Krystyna Skarbek (1908-1952) was one of the most renowned female operatives in the Allied Resistance. She used the art of persuasion to deceive her enemies, and escaped capture more than once. Her beauty and savviness inspired the original Bond girl, Vesper Lynd.
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Hello, from Wonder Media Network, I’m Jenny Kaplan and this is Encyclopedia Womannica.
Today’s spy was one of the most renowned female operatives in the Allied Resistance. She used the art of persuasion to deceive her enemies, and escaped capture more than once. Her beauty and savviness inspired the original Bond girl, Vesper Lynd. Let’s talk about Krystyna Skarbek!
Krystyna Skarbek was born in Warsaw, Poland on May 1, 1908. She was introduced to privilege and opulence early in life. Her father, Count Jerzy Skarbek, was a descendant of one of Poland’s oldest noble families and her mother, Stephanie Goldfelder, came from a wealthy Jewish family. Krystyna’s powerful heritage bred in her a sense of self-assuredness, loyalty, and patriotism. These qualities would bolster her success in her future career.
The year 1930 was pivotal for Krystyna. Her life turned upside down in more ways than one. Her father died and left the family in a precarious financial situation. To ease the financial burden put on her mother, Krystyna got a job at a Fiat car dealership.
That job didn’t last. Exhaust fumes from the dealership scarred Krystyna’s lungs and she was forced to quit.
Incapable of being idle, Krystyna followed the doctor’s orders and spent more time outdoors hiking and skiing through the Tatra Mountains. For fun, she sought out secret routes and smuggled cigarettes in and out of Poland.
In the spring of 1930, Krystyna married Karol Gettlich. But the young couple was mismatched and the relationship ended in divorce after just six months.
Eight years later, Krystyna tried again. She met a man who was just as adventurous and full of life as she. On November 2, 1938, she married Jerzy Gizycki. Shortly after their wedding, he accepted a position to serve as Poland’s consul general in Ethiopia and the newlyweds relocated.
But when Krystyna and Jerzy heard about the German invasion of Poland, they immediately packed up their lives and sailed to London. Krystyna’s love for her country motivated her to go to the British Special Operations Executive and demand they make her a spy. Krystyna presented the SOE with a plan: She would go to Hungary to print propaganda pamphlets and then ski over the Tatra mountains into Poland to distribute them. Then from Poland, she would run intelligence missions to help liberate her homeland.
The SOE recognized her intelligence, devotion to Poland, and willingness to take risks as assets and approved the plan. On December 21, 1939, Krystyna traveled to Hungary for the first leg of her trip. She joined a covert courier operation that smuggled money, radio codes, and weapons in and out of Poland. While in Hungary, Krystyna also connected with a Polish army officer Andrzej Kowerski, who would become her partner in crime and life. She ended her marriage with Jerzy and committed her time and energy to working side-by-side with Andrzej to subvert German efforts.
When Krystyna arrived in Poland, she used her fluency in Polish, French, and English, as well as her reputable Polish contacts to gather information. She was highly successful.
Winston Churchill even deemed Krystyna his favorite spy after she smuggled microfilms in her leather gloves with the plans for the German invasion of the Soviet Union. Word of her success spread so fast that posters offering a reward for her capture were scattered throughout all railway stations in Poland.
But they could only outrun the Gestapo for so long. In early 1941, Krystyna and Andrzej were arrested and interrogated. Krystyna used her quick wit and propensity for thinking on her feet to secure their release. After biting her tongue hard enough to draw blood, she began coughing and convinced the Nazi officers that she suffered from tuberculosis. They released Krystyna and Andrzej out of fear that if they stayed in their custody, they too would become infected. The couple was smuggled out of Hungary in the trunk of a car and brought to SOE headquarters in Egypt.
Because of the time Krystyna spent in German custody, it took considerable effort to convince the SOE that she was not a double agent.
She was also too well known in Poland and Hungary to return. So Krystyna spent her time off working and training in Egypt. She practiced parachuting, how to conduct wireless transmissions, and Morse code.
She was finally given a new mission in July of 1944. Krystyna parachuted into France to provide support to French Resistance fighters in preparation for the Allied invasion of southern France. She was also the courier for Resistance leader, Francis Cammaerts. She facilitated important communications locally and internationally. Krystyna set up the first communications between the French Resistance and Italian Partisans on the other side of the Swiss alps.
Once, when Krystyna was traveling along the French-Italian border, she was stopped by two German soldiers. They prompted her to put her hands in the air and when she did, she revealed two ready to detonate grenades. With bravery and fierceness, she threatened to kill herself and the two soldiers if they did not let her pass. Her methods of persuasion proved quite successful and the soldiers fled.
One of Krystyna’s biggest accomplishments was her rescue of Francis Cammaerts. In the late summer of 1944, Francis and another SOE agent, Xan Fielding, were captured and imprisoned by the Gestapo. Krystyna figured out where Francis was being held. She took her time circling the outside of the prison humming the tune of the song “Frankie and Johnny”, which the two had previously bonded over. Francis confirmed he was inside by humming back. Krystyna then convinced the prison guard that she was Francis’ wife and the niece of a British General who was en route to southern France as part of the Allied invasion. If the guards didn’t let Francis and Xan go, there would be a horrible price to pay when the Allied forces arrived. Alongside the threat, Krystyna negotiated an agreement to release Francis and Xan in exchange for two million francs. Twenty-four hours later, the money was in the hands of the Gestapo and Francis and Xan were delivered to Krystyna’s custody.
The end of the war brought Krystyna’s six years of service to a close. Her achievements were celebrated. She received the French Croix de Guerre and the British George Medal.
Despite these awards, Krystyna was left to fend for herself with just one month’s salary from the SOE. Krystyna took a job as a stewardess on an ocean liner. She struck up a friendship with a bathroom attendant named George Muldowney. George became obsessed with her and stalked her every move.
When Krystyna returned to London, she reconnected with Andrzej. The two planned to go away on a trip together. On June 15, 1952, Krystyna left her hotel to meet up with Andrzej. Instead, she was accosted by George Muldowney. He demanded to know how long she would be gone. When Krystyna told him she would be away for at least two years, George stabbed her in the chest and killed her. During his trial, he told the courtroom that his act of violence was his final possession.
Krystyna’s remarkable life was cut short, but her legacy lives on. She was the first woman to work for Britain as a special agent. Krystyna was passionate, ambitious and above all, devoted to freedom and independence.
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