Virginia Hall was a native of Baltimore, Maryland. She had an adventurous spirit, and after attending several prestigious colleges, began working overseas as a State Department clerk. A shooting accident in Turkey in 1933 required the amputation of her left leg below the knee, thwarting the diplomatic career she had long aspired to. Fitted with a wooden prosthetic she nicknamed “Cuthbert,” Hall volunteered to drive an ambulance in France after the German invasion in 1940. The 34-year-old later evacuated to Britain, where she was recruited by the Special Operations Executive, who thought the Germans would never suspect a woman of intelligence gathering.
Hall returned to occupied France as a spy, working undercover as a journalist to collect intelligence, aid ongoing operations, and help other agents and Allied soldiers escape safely to England. She later returned to Britain and joined the US Office of Strategic Services, the forerunner of the Central Intelligence Agency. The OSS dispatched Hall once again to France in 1944, where she became a prolific operator, helping to organize, arm, and train French Resistance forces, and eventually leading a cadre of 1,500 Resistance fighters. For her incredible, groundbreaking service, Hall became the only civilian woman to be awarded the Distinguished Service Cross in World War II. After a long career at the CIA, Hall passed away in 1982.
