MAGNIFICENT HEROISM WINS GEORGE CROSS

Rotorua Morning Post, Issue 5282, 19 December 1946, Page 5

MAGNIFICENT HEROISM WINS GEORGE CROSS

Woman Volunteer Tortured, Then Executed LONDO'X, December 18. The George Cross has been posthumously awarded Madame Violette Szabo, of the British Women's Trans^ port Service (First Aid Nursing Yeomanry). The citation says Madame Szabo volunteered to undertake a particularly dangerous mission in France, where she pai'achuted in April, 1944. The Germans twice arrested her, but she eseaped. Eventually the Gestapo surrounded her and other inembers of her group in a house in -outh-western France. Resistance appeared hopeless, but Madame Szabo, seizing a Sten gun and as much ammunition as she could tarry, barricaded herself in part of the Itouse, and exchanging shot for shot, killed or woundcd several members of the Gestapo. She fought until she dropped exhausted, was arrested and put into solitary confinement. She was then continuously and atrcciously tortured, but never told the enemy anything of value. She was ultimately executed. She gave a magnificent example of courage and steadfastness. Madame Szabo married a Freneh Foreign Legion officer who was killed at E1 Alamein in 1942. When she joined the British forces she said: "My husband has ibeen killed; I arn going to get my own back somehow."