The WWII Jailbird Who Helped Hitler
Eddie Chapman was an English jailbird who nonetheless did some good, helped the Allies, and screwed the Nazis. Not so Harold Cole (1906 – 1946), an English jailbird who did the exact opposite: screwed the Allies and helped the Nazis. Cole served in the British Army at the start of WWII, then in the French Resistance, before he betrayed both and worked as a double agent for the Germans. In his extraordinary wartime career, he lied and conned his way across France, joined the Nazis, and spied and snitched on the Resistance, which resulted in the arrest and execution of many.
Cole was a dirt bag from early on. By the time he reached his teens, he was already an established burglar and check forger. He was no criminal mastermind, however, and frequently got caught. By 1939, he had served multiple stints in prison. When WWII began, he lied about his criminal history to enlist in the British Army, and was sent to France. Promoted to sergeant, he was arrested for stealing money from the Sergeants’ Mess to splurge on prostitutes. As seen below, he did not stay locked up for long.