In her book, D-Day Girls: THE SPIES WHO ARMED THE RESISTANCE, SABOTAGED THE NAZIS, AND HELPED WIN WORLD WAR II, Rose chronicles three of these agents' contributions to the Allied victory in Normandy and the liberation of Western Europe. Women Spies of World War II. She and the late Jeanne Vertefeuille co-authored Circle of Treason, which details their personal involvement in the search for and identification of fellow officer Aldrich Ames, one of the most destructive traitors in American history. From 1944 to 1945, Child took assignments in Ceylon (Sri Lanka) and China, where as head of the OSS registry she was responsible for handling high volumes of top-secret documents. The fateful life of history's most famous female spy - BBC News Peter Churchill was not, in fact, related to Britain's prime minister, but Sansom figured that if she could trick the Germans into thinking they were VIPs, there would be incentive to keep them alive. Joyeuse was an agent/operative for the OSS, who after the war became a physician and researcher and Co-founder of the American Trauma Society. Soon, Vera began gathering intelligence for the British while outwardly working as a translator for Stephensons steel business. p9, Forest Frederick Edward "Tommy" Yeo-Thomas, Allied Translator and Interpreter Section, WW2 spy always had her lipstick, revolver - Canada - CBC News, La Chatt: The lost tale of a double agent. |New Histories, "Dundee salon was post box for Nazi spy ring", British Intelligence and the Nazi Recruit |History Today, "Pino Lella and the lake that doesn't exist", "Why the Best-Selling Novel, Beneath A Scarlet Sky, Is Raising Red Flags", The D-Day Spies, Part III: Roman Czerniawski | WWII | Command Posts, 'Double Cross' and 'Agent Garbo' - NYTimes.com, Jan Kowalewski by Timoteus Elmo |9786138225362| Barnes & Noble, Kazimierz Leski Honorary Citizen of Warsaw, Admitted Soviet Spies: Whittaker Chambers, Elizabeth Bentley, Aldrich Ames, Alexandru Nicolschi, Louis F. Budenz, David Greenglass, John Anth, Stockholm - The Casablanca of the North - Radio Sweden |Sveriges Radio, Quisling aircraft used in espionage coup - Aftenposten, Images of war and peace |News| The Guardian, Real 'James Bond' revealed in MI6 archives - Telegraph, World War II (1939 - 1945) | Ian Fleming Publications, "A Muse on the tides of history: Elisabeth Dennys", Ron Jeffery by Ben Stacy Jerrik (Editor) - New, Rare & Used Books Online at Alibris Marketplace, Noor Inayat Khan: remembering Britain's Muslim war heroine, THE OLDEST BOY OF BRITISH INTELLIGENCE - New York Times, Peter Smithers Dies at 92; Spy With a Green Thumb - New York Times, 6-Violette Szabo memorial tour - World War Two Heritage, Ted Tinling, Designer, dies at 79;A Combiner of Tennis and Lace - New York Times, Klop: Britain's Most Ingenious Spy by jaden wells review - Jona von Ustinov's gripping story |Books|Entertainment|Daily Express, Records of the Foreign Office: Permanent Under Secretary's Department files|The National Archives, Pearl Cornioley, Resistance Fighter Who Opposed the Nazis, Is Dead at 93 - New York Times, F. F. E. Yeo-Thomas - SOE Agents in France, Moe Berg, a Catcher in Majors Who Spoke 10 Languages, Dead - New York Times, Spy service files are secret no more - Los Angeles Times, A Look Back Gen. William J. Donovan Heads Office of Strategic Services - Central Intelligence Agency, Arthur J. Goldberg Dies at 81; Ex-Justice and Envoy to U.N. - New York Times, Former OSS Agent, Sea Captain: Actor Sterling Hayden Dies at 70 - Los Angeles Times, Swiss-born WWII hero, first denied his request, will now be buried this month at Arlington National Cemetery, Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr., a Partisan Historian of Power, Is Dead at 89 - New York Times, Jim Thompson House in Bangkok a testimony to his interesting life and mysterious death - Travel - The Boston Globe, A female spy finally gets the recognition she deserved 70 years ago, Treaty on the Final Settlement with Respect to Germany, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=List_of_spies_in_World_War_II&oldid=1152335156, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles with unsourced statements from July 2019, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 4.0. Mata Hari was arrested by French authorities in Paris on February 13, 1917. Sadly, Granvilles end wasnt as noble. Winston Churchills daughter Sarah was pitched to play Krystyna in a movie about her life. Years before she learned to cook, Julia Child worked for the OSS during World War II. Even from prison, she is said to have continued fighting by inserting coded messages about her captors in several letters to her sister. The Female Spies of the SOE - Historic UK All Rights Reserved. They led men.". Related: 15 Biographies of Remarkable Women That You Need to Read. Thompson served as an operative in the OSS. Toggle American Civil War era spies subsection. While Sansom was imprisoned around France and then at Ravensbrck concentration camp, enduring solitary confinement and somewhere between 10-14 torture sessions she survived. 5.2 Spied for USSR. Raised in Paris by English parents, Cornioleys alcoholic father meant she was forced to help support her family. He was stationed for more than a year in Freetown, Sierra Leone, where his responsibilities included searching ships sailing from Africa to Germany for smuggled diamonds and documents, and monitoring Vichy forces in neighboring French Guinea. The top five female spies serving in World War II included Nancy Wake, code name The White Mouse; VioletteSzabo, code name Louise; Virginia Hall, code name Diane; Odette Hallowes, code name Lise; and Lise de Baissac, code name Odile.. 1 most-wanted fugitive, with a price of 5 million francs on her head. She was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross a year laterthe only female civilian to receive this honor. All Rights Reserved. She radioed intelligence reports, coordinated parachute drops of supplies, oversaw sabotage missions, and planned ambushes of German soldiers. She married Joseph Pack, a Second Secretary at the British Embassy in 1934, but their marriage was always shaky, and both had extramarital affairs. Since the days of Samson and Delilah (although Delilahs haircut was more sabotage than spying), female agents accomplished far more than is often acknowledged. 3. So began several months working as a courier in SOE agent Capt. Top editors give you the stories you want delivered right to your inbox each weekday. Here are 10 of the most notorious female spies in history. Mention spies and most people will think of James Bond or Ethan Hunt from Mission Impossible, but most people would struggle to name some notable female spiesapart perhaps from Mata Hariyet they have always existed.In fact, female spies were some of the most important women during World War 2, subverting the enemy and collecting vital intelligence for Allied forces. It has been 79 years since upward of 150,000 Allied troops began storming the beaches of Normandy by air, land, and sea. Taking an even bigger risk, she rented a room in the local German commanders house. Vera Atkins was a young Romanian working in Bucharest when she met the dashing Canadian William Stephenson, according to William Stevenson's Spymistress: The True Story of the Greatest Female. Though her Jewish blood meant that she would never fully be accepted by the Polish aristocracy, Krystynas love for Poland never wavered. Top 5 Most Famous and Beautiful Female Spies In The - KnowInsiders The Coast Guard moved from the Treasury to the Navy Department, which didnt allow women to run units; and suddenly, Friedman found herself working for a new male boss and on projects that she didnt always think were the best fit for her skills. So began several months working as a courier in SOE agent Capt. After the war, she received the Medal of Freedom, Americas highest civilian honor. If Suhren thought that might help him, it didnt: Odette testified against him. Although still unconfirmed, it is believed that Rene Garry, sister of Noors head agent, sold her out for only 100,000. Although the central Japanese and German governments used complex codes during the war, the codes Nazi spies used in Latin America were much simpler, and Friedman seemed to think she would have been more useful taking on more complex ones. When the SOE started recruiting multilingual women as agents, she joined the fight. Credit: John D. Kisch/Separate Cinema Archive/Getty Images, Find History on Facebook (Opens in a new window), Find History on Twitter (Opens in a new window), Find History on YouTube (Opens in a new window), Find History on Instagram (Opens in a new window), Find History on TikTok (Opens in a new window), John D. Kisch / Separate Cinema Archive / Getty Images, https://www.history.com/news/6-people-you-didnt-know-were-wwii-spies. Was later accused. She died aged 53 at Castelnou, France. Soon, Vera Atkins recruited her, and she was sent into Lyon under the guise of being a stringer for the New York Post. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement and Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement and Your California Privacy Rights. But if you see something that doesn't look right, click here to contact us! Sterling Hayden is well known as the actor who appeared in films such as Dr. Strangelove and The Godfather, in which he played the corrupt cop Michael Corleone shoots in the restaurant. 2.2 Confederate spies. Her exploits in France were even bolder, including saving two SOE agents from execution, threatening the German officer responsible that if they died hed soon join them. June 2, 2020. You can help make espionage history accessible to everyone. It doesnt always have a happy ending. 6 Incredible Female Spies of World War II These women risked their lives to assist the Allies' cause in World War II. Remarkably, considering her many high-risk tactics, Lise de Baissac survived the war. The History of Female Spies in the CIA | HISTORY Leski was a pilot during the war. Wakes husband, who was also captured in their arrest, had been tortured to death by the Gestapo searching for her. Elizebeth well knew the value of what she was doing, says Melissa Davis, director of library and archives at The George C. Marshall Foundation, which houses the Elizebeth Smith Friedman Collection. New Zealand-born Nancy Wake is another SOE legend. Top 5 Female Spies of WW2 - YouTube Others say she was brutally beaten and shot multiple times. Women Spies of World War II | C-SPAN.org He eventually became part of the OSS and organized an information-gathering network behind enemy lines across Europe.The OSS was ordered disbanded by President Harry Truman in 1945, shortly after the end of the war. Then she parachuted straight back in to France. She was sent to Italy following the arrival of the Allied armies, and quickly became involved in Operation Sauerkraut. An era of glitz, glamour . Honors: Croix de Guerre, Medal of the Resistance, the King's Commendation for Brave Conduct. Owen Freeman Are women useful as spies? Yes! In 1944, the OSS tapped Dietrich to record songs for broadcast to German troops. Eventually, the Germans got wind of her, and Virginia became a prominent member on their most wanted list. Around this time, she adopted the fair more British-sounding name Christine Granville, to allow her to blend in more easily. She joined the CIA in July 1967, shortly after graduating from the University of Washington with a degree in Russian. . As war drums reverberated across Europe in 1939, the head of France's military intelligence service recruited an unlikely spy: France's most famous woman . He was captured and went to prison, and then he escaped. Brother Claude also survived the war, dying in 1974. It was at Riverbank that Elizebeth met her husband, William Frederick Friedman, whom she married in 1917. The dancer turned WWI spy is said to have seduced diplomats and military officers into giving up their secrets. Honors: MBE, Chevalier de la Lgion d'Honneur Croix de Guerre avec Palme. World War II Spies and Secret Agents Spies and secret agents played an important role in World War II. Friedman's discovery allowed the Queen Mary to evade the U-boats, saving the lives of the more than 8,000 soldiers on board. By Patricia McBride. World War II's Female Spies and Their Secrets - The Atlantic ", Honors: George Cross, Member of the Order of the British Empire, Chevalier de la Lgion d'honneur. Vera Atkins, according to Spymistress, got wind and recruited her for the S.O.E. When she and her husband reunited after the war, they found they had grown apart and divorced. Her doting father taught her horsemanship and shooting; for the rest of her life she excelled in charming men. They carried out attacks to weaken Nazi communication and transportation circuits, strategically cutting phone lines and blowing up roads, railways, and bridges to hinder the movement of German reinforcements Hitler was ordering to the beaches. No, there were female special forces agents on the ground and working to keep the Allies from being blown back into the water. She fled to the south and then to London. Returning to France by parachute, she began organising her enormous private army, arranging deliveries of supplies, weapons and ammunition for some 7000 resisters. Pearl traveled around under the pretense of being a cosmetics saleswoman, although she didnt wear makeup. She used this card to aid Britain. Elizebeths job was to examine Shakespeares work for secret messages that Fabyan believed Bacon had included in the plays and poems. . Advanceticketpurchase is highly recommended for future dates. In February 1917, French authorities arrested her for espionage after intercepting an enemy telegram implicating her as a German spy. She remained in Clermont-Ferrand for nearly two years, and reported her findings back to the US military. Tortured and interrogated, they survived by telling their captors that Peter was Winstons nephew and Odette his wife. The daughter of a wealthy family in British-ruled Mauritius, de Baissac was in France when Hitler's troops moved into Paris in 1940. They did what men did. Ethel Rosenberg was an American citizen who was convicted along with Julius Rosenberg of spying in favor of the Soviet Union. Mashbir headed the top secret intelligence gathering organization. Khan trained as a radio operator with Britains Womens Auxiliary Air Force. On June 5, 1944, de Baissac was in Paris recruiting when she learned D-Day was imminent. The sultry performer risked her own safety to entertain American troops at the front lines during World War II. Patricia McBride is a freelance journalist living in Cambridge, England. Known as Moses, she led more than 300 enslaved people to freedom and never lost a single passenger. A Union spy and military commander, Tubman collected intel behind enemy lines. After D-Day, she monitored local German troop movements. Entertainment movies Inside the Stories of the Most Daring Women Spies of World War II By Suyin Haynes October 2, 2020 8:00 AM EDT A Call to Spy - Official Trailer | HD | IFC Films Watch on. The ploy worked. She worked as a courier for the SOE network Physician (nicknamed "Prosper"), which raised bands of Resistance members in the north to carry out guerilla attacks against Nazi troops. She was 24. A Call to Spy Real History: Women Spies in WWII | Time When finally arrested, she managed to escape, making her way to England and the welcoming arms of SOE. However, she was essential to many of the South's victories during the US Civil War. Of all the female spies during the Second World War, Vera Eriksen is perhaps the most mysterious. Churchill had secretly been in contact with Franklin D. Roosevelt, but it was well known the Americans were deeply against entering another world warespecially with Britains gloomy prospects. The Chicago-born son of a Russian immigrant peddler, Goldberg graduated from Northwestern University Law School then took a break from practicing law to join the Army during the war. By continuing to browse, you accept the use of cookies and other technologies. Its been suggested that she was the inspiration for Miss Moneypenny, James Bonds secretary. Pages in category "Female wartime spies" The following 134 pages are in this category, out of 134 total. She participated in raids and killed Germans with her bare hands. Younger brother Claude also joined. She helped smuggle rebel Nationalists to safety, coordinated the evacuation of British Embassy staff, and transported Red Cross supplies to Francos forces. Born in New Zealand in 1912 and raised in Australia, Nancy Wakes life couldnt have been sweeter. Feigning tuberculosis, Skarbek secured her release in January 1941. Apparently, Pearl was the best shotmale or femalewho had ever come through training. She was in the SOE's first training class for female agents, where she learned skills from hand-to-hand combat to Morse code. Featured photo of Vera Atkins: Alchetron; Additional photos: Nowa Historia; Alchetron. Women like: Born in Baltimore, Maryland, in 1906, Virginia Hall attended schools in Germany, France and Austria, becoming multi-lingual. Goldberg, who hoped to bring about peace negotiations in the Vietnam War, was one of the few justices to leave the bench for a reason besides retirement. After a few months, Pearls main radio operator was arrested. She once saved the life of one of her lovers, Francis Cammaerts, by skulking around the prison where he was being held and singing one of their favorite tunes, until she heard him sing it back. Churchill made sure Donovan spent substantial time with Vera, according to Spymistress. Greene published more than 25 novels during his career, including a number of espionage thrillers, such as The Quiet American, Our Man in Havana and The Human Factor.. 3 American World War One era spies. Mata Hari embodied all the intrigue of espionage and remains the most famous female spy in history. Nazis, allegedly leveraging intelligence from a double agent, arrested Borrel and fellow Physician leaders in June 1943. The English-born Greene was already an established novelist (Brighton Rock, The Power and the Glory) with a taste for adventure when he became a spy for MI6, the British secret intelligence service, in 1941. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. Noor Inayat Khan - Wikipedia Born the royal daughter of an Indian pacifist, Noor Inayat Khan was an improbable candidate to become a wartime operative. 6 Incredible Female Spies of World War II - Explore the Archive To revist this article, visit My Profile, then View saved stories. Peter Churchill's network, Spindle. "People tend to think women were 'just' secretarial couriers and messengers. De Baissac was bold and clever, choosing an apartment near the local Gestapo headquarters while organizing airdrops of arms and supplies for the local Resistance. 10 Celebrities Who Spied on the Side | Mental Floss Female Spies like Virginia Hall, Amy Thorpe and Barbara Lauwers were large supporters of Allied war efforts, and some of the most important women in World War 2. Outside his. We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. As the June 6 anniversary of the largest amphibious assault in military history approaches, journalist Sarah Rose illuminated several less widely known combat heroes who fought for the liberation of Nazi-occupied Europe in Operation Overlord: Andre Borrel, Lise de Baissac, and Odette Sansom. The Foreign Service used this as an excuse to turn her down, although she suspected the rejection was really because she was a woman, Judith Pearson writes in The Wolves at the Door: The True Story of Americas Greatest Female Spy. "No, there were female special forces agents on the ground and working to keep the Allies from being blown back into the water.". Seven of the bravest female secret agents Douglas Boyd presents seven women who risked everything to spy Mathilde Carr: The Second World War's 'exceedingly dangerous woman' One of the major Nazi spies Friedman identified and tracked was Johannes Siegfried Becker, codenamed Sargo, who was trying to forge an alliance between Germany and Argentina. Borrel parachuted into France in September of 1942, becoming the first female combat agent to do so. The group, whose members included future James Bond creator Ian Fleming, was tasked with planting propaganda and carrying out other covert activities designed to persuade a reluctant United States to join the war against Germany; after Pearl Harbor and the nations entrance into the conflict, BSC operatives continued to clandestinely promote British interests in the U.S. while also working to undermine remaining isolationist attitudes in American politics and society. The officer searched them for guns, which they didn't have, so he let them go. However, she was not too tall to join the OSS. You have to hassle the enemy and retreat immediately., When Pearl was offered a civil MBE for her role in the war (since military versions were not offered to women at the time), she turned it down, saying, There was nothing remotely civil about what I did. In March 1942, an American codebreaker named Elizebeth Smith Friedman made a horrifying discovery: Nazi spies in Latin America had located a large Allied supply ship named the Queen Mary along the coast of Brazil, and German U-boats were planning to sink it. To learn more about Virginia Halls role in World War 2, read our full story online. Virginia Hall was the only female civilian in WWII to receive the coveted Distinguished Service Cross. Access your favorite topics in a personalized feed while you're on the go.