During the Second World War the SOE sent 470 agents into France including 39 women. Instituted on August 16, 1945, and issued to subjects of the British Commonwealth who served full-time in the Armed Forces or the Merchant Navy for at least 28 days between September 3, 1939, and September 2, 1945. During Vera Atkins relentless investigation to discover what had happened to her agents who she considered family, she interviewed an SOE agents who had been incarcerated in a neighbouring cell to Noor. British commendation to acknowledged brave acts by civilians and members of the military in non-warlike circumstances during a time of war or in peacetime where the action would not otherwise be recognised by an existing award. Note: The map does not show the correct location of the original Autogiro network, which operated in the Paris area and did not exist after the spring of 1942. During the chaos an SS officer entered her cell and told her to come with him, Odette assumed she was going to be shot. In 1939 he enlisted into the Royal Engineers and shortly after arriving in France as part of the British Expeditionary Force Cole was arrested after it was discovered he had stolen all the money from the officers and Sergeants mess before leaving England. Among the gripes were that clothes given to agents were often too new and cut . Please note: Denise BLOCH, rather than Bloch. While Dericourt made his secret arrangements for the landings of SOE F-Section agents, preparations for the insertion of other members of the Prosper network began. This film can be seen at:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UEhwZ9C1jgA. Operated under the name "Madame Pauline" in France. The historian MRD Foot, who has died aged 92, was the outstanding British authority on the Special Operations Executive (SOE) and western European resistance to Nazi . They Fought Alone: The True Story of SOE's Agents in Wartime France: The . Foot (Author) Visit . The . But while some are widely known-Violette Szabo, Odette Sansom . On the night of 16/17 June she boarded a Lysander at RAF Tangmere in Sussex, bound for a landing field near Angers in north-western France. As can be seen by the F Section Circuit activities, each circuit had a unique code name and was responsible for a specific geographical area and conditions within these circuits could suddenly change without warning. needed to include a misspelled word. Due to conspiracy theories and published accounts which vary considerably the story of Suzanne Warenghem and her treacherous husband Harold Cole is complex and beyond the scope of this short article. SOE agents siphoned off all the axle oil from the division . When it became clear soft interrogation techniques would not work the Gestapo resorted to torture in order to extract information- red-hot pokers were used to burn her back and every time she passed out from the pain buckets of cold water were used to revive her so the torture could continue, Odette refused to talk. . This is not the case. Comte Jacques-Arthus Marc de Montalembert, SOE parachute commander from 1943 to 1945, Married Arie Van Duyn. SOE in France: An Account of the Work of the British Special Operations Executive in France 1940-1944 (Government Official History Series) 1st Edition . . These SOE agents were later captured by the Gestapo, tortured and executed. . The only secure transmissions from the Paris area were from Noor and she was the now the only person London could trust. He spent most . After successfully making contact with Peter Churchill (Raoul) who ran the SPINDLE Circuit (who she married after the war), he gave her the address of a contact who was vital for her operation. Registration #: 316119. Her father, who had served in France with the British Army during the First World War married a French women and they moved to London after the War. During this four week course all candidates experienced cold, hunger, psychical and mental exhaustion and were still expected to complete their required tasks to a high standard. SOE's most important network during that time. She was the oldest female SOE agent sent to France, serving there from 31 October 1942 until 16 August 1943. The Germans were aware the escape network consisted of a large number of civilians scattered throughout France with each member being responsible for their own section of the line (route) who delivered escapers further along the escape line where other members took over and this process continued until they reached neutral Spain; occasionally small groups of escapers were taken to an isolated prearranged location in France to wait for an emergency extraction by air or sea. During the early hours of the morning the Gestapo raided the Hotel, Odette and Churchill were arrested and taken to Fresnes Prison. [citation needed], David Twiston Davies, Canada from Afar: The Daily Telegraph Book of Canadian Obituaries, Dundurn, 1996, [Maurizio Parri. Those who were considered not suitable for hazardous covert operations were sent to the cooler where they were persuaded to forget what little they had learned and return home. One of the most difficult roles which members of the SOE undertook was that of wireless operator. The organization's F section sent more than four hundred agents into France, thirty-nine of whom were women. The SOE's spies all posed as inhabitants of the places they . With her was Diane Rowden, Cecily Lefort and Charles . Five months before the BEF was sent to France. As far as we can gather, on 12 September Yolande, Plewman and Damerment joined Noor Inayat Khan on a train to Dachau Concentration camp. Kate Vigurs interweaves for the first time the stories of all thirty-nine Foot provides some background to the origins and nature of the SOE and describes the operations of agents who worked on French soil. Shortly after her arrival Yolande and the representative were arrested and within a few hours some 50 members of the resistance were in the hands of the Gestapo. The first SOE network, organised in Paris by Pierre de Vomcourt in May 1941, but destroyed in May 1942 after being betrayed by Mathilde Carre. Captured by Germans, survived. Codename: Typist, In charge of Shelburn Line (Shelbourne Line) Operation Bonaparte. Although the 1944 circuit activity shows CLERGYMAN listed as fragmented, unbeknown to London and Denise Block prior to her arrival, CLERGYMAN had been seriously compromised. By the time they reached Brittany and were being taken by rowing boat at night to a felucca waiting a safe distance from the shore they were suffering from extreme exhaustion and had not eaten for several days. Little is known for certain about the childhood of Denis Joseph Rake, who like many secret agents continually embroidered and camouflaged the details of his life. The second highest civil decoration of the United Kingdom It awards civilian gallantry in the face of enemy action and brave deeds more generally. After discovering his real name and informing MI9 of Coles string of convictions which included burglary, fraud, theft and various swindles MI9 decided to disregard his long criminal background because he was helping British and allied military personnel to escape and there was no indication this was simply a continuation of his criminal career rather than patriotism. During her training she showed a natural talent for receiving and sending Morse code and became one of F Sections wireless operators. After a failed attempt to escape Noor was sent to Ravensbruck Concentration Camp. Click a photo to read more. A typical SOE network had three agents: (1) Circuit organiser: leader, planner, and recruiter of new members. Whilst undergoing training Violette was living with her parents at 18 Burley Road Stockwell London. Last award: February 14, 1959. SOE agents, with a few exceptions, were trained in the United Kingdom before being infiltrated into France. Francis was only two when his father parachuted into France in . Sorry admin but stupid people like this annoy me. This circuit was so successful the Gestapo put 1 million francs on her head. One of the first agents to be parachuted into France was Jack Agazarian, who worked for the SOE. After several weeks of investigation the police identified the body and the identity of the other women in the photograph. Correct, the evidence does not support her view and simply reflects earlier criticism which has been disproved. The security procedures you refer to are the bluff and true checks which were far more complex than misspelt words. Unable to break her and not being sure whether she was an SOE agent she was sent to Ravensbrck concentration camp where she became friends with Violette Szabo. After her recovery she was put back on the active list and completed her course at Beaulieu. This was a tip off that they were in enemy hands. 8.5%) and . French military decoration created on September 26, 1939, to honour people who fought with the Allies against the Axis force at any time during World War II. Autobiography by a former New York Times journalist and one of the first SOE agents to arrive in France. Foot, who can be considered as the SOEs official historian, says that many of their records remain secret and are kept by the Foreign Office whilst others were deliberately destroyed. In an article written by Jacques Ghmard he describes Suzanne Warenghem as a 19-year-old British agent serving with the Special Operation Executive (SOE) who worked with the PAT escape line. She was twice arrested by the German security authorities, but each time managed to get away. He then was involved in assisting . Role: Wireless Operator (F Section) Circuit: FREELANCE. Codename: Isabelle. This led to a continuation of the previous argument. Christine Granville. Consequently, the following is an overview of events leading to the deaths of an unknown number of agents and French citizens of which Suzanne Warenghem, who later changed her surname to Warren, was unaware until her husband was exposed by other agents. Stage 1. The highest civil decoration of the United Kingdom. Eventually the mysterious Captain Delobel came to the attention of MI9 in London and they asked MI5 to conduct background checks. On the night of 16/17 June she boarded a Lysander at RAF Tangmere in Sussex, bound for a landing field near Angers in north-western France. At Arisaig they were also taught unarmed combat (Gutter fighting) and silent killing by the legendary William Fairbairn and Eric Anthony Sykes who designed the FS fighting knife. She displayed formidable skills as an interrogator. Warenghem has been described as intelligent, resourceful and brave but naive when it came to relationships and Cole was highly regarded for his politeness, charm, friendliness, his kindly disposition and concern for others which created a false sense of security. After reporting the situation to Buckmaster Odettes operation was cancelled and he gave permission for her to work with Peter Churchill, she was now a member of SPINDLE. From throughout-the-year events and new installations in Copenhagen, the UNESCO World Capital of Architecture, to the long awaited opening the underground bunker museum REGAN Vest in North Jutland. Lieutenants Philippe and Joseph Rousseau who served with Canadian Airborne Forces during WW2. [1], Each network was given a name and each agent belonging to the network had one or more code names and aliases which he used in France. Violette spent three weeks in Paris and the surrounding area to assess the problems and discovered that SALESMAN Circuit had completely collapsed: hundreds of its members had been arrested whilst others were seeking refuge with other circuits throughout France. Parachuted into SE France in July 1944. On 11 September Noor, along with SOE agents Yoland Beekman, Elaine Plewman and Madeline Damerment were transported to Dachau Concentration Camp and that night Beekman, Plewman and Damerment were shoot in the head. Those who passed all courses were eligible to join SOEs F Section, commonly referred to as the Firm whose headquarters were at 64 Bakers Street London and members of this exclusive club quickly got to know Maurice Buckmaster Buck and Vera Atkins. July 1, 2012. This part of their training also consisted of schemes (tests) lasting 48 or 72 hours. After her capture an SOE agent sent a diverted telegram to Buckmaster saying, Madeline had a serious accident and she was now in hospital, meaning, she had been captured and taken to Gestapos Headquarters at Avenue Foch. Senior Abwehr and Gestapo officers also discovered the structure of the escape network presented a number of security issues they could exploit. For example, SOE organiser George Reginald Starr was the organiser of the Wheelwright network and known as "Hilaire" to French contacts in the Resistance and to other SOE personnel. Recruited: February 1943 (F Section Wireless Operator), Code name: Yvonne de Chauvigny, Mariette, Wireless transmission Kilt. Successful candidates were now sent to RAF Ringway (now Manchester Airport) where they received the same parachute training as the Airborne Forces and upon completion were awarded the same parachute wings. Madam Szabo gave a magnificent example of courage and steadfastness. Eventually, however, with other members of her group, she was surrounded by the Gestapo in a house in the south-west of France. Suzanne Warenghem who was now pregnant and feared her husband, travelled to Marseille to join an escape line where some writers say her child was still born, and sometime in March 1943 she was arrested and sent to Castres prison where she met SOE agent Blanche Charlet. 10.0 10.1 Alfred and Henry Newton - SOE Agents in France; Consequently, the following is an overview of events leading to the deaths of An important part of the German and Milice counter-resistance operations was the infiltration of escape lines and blocking known routes to neutral Spain and Switzerland. Minutes before the Gestapo broke down the door she had burned her messages and codes. Forty-three circuits were no longer existent at that time of which 31 had been destroyed by the Germans. Buy SOE in France: An Account of the Work of the British Special Operations Executive in France 1940-1944 (Government Official History Series) 1 by Foot, M.R.D. During his criminal career he used several identities, during one scam he convinced people he was a former British Army officer who had served in Hong Kong and for another he claimed to be Wing Commander Wain of the Royal Air Force. Courier. Successful candidates were then sent to STS21, Arisaig House, in Inverness Scotland. You can watch A Call to Spy's trailer here. (The London Gazette, Friday 12 June 1946, HMSO), Recruited: Unknown (Wireless operator F Section). Military Historian and Freelance Defence Journalist. As the Germans were using large numbers of wireless detection vans with skilled technicians the life of an SOE wireless operator was estimated to be six weeks. After joining the RAF as a wireless operator she came to the attention of the SOE talent spotters and was asked to attend an informal interview at a hotel near Trafalgar Square London, where she was asked whether she would be interested in becoming specially employed. One of the longest serving of Britain's wartime women agents. An official report written by a superior officer and sent to the high command, in which is described the person's gallant or meritorious action in the face of the enemy. On the night of 2/3 March she was flown by Lysander from a secret airbase, RAF Tempsford in Bedfordshire which was the home of 138 and 161 Special Duties Squadron. [4] The Valenay SOE Memorial in Valenay, France lists the names of 91 men and 13 women who were killed, executed, or died in prison while serving as SOE agents.[5]. Pg. The full story of the thirty-nine female SOE agents who went undercover in France Formed in 1940, Special Operations Executive was to coordinate Resistance work overseas. Vera was involved in every aspect of F Section interviewing potential recruits, organising and planning training and planning the agents reception in France. One evening, after her father asked how she had injured herself, Violette replied she had twisted her ankle after jumping out of a lorry. Although no documents are available, it is known that all the resistance fighters from this circuit were scattering across France in the hope of receiving protection from other circuits. French order that is the highest decoration in France. The following is an incomplete list of agents who served in the field for the Special Operations Executive during World War II. . Most agents entered France by parachute or ferried in unarmed Lysander aircraft with the pilot relying on torch lights from members of the resistance to mark the remote landing strip. One immediate target was the 'Das Reich' 2nd SS Panzer Division, which began to march north through France towards the Normandy beaches. After this initial stage of selection candidates received basic firearms training, elementary Morse code, basic sabotage techniques, explosives and unarmed combat. They were then given the location of a rendezvous point in Brittany around 919.8 km (over 571 miles) away where an extraction by sea had been arranged. It is clear the Gestapo were aware she was a wireless operator and consequently she was tortured to reveal her poem code and wireless set. The food market at Cape Town's V&A Waterfront is closing down. When it comes to understanding the fate of the 118 agents who failed to return from occupied France we must turn to the many years of investigation work conducted by Vera Atkins who has been described as the most powerful and influential women to have served with SOE. But while some are widely known - others have had their stories largely overlooked. One of the most determined and courageous secret agents of the Second World War, Harry Peulev joined the BEF in 1940 before volunteering for F Section of the Special Operations Executive. Courier. In so doing, in addition to the material in the first edition, the author has had access to previously closed government . Not only did all SOE agents know the dangers, during their initiation and training they were also informed they would be expected to conduct activities Outside the boundaries of conduct of international law for normal times and normal war (Foot) Their role would be to use bribery, subversion, sabotage, assassination there were no rules! Unique to the SOE, candidates also mastered the gunfighter technique for rapid and accurate use of handguns and became efficient with an assortment of British and German weapons. Harold Cole was born in the east end of London on 24 January 1906 and after leaving school at the age of 14 he quickly became known to the police as a petty criminal, embezzler and con man and was sent to prison several times. Died in the UK August 1945. This resulted in a handful of agents being dropped into German hands or the Lysander being surround by German troops. 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