Virginia Hall: The Limping Lady Who Made the Gestapo Nervous

Virginia Hall, an American socialite from Baltimore with a wooden prosthetic leg (which she named 'Cuthbert'), became arguably the most effective Allied agent in occupied France. Her work with SOE was so effective that Klaus Barbie, the 'Butcher of Lyon,' personally hunted her. The Gestapo referred to her as 'the most dangerous of all Allied spies' and her photo with a limp was circulated across France. She helped arm and train Maquis resistance fighters, organized escape routes, and provided critical intelligence before and during D-Day. After the war she received the Distinguished Service Cross — the only civilian woman so decorated during the war.