By the summer of 1940, as France fell and war raged across Europe, the invasion of Britain once unthinkable seemed all but inevitable. It would take fresh thinking and bold moves to turn the tide of the war: a challenge that Churchill and his Cabinet would be set to conquer in no small part due to their formation of a fifth column. The Special Operations Executive (SOE) was soon born, its purpose to hamstring the enemy from the shadows. Agents drawn from diverse professions and countries were trained in subversion and espionage before being dropped behind enemy lines to mobilise resistance and disrupt the occupying forces. From local operations in France and wider Europe, SOEs missions would spread worldwide to pave the way for D-Day and help halt the Axis war machine in its tracks. SOE in 100 Objects picks up the clues they left behind a button compass in Greece, a silk map in Burma and follows their trail across land and sea, from moonlight flights to high-risk missions and, ultimately, hard-won liberation.
Arvustused
This ambitious objectification of SOE history encompasses everything from the fish oil needed to create nitroglycerine to dead rats stuffed with explosives, from a Lysander aircraft to a 'Shetland bus, and from heavy water to the blackmarket silkworm cocoons essential for making parachutes. Collectively they create a material history that is at once deeply telling and lightly told. -- Clare Mulley, author of 'The Spy Who Loved', 'The Women Who Flew for Hitler', and 'Agent Zo: The Untold Story of Fearless Second World War Resistance Fighter, Elbieta Zawacka'. Based on a wide variety of objects and events, this book provides fascinating insights into the workings of the Special Operations Executive (SOE) and its associates. Well-researched and engagingly written, this is an essential book for those interested in SOE and undercover operations. -- Alexander Stilwell, author of 'The Comet Escape Line' SOE in 100 Objects brings fresh insight to the inner workings of Churchill's most secret department. A fascinating and worthy addition to the history of SOE and the people who risked everything to resist the Nazis. -- Sophie Jackson, author of 'SOEs Balls of Steel'
Muu info
Exploring 100 objects that open windows into the secret world of SOE, from button compasses to exploding rats
BELINDA CURWEN is an editor, writer and historian, with a BA in the history of art and architecture and an MA in classical culture and philosophy. As an editor, she has specialised in design-led illustrated publishing, both mainstream and heritage, especially object-led cultural histories, such as those of the British Museum, British Library, National Portrait Gallery, BBC and DK. Her interest in SOE stems from the timeless fight for freedom at the heart of the SOE story, alongside the pioneering ingenuity of SOEs Q creatives and the inspiring courage of its undercover operatives. She was also intrigued by some clues left behind by two family relations: her father who served as an SOE agent in Greece and his cousin who was a military historian.
