She grew up writing fairy tales and playing the harp. Her name was Noor Inayat Khan, and on paper, she was the least likely person to become a spy.
She was born in 1914, the daughter of an Indian Sufi teacher and an American mother. She was gentle, deeply spiritual, and believed in nonviolence. But when the Nazis took over France, where she had grown up, Noor made a decision that changed everything. She escaped to Britain and joined the war.
In 1943, she became the first female radio operator Britain sent into Nazi occupied France. Her mission: send secret messages back to London and help coordinate the resistance. It was one of the most dangerous jobs in the war. The Germans were constantly tracking radio signals. Most operators only lasted a few weeks.
Noor parachuted into France with a huge radio strapped to her back and yes a typewriter to write up her reports. She stayed hidden for three months, constantly on the move, sending messages at night and risking her life every time she powered up the transmitter.
Eventually, someone betrayed her. The Gestapo caught her, tortured her, but she never gave up a single name.
She was later sent to Dachau, and in September 1944, she was executed. Her last word before she died was reported to be just one:
Liberté.
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