Harold Cole facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Harold Cole |
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A mugshot of Cole by the British police on 13 February 1939
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| Allegiance | Nazi Germany |
| Service | Abwehr, Sicherheitsdienst |
| Active | 1941–45 |
| Codename(s) | Paul Cole |
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| Born | 24 January 1906 London, England |
| Died | 8 January 1946 (aged 39) Paris, France |
| Cause of death |
Gunshot wounds |
| Nationality | British |
| Occupation | Criminal, British soldier, German agent |
Harold Cole (born January 24, 1906 – died January 8, 1946) was a British soldier who became a spy during World War II. He was also known by names like Harry Cole and Paul Cole. Cole helped many British soldiers escape from France after it was taken over by Nazi Germany in 1940.
However, in December 1941, he started working for the Germans. He then betrayed about 150 people who were helping soldiers escape or were part of the French Resistance. Around 50 of these people were killed or died in German prison camps. Some people have called him "the worst traitor of the war." Cole managed to escape from prison many times. He survived the war but was killed by French police in Paris in 1946.
Contents
Early Life and Army Days
Harold Cole was born in London, England. He grew up in a poorer part of East London called Hoxton. His father died in World War I. Cole left school when he was 14 years old.
As a teenager, he became known for tricking people and committing small crimes. He was in jail several times before 1939. In 1927, he left the army without permission. In September 1939, when World War II began, Cole joined the Royal Engineers in the British army. He was described as tall, slim, and always well-dressed. He often pretended to be a fancy, upper-class Englishman.
World War II Actions
While serving in France, Cole quickly became a sergeant. In March 1940, he was jailed for stealing money. He escaped but was caught again. He was released in June 1940 when the Germans invaded France. Cole stayed in France after many British soldiers were evacuated from Dunkirk. Thousands of British soldiers were left behind. French citizens helped hide these soldiers and pilots.
In the summer of 1940, Cole made many friends in Lille, France. He pretended to be a British intelligence captain. He convinced a rich businessman, François Duprez, to pay for his efforts to help British soldiers escape. A hair stylist named Jeannine Voglimacci let Cole use her apartment as a meeting place. Cole brought together many groups helping British soldiers in the Lille area. He even got fake ID papers for himself and his helpers. He pretended to have trouble speaking and hearing so he could avoid talking to Germans.
The Escape Line
French people helped British soldiers and airmen escape from German-occupied northern France. They would go to southern France, called Vichy France, which was not occupied by Germany until 1942. The city of Marseilles was a common goal. Cole's network was good at providing fake IDs, clothes, guides, and money for the soldiers.
However, some people did not trust Cole. Maud Olga Baudot de Rouville, who helped British soldiers, said he always borrowed money and spoke badly about people. She stopped working with him.
In January 1941, a young man named Roland Lepers, who worked with Cole, led a group of British soldiers to Marseilles. There, he met Ian Garrow. Garrow led a secret group called the Pat O'Leary Line (Pat Line). This group helped British soldiers in France get to neutral Spain and then back to Britain. Garrow was impressed with Lepers. When Cole visited Marseilles, Garrow made him the head of the Pat Line in northern France.
For months, Cole and Lepers sent groups of five to ten British soldiers to Marseilles every two weeks. Cole claimed money for expenses from Garrow. A French chaplain, Abbé Pierre Carpentier, helped people cross the difficult border into Vichy France. Cole started spending most of his time in Marseilles.
British intelligence knew about Cole. They knew he had a history of tricking people. But they ignored his past because he was good at helping soldiers. Slowly, however, the Pat Line leaders learned that Cole was keeping the expense money for himself. In November 1941, the new Pat Line leader, Albert Guérisse, and others met with Cole in Marseilles. They arrested him and showed him proof of his lies. They locked him in a bathroom, but Cole escaped through a window.
After Cole escaped, Guérisse and another agent went north to warn Cole's friends. But many of them did not believe the warning.
Working for Germany
After escaping the Pat Line, Cole hid in La Madeleine. On December 6, 1941, German military intelligence (the Abwehr) arrested him. Some people think this arrest might have been fake, and that Cole was already working for the Germans. Either way, Cole quickly gave the Germans information about the Pat Line. He wrote a 30-page statement naming many of his helpers. Arrests began that same day. François Duprez and Abbé Pierre Carpentier were arrested. Duprez died in a German camp, and Carpentier was executed. Cole even went with the Germans on some arrests. However, he did not betray Jeannine Voglimacci, the hairdresser.
Cole then hid in Paris and Lyon. On June 9, 1942, the French police arrested him in Lyon. He was charged with spying. He was sentenced to death, but this was changed to life in prison. Cole stayed in prison until late 1943.
Suzanne Warenghem
In 1941, Cole worked with Suzanne Warenghem. She was 19 years old and a good guide for the Pat Line. Even though people warned her about Cole, she became his main helper. She seemed to believe he was a British agent. Cole and Warenghem got married in Paris in April 1942. She was arrested with Cole but was found innocent of spying. During her trial, she finally realized Cole was a traitor.
In March 1943, Warenghem was arrested again. She escaped from prison in September 1943 with another agent, Blanche Charlet. They hid in a monastery and tried to cross the Pyrénées mountains to Spain, but heavy snow stopped them.
Warenghem and Charlet then traveled across France. Warenghem heard that Cole was looking for her. She was scared and used a fake name. In April 1944, they finally escaped France. They were picked up by a small boat on a beach in Brittany and taken to a larger boat. They arrived safely in Plymouth, England, in April 1944. Warenghem, who changed her name to Suzanne Warren, never saw Cole again.
On the Run and Death
In late 1943 or early 1944, Cole was released from prison. He started working for the SD, which was the SS intelligence agency in Paris. As the Allies advanced into France, Cole and other German agents fled Paris in August 1944. Cole wore a German officer's uniform. In April 1945, they burned their uniforms and pretended to be a British secret agent and a German policeman. They surrendered to American soldiers. Cole was given a U.S. Army uniform and an ID card.
Fearing he would be discovered, Cole soon left the American army. He went to the part of Germany that France occupied. Wearing his American uniform, he was welcomed and given a job arresting Nazis. He gathered a group of men and carried out his task with much looting and cruelty.
However, British intelligence was looking for Cole. They found him through a postcard he sent to an ex-girlfriend in Paris. On June 11, 1945, Cole was found and arrested after a fight where he shot an officer in the leg. He was jailed in Paris. But on November 18, he stole an American sergeant's coat and walked out of prison. A huge search began.
On January 8, 1946, French police searched a bar where Cole was hiding. Cole was killed in the gunfight that followed. He wounded one officer. His body was later identified by Albert Guérisse, his former colleague from the Pat Line.
Cole's Legacy
Airey Neave of British intelligence said Cole was "among the most selfish and callous traitors." However, some historians have wondered if Cole was secretly working for another British intelligence group (MI6). They point out that a leader from MI6 did not want Cole to be executed when it was first suggested. These claims are not confirmed.
Some soldiers Cole helped defend him. Before he started working for the Germans, Cole was good at leading the escape line. Keith Janes, whose father was helped by Cole, said, "I will never fully understand how, why or when Paul [Cole] defected to the enemy, but... he served them well."
