Difference between revisions of "SOE"

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The [[Special Operations Executive]] (SOE) was a British agency operating during the Second World War, with responsibility for 'special operations' including psychological warfare, assassinations and paramilitary activities.<ref>Stephen Dorril, MI6, Touchstone 2002, p.103.</ref>
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{{group
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|headquarters=64 Baker Street, London
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|wikipedia=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special_Operations_Executive
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|spartacus=http://spartacus-educational.com/2WWsoe.htm
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|leaders=CD of The Special Operations Executive
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|start=22 July 1940
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|end=15 January 1946
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|logo=Special Operations Executive.jpg
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|abbreviation=SOE
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|subgroups=Special Operations Executive/SO.1, Special Operations Executive/SO.2, Special Operations Executive/SO.3
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|num_staff=13000
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|powerbase=http://www.powerbase.info/index.php/Special_Operations_Executive
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}}
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The [[Special Operations Executive]] (SOE) was a British agency operating during the [[Second World War]], with responsibility for 'special operations' including psychological warfare, assassinations and paramilitary activities.<ref>Stephen Dorril, MI6, Touchstone 2002, p.103.</ref>
  
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SOE was established in in July 1940 by consolidating [[Section D]] of [[MI6]] with [[Military Intelligence Research|MI R]], a War Office guerrilla warfare research group and a covert propaganda unit, [[Department EH]].<ref>Thomas E. Mahl, Desperate Deception: British Covert Operations in the United States 1939-44, Brassey's, 1999, p.13.</ref>
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==Origins==
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After some weeks of discussion among ministers and senior officials of the Foreign Office, War Office, Ministry of Economic Warfare and SIS, the SOE was established in in July 1940 by the amalgamation of three existing organisations:
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# [[Section D]] of [[MI6]], led by Major Laurence Grand of the Royal Engineers,
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# [[Military Intelligence Research|MI R]], a [[think tank]] of the [[Military Intelligence Directorate]] of the [[War Office]], led by Major J.C.F. (‘Joe’) Holland
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# [[Electra House]] (EH), the secret [[propaganda]] arm of the Foreign Office, formed by Sir [[Campbell Stuart]] after the [[Munich crisis]]<ref>Thomas E. Mahl, Desperate Deception: British Covert Operations in the United States 1939-44, Brassey's, 1999, p.13.</ref><ref name=sfc>http://www.sfclub.org/history.htm</ref>
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[[Hugh Dalton]] the [[Minister of Economic Warfare]] lead development of the group, choosing [[Gladwyn Jebb]], a senior [[Foreign Office]] official who became the architect and exponent of SOE’s official policy and structure.  Dalton sacked [[Laurence Grand]], the head of Section D, replacing him as chief of the sabotage component of SOE by Sir [[Frank Nelson]], a former Conservative MP who had been the [[MI6]] representative in Basle, which ensured the initial support of the [[Chief of SIS]]. The team, building on a nucleus of the most effective [[Section D]] Officers, recruited staff from industrial, commercial and city firms with experience of doing business in foreign countries. Nelson, for example, appointed Sir [[Charles Hambro]], the banker with strong Scandinavian connections, as his Deputy.<ref name=sfc/>
  
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Initially, SOE had three sections, [[SO.1 (SOE)|SO.1]] for propaganda, [[SO.2]] for dirty tricks, and [[SO.3]] for planning. A year later SO.1 was separated to become the [[Political Warfare Executive]] under [[Rex Leeper]] and [[Robert Bruce Lockhart]].<ref>Thomas E. Mahl, Desperate Deception: British Covert Operations in the United States 1939-44, Brassey's, 1999, p.13</ref>
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==Structure==
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The leader of the SOE was referred to as [[CD of The Special Operations Executive|"CD"]]. Initially, SOE had three sections:
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# [[Special Operations Executive/SO.1|SO.1]] for propaganda, (separated a year later to become the [[Political Warfare Executive]] under [[Rex Leeper]] and [[Robert Bruce Lockhart]])<ref>Thomas E. Mahl, Desperate Deception: British Covert Operations in the United States 1939-44, Brassey's, 1999, p.13</ref>
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==People==
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# [[Special Operations Executive/SO.2|SO.2]] for dirty tricks, and
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===Executive Officers (CD)===
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# [[Special Operations Executive/SO.3|SO.3]] for planning.
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<!--
 
*[[Gladwyn Jebb]] - 1941-42
 
*[[Gladwyn Jebb]] - 1941-42
 
*Sir [[Frank Nelson]]  
 
*Sir [[Frank Nelson]]  
 
*Sir [[Charles Jocelyn Hambro|Charles Hambro]]
 
*Sir [[Charles Jocelyn Hambro|Charles Hambro]]
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*[[Colin Gubbins]] 1943-46
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*[[Colin Gubbins]] 1943-46 -->
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==Closure==
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The SOE was closed down in 1946 after a continued rivalry with [[MI6]]. The [[WW2]] head of that organisation , Sir [[Stewart Menzies]] was a friend of [[Winston Churchill]] and "a master at using his political and social connections to win time and eventual survival for SIS, indeed so successful was he that in 1946 he persuaded the Labour Government to close down [[SOE]] and transfer its best staff and most promising operations to SIS."<ref name="TM">The Mechanisms of an Oppressive State</ref> MI6's 1946 [[false flag]] bombing [[Operation Embarrass]] used a team of ex-SOE agents.<ref>http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2010/09/19/mi6-attacked-jewish-refugee-ships-after-wwii.html</ref>
  
 
==Resources==
 
==Resources==
 
*[http://www.64-baker-street.org/ 64 Baker Street] Website on 'The Women of the Special Operations Executive', accessed 30 March 2009.
 
*[http://www.64-baker-street.org/ 64 Baker Street] Website on 'The Women of the Special Operations Executive', accessed 30 March 2009.
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*Spartacus Educational [http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/2WWsoe.htm Special Operations Executive], accessed 30 March 2009
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*Spartacus Educational [http://www.spartacus-educational.com/2WWsoe.htm Special Operations Executive], accessed 30 March 2009
 
*Obituaries, [http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/system/topicRoot/SOE/ Special Operations Executive], The Times
 
*Obituaries, [http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/system/topicRoot/SOE/ Special Operations Executive], The Times
 
*National Archives [http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/documents/new_releases_feb2002_SOE_recs.pdf Special Operations Executive Records Release 8th Feb 2002 (pdf)]
 
*National Archives [http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/documents/new_releases_feb2002_SOE_recs.pdf Special Operations Executive Records Release 8th Feb 2002 (pdf)]
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{{SMWDocs}}
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==Notes==
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==References==
 
<references/>
 
<references/>
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[[Category:Spooks]][[Category:SOE]]
 

Latest revision as of 20:58, 20 October 2019

Group.png SOE   Powerbase SpartacusRdf-entity.pngRdf-icon.png
Special Operations Executive.jpg
AbbreviationSOE
Formation22 July 1940
Extinction15 January 1946
Headquarters64 Baker Street, London
LeaderCD of The Special Operations Executive
Subgroups•  Special Operations Executive/SO.1
•  Special Operations Executive/SO.2
•  Special Operations Executive/SO.3
Staff13,000
Interest ofHugh Seton-Watson
Subpage•SOE/CD
•SOE/CEO
•SOE/SO.1
•SOE/Vice Chief

The Special Operations Executive (SOE) was a British agency operating during the Second World War, with responsibility for 'special operations' including psychological warfare, assassinations and paramilitary activities.[1]

Origins

After some weeks of discussion among ministers and senior officials of the Foreign Office, War Office, Ministry of Economic Warfare and SIS, the SOE was established in in July 1940 by the amalgamation of three existing organisations:

  1. Section D of MI6, led by Major Laurence Grand of the Royal Engineers,
  2. MI R, a think tank of the Military Intelligence Directorate of the War Office, led by Major J.C.F. (‘Joe’) Holland
  3. Electra House (EH), the secret propaganda arm of the Foreign Office, formed by Sir Campbell Stuart after the Munich crisis[2][3]

Hugh Dalton the Minister of Economic Warfare lead development of the group, choosing Gladwyn Jebb, a senior Foreign Office official who became the architect and exponent of SOE’s official policy and structure. Dalton sacked Laurence Grand, the head of Section D, replacing him as chief of the sabotage component of SOE by Sir Frank Nelson, a former Conservative MP who had been the MI6 representative in Basle, which ensured the initial support of the Chief of SIS. The team, building on a nucleus of the most effective Section D Officers, recruited staff from industrial, commercial and city firms with experience of doing business in foreign countries. Nelson, for example, appointed Sir Charles Hambro, the banker with strong Scandinavian connections, as his Deputy.[3]

Structure

The leader of the SOE was referred to as "CD". Initially, SOE had three sections:

  1. SO.1 for propaganda, (separated a year later to become the Political Warfare Executive under Rex Leeper and Robert Bruce Lockhart)[4]
  2. SO.2 for dirty tricks, and
  3. SO.3 for planning.

Closure

The SOE was closed down in 1946 after a continued rivalry with MI6. The WW2 head of that organisation , Sir Stewart Menzies was a friend of Winston Churchill and "a master at using his political and social connections to win time and eventual survival for SIS, indeed so successful was he that in 1946 he persuaded the Labour Government to close down SOE and transfer its best staff and most promising operations to SIS."[5] MI6's 1946 false flag bombing Operation Embarrass used a team of ex-SOE agents.[6]

Resources

 

Employees on Wikispooks

EmployeeJobAppointedEndDescription
A.J. AyerSpook19431945
John BeevorLeader for Portugal19411942
Norman DarbyshireIntelligence Operative19431946
Hugh FraserSoldier19421945
Francis Brooks RichardsDirector of OperationsWorld War II
Monty WoodhouseSoldier19411945
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References

  1. ↑ Stephen Dorril, MI6, Touchstone 2002, p.103.
  2. ↑ Thomas E. Mahl, Desperate Deception: British Covert Operations in the United States 1939-44, Brassey's, 1999, p.13.
  3. ↑ a b http://www.sfclub.org/history.htm
  4. ↑ Thomas E. Mahl, Desperate Deception: British Covert Operations in the United States 1939-44, Brassey's, 1999, p.13
  5. ↑ The Mechanisms of an Oppressive State
  6. ↑ http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2010/09/19/mi6-attacked-jewish-refugee-ships-after-wwii.html
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