She cycled through Nazi-occupied France with explosives in her basket, secrets in her smile—and courage in every breath.
In the dead of night on September 24, 1942, Lise de Baissac parachuted behind enemy lines, landing in a moonlit field in France. Posing as a quiet widow with a passion for archaeology, she became one of Britain’s first female Special Operations Executive (SOE) agents. But this was no quiet life. Her real mission: to scout drop zones for RAF planes, deliver weapons to Resistance fighters, and sabotage the Nazi war machine from within.
By day, she rode her bicycle across the countryside. By night, she mapped airstrips and trained agents—her apartment operating in plain sight, just doors from the Gestapo headquarters. When a major SOE network was betrayed in 1943, she escaped by the skin of her teeth, flying out under cover of darkness. But she didn’t stay away.
Lise returned months later, still limping from a training injury, and rejoined the fight in Normandy. She cycled up to 40 miles a day, armed Resistance groups with explosives, and helped stall the Das Reich tanks from reaching Normandy on D-Day. At one point, she even lived in a German commander’s house—gathering intel right under their noses.
She didn’t seek fame. She sought freedom. And in doing so, she became a legend—awarded the MBE, the Croix de Guerre, and the Légion d’honneur. Lise de Baissac proved that one woman with a bicycle, a pistol, and an unshakable will could help change the course of history.