The Limping Lady Summary

Virginia Hall "The Limping Lady"

1. Introduction

One of the world’s most dangerous allied agents in France was “The Limping Lady” Virginia Hall when the Germans took over France. Virginia Hall was an American Civilian, who was in France when the Germans took control, but do to her hatred of the Germans ways of treating the people of France, became one of the best spies in American History. Even after Virginia lost her leg in a gun accident, which never stopped her from doing her job, she proved to be a valuable asset in the war.

2. Background

Virginia Hall was born on April 6, 1906, in Baltimore, Maryland to the parents of Edwin Lee Hall and Barbara Virginia Hammel. Virginia attended Radcliffe (Harvard University’s college for women)

from 1924 to 1926 before going to Barnard (Columbia University’s college for women). Virginia also attended graduate school in Washington D.C. at the American University. Virginia traveled to Europe with her parents when she was a kid and went back as often as she could. Virginia also did brief stints at universities in Grenoble, Toulouse, and Strasbourg where she masters both German and French language but she could never get rid of her American accent.
Virginia worked for the United States (U.S) Foreign Service for seven years at different locations all over Europe as a consular clerk. Virginia wanted to be an agent and took the U.S. Foreign Service exam two different times but failed both times in 1929 and 1930. During Virginia’s time in Turkey in 1933, Virginia loved to hunt, so she went on a hunting trip but while climbing a fence, her shotgun misfired and shot her in her left foot. By the time her friends got her to the nearest hospital, gangrene sent in and the only way to save her life was to amputate her left leg at the knee. Once Virginia was stable she traveled back to Baltimore where she was fitted with a custom prosthetic and had to learn how to walk all over again. Virginia was back to work one year later in 1934 at the U.S. Foreign Service and applied to take the exam for the third time. Virginia was denied the request to take the exam for the third time by the U.S. Department of State for the reason she was not “able-bodied”. Virginia appealed the decision numerous times, requesting a waiver for her to take the exam but once again, she was turned down.
Virginia was not happy with the decision and decided to resign from the U.S. Foreign Service in 1939. Virginia went to Paris in 1939 and while there Germany invaded Poland and France declared War on Germany, so Virginia joined the French ambulance Corps known as the Services Sanitaire de l’Armee as a private. Virginia received first aid training and became an ambulance driver where she evacuated injured casualties from the front lines. Germany turned and released all its military on France and France fell to them in June 1940. Virginia was trapped in France under the Germans policies and she was disgusted by their policies directed against the European Jews. Virginia fled France on her U.S. Passport to London via Spain in August 1940. Virginia reached the U.S. Embassy where she debriefed the staff on the situation in France. Virginia took a job at the U.S. Embassy as a code clerk but she did not want to go down the same road so Virginia resigned from the U.S. Embassy. Virginia knew she wanted to take the war right back at the Germans so Virginia resigned from her position stating which she was looking for other employment opportunities, but what she failed to mentioned was she was recruited by the British Special Operations Executive (SOE).
After Virginia completed the grueling elite SOE agent training, Virginia became an SOE special agent.

In 1941, Virginia was sent Vichy France under her new identity where she spent fifteen months, while most agents at this time only spent six months behind enemy lines. Virginia had to leave France in 1943 because the Germans were getting too close to capturing her, so for her safety, the SOE told her to get out. Virginia received the code name of “Artemis” from the Germans because she was so good at her job and was causing the Germans a lot of grief. By the time the Germans were getting close to Virginia, she had fled to Spain. Virginia hiked all the way across the Pyrenees and into Spain thru the winter snowstorms. Once Virginia arrived in Spain she was imprisoned for twenty days due to not having the correct documentation for entry into Spain. Virginia was released and finally made it back to London were she was welcomed as a hero by her peers of the SOE. Virginia was now on top of the Germans most wanted list. Virginia was put in charge of organizing safe houses for the French Resistance because the SOE did not want to put her back behind enemy lines. In 1943, King George VI made her a Member of the British Empire but Virginia refused the medal because she was afraid it would blow her cover. Virginia sought out to find someone who would allow her to go back behind enemy lines. After the SOE would not send Virginia back behind enemy lines she joined the U.S. Office of Strategic Services (OSS) in 1944. The OSS send Virginia right back behind enemy lines to help the French Resistance. Virginia was now disguised as an old lady that worked on a farm and would go to the local flea market and gather information. Virginia was a radio operator and now was reporting the German troop movements to London. Since the Germans had such sophisticated radio equipment, Virginia’s job was incredibly dangerous. Virginia was always moving to stay one step ahead of

the Germans while reporting everything to London on the German troop movements. Virginia’s job had changed by this time from a radio operator to a French Resistance trainer and organizer. Virginia’s team would sabotage German installation, bridges cutting off their supplies and other various attacks killing Germans along the way. Virginia’s team finally took the German surrender after numerous attacks, so Virginia and her team moved to Paris to continue fighting the Germans. By the time, Virginia and her team arrived in Paris, the Germans were already defeated. The OSS congratulated Virginia and her team and pulled her out of the field. Virginia asked for another dangerous mission in Austria where the Germans still had a hold of but by the time she got the approval to go, the mission was scrubbed due to the fact the Germans surrendered and the war was over. Virginia became the first civilian woman in the war to receive the Distinguished Service Cross in 1945 for her service in helping the French defeat the Germans. President Truman wanted to present the award in a public ceremony but Virginia refused because she still did not want to blow her cover. General Donovan presented Virginia her award in a private ceremony which her mother only attended. Virginia's only comment on receiving America's second highest award for bravery is said to have been: “Not bad for a girl from Baltimore.” Virginia applied to join the U.S. Foreign service again after President Truman dismantled the OSS in 1946. Once again Virginia was declined due to “budgetary cutbacks” so Virginia joined a group called the Central Intelligence Group (CIG) before it became the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and became the first woman to become a member of the CI staff in 1956. Virginia retired from the CIA at the mandatory age of sixty and returned to Barnestown, Maryland where she passed away at the age of seventy –six.
3. Indicators
Some of Virginia’s indicators are the disgust she had against the Germans and their policies directed against the European Jews. Virginia was a master of evasion and disguise, which help her to gain placement and access to information and certain places which no one else could get access to. Virginia had foreign contacts because she was connected and working with the French Resistance members. Some of Virginia’s downfalls but are still indicators are she had a wooden leg and a limp in her walk. Even though she spoke French and German perfectly she still has an American accent, when she spoke, which would bring attention to herself.
4. Material Compromised
Virginia compromised all different material while she was in France helping the French Resistance in the war. While Virginia was in France the first time with the SOE she secretly organized, funded, supplied and armed the French Resistance. Virginia oversaw SOE parachute drops which helped supply the French Resistance. The Second time Virginia was in France under the OSS, she sent regular radio messages to London about German troop Activities. She organized sabotage attacks against German installations and germane patrolling troops. Virginia aided in rescuing political prisoners, prisoner of war and any downed allied airmen she could. Virginia organized three French Force battalions which harassed German combat units. Virginia also organized sabotage teams which destroyed German Ammunitions dumps and the railroads carrying supplies to the Germans. Virginia’s teams also sabotaged bridges, highways, telephone lines and caused numerous German causalities. Virginia’s team helped the French Resistance win the war against the Germans and took back France.
5. Handler
Virginia had two handlers during her time in France, the first was Vera Atkins and the second was Captain Maurice Buckmaster who became a Colonel. Vera Atkins was the person who recruited Virginia into the SOE. Vera met Virginia at a dinner party and Vera learned Virginia knew both French and German language plus was an ambulance driver with first aid training. Vera met Virginia for lunch the next day and convinced Virginia to join the SOE. Virginia would report everything she did to the London field office where Captain Buckmaster was located. Virginia worked with Captain Buckmaster at the OSS in London until she returned to the United States because of the war was over in France.
6. Investigation
The whole time Virginia was in France there was always an Investigation going on to capture her by the Germans. The first time Virginia was in France under her first identity as a reporter, the Germans never knew what she looked like and only knew she was a woman with a limp. The Germans finally received some information about what Virginia looked like and they launched a nationwide search for Virginia. The search was so serious the Germans even went as far as having wanted posters and ads out to help in Virginia’s capture. But once again was always one step ahead of the Germans and the SOE pulled her out of France for her protection. Virginia ended up on the top of the Germans most wanted list and the SOE refused to send Virginia back behind the enemy lines due to the fact it was too dangerous for her. Virginia refused to take no for an answer and looked into other options to continue the fight against the Germans. Virginia joined the OSS and returned to France to help the Resistance against the Germans. Knowing the risk of getting caught was always in the back of her mind but it never deterred her from doing her job the best she could. Virginia then returned to France under the identity of an old farm woman, but once again the Germans could not capture her and she help the French Resistance to get the Germans to surrender. Virginia was never captured and because of her work she did in France, helped the French win the war and Virginia was recognized and given medals for her service in the war.
7. Impact on U.S. Defense
Virginia’s impact on the U.S. Defense was she gathered information and helped organize French Resistance teams in which was the main reason why the war was won by the French. With the dedication in which Virginia showed, her work saved American lives by giving the intelligence she gathered on the location and detailed information on the German routes they were using. The Germans were caught off guard because they never capture her and their soldiers always seem to compromise themselves by not being able to keep their mouths shut. With Virginia expertise, she was what you need to have to beat your opponent and we need more spies like her in the field.
8. Elude capture from Authorities
Virginia was able to elude capture from the Germans because she was a master of evasion and disguise. Every time the Germans thought they were getting close to her she was always one step ahead. Virginia used code names and other identities to hide who she was, like the first time in France she was a New York reporter and the last time with the OSS, she was an old woman who worked on a farm and it was a lot easier for her to hide her limp when she walked. Virginia also used encrypted messages when she sends radio messages to the London office and when she organized with the French Resistance.
9. Prevent Incident
The only true answer one how to prevent this incident from happening is if the Germans would have captured Virginia. Germany could have out better security protocols in place to try and minimize the information Virginia seemed to be getting very easily. The Germans could have placed their own spies in the French Resistance as a way to try and get information on what the French Resistance was doing along with Virginia.
10. Conclusion
A war was won by a civilian woman with one leg when she was able to infiltrate the Germans installations and gather information which was the thing which brought down the powerful German Military.