SOE Heroines: The Special Operations Executive's French Section and Free French Women Agents

During World War II, the French section of the British SOE sent 38 female agents into France on dangerous missions. Most were trained in paramilitary warfare, and their task was to work with resistance movements before and after D-Day. Only two of the twelve captured agents survived, and the others were executed or tortured by the Gestapo.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 416 pages
Publication date: 15 October 2021
Publisher: Amberley Publishing

During the Second World War, the French section of Britain's Special Operations Executive (SOE) dispatched a remarkable contingent of nearly forty female agents. These women, ranging in age from 19 to 53, received rigorous training in various disciplines, including paramilitary warfare, fieldcraft, weaponry, explosives, sabotage, silent killing, parachuting, codes, cyphers, wireless transmission, and reception. Their mission was to collaborate with resistance movements in France, both prior to and following D-Day. Bernard OConnor, utilizing recently declassified government documents, personnel files, mission reports, and memoirs, delves into the accounts of these 38 remarkable women, including Odette Sansom, Denise Colin, and Cécile Pichard. Tragically, of the twelve who were captured, only two managed to survive. The rest met their demise, some subjected to brutal torture by the sadistic officers of the Gestapo. This is their story, a testament to the bravery and resilience of these women who risked everything to aid the Allied cause.

Weight: 342g
Dimension: 130 x 195 x 37 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781398103382