Agnes Láckovič - The 3-6-9 Kid

Spy

Born: March 27, 1928, Czechoslovakia
Died: September 23, 2007, Hennepin County, Minnesota, U.S.A.

Agnes Lackovic was a young girl from Czechoslovakia who became a spy during World War II risking her life to resist the Nazis and protect others.

By the late 1930s, Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party were taking control of Germany. Nazism was spreading across Europe, making life dangerous for Jews and anyone who opposed the regime. It was during this time that a young girl named Agnes Lackovic began to feel the effects of Nazi control in her small town in Czechoslovakia.

Agnes grew up poor, often hungry, and dealt with many illnesses. Her parents were subsistence farmers who worked hard to provide for their family. From an early age, they noticed that Agnes was exceptionally smart, though their way of life made it hard for her to get a proper education. When she was 10, her aunt Rosa, who lived in Munich, invited Agnes to come live with her so she could attend school and have the education her parents wanted.

Agnes arrived in Munich just as the Nazis were preparing to invade Czechoslovakia. Rosa was shocked by how small and frail Agnes was. She enrolled her in school immediately, where Agnes proved to be an outstanding student. Rosa, a member of the German resistance, quickly realized that Agnes had the intelligence and skills to help their cause.

Soon, Agnes was pulled from regular school and began learning German, French, Italian, and English. These languages would later allow her to send secret messages to the Allies. By 1942, she was writing messages in English for Rosa and other resistance members, beginning her work as a full-time spy.

Her small size made it easy for her to go unnoticed while delivering messages to other spies in churches, hotels, and other public places. When she registered as a spy with the United States government, she was given the nickname “3-6-9 KID,” a reminder that she was a child working in the dangerous world of espionage.

Agnes sometimes faced Nazi police, even at gunpoint or knifepoint. But she used her small stature and innocent appearance to convince them she could not be a threat. These experiences, however, made Rosa realize Agnes needed a safer way to send secret messages.

In 1943, Rosa taught her to use the accordion as a code. Agnes began taking lessons and performing at recitals around Munich. By controlling her facial expressions and the music she played, she was able to communicate hidden messages to other spies. At one recital in June 1943, she warned the Allies of a planned Nazi airstrike, which allowed them to stop the attack.

Agnes continued her spy work until 1944 when her house was bombed. She then moved south of Munich, hiding Jews, soldiers, and other refugees in her basement and helping them escape to neighboring countries like Switzerland, Austria, and Italy. Living near the highest observatory in Europe, she also kept watch for Allied parachuters, bringing them safely to her home until they could continue their journey.

It is estimated that Agnes saved over 200 Jewish lives and more than 100 Allied soldiers. She kept her work a secret until the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989. By that time, she had moved to Minnesota with her husband after a short career as a translator in Germany. In 1998, she co-wrote a book about her experiences, Rosa’s Miracle Mouse: The True Story of a WWII Undercover Teenager. Agnes passed away in 2007, leaving behind an incredible legacy of bravery and courage.

References:
“Agnes Maria Lackovic Daluge (1928-2007).” Find a Grave, findagrave.com/memorial/62048604/agnes-maria-daluge.
Daluge, Agnes Láckovič, et al. Rosa’s Miracle Mouse: The True Story of a W.W. Ii Undercover Teenager. Author’s Direct Books, 1998.
“Rosa’s Miracle Mouse : The True Story of a Wwii Undercover Teenager by Agnes Lackovic Daluge and Willard Daluge.” True Story of a WWII Undercover Teen by Agnes Lackovic Daluge, www.jodavidsmeyer.com/combat/bookstore/WWII_teenager_rosa_miracle_mouse.html.

Keywords:
Justice, Wartime, Courage, Perseverance, Freedom, Responsibility, Challenge Injustices, Take Risks for Other
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Agnes Lackovic artworks