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Article Title

The Lady is a Spy

Authors

Phyllis Rosen

Keywords

Dependable, Young Adult, Wwii, Secret Service, History, Espionage, Disability

Document Type

Book Review

Abstract

Virginia Hall was an American who contributed to the French resistance effort during WWII. In her younger years, Virginia was forced to amputate one leg after a hunting accident. This did not slow her down, although it did put an end to her hopes for a diplomatic career. Virginia traveled and studied in Europe and found herself in France when war broke out. She joined a French ambulance unit and later became a spy, first for the British, later for the United States. Virginia's efforts to rescue and smuggle to safety many Allied soldiers included tasks such as mapping drop zones, establishing safe houses, and training resistance battalions, all while reporting the enemy's movements to those in Great Britain and the US. Although the Gestapo hunted her relentlessly, she managed to elude them and survive the war. After the war she was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, the only civilian woman to receive this honor.

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