internet and how readily people can share information, and part of the reason is because classified documents are finally being made public after all these years. It has been 75 years since World War II ended, but there are still new incredible stories being uncovered all the time.
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