SOE
 SOE    | |
|---|---|
| Formation | 22 July 1940 |
| Extinction | 15 January 1946 |
| Subgroups | • Special Operations Executive/SO.1 • Special Operations Executive/SO.2 • Special Operations Executive/SO.3 |
| Interest of | Hugh 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]
SOE was established in in July 1940 by consolidating Section D of MI6 with MI R, a War Office guerrilla warfare research group and a covert propaganda unit, Department EH.[2]
Initially, SOE had three sections, 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.[3]
Closure of SOE
Menzies, a friend of Winston Churchill, was "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."[4]
Leadership
The leader of the SOE was referred to as "CD".
- Gladwyn Jebb - 1941-42
- Sir Frank Nelson
- Sir Charles Hambro
- Colin Gubbins 1943-46
Closure
The SOE was closed down in 1946 after a continued rivalry with MI6. The WW2 head of that organisation , Sir Stuart 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."[4] MI6's 1946 false flag bombing Operation Embarrass used a team of ex-SOE agents.[5]
Resources
- 64 Baker Street Website on 'The Women of the Special Operations Executive', accessed 30 March 2009.
- Spartacus Educational Special Operations Executive, accessed 30 March 2009
- Obituaries, Special Operations Executive, The Times
- National Archives Special Operations Executive Records Release 8th Feb 2002 (pdf)
Employees on Wikispooks
| Employee | Job | Appointed | End | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A.J. Ayer | Spook | 1943 | 1945 | |
| John Beevor | Leader for Portugal | 1941 | 1942 | |
| Norman Darbyshire | Intelligence Operative | 1943 | 1946 | |
| Hugh Fraser | Soldier | 1942 | 1945 | |
| Francis Brooks Richards | Director of Operations | World War II | ||
| Monty Woodhouse | Soldier | 1941 | 1945 |
References
- ↑ Stephen Dorril, MI6, Touchstone 2002, p.103.
- ↑ Thomas E. Mahl, Desperate Deception: British Covert Operations in the United States 1939-44, Brassey's, 1999, p.13.
- ↑ Thomas E. Mahl, Desperate Deception: British Covert Operations in the United States 1939-44, Brassey's, 1999, p.13
- ↑ a b The Mechanisms of an Oppressive State
- ↑ http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2010/09/19/mi6-attacked-jewish-refugee-ships-after-wwii.html
