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The Hardcore Women of World War II Knew How to Take Care of Business

Khalid Elhassan October 19, 2020 32 min

World War II - Night Witches — Night Witches in front of a Po-2. Flite Test

33. From an Auxiliary Outfit for Women, to the Special Operations Executive

Noor Inayat Khan’s requests for a more challenging assignment did not escape the attention of British intelligence. Having grown up in France and being fluent in French, she was quite a catch. Noor was recruited by the French section of the Special Operations Executive (SOE), and in early 1943, was sent to receive special training as a wireless operator behind enemy lines.

Noor Inayat Khan in British uniform. Second World War Experience

Other SOE women had been sent to France before Noor. However, the Muslim princess was the first of the SOE’s women infiltrate into France as a wireless operator – the other women sent before she had all been couriers. Noor’s job was to maintain a link between the Resistance in France, and the Allies in London, sending and receiving messages to coordinate activities.

Written by

Khalid Elhassan

A lifelong history buff, I developed a particular passion for WW2 history as a child, when I spent hours listening to my grandfather, enraptured, as he recounted his wartime experiences in the British East African Campaign and with the British 8th Army in North Africa.

I graduated with a history BA from George Mason University, then went on to get a JD from the University of Virginia School of Law. After lawyering for a decade, I moved to sunny Rio de Janeiro and a less demanding career, opening a tourism agency in Copacabana.

A big chunk of my free time is spent blogging (you can follow me on Quora https://www.quora.com/profile/Khalid-Elhassan ) or freelance writing, mostly about my favorite subject, history.