ladyniniane:Favorite women in history: 7/?Noor Inayat Khan Noor Inayat Khan was born on January

Favorite women in history: 7/?
Noor Inayat Khan
Noor Inayat Khan was born on January 1st,1914 to an American mother and an Indian father descending from the 18th century Sultan of Mysore. Her family moved from Moscow to London and later to Paris.
Noor played music and wrote children’s stories. The Second World War put an end to those peaceful occupations. She fled to London after the capitulation of France in 1940. Noor first joined the Women’s Auxiliary Air Force in November 1940 and trained to be a radio operator. She then became part of the Special Operations Executive (SOE) at the end of 1942 and was dropped in France in June 1943. Doubts regarding her suitability were raised, but she was chosen because she spoke French fluently.
Noor’s codename was “Madeleine”. She began to work as a radio operator for the “Prosper” resistance network, providing contact with the SOE in London. Several members of the network were arrested, but Noor kept doing her job. She moved from place to place, avoiding capture until she was betrayed in October. Noor fought the French officer who had come to arrest her. She put such a resistance, biting, drawing blood, that he was unable to subdue her physically and had to draw his gun.
Noor was thus made prisoner by the Gestapo. She made an escape attempt through the bathroom window, but was caught. Noor endured and didn’t reveal anything to her captors. She was later transferred to the Dachau Concentration Camp where she was tortured and executed. Her was last word was “Liberté” or “Freedom” in French.
Noor was posthumously awarded the George Cross for her bravery.