Virginia Hall was an American spy who served with the British Special Operations Executive (SOE) during World War II, earning the Nazi designation “the most dangerous of all Allied spies.” Born in Baltimore in 1906 and having lost her left leg in a hunting accident, she operated in Nazi-occupied France under the codenames “Marie” and “Diane,” establishing the Heckler Network and coordinating sabotage missions for the French Resistance.
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Early Service: Hall joined the SOE in 1941, disguised as a reporter for the New York Post, and became the first woman to conduct active field operations in occupied France.
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Evacuation and Return: After her cover was blown and she escaped over the Pyrenees in 1942, she returned in 1944 with the American Office of Strategic Services (OSS), commanding resistance fighters prior to the D-Day invasion.
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Legacy: She was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross (the only woman to receive it in WWII), the MBE, and the Croix de Guerre. Post-war, she became a founding member of the CIA.
Photo: In this film scene, spies in Britain view the newsreel picturing the US President as he stated, “On Sunday, December 7, 1941, a state of war has existed between the United States and the Japanes empire, To overcome this premeditated invasion, the American people in their righteous might will win through to absolute victory.” Just after this, the spy manager says to her superior, “Virginia’s cover is blown.”
Director: Lydia Dean Pilcher, 2019.
With: Sarah Megan Thomas, Stana Katic.
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