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Marthe Cohn did more than just survive. Reducing her life down to a time in history is an oversimplification. She comes from a family of resistance fighters during the Nazi's occupation of France. Marthe "Hoffnung" was born in 1920 and grew up in a devout Orthodox Jewish family. In 1939 - fearing the growing danger of Germany - they moved further away from the border to Gautierr, France. But the Nazis invaded just the same. Despite the occupation, the brutality of the Nazis was mild compared to eastern Europe but disobedience was not tolerated and was punishable by death or deportation. Marthe was able to attend medical school. Marthe’s family started sheltering Jews and becoming more active in resistance efforts. After her father and sister's arrests, the family planned to escape using false papers but Marthe’s sister refused to escape with her. Her work with the children in the camps was too important to leave behind. In 1943, Marthe used her false papers again to work in a hospital in Paris for a month. Shortly thereafter, her fiance Jacques was arrested and put to death for his resistance work leading to the death of a Nazi collaborator. Marthe joined the French army in 1944 after the liberation of France. She used her blonde hair, blue eyes, and impeccable German to become a spy. After 13 failed attempts, Marthe finally made it across the border pretending to be a nurse, searching for information on her missing fiance. It was her job to glean any information she could from SS Officers, officials, and Nazi soldiers. After the disintegration of German troops, Marthe did not speak about her spy work for many years, believing no one would believe she was a French spy. In the mid-90’s French officials saw her military record and awarded her the “medaille militaire” one of the highest honors bestowed upon French military. Now a decorated veteran and an accomplished author. Her book Behind Enemy Lines: The True Story of a French Jewish Spy in Nazi Germany is the centerpiece to her public talks about her experiences during WWII. She will give a talk and book signing at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 26, at Southern Oregon University's Music Recital Hall, 450 S. Mountain Ave., Ashland. Advance tickets are recommended at www.ChabadofAshland.org/HolocaustSpeaker or by calling 541-482-2778.