In the grim early days of World War II, when Britain stood alone against the mighty Nazi war machine, Prime Minister Winston Churchill knew that traditional military tactics would not suffice. The situation called for unconventional methods, the kind that would strike fear into the hearts of the enemy. Thus, in 1940, the Special Operations Executive (SOE) was born — a secret organization dedicated to sabotaging the Nazis using every means possible, from exploding rats to strategically placed itching powder.
British Special Operations Executive agents in a demolitions class circa 1944.
The Birth of an Underground Army
The fall of France in 1940 sent shockwaves through Britain. Churchill, disheartened by the rapid Nazi advance, decided that it was time to fight fire with fire. He envisioned a clandestine force that would operate behind enemy lines, conducting sabotage, subversion, and support for resistance movements across Nazi-occupied Europe. He charged Hugh Dalton, the Minister of Economic Warfare, with the task of creating this underground army.
Winston Churchill was an avid supporter of the Special Operations Executive.
Dalton, inspired by the guerrilla tactics of the Irish Republican Army (IRA), laid the groundwork for what would become the Special Operations Executive. On July 22, 1940, Churchill officially approved the SOE, famously instructing its agents to “set Europe ablaze.” The organization merged several existing secret departments and appointed Sir Frank Nelson as its first leader in October 1941.
The Ingenious Operations That Followed
The SOE’s operations began modestly but soon escalated in both scale and audacity. One of its early standout missions was Operation Postmaster in January 1942. The mission involved the daring theft of three Axis ships anchored at a Spanish-controlled port, a feat accomplished without violating Spain’s neutrality — a critical factor given the delicate political situation.
The Italian cargo liner Duchessa D’Aosta.
The SOE’s success was not limited to small-scale operations. In March 1942, the organization launched the St. Nazaire Raid, a high-risk mission aimed at destroying the only dock capable of repairing the feared German battleship Tirpitz. The raid, though costly in lives, was a strategic triumph, crippling the dock and ensuring the Tirpitz remained out of action for the rest of the war.
Assassination of a Tyrant: Operation Anthropoid
The HMS Campbeltown being prepared for the St. Nazaire raid.
Perhaps the most famous of SOE’s missions was Operation Anthropoid, the assassination of Reinhard Heydrich, one of Hitler’s top lieutenants and a principal architect of the Holocaust. The operation, carried out by two Czech agents trained by the SOE, resulted in Heydrich’s death and dealt a significant blow to Nazi morale, even as it led to brutal reprisals against the Czech population.
Deception at Its Finest: Operation Mincemeat
The SOE was also a master of deception. In 1943, they orchestrated Operation Mincemeat, a brilliantly conceived plan that involved planting false invasion plans on a corpse disguised as a British officer. The ruse succeeded in misleading the Germans about the Allies’ true invasion target, significantly contributing to the success of the Sicily campaign.
The destroyed St. Nazaire docks.
A Legacy of Unconventional Warfare
The SOE’s operations, though often shrouded in secrecy, played a crucial role in the Allied war effort. Their daring missions, driven by innovation and a willingness to take extraordinary risks, not only disrupted Nazi operations but also inspired resistance movements across Europe. The legacy of the Special Operations Executive lives on as a testament to the power of ingenuity and the importance of thinking outside the box in times of war.
This translation aims to capture the original tone and detail of the Vietnamese version while making it accessible to an English-speaking audience.