Although spying has always been a part of warfare, espionage didn't become an official part of American war efforts until World War II. The United States government established the Office of Strategic Services, which employed spies, translators, map readers, and code breakers to help gather information. Many of these roles were filled by women. This compelling book tells the riveting stories of six of these lady spies, including singer Josephine Baker, who smuggled military secrets on her sheet music; model and countess Aline Griffith; and the dangerously effective "Limping Lady," Virginia Hall.

A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER Chosen as a BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR by NPR, the New York Public Library, Amazon, the Seattle Times, the Washington Independent Review of Books, PopSugar, the Minneapolis Star Tribune, BookBrowse, the Spectator, and the Times of London Winner of the Plutarch Award for Best Biography “Excellent…This book is as riveting as any thriller, and as hard to put down.” -- The New York Times Book Review "A compelling biography of a masterful spy, and a reminder of what can be done with a few brave people -- and a little resistance." - NPR "A meticiulous history that reads like a thriller." - Ben Macintyre A never-before-told story of Virginia Hall, the American spy who changed the course of World War II, from the author of Clementine. In 1942, the Gestapo sent out an urgent transmission: "She is the most dangerous of all Allied spies. We must find and destroy her." The target in their sights was Virginia Hall, a Baltimore socialite who talked her way into Special Operations Executive, the spy organization dubbed Winston Churchill's "Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare." She became the first Allied woman deployed behind enemy lines and--despite her prosthetic leg--helped to light the flame of the French Resistance, revolutionizing secret warfare as we know it. Virginia established vast spy networks throughout France, called weapons and explosives down from the skies, and became a linchpin for the Resistance. Even as her face covered wanted posters and a bounty was placed on her head, Virginia refused order after order to evacuate. She finally escaped through a death-defying hike over the Pyrenees into Spain, her cover blown. But she plunged back in, adamant that she had more lives to save, and led a victorious guerilla campaign, liberating swathes of France from the Nazis after D-Day. Based on new and extensive research, Sonia Purnell has for the first time uncovered the full secret life of Virginia Hall--an astounding and inspiring story of heroism, spycraft, resistance, and personal triumph over shocking adversity. A Woman of No Importance is the breathtaking story of how one woman's fierce persistence helped win the war.

Since the 1970s, when the dominance of military histories of the World Wars ended, and social historical histories of conflict rose to prominence, women have come to play an increasingly important role in mainstream stories about the Second World War. Although this is undeniably a valuable development, the perspectives on women that arose have in many respects remained limiting – although in new ways. Women have been portrayed as carers, as victims (notably of sexual violence), but rarely as agents of their own fate. This volume focuses on this last group. In spite of the undeniable suffering and victimization that befell so many women during the war, for others the war also opened opportunities and awakened ambitions. The articles in this volume, which cover both Europe and Asia, bring together some of the women who took initiatives, of which they sometimes suffered the dire consequences, sometimes enjoyed the fruits.

For fans of Radium Girls and history and WWII buffs, The Girls Who Stepped Out of Line takes you inside the lives and experiences of 15 unknown women heroes from the Greatest Generation, the women who served, fought, struggled, and made things happen during WWII—in and out of uniform—for theirs is a legacy destined to embolden generations of women to come. From daring spies to audacious pilots, from innovative scientists to indomitable resistance fighters, these extraordinary women stepped out of line and into history, forever altering the world's landscape. This page-turning narrative, crafted with meticulous historical accuracy by retired U.S. Army Major General Mari K. Eder, provides a fresh perspective on the integral roles that women played during WWII. Liane B. Russell fled Austria with nothing and later became a renowned U.S. scientist whose research on the effects of radiation on embryos made a difference to thousands of lives. Gena Turgel was a prisoner who worked in the hospital at Bergen-Belsen and cared for the young Anne Frank, who was dying of typhus. Gena survived and went on to write a memoir and spent her life educating children about the Holocaust. Ida and Louise Cook were British sisters who repeatedly smuggled out jewelry and furs and served as sponsors for refugees, and they also established temporary housing for immigrant families in London. Whether you're a history enthusiast, a lover of powerful women's stories, or an avid reader of WWII nonfiction, The Girls Who Stepped Out of Line is a must-read and a poignant testament to the forgotten women who stepped up when the world needed them most.

In 2013, the U.S. Secretary of Defense officially lifted the ban on women in the military serving in combat. But a century before, women were involved with the military in ways you might not realize. In both World War I and World War II, women across the globe were invaluable to their home countries, regardless of which side they fought on. For much of the 20th century, it was common for most women to be housewives. But with most men off fighting on the front, it was up to the women to keep their countries running. Many women supported the war effort in traditional ways, like planting victory gardens and buying war bonds, but they also held titles like spy, war correspondent, code breaker, and pilot. A few women even disguised themselves as men to join them in battle. With “Hidden in History: The Untold Stories of Women During World War I and World War II,” the often-forgotten role of women from across the globe who served on the front lines and on the home front is remembered and honored. Brave women crossed battle lines and served their nation as real-life Rosie the Riveters, changing the role of women in society forever. From Ida Mullerthal, the World War I spy with classified information tattooed on her back to Mary Amanda Sabourin, one of the first female U.S. Marines, read the untold stories of what the American War Department called “the vast reserve of woman power.”

The Vietnam War was one of the most controversial wars in American history, as many Americans opposed the United States' involvement in the war. The draft, which forced certain young men to fight in the war, even if they didn't want to, was particularly controversial. At the time, women were not allowed to fight in the military, but many worked directly in the conflict as nurses and administrators. Through fascinating and poignant interviews, this book tells the stories of six courageous women who served in the Vietnam War as they narrate their fascinating and sometimes difficult memories of the conflict.

A concise introduction to the history and methods of espionage, illustrated by spy stories from antiquity to today’s high-tech world. Espionage is one of the most secret of human activities. It is also, as the popularity of spy stories suggests, one of the most intriguing. This book pulls the veil back on the real world of espionage, revealing how spying actually works. In a refreshingly clear, concise manner, Kristie Macrakis guides readers through the shadowy world of espionage, from the language and practice of spycraft to its role in international politics, its bureaucratic underpinnings, and its transformation in light of modern technology. Espionage is a mirror of society and human foibles with the added cloak of secrecy and deception. Accordingly, Espionage traces spying all the way back to antiquity, while also moving beyond traditional accounts of military and diplomatic intelligence to shine a light on industrial espionage and the new techno-spy. As thorough—and thoroughly readable—as it is compact, the book is an ideal introduction to the history and anatomy of espionage.

Today, more than 80 years after the Holocaust/Shoah, the events surrounding Hitler’s campaign of murder have not receded into the distance, but remain memorialized in multiple venues, both scholarly and popular. This volume is an anthological collection of essays and creative pieces showcasing the pedagogical issues related to the Nazi genocide. It addresses the field of Shoah education, featuring new and novel ways to promote awareness of the reality of the genocide, as well as an understanding of the instrumentalities (both philosophical and physical) which drove and concretized it. In addition to serious academic contributions, this volume features a play, a short story, and a discussion of the use of educational video in an online environment. It provides insight into the overarching question: how can and should the Shoah be taught, and what approaches can be utilized in sharing the most important lessons of this most unspeakable example of ethnic cleansing in human history?

Expertly contextualized by two leading historians in the field, this unique collection offers 13 accounts of individual experiences of World War II from across Europe. It sees contributors describe their recent ancestors' experiences ranging from a Royal Air Force pilot captured in Yugoslavia and a Spanish communist in the French resistance to two young Jewish girls caught in the siege of Leningrad. Contributors draw upon a variety of sources, such as contemporary diaries and letters, unpublished postwar memoirs, video footage as well as conversations in the family setting. These chapters attest to the enormous impact that war stories of family members had on subsequent generations. The story of a father who survived Nazi captivity became a lesson in resilience for a daughter with personal difficulties, whereas the story of a grandfather who served the Nazis became a burden that divided the family. At its heart, Family Histories of World War II concerns human experiences in supremely difficult times and their meaning for subsequent generations.

War has been depicted in cinema for more than a century, from early silent films to more recent blockbusters such as Saving Private Ryan and Lone Survivor. Most war films, especially combat films, are about men engaged in battle. But while Hollywood has reinforced the cultural stereotype of war as a man’s job, women have not been completely invisible in many of these films, whether waiting for their men to return home or standing shoulder to shoulder with their male counterparts on the battlefield. In Women in War Films: From Helpless Heroine to G.I. Jane, Ralph Donald and Karen MacDonald examine the representations of females in war throughout the history of film. They identify various types of women portrayed in these films, from home-front wives and daughters supporting their loved ones from afar to nurses and doctors stationed near the front lines of combat. The authors also look at depictions of foreign females who comfort homesick soldiers, ordinary women who unexpectedly encounter the enemy, female spies, and modern enlistees taking on roles traditionally reserved for men. Through these representations, the authors explore what war films say about the culture that created them and the social construction of reality that these films assert. The book covers an array of war films distributed in the United States, including Hearts of the World, Wings, Mata Hari, Mrs. Miniver, Casablanca, Cry “Havoc,”Since You Went Away, The Best Years of Our Lives, From Here to Eternity, The Americanization of Emily, M*A*S*H, Coming Home, Courage under Fire, G.I. Jane, and Zero Dark Thirty. Featuring an extensive filmography, Women in War Films will appeal to scholars of gender studies, history, and film, as well as to readers interested in the evolving portrayals of females in military-related cinema.