Sergeant Kathryn Montgomery, later nicknamed "Shanghai Sally" by the press, was a soldier in the United States Army assigned to provide security at Vault 79 before the Great War. At some point prior to July 14, 2072, she and a group of at least five other soldiers stole $20 million in cash[1] from the Vault and fled to Las Vegas, where she was discovered by authorities and eventually killed.
Background[]
Vault 79 was constructed in secret in order to remove the United States federal gold reserve from Fort Knox and hide it where it would be safe from Chinese nuclear strikes. The vault was located near the town of Berkeley Springs, and Montgomery and her fellow soldiers regularly drank in the town's bars.
Kathryn and a group of fellow soldiers who were stationed at Vault 79 stole at least 20 million dollars from the reserve before deserting to gamble on the Las Vegas Strip. Desperate to keep Vault 79 a secret, on Wednesday, July 11th, 2072 the government had the Las Vegas police and United States Army engage the deserters in the Ultra-Luxe casino, where despite their attempts to surrender, they were all killed, posthumously being declared mobsters and the shootout portrayed as a heavy blow to the city's organized crime.[2]
Kathryn wasn't present at the Ultra-Luxe, having been staying at the Lucky 38, where she was found the next day, with duffle bags containing what was left of the money the group had stolen from the reserve. Branded as a Chinese spy called "Shanghai Sally," she escaped her hotel room using a bedsheet rope, fleeing east through Flagstaff, Albuquerque and El Paso, stealing several vehicles, allegedly including an Army vertibird, over her four days on the run. Early on Sunday, she arrived in Galveston, Texas, where she was recognized by a Red Rocket attendant. Stealing a speedboat, she attempted to flee but her boat was fired upon and destroyed by the USS Wade.[1]
Her death then became the focus of an intense cover-up, with all evidence of Sergeant Montgomery and her group's real identities being destroyed, with federal authorities questioning the residents of Berkeley Springs, near Vault 79's hidden location, and kidnapping anyone who knew the group wasn't who the media were painting them to be, including Kathryn's partner, C. Rutkowski.[3]
The cover-up attracted the attention of Flavia Stabo, who uncovered the truth of who Montgomery's group were, and where they were stationed.[4] Stabo sought to find out where exactly the money came from, dubbing it the "Treasure of Appalachia."
Appearances[]
Kathryn Montgomery is mentioned in Fallout 76, introduced in the Wastelanders update.
Behind the scenes[]
The name "Shanghai Sally" is a reference to the German and Japanese radio broadcasters that were used to spread propaganda in World War 2.
