Halina Szymańska

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Halina Szymańska

Halina Szymańska was the wife of Colonel Antoni Szymański, the last pre-war Polish military attaché in Berlin. After being recruited by the Allied secret intelligence services (via Polish officers in Berne Switzerland, who promptly made contact with the British), Mme Szymanska provided a conduit of information between the Allies and Admiral Wilhelm Canaris, chief of the German Abwehr. In Autumn 1939, he helped her and her children to move from occupied Poland to Switzerland in compensation for a contact with the British Secret Intelligence Service.

Mme Szymanska, as a British agent, met several times with Canaris in Switzerland and Italy. Then she met with his courier, Hans Bernd Gisevius. Mme Szymańska played an important role – as an intermediary – in secret contacts between Allies and German anti-Nazi conspiracy (e.g. Schwarze Kapelle). In April 1940, she took data on the German attack against France and Benelux. In the middle of June 1941, Mme Szymańska received information about the German attack against the Soviet Union. During World War II she became one of the most effective MI6 agents.

After the war, Mme Szymanska moved to the England, where she remained for the rest of her life.

Halina Szymanska had three daughters with Col Antoni Szymanski -Hanka, Ewa and Marysia. All four spent the war in Switzerland where Halina began her work for MI6 and later, the French Deuxiemme Reseau conducting courier work into occupied France, for which she was decorated by the French. Amongst others, she developed a working relationship with the American Allen Dulles who then headed the American OSS intelligence office in Berne.

Dulles became the first civilian and the longest serving (1953-1961) Director of Central Intelligence (de-facto head of the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency. By all accounts he was very supportive of Mme Szymanska, particularly when her daughter, Hanka, became very ill and died in Switzerland.

The daughter Ewa,now lives in North Carolina,very happily married to Andrew Milewski, who also has a highly honourable war record of fighting with the Allies. Marysia remained in England with her father Col Antoni Szymanski with whom she was very close,and with Mme Szymanska. She went to boarding school in England, coincidently called Poles, married Mirek Malewski (another Polish officer who acquitted himself with distinction) and had two children - Anouchka and Michael.

Michael Fabian, many years later, assisted the English spy expert/writer (and MP) Nigel West - real name Rupert Allason - with the section of his book - MI6 , British Secret Intelligence Service Operations 1909-45 - which dealt with his grandmother - Mme Szymanska. Amongst other documents, the book shows Halina's French identity card, which was forged by the MI6's printing expert, Mr Adams in Potters Bar, in order to enable her to travel to occupied France to meet Admiral Canaris, collect information and report back to the Allies in Switzerland. It also shows Mme Szymanska's diplomatic passport. Stamped with numerous entry and exit visas, it includes two relating to her rendezvous with Admiral Canaris in Italy, April 1941, at which he disclosed details of Hitler's imminent attack on the Soviet Union.