Josephine Baker — Entertainer, Spy, and Resistance Hero

For International Women's Day, we remember
Josephine Baker, a woman whose life went far
beyond the stage. While many knew her as a
world-famous dancer and singer, few realised that
during World War II she became a spy and
resistance fighter for France.
Josephine Baker was born in 1906 in St. Louis,
Missouri, United States. Growing up in poverty
and facing severe racial discrimination in America,
she left home at a young age and eventually
moved to Paris, where she quickly became one of
the most famous entertainers in Europe. By the
1920s and 1930s, Baker was a superstar — known
for her performances, charisma, and bold
personality.
But when World War II began and Nazi Germany
occupied France, Baker refused to leave the
country she had come to love. Instead of fleeing,
she chose to help the fight against the Nazis.
Because she was an international celebrity,
Josephine Baker had access to high-ranking
officials, diplomats, and military officers at parties
and social gatherings. French intelligence quickly
realised how valuable this could be. Baker began
working for the French Resistance, gathering
information from conversations with Axis officials
and passing it on to Allied intelligence.

She carried secret messages written in invisible
ink on her sheet music, allowing her to travel
across borders without suspicion. As an
entertainer, she could move more freely than most
people during wartime, performing in countries
across Europe and North Africa while secretly
carrying intelligence for the Allies.
Baker also used her fame to support the war effort
in other ways. She performed for Allied troops,
boosting morale for soldiers fighting on the front
lines. She even used her own money to help the
Resistance.

Her bravery did not go unnoticed.
After the war, Josephine Baker was awarded some
of France's highest honours, including the Croix de
Guerre and the Legion of Honour, recognising her
courage and service during the war.
Yet her story did not end there.
Baker continued to fight for justice and equality.
She became an outspoken supporter of the Civil
Rights Movement in the United States, refusing to
perform for less

 

The Man who defied the Third Reich

 Sindelar: The man who defied the
Third Reich Adolf Hitler's Third Reich just invaded and
annexed Austria. To rally the Austrian people to his
cause, the Nazi regime decides to organize a friendly
match between the German and Austrian teams: it's the
Anschlussspiel. Players are told not to score, 0-0 is the
ideal result. On 03rd April  1938, in Vienna, under the eyes of
the highest Nazi dignitaries, Germany faces the newly
annexed Austria. The sports imbalance is clear, the
Austrians are forced not to force their talent. There's a
quarter hour left as Sindelar grabs the ball and opens
the score. He is celebrating in front of the Nazi tribune.

An Austrian defender will double down on a lob. Game
over 2-0. Nazi Germany is being publicly humiliated.
Sindelar's popularity seems to deter any violent
repression. The Nazi regime turns events to their
advantage by using Sindelar's figure as the Austrian
acceptance of invaders. The act of dividing. Political
contest or denial of sports masquerade? The Austrian
memory erects Sindelar as a national symbol of
resistance, especially since he subsequently refuses to
put on the Third Reich jersey. He was found dead in
I939, suffocated in carbon monoxide in his apartment.
The circumstances are turbulent and no one knows if
the Nazis made Sindelar pay for his goal. Picture: Three
players from Austria including Sindelar on the right
FIFA.

Sara Ginaite Lithuanian partisan

 20 year old Lithuanian partisan
Sara Ginaite armed with a Mosin-Nagant M38 carbine
during the liberation of Vilnius, Lithuania. 13th of July,
1944. Sara was a Jewish-Lithuanian that escaped the
Kaunas ghetto. Soon after escaping she joined a local
communist-affiliated resistance unit in the Rudnicki
forest. The unit took part in the liberation of Vilnius in
1944 where she was famously photographed by a Soviet
officer. The Vilnius offensive lasted from 5th of July to
the 13th of July, 1944. After
the war Sara became a professor of political economics
at Vilnius University. Her husband died in 1977 and in
1983 she moved to Canada. She became an Adjunct
Professor at York University, and lectured in the U.S.,
Canada, Europe, and Israel on World War 2 history and
social science- She died in 2018