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1/ World War II saw one of the bravest women (and most unlikely spies) to ever live: honest-to-god Indian princess Noor Inayat Khan. 
2/ For four months, she worked as the Allies' *only* radio operator in occupied Paris. The average lifespan for that job was mere weeks.
3/ You must understand how unlikely she was for the job. She was a klutz, a pacifist, and a strict Sufi Muslim - meaning she wouldn't lie.
4/ Prior to WW2, she wrote children's books and played music. She didn't even like Britain, due to its occupation of India.
5/ In her interview, she even said as much, pledging to work for India's independence as soon as the war was over.
6/ But despite all that, she gave up everything to join the fight. She couldn't bear to see the Nazis destroy Paris, the city she so loved.
7/ Her instructors considered her little more than cannon fodder, describing her as "unsuited for her field."
8/ Less than a week after she was airdropped into France, virtually the entire Parisian spy operation was caught in a giant sweep.
9/ London offered to extradite her.
She refused.
She was now the only radio operator in occupied Paris.
She refused.
She was now the only radio operator in occupied Paris.
10/ She proceeded to do amazingly well. She evaded the Gestapo for months, changing her location, looks, and techniques constantly.
11/ When a double agent betrayed her, she went down kicking, punching, and biting.
Despite being a lifelong pacifist.
Despite being a lifelong pacifist.
12/ She repeatedly lied under torture.
Despite being an observant Sufi Muslim.
Despite being an observant Sufi Muslim.
13/ She made two escape attempts, nimbly running along rain-slick rooftops.
Despite being a klutz.
Despite being a klutz.
14/ The Nazis kept her in solitary, marking her as "highly dangerous." They beat her constantly. She told them nothing.
15/ We only know of her last days because she managed to scratch messages on the bottom of bowls shared with other prisoners.
16/ She was executed at Dachau today in 1944. She was thirty years old.
17/ Her last word, shouted at the guards, was "liberté.”
18/ In 2012, a statue honoring her went up in London. bbc.com/news/world-asi…
19/ In 2014, PBS released a short movie on her called Enemy of the Reich. pbs.org/program/enemy-…
20/ There's apparently a movie in the works about her, based on Shrabani Basu's excellent book, The Spy Princess. books.google.com/books?id=WhMTD…
21/ That book is one of the only decent sources of info about her life out there. Others may surface in time.
22/end I covered her in my book and on the website. She's about the only entry that makes me cry every time. rejectedprincesses.com/princesses/noo…
