ANNE GREENE here. I’m giving a copy of the first book in my
WW11 series, Women of Courage, ANGEL WITH STEEL WINGS, to one person who leaves a
comment answering the question at the end of this blog.
And today I’m
delving into the life of America’s foremost lady spy, Virginia Hall.
But in 1933, Virginia lost part of her leg in a
hunting accident and used a wooden prosthesis. As an amputee, she could no
longer work in the foreign service, so she drove an ambulance for the French
Army. When the Vichy government took over they sent her to England. She
volunteered for England’s newly founded spy ring, the SOE. They returned her to
Vichy-controlled France where she worked with the Resistance until the Nazi
takeover. She escaped to Spain through the mountains, on foot with an
artificial leg!
During the next several years she worked with the
underground Resistance by providing maps to Allied forces for drop zones. She found
safe houses, trained French Resistance forces, and reported enemy movements. Smart
Virginia avoided the Gestapo that penetrated many of the resistance networks.
America’s newly formed Office of Strategic Services
(OSS) recruited her, and sent her back into France.
The Germans named her one of
their most wanted spies. The Nazi secret police distributed wanted posters
throughout Vichy France, calling her an unknown woman with a limp. So, Virginia
taught herself to walk without a limp and used disguises to escape their attempts
to capture her.
After the war, Virginia said in
an interview, "In 1943 I joined General
Donovan's Office of Strategic Services for more adventures with the French
Resistance. I became proficient in Morse code and radio operation, which made
me invaluable. During the day, I appeared to be a milkmaid. However, at night I
directed the Resistance Forces under me in acts of sabotage and guerilla
warfare. I relayed important information from haylofts via my radio to London.
I always kept ahead of the Gestapo, whose leaders knew of me and wanted me
captured. I never gave them the opportunity. At the war's end, my country
rewarded my efforts with the Distinguished Service Cross in 1945, the only
female civilian in the war to receive this nation's highest military honor
after the Medal of Honor!"
Virginia helped
pave the way for women in America's intelligence network. Virginia worked for
the OSS through its transition to the CIA. She retired to a farm in
Barnesville, Maryland, in 1966, where she lived until her death in 1982.
She is known as
World War II's most heroic female spy.
ANNE GREENE
delights in writing about alpha heroes who aren’t afraid to fall on their knees
in prayer and about gutsy heroines. She writes both historical and suspense
novels. She and her hero husband, Army Special Forces Colonel Larry Greene,
have visited twenty-five countries. A
visit to Scotland resulted in her award-winning Scottish historical romances, Masquerade Marriage and Marriage By Arrangement. A Texas Christmas
Mystery also won awards. Her Women of Courage Series spotlights
heroic women of World War II. The first book, Angel With Steel Wings, is available
on Amazon. The second series, Handcuffed In Texas with the first book, Holly Garden, PI,
Red Is For Rookie, now available
on Amazon. Anne makes her home
in McKinney, Texas. Anne’s highest hope is that her stories transport the
reader to an awesome new world and touch hearts to seek a deeper spiritual
relationship with the Lord Jesus. To learn more of Anne, visit her at http://www.AnneGreeneAuthor.com. She writes a novel teaching class on her blog
www.anneswritingupdates.blogspot.com
Anne loves to hear from her readers. Buy Anne Greene books at http://www.amazon.com.
