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SPEAKER_04: and this is Womanika. This month we're talking about mischief makers, oddballs, chameleons, and nonconformists, queens of quick wit. Today we're talking about a master of deception. She was known in her social circles as a good time girl with no allegiance to anyone except herself. But she proved this reputation wrong when her double-aged girlfriend when her double-agent work in World War II led to the Allied victory on D-Day. Please welcome Elvira Chaudoir. Elvira was born in the early 1910s. Her exact birthday isn't known. She was the daughter of a wealthy Peruvian diplomat and developed a taste for the finer things in life. She grew up spoiled in Paris and gained a reputation as a bit of a vapid socialite who enjoyed extravagant parties. Elvira was also openly bisexual. In 1934, Elvira married Jean Chaudoir, a wealthy Belgian stockbroker. She was 23 years old. But married life didn't agree with Elvira. She thought both her husband and Brussels were exceedingly dull, and she entertained herself through a string of romantic affairs. Eventually, she ran away to Cannes with her close friend and fellow socialite Romy Gilby. Romy and Elvira passed their days in France gambling away their money. The duo was still in Cannes when Germany invaded France in the summer of 1940. Elvira and Romy fled the city, driving their convertible north. They caught a boat to England to escape the approaching Nazi forces. But even hundreds of miles from the front lines, adventure found Elvira. The night started like many others. Elvira, broke, was gambling away money she didn't have in an English casino. She was complaining loudly about the usual. Her family was stuck in France. Her multilingual talents were being squandered, and she just couldn't land an interesting job. That night, though, someone was listening. Elvira's name passed up along the ranks until it reached Claude Dancy, the assistant chief at the British intelligence service MI6. Claude had a proposition for Elvira. With a Peruvian passport, she could travel with ease throughout occupied Europe. And her father's diplomatic status granted her cover in Davichi, France. She could be a top-notch spy, and the Germans would think the same. Would she consider becoming a double agent to help Britain spy on the Nazis? Elvira immediately said yes. MI6 agents quickly trained Elvira for her new spy work. They then sent her to Davichi, France. There, she'd report on daily movements of the German troops in the area, and hopefully she'd get herself noticed by the enemy. She was in another casino, this time back in Cannes, when she caught the eye of Henri Chevelle, a wealthy Nazi supporter. Through him, she found herself drinking cocktails and rubbing shoulders with other Nazis, including the German agent known as Bibi. He sought potential in Elvira's easy charm and offered her work as a spy. Everything had gone according to plan. The Germans sent Elvira back to England, promising to send her a modest sum each month in exchange for any information on the British. Back in England, Elvira moved from MI6 to MI5 to work with their experimental double-cross team. This group would infiltrate German intelligence and feed Nazis information manipulated by the British. At first, this group of double agents was wary of Elvira. They thought her flirtations with women were easy blackmail material, and that Elvira, though clever, was too frivolous to pull off such an important mission. But Elvira eventually gained their trust. The team assigned her a cover job at the BBC and a new code name. They called her Agent Bronx, referring to a cocktail of the same name. It was one of just a few cocktails that were still easy to make during wartime rationing, and as her handler put it, it was a very appropriate short name for an exceptional woman. At her post, Elvira wrote letters to her German handler in invisible ink. Her writing was littered with gossip, half-truths and outright lies, but her German colleagues accepted any information gladly. At the same time, she published articles for the British press attacking the Nazi regime. If her German contacts raised their eyebrows, she claimed these publications were necessary to avoid suspicion from the British secret service. Elvira's misleading letters to Germany were a great help to the Allied cause. She successfully persuaded the Nazis to avoid gas attacks on England by lying about England's extensive supply of chemical weapons. Elvira also helped to cover up the plans for the infamous invasion at Normandy on June 6, 1944, D-Day. The Germans knew that the Allies would try to invade France, but they needed help from spies like Elvira to predict exactly when and where troops might land on French shores. She promised to send a signal if she learned of an upcoming invasion. The plan? Elvira would send a telegram to a Portuguese bank controlled by the Nazis. She used plain language code to send it. What looked like a totally innocent telegram about needing money for a medical procedure would actually communicate the time and place of Allied movements to those who knew the code. But Elvira directed German forces away from Normandy, toward the Bay of Biscay instead. When soldiers landed on the beach that fateful day, they found defenses weakened and unprepared for a full-scale invasion. Elvira's deceit helped save lives and secure a critical victory for the Allies. After the war, Elvira continued to serve the British, sending telegrams and helping shape politics in post-war Europe. But her work as agent Bronx didn't last much longer. When peace was declared, she retired from espionage. She settled in the south of France to enjoy a quiet life running a small gift shop. She died in early 1996 at the age of 85. All month, we're talking about mischief makers. For more information, check us out on Facebook and Instagram at Womanica Podcast. Special thanks to Liz Kaplan, my favorite sister and co-creator. Talk to you tomorrow.
