7 inspirational female spies from World War II
There were plenty of female spies in World War II who made a huge impact due to their bravery and resilience. Read on to find out more about them.
Image: Violette Szabo | Public Domain
There are plenty of tales of bravery associated with World War II, but some of the most daring feats come from the spies tasked with sabotaging the enemy while gathering intelligence for the Allied forces.
Many of these spies were women, and they continue to inspire thanks to their astonishing accomplishments. Not only did these women face enemy forces with immense bravery, but they also helped win the war for the Allies.
Let’s dive a little deeper into some inspirational female spies who made a huge difference in World War II.
1. Vera Atkins
Romanian-born Vera Atkins worked in the France Section of the SOE (the Special Operations Executive) in the Second World War. Her role was to support the French Resistance, but she was also in charge of the deployment and recruitment of British agents within occupied France.
Vera was the spymaster and boss of various other spies, including some of the other women on this list.
2. Yvonne Baseden
Yvonne Baseden was a France-based SOE operative. She was French and bilingual due to having a French mother and a British father. She was a wireless operator who aided with the coordination of resistance fighters in France, but she was captured.
She survived torture and illness while being held in the Ravensbrück concentration camp. She didn’t reveal any information, even with the brutal conditions she faced.
3. Virginia Hall
Virginia Hall was an American SOE officer in France and a pioneer for female SOE agents. She was the first to reside in France, settling there in 1941. She spent 15 months becoming well-versed in supporting operations. She fled in 1942 to ensure she wouldn’t be captured, but returned as a wireless operator for the OSS in 1944.
After her return, Virginia directed French resistance troops, supplied arms, and conducted training while in German territory.
4. Noor Inayat Khan
SOE agent Noor Inayat Khan was born in Russia to an American mother and an Indian father. She was the first female wireless operator to enter occupied France.
Noor was part of the Prosper network, which sent reports back to London to aid coordination with the French resistance.
A French collaborator betrayed Noor, and she was arrested in 1943 by the Gestapo. She gave away no information despite being brutally tortured. She was later deported to the Dachau concentration camp.
Noor was executed in 1944, but her sacrifice was awarded posthumously with the George Cross by the UK and the Croix de Guerre by France.
5. Odette Sansom
French-born Odette Sansom was recruited by the SOE in 1942. She worked as a courier within the Spindle network.
Odette and Spindle network leader Peter Churchill – who she went on to marry – were betrayed by a double agent and arrested. Odette tried to convince the Gestapo that Peter was a relative of Winston Churchill and that she was Peter’s wife.
She spun this tale in an attempt to make themselves seem like valuable hostages. This lie protected Peter, but Odette was subject to horrific torture.
Odette was interrogated 14 times, during which her toenails were pulled out and she was branded with a hot poker on her back. She gave up no information. She was condemned to death and sent to Ravensbrück concentration camp in 1943.
Odette miraculously survived due to liberation from the Allied forces in 1945. Her story is an incredible one of bravery and resilience.
6. Krystyna Skarbek
Polish agent Krystyna Skarbek – also known as Christine Granville – was a decorated member of the SOE. She became an agent before the SOE was founded, and was one of the first female agents to serve in the field.
Her most well-known act was the release of two SOE agents mere hours before they were due to be executed. She risked her life by meeting with a Gestapo commander and convincing him to release the prisoners with various lies, threats, and a bribe.
Krystyna's life was tragically taken in 1952 when she was stabbed by an obsessive man she worked with.
7. Violette Szabo
Violette Szabo was born in France and became a British-French spy for the SOE. She was married to a French soldier named Etienne Szabo in 1940. Violette was pregnant when Etienne was killed in action in 1942 after the war broke out.
Spurred on by her husband’s death, Violette accepted an offer to train and become an agent with the SOE in F-Section.
Violette’s first mission went well. However, after betrayal by a French informant, she was captured on her second mission. She was tortured but gave away no information. After being sent to Ravensbrück concentration camp, Violette was executed in 1945 at age 23.
Her bravery and dedication to avenging her husband make her a memorable figure, while her daughter Tania keeps her memory alive.
