In charge of "Operation Osprey" that parachuted in Rogaland county on Dec. 10 1943. Senior Abwehr and Gestapo officers also discovered the structure of the escape network presented a number of security issues they could exploit. There is the possibility these rumours may have been heard in high places in Berlin: within a few months the decision was made to move there very important prisoner, Peter Churchill, to Berlin but as Odette was under sentence of death she was moved to Ravensbruck Concentration Camp. According to the official Medal citations for the award of the George Cross, Madame Szabo volunteered to undertake a particularly dangerous mission in France. His brother, George Larcher, was also an SOE agent. SOE sent agents to support resistance groups and provided them with weapons, sabotage materials and other supplies. In so doing, in addition to the material in the first edition, the author has had access to previously closed government . This part of their training also consisted of schemes (tests) lasting 48 or 72 hours. Warenghem has been described as intelligent, resourceful and brave but naive when it came to relationships and Cole was highly regarded for his politeness, charm, friendliness, his kindly disposition and concern for others which created a false sense of security. Potential agents received firearms training, learned infantry tactics, escape and evasion, navigating across rough terrain, relentless physical training, the use of explosives, raiding techniques and sabotage. Special Operations Executive (SOE) had been set up in 1940 to coordinate and carry out subversive action against German forces in occupied countries, including France. Her children and the convent believed their mother was working in Scotland and Vera Atkins, using pre-written letters from Odette, continued the pretence. In 1944 DONKEYMAN was listed as fragmented; WIZARD had collapsed. British police photograph of Harold Cole dated 13 February 1939. As the Germans were using large numbers of wireless detection vans with skilled technicians the life of an SOE wireless operator was estimated to be six weeks. Operated under the name "Madame Pauline" in France. Circuits: DETECTIVE, CLERGYMAN and WHEELWRIGHT. Peter Lake. 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. . He was captured but escaped from prison and into Spain in 1942. In Flames, Rita Kramer tries to unravel the knotty tale of the French Section of the SOE (Special Operations Executive) during World War II. Codename: Rose. As this was her first trip to France Buckmaster felt secure in the knowledge she would not be known to the Gestapo, but she would have to work alone. She was one of the first female agents to parachute into France along with Lise de Baissac on September 24, 1942. In June 1940, a new volunteer force - the Special Operations Executive (SOE) - was set up to wage a secret war. Killed in 1952 by man who had become obsessed with her. Of the four British SOE agents allegedly executed at Dachau, Noor Inayat Khan has become the most famous. British independent all-female unit active in both nursing and intelligence work during the World Wars. On 21 January 1916, Denise Bloch was born to a Jewish family in Paris. ARTICLES. Successful candidates were now sent to RAF Ringway (now Manchester Airport) where they received the same parachute training as the Airborne Forces and upon completion were awarded the same parachute wings. Lieutenants Philippe and Joseph Rousseau who served with Canadian Airborne Forces duringWW2. Instituted September 6, 1886. Arrived in France 8 August 1944. On the night of 16/17 June she boarded a Lysander at RAF Tangmere in Sussex, bound for a landing field near Angers in north-western France. During her last parachute decent at RAF Ringway she made a bad landing and twisted her ankle and was temporarily taken off the active list to allow her to recover at home. This article lists the clandestine networks, also known as circuits, (rseaux in French) established in France by F Section of the British Special Operations Executive during World War II. After scooping up her possessions she stormed out of the room and went to her bedroom. In May 1944 the leader of STATIONER, Maurice Southgate, (code name Hector), was sent to Montlucon to meet a member of the resistance. After the Lysander landed she quickly gathered what information she could from the small number of Resistance fighters who had illuminated the landing strip, she then made her way to Rouen to meet Claud Malraux, the second in command of SALESMAN circuit, and one of the men wanted by the Gestapo. Four days Later Churchill was flown out by Lysander to report the situation directly to Buckmaster; Odette and Armaud remained to monitor the situation. Lieutenants Philippe and Joseph Rousseau who served with Canadian Airborne Forces during WW2. Although Jaqueline died of cancer in 1982, more is known about her than her sister. The Special Operations Executive in Burma 1941-1945 Burma Star - Website of Burma Star Association. One or more aliases for work in the field, a name based on a trade and a cover name for all wireless transmissions. List of female SOE agents SOE F Section networks. When the network was betrayed in 1940, she fled to Portugal and eventually joined SOE in 1942. James Langley who also served with MI9 said, Cole was a con man, thief and utter shit who betrayed his country to the highest bidder for money. It became clear to Odette that Suhren believed he would receive a lesser prison sentence by protecting a relative of Winston Churchill. Code names: Cover Micheline Rabatel. She had been assigned to CLERGYMAN where she would organise resistance across the city of Nantes. 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. Crew on board the, Later become the first Chinese-Canadian MP, Radio Operator - Shelburn Line (Shelbourne Line) Operation Bonaparte, Deported to KL Buchenwald (Jan 1944Jan 45)-. Unable to break her and not being sure whether she was an SOE agent she was sent to Ravensbrck concentration camp where she became friends with Violette Szabo. French. Also, she made no mention of Henri Dricourt! Armenian father and French mother, brother of the RAF fighter ace. Wireless Operator. It was also very dangerous. On 13 January 1944, Gestapo agents arrest SOE agent Yolande Beekman in Saint-Quentin, France. SOE agents (mainly women) were sent to certain capture by either gross incompetence or treachery by the man in charge of the section receiving the morse code msgs. Died in the UK August 1945. However the network was later revived by Francis Suttill, organiser of Prosper. Instrumental in gathering intelligence and important documents such as rations cards for implementing safe houses, routes, and sustenance for field agents. After this operator parachuted into the hands of German forces it became clear the Germans had managed to recovery an SOE wireless and codes. She was also noted for her intelligence and capability of cracking complex ciphers. by Kate Vigurs. This was not unique to France, in most countries under occupation could be found the morally disengaged who were willing to sell members of their communities to the highest bidder and this was often the Gestapo whose reputation for brutality was well known throughout occupied Europe. Harold Cole was born in the east end of London on 24 January 1906 and after leaving . Yes, there was some security probems with the Frech but not to the extstent she suggests and I would not describe the CO as incompetent and the other negative descriptions she levelled at him. Established February 9, 1943 by General Charles de Gaulle awarded to individuals who participated in actions against the Axis powers on French soil. During her training she showed a natural talent for receiving and sending Morse code and became one of F Sections wireless operators. Here they learned a variety of specialist skills such as lock-picking and safe cracking. Susanne Wareneghem and her husband Harold Cole worked for the Pat OLeary Line which was also referred to as the PAT Line, OLeary Line, PAO and PAT, and this underground network was financed by MI9 in London to facilitate escape and evasion of allied soldiers and airmen and is credited for assisting over 5,000 military personnel, mainly consisting of downed aircrews, to escape occupied Belgium and the Netherland and it is thought PAT rescued over 600 allied soldiers and airmen from France. Buy SOE in France: An Account of the Work of the British Special Operations Executive in France 1940-1944 (Government Official History Series) 1 by Foot, M.R.D. Although disbanded in 1946, the Special Operations Executive (SOE) remains one of the most difficult wartime organisations for historians to research. Most highly decorated woman in WWII. Denise Bloch. 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. During the confusion of Operation Dynamo, the emergency evacuation of Dunkirk, his guards were naturally more concerned in surviving the German onslaught than guarding a petty thief and Cole soon found an opportunity to escape, but after being stranded in occupied France instead of attempting to escape to England Cole felt confident he could use the occupation to his advantage and began developing a new scam. Irrespective of gender all agents underwent the same selection and training. In the weeks and months following her arrest, Odette was tortured, beaten, starved almost to death and sentenced to be shot. During the chaos an SS officer entered her cell and told her to come with him, Odette assumed she was going to be shot. Basically, SOE was the weirdo cousin of the legit security services in Britain, and the French Section consisted of agents dropped (literally, via bomber jets) into occupied France in order to perform . The SOE's spies all posed as inhabitants of the places they . After successfully making contact with Peter Churchill (Raoul) who ran the SPINDLE Circuit (who she married after the war), he gave her the address of a contact who was vital for her operation. Her father did not approve, he felt strongly that she should be at home looking after her daughter and this led to several heated argument. also known as Nikolaos Tsenoglou. On the night of 16/17 June she boarded a Lysander at RAF Tangmere in Sussex, bound for a landing field near Angers in north-western France. Apart from the Germany army and the Gestapo, there were collaborators and the German authorities was paying many thousands of francs for information. Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window), Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window), Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window). On 24 June the leader of the neighbouring PROSPER Circuit was arrested along with other members of his team. Although no indication was given as to what the job entailed, Noor wanted to do something more interesting and accepted the position. When she arrived at the address the contact refused to assist her and without his help it was impossible to establish the safe houses. 1911-1943. A former BBC cameraman, he was deeply traumatised by his experiences during the Dunkirk evacuation in 1940. After reporting the situation to Buckmaster Odettes operation was cancelled and he gave permission for her to work with Peter Churchill, she was now a member of SPINDLE. Cole was arrested several times by the Germans but according to witnesses he was never roughly treated and was quickly released, and because his arrest sometimes coincided with the arrest of those he identified to the Gestapo, led to speculation these were orchestrated in an attempt to prevent raising suspicion among members of his network. Role: Wireless Operator (F Section) Circuit: FREELANCE. Suzanne Warenghem (Warren) who served with SOE DF Section in France 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. Alias: Georges Louis. Sixty years after qualifying and being parachuted into occupied France she was finally awarded her wings and remarked, I was tickled pink because I was somewhat muffed that no one thought to give me them all those years ago..(Telegraph 3 September 2015), Recruited: May 1943 (F Section Wireless Operator). 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