Harold Cole
British WWII spy and traitor / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Harold Cole (24 January 1906 – 8 January 1946), also known as Harry Cole, Paul Cole, and many other aliases, was a petty criminal, a confidence man, a British soldier, an operative of the Pat O'Leary escape line, and an agent of Nazi Germany. In 1940 and 1941, he helped many British soldiers escape France after its surrender to Nazi Germany in World War II. He became a double agent for the Germans in December 1941 (or possibly earlier) and betrayed to the Gestapo 150 escape line workers and members of the French Resistance, of whom about 50 were executed or died in German concentration camps.[1]
Harold Cole | |
---|---|
Born | (1906-01-24)24 January 1906 |
Died | 8 January 1946(1946-01-08) (aged 39) |
Cause of death | Gunshot wounds |
Nationality | British |
Occupation(s) | Criminal, British soldier, German agent |
Espionage activity | |
Allegiance | Nazi Germany |
Service branch | Abwehr, Sicherheitsdienst |
Service years | 1941–45 |
Codename | Paul Cole |
Cole has been described as "the worst traitor of the war."[2] He deceived both the British and the Germans and escaped from prison on several occasions. He survived the war but was killed while resisting arrest by French police in Paris in January 1946.