The White MouseNancy Wake
Courier. Organiser. A formidable force in the French Resistance.
Australian War Memorial / Public domainThe Special Operations Executive · 1940–1946
The secret war.The people behind it.
Discover the agents, daring missions and resistance networks of the Special Operations Executive. A history that began at a London address — and reached far behind enemy lines.
Their names were once secret. Their stories deserve to be known.
A history worth uncovering
Where will your research begin?
Follow a thread
Explore the secret war
People, places and the connections between them.
Find your way into the history.
01
Agents & their stories
The men and women who stepped into the shadows.
61 articles
02
Operations & missions
The plans, risks and turning points of the secret war.
74 articles
03
Sections & networks
The connections that made resistance possible.
20 articles
04
Training & tradecraft
The skills and equipment of clandestine service.
85 articles
05
Resistance movements
Local courage. Allied support. A shared purpose.
59 articles
06
The SOE, explained
The origins, organisation and legacy of the SOE.
53 articles
Beyond the codenames
Extraordinary lives. Real people.
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Codename: MadeleineNoor Inayat Khan
The wireless operator who kept a vital link to London alive.
IWM HU 74868 / Public domain
Codename: LouiseViolette Szabo
A young agent whose service became a story of extraordinary courage.
IWM HU 16541 / Public domain
Six years that changed history
A short life.
A lasting legacy.
Trace the Special Operations Executive from its formation to the end of a secret war.
Explore the full timelineA secret organisation takes shape.
With Europe at war, the Special Operations Executive is formed to support resistance and conduct sabotage in enemy-occupied territory.
Explore the originsMaking contact behind enemy lines.
Agents, wireless links and local contacts begin building the clandestine networks that connect occupied Europe with London.
Explore SOE in FranceThe networks grow. So do the risks.
Country sections and resistance circuits expand their work, while agents face the constant danger of detection and capture.
Explore F SectionA mission in the Norwegian winter.
Operation Gunnerside targets the heavy water plant at Vemork, becoming one of the best-known sabotage operations of the war.
Read about GunnersideResistance meets the Allied advance.
As the Allies land in Normandy, Jedburgh teams deploy to work with resistance forces behind enemy lines.
Discover the Jedburgh teamsThe war ends. A legacy begins.
The end of the Second World War brings new questions about the future of clandestine warfare and the people who served.
Explore the final wartime yearThe organisation closes. The stories endure.
The SOE is dissolved in January 1946. Its history lives on through personal accounts, surviving records and continued research.
Explore the SOE timelineContinue your discovery
Fresh from the archive
Recently updated stories and research from across the collection.
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Countless connections.
Countless connections.
Start with a question. Follow the evidence.
Every story begins with a source.
Researching an agent, a family connection or an operation? Find your way through personnel files, archival collections and the historical record.