What did the Special Operations Executive do?

Special Operations Executive (SOE) was created during the Second World War with the instruction to ‘set Europe ablaze’. SOE agents would help resistance movements in enemy-held territory as well as conduct espionage and sabotage operations.

Was the SOE successful?

Of immeasurable value to the British, if not the Allied, war effort was SOE’s unparalleled success in acquiring foreign currency which was vital not only to its own operations, but also to SIS, the War Office, the Air Ministry and the Treasury[29].

How many SOE agents died in WWII?

Twenty-five of them survived World War II. Twelve were executed by the Germans, one died when her ship was sunk, two died of disease while imprisoned, and one died of natural causes. Female agents ranged in age from 20 to 53 years.

Why was SOE created?

The aim of the SOE was to try and disrupt Germany’s use of its conquered lands and to help resistance movements. SOE was formed in the summer of 1940 by a direct order of Churchill. It was under the control of Hugh Dalton, Minister of Economic Warfare.

Are any SOE agents still alive?

Four female SOE agents had been put to death in a concentration camp by lethal injection that month. They were cremated, but evidence emerged later that some of them were still alive when they went into the ovens.

What happened to the members of SOE?

Thirty-two of them served as agents in the field, seven of whom were captured and executed. Exiled or escaped members of the armed forces of some occupied countries were obvious sources of agents.

Who set up the SOE?

Winston Churchill
Hugh Dalton
Special Operations Executive/Founders

What did SOE stand for?

Special Operations Executive
Special Operations Executive (SOE) was a secret British Second World War organisation created in July 1940.