Oss Soe
Oss Soe
WWII question??? Really easy 10 points.?
What is the SOE and OSS? It says in my book that women secret agents worked for them and I just want to know what it is. Thanks!
SOE
Special Operations Executive (SOE) was formed in Britain in July 1940 after the Germans invaded France. Its roles was to "foster passive and active resistance to enemy occupation forces by the inhabitants of lands which were overrun."
SOE's main activities included:-
- Non-cooperation
- Industrial Sabotage
- Ambushes
- Guerrilla Warfare
- Training and arming of secret armies
SOE agents were sent to any country under the occupation of Nazi Germany including France, Belgium, Netherlands, Poland, Denmark and Yugoslavia. The SOE was extremely active in helping the French Resistance.
In April 1942, Winston Churchill gave his approval for women in the SOE to be sent into Europe. It was argued that women would less conspicuous than men. In countries such as France women were expected to be out and around whereas the Gestapo were suspicious of men on the streets. Women were used as couriers and wireless operators. Women were never sent to Europe as circuit leaders although Pearl Witherington became leader of the Wrestler Network after the arrest of Maurice Southgate in May 1944. She organized over 1,500 members of the Maquis and they played an important role fighting the German Army during the D-Day landings.
OSS.
The Office of Strategic Services (OSS) was created by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in July 1942. The OSS replaced the former American intelligence system, Office of the Coordinator of Information (OCI) that was considered to be ineffective. Roosevelt selected Colonel William Donovan as the first director of the organization, who had spent some time studying the Special Operations Executive (SOE), an organization set up by the British government in July 1940.
William Donovan was given the rank of major general and during the Second World War he built up a team of 16,000 agents working behind enemy lines. The growth of the OSS brought conflict with John Edgar Hoover who saw it as a rival to the Federal Bureau of Investigation. At its peak in late 1944, OSS employed almost 13,000 men and women.
The OSS was disbanded in October 1945 and was eventually replaced by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).
US $80.00
