Noor Inayat Khan

Noor Inayat Khan was a spy for the British in WWII.

Born to an Indian father and American mother, descended from Indian royalty, and having grown up in Moscow, London, and Paris, her family fled back to Britain when France was invaded by the Germans.

Shortly after arriving in London, she enlisted in the Women's Auxiliary Air Force (WAAF). In 1943, she was recruited by the secret spy organization Special Operation Executive (SOE).

Despite her pacifism, fear of weapons, clumsiness, and amateur spycraft, she was given the most dangerous assignment: sending and receiving wireless messages about resistance operations from behind enemy lines. Her determination, French language skills, and willingness to make sacrifices made her a great candidate for the job.

At the time, wireless operators' lifespans were 6 weeks. She was flown into France and within 10 days, all the other operators in her network were captured by the Germans. She refused to leave and spent the next 3 months doing the work of 6 operators.

She was captured by the Germans in mid-October 1943, betrayed by double agents in the SOE. During her imprisonment, she was tortured and interrogated but never gave up information on her work or her colleagues.

In September 1944, Khan was transferred to Dachau concentration camp with 3 other SOE agents and was executed the following morning on September 13, 1944.