They hoped that this story would help Indeed the theme of her postwar working life, with its service to various charities and help for the underprivileged, was the healing of those wounds, both physical and mental, which had been inflicted upon individuals by the war. Despite her appalling treatment, she was not over consumed with bitterness. German administrator, military commander Sansom received the George Cross on November 19, 1946, from King George VI, the first woman to be awarded the United Kingdom's highest civilian award for "courage, endurance and self-sacrifice." ." Women also died from malnourishment, overwork, exposure, lethal injections or obscene experimental surgery. Sansom wassent to Ravensbrck concentration camp, Germany, in July 1944. January 16, 1995, pp. Britain and European Resistance, 194045: A survey of the Special Operations Executive with Documents, 1980. EXCLUSIVE: Odette Sansom had fallen for her supervisor and lied to the Nazis that she was in charge leading to two years of torture. They hoped that this story would help. Colonel Henri was a German officer who claimed he wished to work for the allies. On December 16, 1946, Major Stephen Stewart called Odette Sansom as a witness for the prosecution at the War Crimes Court at Hamburg. Women in World History: A Biographical Encyclopedia. God bless you and your children. 19561995 Mahoney, M.H. The purpose of SOE was to conduct espionage, sabotage, and reconnaissance in occupied Europe against the Axis powers, especially Germany. They hid microdots bearing secret codes on their bodies, or in toothpaste tubes, shoelaces or buttons. For example, Violette Szabo fought a rearguard action with German units before being captured near Limoges. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other. Jorioz by Hugo Bleicher of the Abwehr. They killed anyone they feared might testify. Sansom was torn, as she wanted to help but didn't want to leave her children. "I am interested to see, monsieur, that you consider it necessary to defend what you have just done," said Sansom. After the war and his separation from Odette he married Carla Schmidt (19212004). Cite this article Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography. London: Chapman & Hall, 1949. After the war, the organisation was officially dissolved on 15 January 1946. Another courier, Pearl Witherington , led an underground force of 2,000 young French guerillas, called the Maquis, who specialized in cutting the main Paris-Bordeaux railway. The interrogator told her to unbutton it. Odette Sansom was born in France but later moved to England. Military figures Famous military leaders and soldiers, including Alexander the Great, Napoleon, Ataturk, Erwin Rommel, Winston Churchill and Dwight Eisenhower. She wore her FANY uniform and the blue ribbon and silver miniature of the George Cross. The couple moved Magazines, CODE NAME: LISEThe True Story of the Woman Who Became WWIIs Most Highly Decorated Spy, Or create a free account to access more articles, The Extraordinary Bravery That Made This Woman One of World War II's Most Remarkable Spies. The company . Sansom replied, "I have nothing to say.". In 1941 she responded to requests by the War Office for people to send photographs of France. She died in 1995 aged 83. https://www.encyclopedia.com/women/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/sansom-odette-1912-1995, "Sansom, Odette (19121995) Some had only rags to cover their feet as they were forced onto the frozen mud. The fact she survived undetected for over a year is a testimony to her care and professionalism. On 16 April 1943, 'Lise' and 'Raoul' were betrayed by a member of their network and arrested. Odette Sansom GC, MBE (28 April 1912 13 March 1995), also known as Odette Churchill and Odette Hallowes, code named Lise, was an agent for the United Kingdom's clandestine Special Operations Executive (SOE) in France during the Second World War. Weapons and ammunition Walther PPK Violette Szabo (1921-1945) worked for 'F' Section inSpecial Operations Executive (SOE)during theSecond World War. The purpose of these photos was to determine the exact topography of a particular section. As Sansom had told him she was related to Winston Churchill he took her with him to American forces, thinking that this would help his case. Odette Hallowes died at Walton-on-Thames on 13th March, A list of 200 potential supporters, lost by Andr Marsac, a Girard courier, was obtained by the Germans. Odette was a courier for the SPINDLE circuit of Special Operations Executive (SOE), the secret sabotage outfit Winston Churchill had charged to set Europe ablaze. She was a wife and mother of three who didnt drink, smoke or swear, and to the casual observer she was quite ordinary, perhaps even boring. Yet she was a trained killer. You are welcome to search for what you are looking for with the form below. The journalist summed up the experience: Everyone remembers that Odette had her toe-nails torn out by the Gestapo. Because each style has its own formatting nuances that evolve over time and not all information is available for every reference entry or article, Encyclopedia.com cannot guarantee each citation it generates. Again, he asked, "Where is Arnaud?" 47, Commercial Retail Lots - Minooka, IL- Reduced PriceCheck out a new aerial video of the property! "You will realize I am not what you want.". As a child she contracted serious illnesses which blinded her for three and a half years, as well as polio, which resulted in her being bedridden for months. //. Acting largely alone, the relentless German arrested over one hundred Allied agents, including Czerniawski and Sansom. As a result she was recruited by the Special Operations Executive These photographs encouraged the war office to recruit Odette into the Special Operations Executive SOE; the SOE was responsible for training agents to be dropped into France. After four months of agonizing indecision over leaving her three children, and still feeling unqualified, she accepted. Odette Hallowes, from Red Ball in Somerset, was awarded the George Cross, an MBE and the . As Odette got out of the car, Shren stood in the street with her. Rarely would an assignment be easily completed, nor did agents have the luxury of time. help establish a new circuit in Burgundy. [10] SOE agent Francis Cammaerts visited Annecy briefly in March or early April 1943 and assessed the security of Churchill and Sansom's network as deficient and likely to be penetrated by the Germans. Colonel Henri was a German officer who claimed he wished to work for the allies. Her family did not announce the cause of death of Mrs. Hallowes, born Odette Brailly in France. 5 Non-Christmas Movies to Watch This Holiday, Best Online Games to Play with your Friends, 12 tips for creating visual content on social media. Odette Hallowes has a story unlike anyone else. This would mean securing an apartment in a specified part of town in France to which the SOE might send other members, either as part of an escape team or to encourage sabotage and action by the French Resistance. They claimed they were husband and wife and related to Winston Churchill. She was captured six months later and imprisoned in Fresne, the Gestapo prison in Paris. Hearing the broadcast, Sansom wrote that she had photographs taken around Boulogne, but she mistakenly sent her letter to the War Office instead of the Admiralty. Both Churchill and Sansom were therefore retained in Fresne and frequently interrogated for another eight months. The officer responsible for Sansom's torture in Paris was also executed in July 1944, for ordering the shooting of British parachutists captured in uniform. Some officials did not believe her story and cast doubt upon her integrity. Odette Brailly was born in Amiens, France, on 28th April 1912. This essay consists of three articles that examine different aspects of the history of prisoners of war. Odette Churchill had opposed making the film in Hollywood, for fear that the film would be fictionalised. 82. Wehrmacht soldiers, Vichy police, Abwehr (German military intelligence) and Gestapo were everywhere: control checkpoints, hotels, cafes, trains even brothels. The other began to unbutton her blouse. Knowing they were going to die gave them a sense of freedom, and they told each other their real names as well as their code names. 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