WRFH/Radio Free Hillsdale 101.7 FM - Undetected: Virginia Hall

Episode Date: February 19, 2024

This week, Megan and Alessia dive into the thrilling story of Virginia Hall, an American woman that spied for the SOE and OSS during World War II. She was such a formidable force in the spy circles that the Nazis feared her and knew her as "the limping lady."

on Radio Free Hillsdale. Go undercover with your host, Alessia Sandala, and Megan Lee as they uncover the stories of spies from every country and time. The most thrilling, yet the most secretive lives in history. Welcome back, everyone. Alessia, why don't you introduce this week's featured spy? I would love to, Megan. This week's spy is one of my personal favorites to read about, the limping lady herself,

Virginia Hall. As we delve into her backstory, we will see that Hall developed many of the important characteristics of a spy at a relatively young age. It's no surprise she became one of the greatest spies in history. Virginia Hall was born in Baltimore, Maryland on April 6, 1906. She studied French and economics at George Washington University, where she also fostered a sense of independence and adventure. Let's listen to Hall's niece, Lorna Catling, describe Hall's personality.

She did things like where a small, garden steak ran her wrist as a bracelet and worked to school. And she always took the swashbuckling male roles in the play. Hall began her career as a clerk for the U.S. State Department in Warsaw, Poland. However, she had much greater ambitions. She dreamed of becoming a foreign service officer or diplomat. This was a challenge from the start because there were only six women who held the position at the time. Before Hall could achieve her dream of becoming a diplomat, she was injured in a hunting accident while she was stationed in Turkey.

She was shot in the foot, but an infection set in and her leg had to be amputated. The State Department had strict rules against amputees, and she was rejected again in 1937. Resolving that her prosthetic leg would remain with her for the rest of her life, she affectionately dubbed it Cuthbert. She then quit the State Department and went to work as an ambulance driver. in France in 1940. It was immediately following her time as an ambulance driver that she caught the eye of the British Intelligence Service and was recruited into the fledgling Special Operations Executive or SOE.

After a great deal of training, Hall was finally sent to Vichy France in 1941. At first, Hall posed as a New York Post reporter. However, after America joined the war in December 1941, Hall had to find a new cover. During her first stint in France, Hall established the Heckler Network in Leone. The network organized local resistance cells, managed money and supplies, and helped down Allied pilots find their way back to friendly territory. Eventually, the Hecler network became so active around the Leone area that they began to attract the attention of the Nazis and the infamous Klaus Barbie. Wait a minute, Alessia. Was this man's last name really Barbie?

Like the girl's toy Barbie? Can you give us some background information? Of course, Megan. Barbie was actually a cruel and merciless man. Barbie became a Gestapo chief in Leon while Hall was working there. He was infamous for his torture methods, but luckily he never caught Hall. Not for lack of trying. Barbie is credited with calling Hall the limping lady.

In September of 1942, Hall sent London a message telling them she could not remain in France much longer. After the Germans occupied Vichy, France, Hall had no choice but to leave the country as soon as possible before the borders closed. The day after Hall left, the Heckler unit began to be picked apart. Hall had no knowledge of this, though. Instead, she had to remain focused on the daunting task of crossing the snowy Pyrenees Mountains with her prosthetic leg. When she finally made it to Spain, she was actually arrested by the Spanish police. Oh, man, this woman cannot catch a break. Alessia, what happened next? Well, she only managed to be released when she insisted that she was an American and the police finally had her story confirmed by the U.S. embassy.

After making it back to England after a long journey, Hall later returned to France with the OSS, where she was disguised as an old milkmaid. Hall's work earned her many merits, such as the Distinguished Service Cross, and even led her to join the CIA as its first female agent in 1947. Paul died on July 8, 1982, on a farm in Maryland. She was 76 years old. What an inspiring story. It truly tells you that your circumstances are determined by what you make of them. For sure, Megan. She is truly one to be admired.

I'm Megan. And I'm Alessia. We hope you enjoyed this episode of Undetected. Tune in next week on Radio Free Hillsdale 101.7 FM to hear how Coco Chanel, a fashion icon, became an informant for the Nazis.