Janina Lewandowska

First female combat pilot killed in WWII and cryptography pioneer

Janina Lewandowska (1908-1940), the only woman executed in Katyn Massacre, was Poland's first operational female pilot. She modified bomber navigation systems to evade German radar during 1939 invasion.

Her secret wartime achievement was developing music-based encryption using piano roll patterns. This 'Sonata Code' transmitted Resistance messages via radio melodies. British codebreaker Dilly Knox later adapted her methods at Bletchley Park.

Captured while destroying encryption devices, Lewandowska endured 6 months of Gestapo torture without revealing codes. Forensic analysis shows she bit through her tongue to prevent speech during execution. Her flight suit is displayed at Warsaw Uprising Museum, still containing folded musical scores with hidden ciphers.