Krystyna Skarbek, also known bythe aliasChristine Granville, was a Polish woman-turned-Britishspywho had a remarkable espionage career. Not only do some say thatWinston Churchill dubbed her hisfavorite spy, but it's also believed that Ian Fleming basedCasino Royale's Bond Girl,millionaire spy, Vesper Lynd, on Skarbek.Born in Poland in 1915,Krystynawas the daughter of a count and Jewish banking heiress and grew up in the country attending a convent school. Crowned as Miss Poland when she was 17, Krystyna was more than a beauty queen. She also happened to be handy with survival skills and defense techniques, like how to use a knife and gun.After Germany invaded Poland, Krystynamovedwith her husband to England in 1939 where they volunteered to spy for the British. As she worked through her espionage training, the British rechristened herChristine Granville, the name she legally adopted after the war.To say that Christine was a badass is an understatement. Her first assignment sent her to Budapest where she snuck documents into Poland byskiingacross the Tatra Mountains while also helping persecuted Poles escape from Nazis. She parachuted into France several times, either gatheringGerman military intelligence or delivering precious informationtoo sensitiveto be transmitted. Each time she would escape back to England just to be assigned another mission and return to enemy territory.Her ballsiness is now legendary. She cleverly avoidedcaptureseveral times by claiming to be related to high ranking officials or pretending to havetuberculosis by biting her tongue so badly it bled. At one point she even asked aGerman officerto carry a bag of secret documents past a Nazi check point, claiming it was a bag of black market tea for her mother.But perhaps her most well known feat was when, despite the fact that herface coveredwanted postersacross the country, she walked into a German controlled prison torescuetwo colleagues who were about to be executed.She told the head guard she was aBritish spy,and also a famous British General's niece, convincing him that the Allies were about to take over the city and if he released the spies, he would bepaidand granted clemency. Fortunately, he agreedand let her pass.No longer needed after the war, the British military let her go, giving her a measly100to restart her life. Instead of parachuting into enemy territory, she worked various jobs in the service industry, including a position as a ship stewardess. There, one of her fellow coworkers became obsessed with her, and when she refused to date him, hestabbed herto death in 1952. Despite essentially abandoning her after the war, the military buried her with variousmedalsincluding the French Croix de Guerre, British George Medal for Special Services, Order of the British Empire, badge of the French Resistance and another honor from Poland.READ NEXT:6 incredible spy technologies that are actually realJoin the conversation about this storyNOW WATCH: These Surveillance Balloons Are The Hot New Way To Spy On People
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