Escaped back to England and survived war. On 28 November the leader of FARMER and their wireless operators were killed during a firefight with German forces and Yolande passed this information onto London. To makes these schemes more difficult a concerned member of the public would phone the police telling them there was someone acting suspiciously and they may be a spy. This film can be seen at:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UEhwZ9C1jgA. After destroying ten locomotives in November and a further eleven in December London told both circuits to prepared themselves to attack local rail networks at 25 points; German communications across the region and to cut telephone lines to Paris. Odette Sanson was awarded the George Cross, MBE, Chevalier de la Legion dhonneur, 1939-45 Star, Defence Medal, War Medal 1939-45, Queens Coronation Medal, Queens Silver Jubilee Medal. This is not the case. M.R.D. The Abwehr (German Military Intelligence), Gestapo and Milice were always competing for the recruitment of double agents and collaborators from the small number of morally bankrupt members of society who were willing to sell people to the Germans and were not concerned those they informed on were likely to be executed or deported to concentration camps. After this, any wireless communications containing her code poem or wireless code name would be regarded as a German deception. With 40 of the 470 SOE agents sent to France being women (approx. After her recovery she was put back on the active list and completed her course at Beaulieu. Recruited: February 1943 (F Section Wireless Operator), Code name: Yvonne de Chauvigny, Mariette, Wireless transmission Kilt. Correct, the evidence does not support her view and simply reflects earlier criticism which has been disproved. Sister of SOE agents Eileen & Francis Nearne. The women knew when they volunteered that their chance of survival was only fifty percent. 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. But throughout her terrible internment, she never once gave away a single secret. A year after entering the SOE, Odette was captured alongside two other agents in occupied France. Madam Szabo gave a magnificent example of courage and steadfastness. Until the entire German occupation of France in 1942, SOE agents in France benefited from being able to travel more or less in disguise through the south - non-occupied - part of France. Deported to and, Organised the Vic escape line in France into neutral Spain. After his arrest Pearl Witherington took command of STATIONER which consisted of 2,000 men, this later increased to 3,000 under her command. arrested and executed at Mauthausen concentration camp. Executed at Buchenwald concentration camp on 14 September 1944, Full Name: Helen Anna Agate Thormann-Bierer. 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.. Some of the original research by MRD Foot mentioned below and other authors including R.J. Minney who wrote Carve her Name with Pride (the life of Violette Szabo) have been challenged by new findings. Several SOE agents recall a time they were physically and mentally exhausted and violently woken up in the early hours of the morning by men dressed in German uniforms- they were expected to immediately reply in French and during the mock interrogation to maintain their cover story (legend), role play and when necessary improvise. After Odette and Churchill narrowly missed an ambush during an attempt to reach a Lysander which had been sent to extract them, Churchill decided they would stay at the last remaining safe house, the Hotel de la Posts, and sent his wireless operator, Rabinovitch (Armaud) to Faverges, a village some ten miles away from the Hotel. The most highly decorated naval officer of World War II. According to several writers Suzanne Warenghem was 19-years-old when she started working on the PAT line with Harold Cole and if correct she was one of the youngest SOE agents in France. Created July 13, 1917 to honor civilians who had performed acts of heroism in the face of the enemy during WWI without military obligation. She worked as a courier with the code name of Adele. Some two days later, without warning Odette was moved to a normal cell with a window and given food and water. Registration #: 309883. Most were killed or captured but some were rescued by the escape lines and made it safely back to England. They left France on 30 April. Charles Ronald Shearn. When this did not work all her toe nails were pulled out- she still refused to talk. During the period of February-May 1944, SOE airdropped to French resistance forces in France 76,290 Sten guns, 27,961 pistols, 16,945 rifles, 3441 Bren guns, 572 bazookas, 304 PIATs, and 160 mortars. We know that she moved to various safe houses and transmitted using pre-arranged skeds (schedules) on specific frequencies three times per week, but we dont know why she always transmitted from the same location. Her file refer to her as Petite, just under five-feet five tall, but her character was far more robust than her looks suggest. On 13 January 1944, Gestapo agents arrest SOE agent Yolande Beekman in Saint-Quentin, France. They Fought Alone: The True Story of SOE's Agents in Wartime France: The . SOE agents, with a few exceptions, were trained in the United Kingdom before being infiltrated into France. After the war Vera became a member of the British War Crimes Commission gathering evidence for the prosecution of war criminals and set about tracing the fate of the 118 agents who failed to return from their operations. Odette Hallowes. The second highest civil decoration of the United Kingdom It awards civilian gallantry in the face of enemy action and brave deeds more generally. Captured when landed in France and killed at Gross-Rosen concentration camp, Section Captin flown into France night parachute in 6.3.1944, posted to Dachau 1945, Judge Advocate General's Branch 1945-46 (Germany) (A/Major), Codename Aleric, Gardener Circuit (w/t operator) Name changed to Roger Forster after his first marriage. Married Buntie Macklin-Sprake (Radio Operator Trainer). Hugh Dormer. After cycling 50 miles she came across a bridge which was heavily guarded by German soldiers. 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. 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. Sonia, the jewish girl who joined the French resistance, KGB Active Measures and Russian Hybrid Warfare: A Brief Comparison, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UEhwZ9C1jgA, Alexander Vass: SOE Hungarian Section wireless operator. Landed in France by aircraft in March 1943. In charge of "Operation Osprey" that parachuted in Rogaland county on Dec. 10 1943. The . Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. This training area was referred to as STS5, and on arrival candidates were further vetted. 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. Based on your comments I believe you are confusing the French Section with the Dutch Section as the Netherlands section was almost wiped out due to the Germans playing back captured radios to London. Apart from Harold Cole being responsible for mass arrests in Lillie which resulted in that section of the line collapsing his close working relationship with Kurt Lischka, the Gestapo chief in Paris who after the Normandy landings helped Cole escape is testament to his importance as a double agent and his influence within the Gestapo. By January 1943 the SPINDLE Circuit had been infiltrated by a double agent and the Gestapo knew the names of its members, passive supporters, the locations of their safe houses and mass arrests followed. Agents who had shown an aptitude for Morse code, after being reminded of the risks, were given the opportunity to be trained as a wireless operators at STS51, the Thames Park Wireless School. After spending several hours in Paris she travelled to Nantes where she transmitted her first message to London. On here return to England Odette required over one year of intensive medical treatment for her injuries due to torture and neglect. 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. However, candidates were expected to talk their way out of being arrested, better still, talk their way out of a police station. Operated in northern France from October 1942 to June 1943. In early June Buckmaster decided SALEMAN circuit would be rebuilt around the Limoges area of west-central France. . On 21 January 1916, Denise Bloch was born to a Jewish family in Paris. It was also reported thatYolande was handled roughly before being shot in the back of the neck. She arrived on the night 2/3 November 1942. Denise Bloch. . During her military training she impressed her instructors; she was one of the best shot they had seen, she was also physically and mentally tough. by Kate Vigurs. Hugo Bleicher, an Abwehr (German Military Intelligence) officer who worked against the French Resistance judged her interrogation the most skilful to which he had been subjected to by his captors. After several weeks of investigation the police identified the body and the identity of the other women in the photograph. Yvonne Rudellat PHYSICIAN Died Belsen April 1945 following ill treatment. The original plan was for her to be parachuted into France but the aircraft assigned for her operation had mechanical problems. 151. After the war Airey Neave (MI9) said Cole was among the most selfish and callous traitors who ever served the enemy in time of war. Noor started to use the escape and evasion skills she had been taught at finishing school change your hairstyle, dye your hair, walk differently, alter your mannerism, alter your accent, talk with a lisp, change your style of clothing- be an entirely different person! The highest civil decoration of the United Kingdom. Under her leadership her circuit destroyed railways lines, electricity pylons, and engaged in hit-and-run tactics against Germany troops. Codename: Josette. Parachuted into SE France in July 1944. She was then continuously and atrociously tortured, but she never by word or deed gave away any of her acquaintances, or told the enemy anything of value. The SOE's spies all posed as inhabitants of the places they . This part of the training lasted 4 weeks and every day candidates were assessed and could be sent to the cooler at any times. Roger Landes. The result was the Special Operations Executive - the SOE. With her was Diane Rowden, Cecily Lefort and Charles Skeeper. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. Though the SOE couldn't 'freely' operate in France without the Gaullist movement, there was a persistent lack of direct co-operation between the Gaulle and the . Click a photo to read more. Another ominous twist to this flight is that among the members of the French Resistance who were illuminating the landing strip with torches was Henry Dericourt a double agent working for the Gestapo. It was also very dangerous. According to the official Medal citations for the award of the George Cross, Madame Szabo volunteered to undertake a particularly dangerous mission in France. Yeo-Thomas was captured by the Gestapo on 21 March 1944. 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