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  1. #1
    Contributing Member Gil Boyd's Avatar
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    How we owe so much to so few.

    RAF Tempsford is a base near me and was the Lysander airfield to take SOE agents into Franceicon during WW2. The buildings including Gibraltar Barn are still there today, where they were briefed.

    One such agent was Viollette Szarbo who at the latter stages of the war was caught and executed with other SOE agents in France.
    The film CARVE HER NAME WITH PRIDE is a remarkable view of how it was. Her five year old daughter went to Buckingham Palace to recieve her George Cross from the King.

    Highly recommended viewing, watch out for the smokey room!!
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    Last edited by Gil Boyd; 12-01-2022 at 08:43 AM.
    'Tonight my men and I have been through hell and back again, but the look on your faces when we let you out of the hall - we'd do it all again tomorrow.' Major Chris Keeble's words to Goose Green villagers on 29th May 1982 - 2 PARA

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    Contributing Member muffett.2008's Avatar
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    One of the all time great stories, my wifes grand aunts were with the SOE, Cleo and Helene were both Frenchicon.
    Helenes immigration papers post war had a character reference from Nancy Wake, oddly enough Nancy's(the white mouse) code name was Helene.
    Last edited by muffett.2008; 12-02-2022 at 04:28 AM.

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    Contributing Member Flying10uk's Avatar
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    My family use to know an old lady, sadly no longer with us, who said that she had been trained by the Commandos in unarmed combat, during WW2, and had also flown in a Lysander. She never admitted to being an SOE agent but we thought that she probably was. The excuse that she gave for receiving training by the Commandos was that she "liked the look of one the instructors".

    I don't think that people were given "joy rides" in Lysanders, during WW2, or received Commando training if they didn't need it.

    Like so many she probably took her secrets to the grave.

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    Advisory Panel Surpmil's Avatar
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    It would have been a good thing if some heads had rolled at SOE for their security failures that caused so many agents to be caught, tortured and killed. "Pour encourager les autres", but of course all was swept under the rug of victory, so that the same mistakes might be repeated the next time!
    “There are invisible rulers who control the destinies of millions. It is not generally realized to what extent the words and actions of our most influential public men are dictated by shrewd persons operating behind the scenes.”

    Edward Bernays, 1928

    Much changes, much remains the same.

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    Contributing Member Gil Boyd's Avatar
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    Sadly so many were betrayed, as some of their fellow countrymen thought the Germans would win...........others were just unlucky to drop into the spiders web.
    470 SOE agents were trained individually for the role behine lines with sadly 100 being killed.
    They caused some serious damage between them, and how brave they all were!!
    'Tonight my men and I have been through hell and back again, but the look on your faces when we let you out of the hall - we'd do it all again tomorrow.' Major Chris Keeble's words to Goose Green villagers on 29th May 1982 - 2 PARA

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    Legacy Member Bruce_in_Oz's Avatar
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    There was TV series and a book about all this, circa late 1980s.

    The most successful SOE operation was actually run by the Danishicon underground. This team had a major tricjk up their sleeves; UHF radio.

    A local firm called Bang and Olafson designed and built the ONLY UHF radio link operating anywhere in Europe at the time. They also perfected the hyper-directional antenna needed to make the transmissions even more secure. This link operated across the Baltic to Swedenicon til the end of the war.

    The flip side was the Dutch fiasco. This was compromised almost from the start, resulting in little effective action and a lot of "fresh agents being sent to their deaths. The "secret message" regularly embedded in radio messages to London were also IGNORED as "typos" or similar.

    Always remember that large chunks of Britishicon "spookery" were effectively penetrated by the Sovieticon from the mid 1920s onward; a situation that continued for decades, post war. US "services also suffered soviet penetration. The soviets also penetrated Japaneseicon intelligence; their man "Sorge" fed a LOT of bogus information to Berlin during the war, whilst posing as a Germanicon agent.

    The "Great Game" continues to this day; just with new players.

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    Advisory Panel Surpmil's Avatar
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    Remember also that noted would-be "spy-catcher" who retired to your parts and whose memoirs reveal a curious fixation with consulting a certain Victor R. at every opportunity, who I read was in turn suspected of having a strong taste for borscht.

    A tangled web indeed.
    “There are invisible rulers who control the destinies of millions. It is not generally realized to what extent the words and actions of our most influential public men are dictated by shrewd persons operating behind the scenes.”

    Edward Bernays, 1928

    Much changes, much remains the same.

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    Contributing Member 30Three's Avatar
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    A very interesting book on the lost SOE agents, and the story of Vera Atkins. "A Life in secrets" by Sarah Helm.
    Well worth the read.

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