Wartime Portraits: Women

Halina Szymanska (1906 - 1989) wife of the last Polish military attaché in Berlin. After the outbreak of WWII, she meets admiral Wilhelm Canaris, the head of the Abwehr. As a result of this meeting, Halina becomes a Polish-British MI6 spy.

Sixteen-year-old Halina Szwarc volunteered for the conspiracy. In the Third Reich, she conducted sabotage and espionage activities, gaining invaluable information about the activities of the German army.

Wladyslawa Macieszyna (1888 - 1967) served in the Pilsudski Legions, was a senator of the 4th term of the interwar parliament. During World War II, she maintained contact with the Polish intelligence network in Germany.

Helena Marusarzówna, champion in alpine skiing. From September 1939, she participated in the Polish resistance movement, acting as a secret courier, whose duties included carrying mail, money along mountain trails, and leading people.

Wanda Gertz disguised as a man took part in World War I, and then continued her military career fighting in the Polish-Soviet War and becoming Józef Pilsudski's trusted secretary.