Countess Maria Theresa Lubomirska was born in Lublin, Poland. Maria married a young Cavalry Officer, Lt. Jan Kurdyla in May 1939 in the Wawel Cathedral in Kraków. They spent the first five months of their marriage in idyllic bliss. Then the unspeakable happened as Germany invaded Poland in the twilight hours of September 1, 1939.Jan had to ride off to war; he was sent to the Gdansk region. He was never heard of again. Her first interaction with the Germans was when Colonel Wilhelm Vin Strassenberg came to her home to record who lived and worked at her home. Over time she learned that he was not a true Nazi at heart and he even helped her in saving some Jews by leading them out of Poland to Hungary. She unfortunately witnessed the brutality of the General Governor Hans Frank as he forced himself on her. With Von Strassenberg help she and her mother escaped to Budapest, Hungary. From Budapest they journey to Athens, Cairo, Lisbon and finally London. She joins the Special Operations Executive (SOE) and becomes one of Churchill's secret operatives in North Africa, Italy, and France.