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The forgotten world of female espionage

Many thousands of women acted as messengers, radio operators and double agents behind enemy lines in both world wars. Here, these resilient and resolute pioneers are retrieved from the mists of history

9 September 2023

9:00 AM

9 September 2023

9:00 AM

Women in Intelligence: The Hidden History of Two World Wars Helen Fry

Yale University Press, pp.464, 25

When the Germans occupied northern Italy in the autumn of 1943, they were pleased with the way that young Italian women, pedalling on bicycles around the country lanes in white socks and pigtails, smiled at them. The soldiers offered to help with their loaded baskets and gave them lifts in lorries.

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