An Cosantóir

www.military.ie the defence forces magazine | 31 armed them and then began organising cells, which in turn recruited others. Attacks against Axis forces were not only carried out by resistance groups but also by SOE agents supported by British Commandos. One such mission was an attack against the Norsk-Hydro heavy water plant at Vermork on the night of 27/28 February 1943. The Germans needed heavy water for the production of an atomic bomb. Ten saboteurs infiltrated the plant by climbing down a ravine that the Germans had deemed impassable and had left unguarded. Setting their charges they withdrew, destroying the plant and delay- ing the Axis project considerably. While sabotage and reconnaissance played a major role for SOE agents, there were other operations that are less well documented. These included the assassi- nation of high profile figures. One such mission was conducted by Josef Gabcik and Jan Kubis who were hand-picked to carry out Operation Anthropoid; the assassination of the deputy SS chief Reinhart Heydrich, in Prague. The SOE planned the mass killing of a number of German officials in October 1943 but although agents and weapons were dropped into occupied countries, the mission was shelved due to the fear of reprisals against civilians. However a number of 'hits' did take place, some sanctioned others not. In Operation Ratweek in February 1944, attacks took place in France, Belgium, Holland, Denmark and Norway, where high-ranking officials were gunned down. One operative in Lyon accounted for the killing of 11 Ge- stapo officers. Three women operatives became well known for their missions. Lise de Baissac was one of the first women to parachute into France. Her mission was to scout convenient drop zones and landing strips. When her cover was compromised she was forced to return to Eng- land but later returned and operated in Normandy, sabotaging the rail network and establishing new resistance groups in the area. Cecile Pearl Witherington was dropped into France in 1943 where she delivered coded messages to radio operators. When the leader of the SOE in her area of operations was captured Pearl took over the group. She commanded an estimated 1,500 resistance fighters and in the months leading up to D Day was responsible for organising the destruction of miles of railway lines and attacking German supply routes. She survived the war and lived to 91, receiving her parachute wings in 2006. Another operative, Andree Borrel, was not so fortunate. She set up an underground railway between France and Spain that enabled downed aircrews to escape and was appointed second-in-com- mand of the Paris resistance. After being captured in an attack on a power station she was tortured but refused divulge information on her cell. She was sent to a concentra- tion camp and, as with many opera- tives, sentenced to death. She was administered a lethal injection but survived the dosage and came to as she was being piled into a furnace for cremation. She tried to escape but due to her weak con- dition could not overcome the guard and was cremated alive. After the war, her killers were executed by the Allies for war crimes. While it may be understandable that the SOE was considered a criminal organisation by its German enemies, it may be more surprising to know that they were not liked by some of their col- leagues in England who believed that their tactics were ungentle- manly and that their methods were underhanded and despicable. Many historians believe that the idea for such an organisation has its roots in the Irish War of Independence with Michael Collins and his Squad, who fought a clandestine war against the British, causing havoc throughout the country, and using an extensive intel- ligence network to identify and assassinate high- profile targets and sabotage British rule in Ireland. There have been numerous books and films based on the daring exploits of the Special Op- erations Executive, and some believe that the group in- spired Ian Fleming to come up with his James Bond character. B2 radio set in Besançon Museum of the Resistance and Deportation, France. A memorial to SOE agents was unveiled on the Albert Embankment, by Lambeth Palace, in London in October 2009. Christine Granville (born Maria Krystyna Janina Skarbek in Poland), recruited by SOE in 1941, acted as a courier during WWII and survived the war. Capt George Alfred Wilkinson, code name 'Étienne', who parachuted into France on 5th April 1944. He was arrested on 26th June 1944 and died on 5th October 1944, aged 31.

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