From pacifist to spy: WWII’s surprising secret agent - Shrabani Basu

Translator: Zahra Wijaya Reviewer: Ade Indarta

Noor Inayat Khan was in the midst of a desperate escape.

Noor Inayat Khan sedang meloloskan diri.

She had been imprisoned for her activities as an Allied spy,

Ia ditahan karena membantu Sekutu sebagai mata-mata,

but with the help of a screwdriver and two other prisoners,

tetapi dengan bantuan obeng dan dua tahanan lain,

she was back under the Parisian stars.

ia kembali berada di bawah bintang-bintang Paris.

As she began to run,

Saat ia berlari,

her thoughts leapt to the whirlwind of events that had brought her here…

ia merenungkan urutan kejadian yang membawanya ke sini.

Born in Moscow in 1914 to an Indian Muslim father and an American mother,

Lahir di Moskow pada tahun 1941, ayahnya orang Muslim India dan ibunya orang AS,

Noor was raised in a profoundly peaceful home.

Noor dibesarkan di rumah yang amat damai.

Her parents were Sufi pacifists,

Orang tuanya pasifis Sufi,

who put their faith in the power of music and compassion.

yang percaya pada kekuatan musik dan kasih sayang.

They moved to Paris,

Mereka pindah ke Paris,

where Noor studied child psychology and published children’s books.

di mana Noor mempelajari psikologi anak dan menerbitkan buku anak.

But all this changed with the advent of the Second World War.

Tapi ini semua berubah dengan adanya Perang Dunia Kedua.

In May 1940, with the German army ready to occupy Paris,

Pada Mei 1940, dengan pasukan Jerman siap menjajah Paris,

Noor and her brother were faced with a difficult choice.

Noor dan adiknya dihadapi dengan pilihan mustahil.

As pacifists, they believed that all disputes should be settled non-violently.

Sebagai pasifis, mereka percaya

bahwa semua perselisihan harus diselesaikan secara damai.

But witnessing the devastation across Europe,

Namun setelah melihat apa yang terjadi di Eropa,

they decided that standing on the sidelines was not an option.

mereka memutuskan untuk tidak hanya diam saja.

Traveling to England,

Pergi menuju Inggris,

Noor volunteered for the Women’s Auxiliary Air Force

Noor rela mengikuti Women's Auxiliary Air Force

and trained as a radio operator.

dan berlatih sebagai operator radio.

She immersed herself in wireless operations and Morse code–

Ia mendalami operasi nirkabel dan kode Morse–

unaware that she was being monitored by a secret organization.

tanpat mengetahui bahwa ia dimonitor organisasi rahasia.

The British Special Operations Executive was established

Pemimpin Operasi Spesial Inggris didirikan

to sabotage the Germans in Nazi-occupied countries.

untuk mensabotase orang Jerman di negara yang dijajah para Nazi.

As a trained radio operator who knew Paris well and spoke fluent French,

Sebagai operator radio yang mengenali Paris dan fasih dalam Bahasa Perancis,

Noor was an attractive recruit.

Noor merupakan kandidat yang menarik.

In her interview, she was warned that wireless operation

Dalam wawancaranya, ia diperingkatkan bahwa operasi nirkabel

was some of the most dangerous work in the intelligence field.

sangat berbahaya dalam bidang intelijen

Operators had to lug a conspicuous transmitter through enemy territory,

Operator harus membawa pemancar yang sangat menyolok di wilayah musuh,

and the clandestine agency couldn’t protect her if she was caught.

dan agensinya tidak bisa melindungi Noor jika ditangkap.

Noor accepted her assignment immediately.

Noor langsung menerima tugasnya.

While she was determined to take her pacifist principles as far as possible,

Meskipun ia tekun untuk menyebarkan prinsip pasifisnya sejauh mungkin,

Noor had to learn the art of espionage.

Noor harus belajar seni mata-mata.

She learned how to contact intelligence networks, pick a lock,

Ia belajar cara menghubungkan jaringan intelijen, membongkar gembok,

resist interrogation and fire a gun.

bertahan saat diinterogasi dan menembak.

In June 1943 she landed in Angers, south of Paris,

Pada Juni 1943, ia mendarat di Angers, bagian selatan Paris,

and made her way to the city armed with a false passport,

dan pergi ke kota membawa paspor palsu,

a pistol and a few French francs.

pistol dan beberapa franc Perancis.

But her network was compromised.

Tetapi jaringannya terbongkar,

Within a week of her deployment,

Setelah seminggu dari pendaratannya,

all her fellow agents were arrested, and Noor was called home.

semua rekan-rekannya diringkus, dan Noor dipanggil pulang.

She convinced her supervisors to let her stay–

Ia membujuk atasannya untuk membiarkannya di Paris–

which meant doing the work of six radio operators singlehandedly.

yang berarti melakukan pekerjaan enam operator radio sendirian.

Pada bulan-bulan berikutnya,

Over the following months,

she tracked and transported supplies to the French resistance,

ia melacak dan mengantar persediaan kembali untuk perlawanan Perancis,

sent reports of Nazi activity back to London

mengirim laporan aktivitas Nazi kembali ke London

and arranged safe passage for allied soldiers.

dan mengatur perjalanan aman untuk tentara sekutu.

This work was essential to building the French resistance

Kerjanya sangat penting untuk membangun perlawanan Perancis

and Allied intelligence networks–

dan jaringan intelijen Sekutu–

and, ultimately, ending the war.

dan, ujung-ujungnya, mengakhiri perangnya.

Protected only by her quick thinking and charisma,

Hanya dilindungi oleh kecerdikan dan kharismanya,

she frequently talked her way out of questioning.

ia sering menggunakan kecerdikannya untuk menghindari interogasi

When the Gestapo searched her on the train,

Saat Gestapo menggeledahnya di kereta,

she gave them a casual tour of her “film projector.”

ia menunjukkan mereka "proyektor film"-nya.

When an officer spotted her hanging her aerial,

Saat seorang petugas melihatnya menyiapkan antenanya,

she chatted about her passion for listening to music on the radio–

ia berbincang tentang kegemarannya mendengar musik di radio–

and charmed him into helping her set up the cable.

dan merayunya membantu ia menyiapkan kabelnya.

In her entire four month tenure,

Selama empat bulan ia bertugas,

her sharp wits and stealth never failed her.

akal dan kecerdikannya tak pernah gagal.

But her charm had inspired lethal jealousy.

Namun, pesonanya menumbuhkan keirian dalam beberapa orang.

In October 1943, the sister of a colleague,

Pada Oktober 1943, saudari salah satu rekannya,

in love with an agent that loved Noor,

yang jatuh cinta dengan petugas yang mencintai Noor,

sold her address to the Gestapo.

menjual alamatnya ke Gestapo.

Noor refused to give away any information,

Noor menolak untuk memberi mereka informasi apapun,

focusing instead on her escape.

hanya memikirkan cara meloloskan diri.

Secreting a screwdriver away from the guards,

Setelah mencuri sebuah obeng dari para penjaga,

they were able to loosen a skylight and slip out into the night.

mereka bisa melepaskan lampu dari loteng dan meloloskan diri.

But just as the prisoners began to run for their lives,

Tetapi saat para tahanan mulai berlari,

an air raid siren alerted her captors.

sirene serangan udara memberitahu para penjaga.

Noor was caught once again and sent to a German prison.

Noor ditangkap sekali lagi dan dikirim ke penjara di Jerman.

Then, on to Dachau concentration camp.

Lalu, ke kamp konsentrasi Dachau.

Despite being tortured, deprived and isolated,

Meskipun ia disiksa, dirampas haknya, dan dikurung sendiri,

Noor gave nothing away.

Noor tak pernah membocorkan informasi.

In the moments before her execution

Detik-detik sebelum eksekusinya,

she is thought to have shouted “Liberté!”

ia diperkirakan untuk berteriak "Liberté!”

Since her heroic sacrifice,

Sejak pengorbanannya yang gagah,

Noor has been honoured as a hero who waged secret battles behind enemy lines–

Noor telah dihormati sebagai pahlawan yang bertempur di wilayah musuh–

paving the way for freedom without ever taking a life.

membuka jalan untuk kebebasan tanpa mengambil nyawa