March 15, 1944: Hannah Szenes drops in occupied Europe

,Hannah Szenes in a Purim costume
wearing the uniform of the Hungarian army

Senesh (originally Szenes) was born in July 17, 1921 in Budapest, Hungary. While she attended a private Protestant secondary school, young Hannah encountered institutionalized anti-Semitism, an experience which led to her involvement in Zionist activities. She left Hungary for the Holy Land (then under the British Mandate for Palestine) in 1939, where she studied for two years at an agricultural school, and then settled at the newly established Kibbutz, Sdot Yam.

Hannah volunteered to the British Army in 1943 and joined a unit which intended to parachute into occupied Europe, as part of the struggle against Nazi Germany. 

In March 15, 1944, Hannah and a number of her colleagues parachuted into Yugoslavia, where they joined a group of local partisans.

On June 7, 1944, at the height of the deportation of Hungarian Jews, Senesh crossed the border into Hungary where she was caught almost immediately by the Hungarian authorities. In captivity, she remained resolute and calm and refused to request clemency, although offered to her in exchange of her divulging information about her mission.

She was tried for treason and executed by firing squad on November 7, 1944 at the age of 23. During her execution Hannah refused the blindfold, staring the firing squad straight in their eyes.