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WW1 - French arrest a decrepit old woman (a German spy)
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WW1 - French arrest a decrepit old woman (a German spy)
WW1 - The Germans gave the old woman a new white blanket and bribed her to walk behind any French battery that might take up a position near a certain village on the Aisne. The lady in the blanket would take an interest in the French from behind their positions on higher ground. As she left, the French were immediately shelled by the German gunners. The woman was captured and brought before a military tribunal, which found her guilt of espionage and sentenced her to life imprisonment. Date: 1915
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Media ID 14221389
© Mary Evans Picture Library
Aisne Arrested Arresting Artillery Battery Blanket Captured Caught Devious Espionage Germans Guns Position Reporting Spying Tribunal Trick
EDITORS COMMENTS
In the chaotic and tense atmosphere of the Western Front during World War I, the lines between friend and foe blurred as both sides employed cunning and devious tactics to gain an advantage. This photograph captures the moment of a French soldier's discovery of a German spy, disguised as a decrepit old woman, being led away in handcuffs. The Germans had given her a new white blanket and bribed her to walk behind any French battery that might take up a position near a certain village on the Aisne. The lady in the blanket, with a sly and calculating expression, would take an interest in the French from behind their positions on higher ground. As she left, the French were immediately shelled by the German gunners, alerting the soldiers to the presence of the spy. The woman was captured and brought before a military tribunal, which found her guilty of espionage and sentenced her to life imprisonment. This historical image, from the archives of Mary Evans Prints Online, serves as a stark reminder of the deception and danger that marked the Great War.
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