Krystyna Skarbek

Krystyna Skarbek, born on May 1, 1908, was a remarkable figure during the Second World War, celebrated for her audacious exploits as a spy and SOE agent. Her daring intelligence and irregular-warfare missions in Nazi-occupied Poland and France earned her a reputation that would endure through the ages. Journalist Alistair Horne, who knew her personally, referred to her as the 'bravest of the brave,' while spymaster Vera Atkins described her as 'very brave, very attractive, but a loner and a law unto herself.'

Before the Special Operations Executive (SOE) was officially founded in July 1940, Skarbek had already become a British agent, making her the first female agent to serve in the field and the longest-serving of all Britain's wartime women agents. Her exceptional resourcefulness and success played a pivotal role in influencing the SOE's decision to recruit more women for missions in Nazi-occupied territories. In 1941, she adopted the alias Christine Granville, a name she would legally embrace upon her naturalization as a British subject in December 1946.

Among her many daring feats, Skarbek's most famous exploit involved the rescue of SOE agents Francis Cammaerts and Xan Fielding from imminent execution in a German prison. At great personal risk, she confronted the Gestapo commander in Digne-les-Bains, France, revealing her identity as a British agent. Through a combination of threats, deception, and a bribe of two million francs, she successfully secured their release. This extraordinary event was later fictionalized in the British television series Wish Me Luck.

Often referred to as Britain's 'most glamorous spy' or 'Churchill's favourite spy,' Skarbek's life was tragically cut short when she was stabbed to death in London in 1952 by an obsessed suitor, who was subsequently hanged. Her legacy as a pioneering female spy continues to inspire and captivate audiences today.