Skarbek, who collaborated with British services even before the establishment of the Special Operations Executive (SOE), had been in Poland multiple times in the war's early stages but was later deployed to other parts of Europe.
Despite her insistence on flying to Poland during the Warsaw Uprising in August 1944, the mission did not materialize. The recently uncovered documents pertain to her planned participation in the “Flamstead” submission in late 1944 and early 1945.
The “Flamstead” submission, part of the broader “Freston” mission, aimed to assess the Home Army's mood, attitudes, and needs, including its stance toward the Red Army. Tomasz Muskus, a Polish history researcher in London, discovered these documents, shedding light on the details of the submission and which were scheduled to land at the Wilga airdrop site near Limanowa in the Kraków Home Army district.
A dispatch dated December 30, 1944, revealed English permission for the Flamstead submission's departure to Garda, emphasizing the role of Krystyna Granville as a liaison officer. Described as an Air Force lieutenant in the dispatch, Skarbek, nicknamed Folkestone, was to facilitate communication between the Freston mission and the Farnham submission in the Łódź AK district, where her partner and future fiancé, Major Andrzej Kowerski (Andrew Kennedy), was involved.
In an interview with state news agency PAP, Muskus highlighted that Skarbek, equipped with skis upon landing, was adept at skiing, enabling swift movement in mountainous terrain. However, adverse weather conditions, German pacifications, and the Red Army's advance led to the cancellation of missions in various Home Army districts.
Krystyna Skarbek, born in 1908, was the first female agent in British intelligence and the longest-serving British agent in WWII. Recruited after the German invasion of Poland in 1939, she operated on Eastern, Western, and Middle Eastern fronts.
Skarbek is believed to have been the inspiration for the character Vesper Lynd, the heroine of Ian Fleming's first James Bond novel, "Casino Royale."
Source: PAP
