There are more ways than ever to listen to History Daily Add Free.

Listen with Wondry Plus in the Wondari app,

or you can get all of History Daily plus other fantastic history podcasts at intohistory.com.

This listener favored episode of History Daily originally aired on June 6th, 2022.

It's 1 a.m. on September 24th, 1942, in the belly of a British bomber flying over Nazi-occupied

friends three years into World War II. Lieutenant Andre Borrell, a 22-year-old French Allied spy,

checks her parachute one last time as she prepares to make her first ever combat jump.

Andre's mission partner, another French woman, attaches a shoot to a bulk of canister

filled with rifles, explosive devices, and detonators. Soon Andre gets word from the pilot

that the bomber is approaching its destination. So Andre pulls open the hatch in the floor of the

aircraft. Her partner pushes the weapon canisters near the open hole. Andre crouches down.

She takes a deep breath and fixes her eyes downward, waiting for the signal from her allied

counterparts on the ground below. Within moments, she sees it, lights flashing more

code from the surface. Without hesitation, Andre hurls herself through the opening of the plane

and out into the open air. Andre quickly deploys her parachute. She feels the wind whip against

her when she holds herself steady. She keeps her elbows in front of her chest, forces her feet

together and points them at the ground just as she learned in training. Finally, Andre sees

the field below coming into view. She braces for impact. As her feet hit the ground,

Andre discards her shoot and sees her partner landing close by along with the supply of weapons.

Andre and the other French woman rush to the canisters, making sure the weapons are secure.

Then Andre whistles into the darkness and immediately, French resistance fighters emerge,

collect the weapons and whisk Andre and her partner away to a nearby safehouse.

...