Section D for Destruction: Forerunner of Soe and Auxiliary Units - Couverture souple

Atkin, Malcolm

Couverture souple

ISBN 10 : 139907766X ISBN 13 : 9781399077668

Editeur : Pen & Sword Military, 2023

Synopsis

The first comprehensive history of Section D since the release of secret documents on its operations into the public domain.

UPDATED EDITION of the ground-breaking 2017 publication that offered the first comprehensive account of the work of Section D of the Secret Intelligence Service.

When Neville Chamberlain made his famous 'Peace in Our Time' statement in 1938, he may not have been aware that a new section of the Secret Intelligence Service, Section D, was already making plans to mount a political and sabotage war against Nazi Germany.This new form of warfare encompassed bribery, black propaganda and sabotage by agents described as having no morals or scruples. It disregarded the conventions of neutrality and was prepared to hit the Nazi state wherever it could do most damage.

A scientific section was established to develop new types of weapons, and membership was extended beyond the traditional public-school 'old boy network' of British intelligence to work with German and Austrian resistance groups - socialists, trade unionists, Catholics and Jews.Section D's plans ranged from leaflet campaigns in Germany, the sabotage of railways, factories and ports through to plans to block the River Danube by blowing up a mountain and an attempt to introduce foot and mouth disease into German cattle herds. Some aspects of the story are reminiscent of a Childers or Buchan novel - but they are true!

The work of Section D prepared the way for the creation of resistance organisations in occupied Western Europe and was the forerunner of the Special Operations Executive (SOE). It also paved the way for the Auxiliary Units guerrilla force in Britain. As such, Section D represents a key stage in the development of irregular warfare.

A propos du livre

À propos de l?auteur

Malcolm Atkin is a former head of the Historic Environment and Archaeology Service for Worcestershire. After becoming a leading authority on the English Civil War, he has more recently made a special study of home defense and the development of British intelligence during the Second World War. His many publications include Cromwell's Crowning Mercy: The Battle of Worcester, The Civil War in Evesham: A Storm of Fire and Leaden Hail, Worcestershire Under Arms, Worcester 1651, Fighting Nazi Occupation: British Resistance 1939-1945, Myth and Reality: the Second World War Auxiliary Units and Section D for Destruction: Forerunner of SOE.

Détails de l'édition

• Éditeur: Pen & Sword Military
• Date d'édition: 2023
• Langue: anglais
• ISBN 10: 139907766X
• ISBN 13: 9781399077668
• Reliure: Broché
• Nombre de pages: 280
• Coordonnées du fabricant: non disponible
• Personne responsable: non disponible