Thomas F. (hardtack) -
First of all, this is a Scholastic book with numerous photographs and larger then normal print. It is intended for the YA market, but that doesn't mean adults won't find it fascinating. I know I did. I have an entire shelf devoted to spies and codes during World War II, and yet this is the first time I've read about her.
What a great lady. After all, how many civilian women do you know were awarded The Distinguished Service Cross---second only to the Medal of Honor for valor against an enemy---during World War II? The answer is just one. Before working for her own country, Virginia Hall also worked for the British as a spy and was made a a Member of the Order of the British Empire for her efforts. The French also called her "a true hero of the French Resistance." A painting of her transmitting code over a radio is prominently displayed at CIA headquarters. That painting can be seen on her Wikipedia page.
She served as a spy for the British and the U.S. for over five years. The Gestapo wanted her badly and she slipped away to Britain before being captured. Then she begged to return to France and slipped ashore from a boat in March, 1944, three months before the invasion. Just one of her accomplishments was training three battalions of French Forces of the Interior in the use of weapons, demolitions and attacks against German forces.
When she volunteered to be a radio operator in German controlled France, at a time when the life expectancy of such was six weeks, she was turned down. The reason was the Nazis knew about her and desperately wanted to arrest her. Using her own money, she learned how to use a radio and was then accepted and sent into France.
After the war she served in the CIA and received glowing reviews for her work.
Finally, her work---and her escapes---often required her to walk long distances over mountainous terrain, and she did it with a prosthetic leg.
What a great lady. After all, how many civilian women do you know were awarded The Distinguished Service Cross---second only to the Medal of Honor for valor against an enemy---during World War II? The answer is just one. Before working for her own country, Virginia Hall also worked for the British as a spy and was made a a Member of the Order of the British Empire for her efforts. The French also called her "a true hero of the French Resistance." A painting of her transmitting code over a radio is prominently displayed at CIA headquarters. That painting can be seen on her Wikipedia page.
She served as a spy for the British and the U.S. for over five years. The Gestapo wanted her badly and she slipped away to Britain before being captured. Then she begged to return to France and slipped ashore from a boat in March, 1944, three months before the invasion. Just one of her accomplishments was training three battalions of French Forces of the Interior in the use of weapons, demolitions and attacks against German forces.
When she volunteered to be a radio operator in German controlled France, at a time when the life expectancy of such was six weeks, she was turned down. The reason was the Nazis knew about her and desperately wanted to arrest her. Using her own money, she learned how to use a radio and was then accepted and sent into France.
After the war she served in the CIA and received glowing reviews for her work.
Finally, her work---and her escapes---often required her to walk long distances over mountainous terrain, and she did it with a prosthetic leg.
