Noor Inayat Khan: A World War II Hero
By Difan Li
What makes someone a hero? The superhuman abilities they possess, glorious feats they achieve, or having their name down in history? This is the image that is often portrayed to us, yet being a hero can also simply mean overcoming, even in the face of doubt, weakness, or danger. One such hero was Noor Inayat Khan. While her name is not as remembered, and her story is often untold, she was a true World War II hero because she displayed determination, courage, and always stayed true to her beliefs.
Noor Inayat Khan was a World War II hero, displaying determination and perseverance throughout her time supporting the war effort. She learned and worked to improve her abilities in order to become a radio operator. She faced many obstacles, including her fear of weapons, the doubts of her colleagues, and her lack of knowledge in Morse code translation (Tsang). Her struggles with the basic skills did not make her seem like a prime candidate for carrying out the important and dangerous tasks of a radio operator, a concern that many people voiced. The stressful conditions and lack of support Noor faced would have been a difficult obstacle for any person to overcome; however, despite these challenges, she continued to persist. Due to her determination to succeed, she eventually learned “how to contact intelligence networks, pick a lock, resist interrogation and fire a gun” (TED-Ed 2:00 - 2:05). After Noor was sent to Paris to work as a radio operator, the other agents in her field were quickly caught. This eventually left her as the only operator there. Noor stood in an especially vulnerable position, but she chose to take up the work of the other agents instead of returning, rebuilding the network herself doing the work of six radio operators (Tsang). She succeeded in not being caught for several months, evading capture while continuing to send messages to London. With her determination, she slipped out of several close calls.
Khan’s courage also contributed to making her a World War II Hero. She signed up for the war effort to perform one of the most dangerous roles, a covert radio operator. Instead of remaining in relative safety with her family, she wanted to help in the war, even if it meant risking her own life. According to Shrabani Basu, the author of a biography on Inayat Khan, “‘Radio operators were in constant danger of capture, as the German secret police, the Gestapo, could triangulate signals to find their locations. Life expectancy was only six weeks’” (qtd in Woolf). Even more warnings of the risk and perils the job entailed were given, such as the fact that “[o]perators had to lug a conspicuous transmitter through enemy territory, and the clandestine agency couldn’t protect her if she was caught” (TED-Ed 1:34-1:48). Still, this did not change her mind. In the events that followed her capture, “‘Noor put up a big fight. It needed six burly men to hold her down … she bit fiercely and drew blood’” (qtd in Woolf). She later attempted two escapes from the concentration camp where she was detained. She and her fellow prisoners hid a screwdriver and used it to loosen a skylight and slip out during the night (TED-Ed 3:32 - 3:38). While they did not succeed, Noor’s bravery did not falter and she never accepted defeat.
Above all, Noor Inayat Khan had clear morals and always stayed true to her beliefs. She seemed, on the surface, an unlikely supporter of the war effort, being a refugee, descended from royalty, and a pacifist. Her reason for helping in the war were merely because she believed it to be the right thing to do. According to Shrabani Basu in “Spy Princess,” “To Noor, the ideology of the Nazis and their pogrom against the Jews was fundamentally repulsive and opposed to all the principles of religious harmony that she been brought up with by her father” (qtd in Siddiqui). Noor saw the actions of the Nazis and knew that she could not just stand by and watch the destruction of every belief instilled within her from birth. Thus, when World War II first started, Noor made a pact with her brother, swearing to fight Nazi oppression in any way they could, without directly killing anyone (“Noor Inayat Khan: Why Was the British Spy Such an Unlikely War Hero?”). After Noor was captured and sent to a concentration camp, she was tortured to reveal contacts and knowledge of the British communications systems, but she gave no information. According to Woolf, “She wouldn’t even tell them her real name.” Noor was later deported to Germany, to a prison in Pforzheim where she faced ten months of torture. She was chained, put in solitary confinement, given meager amounts of food, and often beaten, but she still refused to speak. Noor’s interrogator once asked her if she wasted her life joining the service, saying that her sacrifice would be for nothing. She answered that it did not matter because she had served her country and to her, that was recompense (Siddiqui). Witnesses say that her final word upon being sentenced to execution at Dachau was “Liberté.” Khan remained true to what she believed in, even to her death.
Noor Inayat Khan was a hero of World War II. Her determination helped her to persevere through every barrier and obstacle, and aided her in her achievements. Her courage never faltered no matter how dangerous the task at hand. Noor stayed true to her beliefs and morality, up until the very end. There have been many heroes throughout history, and they all have a story and history behind them. It is a duty of the present to remember and honor the past, especially the heroic figures of World War II, who helped in changing the course of history.
Works Cited
“Noor Inayat Khan: Why Was the British Spy Such an Unlikely War Hero?” HistoryExtra, 28 Aug. 2020, www.historyextra.com/period/
Siddiqui, Usaid. “Noor Inayat Khan: The Forgotten Muslim Princess Who Fought Nazis.” Www.aljazeera.com, 28 Oct. 2020, www.aljazeera.com/features/
TED-Ed. “From Pacifist to Spy: WWII’s Surprising Secret Agent - Shrabani Basu.” YouTube, 6 Aug. 2019, www.youtube.com/watch?v=
Tsang, Amie. “Overlooked No More: Noor Inayat Khan, Indian Princess and British Spy.” The New York Times, 28 Nov. 2018, www.nytimes.com/2018/11/28/
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