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Secret War: The Story of SOE
The author of The Kompromat Conspiracy reveals the truth behind Great Britain’s secret World War II group.
What did SOE really achieve during the Second World War? Why were so many agents parachuted into enemy hands? Who chose to back Communist guerrillas in Yugoslavia, Hungary, Romania, Albania, Greece and Malaya in preference to other anti-Axis movements? In this newly revised edition, Nigel West strips away the secrecy that has surrounded the Special Operations Executive since it was officially wound up in 1946, and reveal the breathtaking political naivety, operational incompetence, and ruthless manipulation. Despite the heroism of individual agents who suffered appalling privation to further the organization’s dubious objectives, there is an underlying tragedy of dreadful proportions.
Secret War is a detailed analysis of SOE’s structure and performance and describes its successes and failures across the globe. The book casts doubt on the official histories authorized by the Cabinet Office, offers evidence of the setbacks that jeopardized D-Day, and gives an account of the paramilitary units dropped behind enemy lines immediately after the invasion, which saved SOE’s reputation.
This book is a highly provocative but authoritative history of the organization that existed for less than six years but had a lasting impact on the world’s postwar development.
“ Secret War is important, even necessary in political terms.” — Financial Times
What did SOE really achieve during the Second World War? Why were so many agents parachuted into enemy hands? Who chose to back Communist guerrillas in Yugoslavia, Hungary, Romania, Albania, Greece and Malaya in preference to other anti-Axis movements? In this newly revised edition, Nigel West strips away the secrecy that has surrounded the Special Operations Executive since it was officially wound up in 1946, and reveal the breathtaking political naivety, operational incompetence, and ruthless manipulation. Despite the heroism of individual agents who suffered appalling privation to further the organization’s dubious objectives, there is an underlying tragedy of dreadful proportions.
Secret War is a detailed analysis of SOE’s structure and performance and describes its successes and failures across the globe. The book casts doubt on the official histories authorized by the Cabinet Office, offers evidence of the setbacks that jeopardized D-Day, and gives an account of the paramilitary units dropped behind enemy lines immediately after the invasion, which saved SOE’s reputation.
This book is a highly provocative but authoritative history of the organization that existed for less than six years but had a lasting impact on the world’s postwar development.
“ Secret War is important, even necessary in political terms.” — Financial Times
- GenresWorld War IINonfiction
320 pages, Paperback
First published February 18, 1993
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
November 14, 2022
The sub-title is more accurate than the title. This isn't an official history – but it reads like one, being much ore concerned with who ran which sections, the committees and organograms of SOE than with the actual secret war it prosecuted so well.
Some of the in-fighting described is inevitable, such as the tensions between SOE and MI6. An intelligence service needs quiet; a sabotage service is devoted to exactly the opposite, and so tends to disrupt intelligence-gathering by attracting the attentions of counter-intelligence services. This explains, but doesn't excuse, the hostility and machinations of MI6, which created a bureaucratic war weakening the abilities of both services to fight the actual war. It's an interesting case study in how hard it is to create organisations, even when involved in an existential fight.
Some of the in-fighting described is inevitable, such as the tensions between SOE and MI6. An intelligence service needs quiet; a sabotage service is devoted to exactly the opposite, and so tends to disrupt intelligence-gathering by attracting the attentions of counter-intelligence services. This explains, but doesn't excuse, the hostility and machinations of MI6, which created a bureaucratic war weakening the abilities of both services to fight the actual war. It's an interesting case study in how hard it is to create organisations, even when involved in an existential fight.
April 8, 2022
No doubt well researched but more concerned with admin and who was sat at which desk then how any operations were carried out. Largely I found this to be quite a dull book.
There are so many names thrown at the reader I can hardly remember who the key figures were.
West removes a lot of the romance that other books covering the SOE create. He acknowledges its failures where others seek only to celebrate the Bond-esque elements of the organisation. However he also critiques some European leaders based on what seems to be more of a difference of personal ideologies rather than performance.
There are so many names thrown at the reader I can hardly remember who the key figures were.
West removes a lot of the romance that other books covering the SOE create. He acknowledges its failures where others seek only to celebrate the Bond-esque elements of the organisation. However he also critiques some European leaders based on what seems to be more of a difference of personal ideologies rather than performance.
March 2, 2022
Nigel West has written an interesting if bewilderingly comprehensive account of SOE's activities in WWII. This is all the more impressive as the organisation was, by its very nature, highly secretive, and - despite many of its operatives having published memoirs and the like - much of its own documentary paper-trail was destroyed by those involved.
A couple of quotes from the book itself and some of those quoted therein give a flavour of what to expect: from the broader context, itself an 'alphabet soup of secret organisations, each with overlapping responsibilities and minimal coordination' (p49-50), to the SOE itself - 'all these people with odd initials and numbers which puzzle me more than the enemy' (Sir Alexander Cadogan, permanent under-secretary at the Foreign Office, 1938-46, p68) - it's a confusing subject.
The narrative hops around a lot geographically, starting with the founding of SOE, and even including a reproduction of the 'previously unpublished' Charter of this government sanctioned fomenter of 'violence mayhem and murder' (Jack Beevor, p1).
We're barraged with information on SOE's composition and personnel in England, and the confusing aforementioned ‘alphabet soup’ of 'sections' responsible for the various overseas ops, before we trot around the globe following the exhaustingly labyrinthine doings of the mostly businessmen and the like - 'enthusiastic amateurs' as they're often disparagingly referred to - and their at times vaudevillian antics.
It's striking how much this whole area of skullduggery appears to have been the preserve of an establishment elite, Oxbridge chaps with double-barrelled surnames, most of whom have either military of business backgrounds, sometimes both.
Most, one might assume, would likely be Tory types. And indeed most were. But one of the surprises herein is how often there were leftists, even outright Communists within this organisation (and others), eventually leading Churchill to pursue his own British Empire style 'purges', to be rid of such irksome 'moles'.
Several themes run throughout the entire book: one concerns the internecine strife 'twixt SIS and SOE, the former the intelligence gathering branch of the secret service, and the latter the 'black-ops' department. Another has to do with the confusion and duplication of efforts such a scenario necessarily engendered. And a third focuses on the 'breathtaking... political naivety' which saw SOE (and SIS, OSS, etc) getting involved in complex political imbroglios in sensitive and volatile areas.
Whilst the constant barrage of names, abbreviations, code- and place-names is overwhelming and exhausting (the omission of a glossary/list of abbreviations is a capital sin!), there's always a just about enough frisson of the whole James Bond thing to keep things sufficiently interesting.
Numerous operations never transpired, many were bungled, and there were some great successes. Within all this one encounters both stories one has met before, such as those made into books and films (two that spring to mind are Heroes of Telemark, and the Cretan Leigh-Fermor German general kidnapping is escapade), as well as many that are new. Or new to me at least.
I'd certainly recommend this to those interested in such cloak and dagger doings. But I also feel that a better way into this murky and muddled area is through stories of particular individuals or events. And this leaves me wondering if I ought not perhaps read some of that Agent ZigZag type stuff?
A couple of quotes from the book itself and some of those quoted therein give a flavour of what to expect: from the broader context, itself an 'alphabet soup of secret organisations, each with overlapping responsibilities and minimal coordination' (p49-50), to the SOE itself - 'all these people with odd initials and numbers which puzzle me more than the enemy' (Sir Alexander Cadogan, permanent under-secretary at the Foreign Office, 1938-46, p68) - it's a confusing subject.
The narrative hops around a lot geographically, starting with the founding of SOE, and even including a reproduction of the 'previously unpublished' Charter of this government sanctioned fomenter of 'violence mayhem and murder' (Jack Beevor, p1).
We're barraged with information on SOE's composition and personnel in England, and the confusing aforementioned ‘alphabet soup’ of 'sections' responsible for the various overseas ops, before we trot around the globe following the exhaustingly labyrinthine doings of the mostly businessmen and the like - 'enthusiastic amateurs' as they're often disparagingly referred to - and their at times vaudevillian antics.
It's striking how much this whole area of skullduggery appears to have been the preserve of an establishment elite, Oxbridge chaps with double-barrelled surnames, most of whom have either military of business backgrounds, sometimes both.
Most, one might assume, would likely be Tory types. And indeed most were. But one of the surprises herein is how often there were leftists, even outright Communists within this organisation (and others), eventually leading Churchill to pursue his own British Empire style 'purges', to be rid of such irksome 'moles'.
Several themes run throughout the entire book: one concerns the internecine strife 'twixt SIS and SOE, the former the intelligence gathering branch of the secret service, and the latter the 'black-ops' department. Another has to do with the confusion and duplication of efforts such a scenario necessarily engendered. And a third focuses on the 'breathtaking... political naivety' which saw SOE (and SIS, OSS, etc) getting involved in complex political imbroglios in sensitive and volatile areas.
Whilst the constant barrage of names, abbreviations, code- and place-names is overwhelming and exhausting (the omission of a glossary/list of abbreviations is a capital sin!), there's always a just about enough frisson of the whole James Bond thing to keep things sufficiently interesting.
Numerous operations never transpired, many were bungled, and there were some great successes. Within all this one encounters both stories one has met before, such as those made into books and films (two that spring to mind are Heroes of Telemark, and the Cretan Leigh-Fermor German general kidnapping is escapade), as well as many that are new. Or new to me at least.
I'd certainly recommend this to those interested in such cloak and dagger doings. But I also feel that a better way into this murky and muddled area is through stories of particular individuals or events. And this leaves me wondering if I ought not perhaps read some of that Agent ZigZag type stuff?
January 27, 2015
This was very interesting, but a bit heavy going in places. Obviously the author has done a lot of research into a difficult an secretive subject. I came away with renewed respect for the brave4ry of those involved - though not always for the competence of those organising missions. And a surprise was the great effectiveness of the Italian secret service. All you ever hear is how rubbish the Italian army was, but clearly they could do some things correctly. My only real complaint is that we learn a lot about who was in charge of what - lists of who organised weapons drops in Normandy, who trained agents for Yugoslavia and so forth - but then never hear of them again. Nevertheless a good solid book about SOE and its works.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews