Sonya Olschanezky
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Sonya Olschanezky was born in Chemnitz, on 25 December 1923. The daughter of a Russian Jew, Eli Olschanezky, although trained as a chemical engineer worked as a sales representative for a manufacture of ladies' stockings. He did well and in 1926 was asked to move to Romania where he took charge of a factory making silk stockings in Bucharest.
When Sonya was seven years old the family moved to France and her father opened a lingerie shop in Paris. Sonya was a good student but her main ambition was to become a dancer. After leaving school she worked as an au pair.
In May 1940 France was invaded by the German Army. It was not long before Sonya had joined the French Resistance and stationed in Châlons-sur-Marne spent her time carrying messages between Special Operations Executive (SOE) agents in the area.
After the French surrendered the new leader, Henri-Philippe Pétain, cooperated in the persecution of the Jews in the country. In May 1942, orders were given for all Jewish men, women and children were ordered to wear a six-pointed yellow star on their clothing over the region of the heart. The following month Sonya was arrested and sent to a camp at Drancy where she awaited being sent to an extermination camp in Nazi Germany.
When her mother heard the news she contacted friends in Germany who managed to produce false papers that stated that she had "economically valuable skills" needed for the war effort. On the production of the false papers and the payment of a sum of money to the appropriate German official, Sonya was freed.
After her release Sonya returned to her resistance work and in 1943 joined the Prosper Network that included Andrée Borrel, Francis Suttill and Gilbert Norman. The network was betrayed and most of its leading members were arrested. Sonya remained free until being captured in January 1944. After being interrogated by the Gestapo she was imprisoned at Fresnes Prison.
On 13 May 1944 the Germans transported Sonya and seven other SOE agents, Yolande Beekman, Eliane Plewman, Madeleine Damerment, Odette Sansom, Diana Rowden, Andrée Borrel and Vera Leigh, to Nazi Germany.
On 6 July 1944, Sonya along with Diana Rowden, Andrée Borrel and Vera Leigh, were taken to the Concentration Camp at Natzweiler. Later that day they were injected with phenol and put in the crematorium furnace.
