Special Operations Executive
The Special Operations Executive (SOE) was a secret British World War II organisation. It was officially formed on 22 July 1940 under Minister of Economic Warfare, Hugh Dalton, by the amalgamation of three existing secret organisations. Its purpose was to conduct espionage, sabotage and reconnaissance in occupied Europe (and later, also in occupied Southeast Asia) against the Axis powers, and to aid local resistance movements.
| Special Operations Executive | |
|---|---|
| Active | 22 July 1940 – 15 January 1946 |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Type | Special forces |
| Role |
|
| Size | Approximately 13,000 employees |
| Nickname(s) | "The Baker Street Irregulars" "Churchill's Secret Army" "Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare" |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders | Frank Nelson Charles Jocelyn Hambro Colin Gubbins |
Few people were aware of SOE's existence. Those who were part of it, or liaised with it, were sometimes referred to as the "Baker Street Irregulars", after the location of its London headquarters. It was also known as "Churchill's Secret Army" or the "Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare". For security purposes, its various branches, and sometimes the organisation as a whole, were concealed behind names such as the "Joint Technical Board" or the "Inter-Service Research Bureau", or fictitious branches of the Air Ministry, Admiralty or War Office.
SOE operated in all territories occupied or attacked by the Axis forces, except where demarcation lines were agreed upon with Britain's principal Allies, the United States and the Soviet Union. The SOE made use of neutral territory on occasion, or made plans and preparations in case neutral countries were attacked by the Axis. The organisation directly employed or controlled more than 13,000 people, about 3,200 of whom were women.
After the war, the organisation was dissolved on 15 January 1946. The official memorial to all those who served in the SOE during the Second World War was unveiled on 13 February 1996, on the wall of the west cloister of Westminster Abbey, by Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother. A further memorial to SOE's agents was unveiled in October 2009 on the Albert Embankment in London. The Valençay SOE Memorial honours 104 SOE agents who lost their lives while working in France. The Tempsford Memorial was unveiled on 3 December 2013 by Charles, Prince of Wales, in Church End, Tempsford, Bedfordshire, close to the site of former RAF Tempsford.