On September 13, 1944, a princess from India named Noor Inayat Khan died at the Dachau concentration camp. She had been tortured by the Nazis and then shot in the head.
The Germans knew her by a different name, Nora Baker, and thought she was a British spy. She had gone into France using the code name “Madeline.” She carried a radio transmitter from one safe house to another, helping her Resistance group communicate while the Gestapo chased her.
Wireless operators in France were expected to be captured or killed within six weeks. Noor lasted more than three times as long.
During her time in France, every other operator in her network was caught, and Noor became the only link left between London and Paris. Her job was extremely dangerous and important.
She was offered a way to return to Britain, but she refused. In fact, she once told London that she was having “the time of her life” and thanked them for letting her do this work.
Noor was captured by the Gestapo, but she never gave up. She even tried to escape three times. Once, she asked to take a bath and convinced them to let her close the door for privacy. Then, she climbed onto the roof of the Gestapo headquarters in Paris.
Her final words before being shot were, “Liberté!” (Freedom!).
