In this countdown list, I cover 5 of the most influential female spies of World War 2. From parachuting into German occupied France in a fur coat and high heels, to gliding past several Nazi checkpoints with a wink and a smile, to withstanding the torturous efforts of the most notorious Gestapo agent--these ferocious female spies of WWII dominated the world of espionage, especially Winston Churchill’s Special Operations Executive (SOE). The courageous stories of women spies--their fake identities, their ingenuity and fearlessness, and their secret lives--are both riveting and inspiring. 

This top 5 countdown provides a short history documentary of the stories of women spies of World War 2. There are many, many female spies whose stories should be remembered. We chose to create these five biographies of women spies based on their courage, ingenuity, grit, and impact. Hope you enjoy!

5. Nancy Wake - The White Mouse
Nancy Wake was born in New Zealand in 1912, raised in Australia, and ran away from home at age 16. Wake eventually became among the Gestapo’s most wanted. When Germany invaded France in 1940, Nancy Wake joined the French resistance, helping Jews and downed allied airmen escape into neutral Spain over the mountains. Nancy Wake led a raid on a gestapo headquarters in the heart of France which took them completely by surprise, killing 38 Germans. 

4. Virginia Hall - “The Most Dangerous Enemy Spy”
The most successful American spy in World War II was a physically disabled woman who couldn’t get a job. When she lost her leg in a hunting accident, she acquired a wooden leg from the knee down which she named Cuthbert.

When WWII broke out, Virginia Hall embraced the dangerous work of a French ambulance driver. Hall was a mistress of disguise, using code names and makeup to alter her identity constantly--sometimes several times in a single day. 

She served out the rest of her life as America’s first female secret agent in the newly formed CIA, and eventually married a fellow spy.

3. Josephine Baker - The Celebrity Spy
Josephine Baker achieved a degree of success in New York on Broadway, but always believed her true breakthrough came when she traveled to Paris in 1925 as a stage performer. Josephine Baker starred in several French movies and became the first black woman to star in a major motion picture.

When Hitler conquered France in 1940, Baker was able to travel freely without raising suspicion since she was an entertainer. She wrote notes on her music sheets in invisible ink. Other times she hid papers in her undergarments. But one way or another, Josephine Baker passed crucial information to the Free French, the British and the Americans.

2. Noor Inayat Khan - Aristocrat Turned Secret Agent
Noor Inayat Khan was a young Indian princess, descended from royalty, and...she was a spy. 

Noor Inayat Khan joined the Women’s Auxiliary Air Force to be trained as a radio operator. She was sent to France and evaded the grasp of the Nazis until she was finally betrayed by a jealous colleague. The beautiful and brave Noor Inayat Khan was finally executed by pistol shot. 

1. Vera Atkins - “The Boss”
Vera Atkins is rumored to be the inspiration for the unflappable female agent Moneypenny in Ian Fleming’s James Bond series. In 1939 Vera Atkins was part of the team which extracted an enigma decoder from Poland.

When war broke out, Vera was given a high rank in Britain’s Special Operations Executive and tasked with organizing the five hundred spies Britain sent to Europe to undermine Hitler. Vera Atkins did everything from providing training, cover stories and fake ID’s to sitting up into the early morning sending and receiving encrypted messages from agents in occupied France.