Violette Morris: French Sports Star Who Collaborated with the Nazis

Violette Morris was one of France's most accomplished athletes before becoming one of the country's most notorious collaborators during the Second World War. Once a record-breaking sportswoman, she later worked with the Nazi occupation authorities, earning the infamous nickname "the Hyena of the Gestapo."Born into an aristocratic family in 1893, Morris excelled in dozens of sports, including boxing, football, motor racing, and shot put. She famously declared, "What a man can do, Violette can do"—and proved it by winning more than 20 national titles. However, her defiance of gender norms and openly masculine style provoked controversy. In 1928, she was stripped of her sporting licences and prevented from competing due to her appearance, lifestyle, and sexuality. Facing growing isolation, she eventually aligned herself with Nazi Germany.Recruited as an intelligence asset by the SS Security Service (SD), Morris reportedly supplied information on French defences before the German invasion. During the occupation, she worked as a chauffeur and assistant to Nazi officials, allegedly infiltrated French Resistance networks, and participated in Gestapo operations. She became notorious for her alleged involvement in the interrogation of captured agents and Resistance members.Her life came to a violent end in April 1944, when members of the French Resistance ambushed her car in Normandy and killed her. Whether she was the primary target or collateral damage in a broader operation remains debated, but her death became a powerful symbol of the reckoning faced by collaborators in occupied France.Violette Morris remains one of the most controversial figures of wartime France: a pioneering athlete whose achievements were overshadowed by her documented collaboration with the Nazi regime. This documentary explores her extraordinary life, the choices she made, and the lasting debate over her legacy.This episode is part of the series Fascist Collaborators.Watch the full documentary and explore hundreds of historical films at:WorldHistory.tv