SOE-agents in uniforms?

[Thomas Bendixen]

Hi everyone

Here is a photo showing four known danish SOE-agents as leutenants in the General Service Corps. The picture is taken just after the liberation in may 1945. My knowlegde about brittish regiments is quite limited but I understand that this regiment was for unassigned personel or what? Could someone tell me why these are assigned to the G.S.C. and not the BUFFS, where the danes usually were?

All help is welcome

All the best

Thomas

[Cam_S]

SOE photo

Hello,

SOE- Special Operations Executive

These were the guys who went behind the lines and did all of the covert stuff to mess with the Germans.

I am no expert but I think that they were given the general service badges just to give them a "fake" unit tobelong to. I don't think that there was a SOE cap badge because it would have been a pretty good indicator of who to go after.

I hope this helps.

Cam

[force136]

SOE Question

Hi Thomas

Very nice image. Thanks for posting it. All members of SOE had a choice for insignia. You could wear the insignia of the General List or your parent units insignia. They say this was in order to be inconspicuous. Many women were encouraged to wear uniforms of the womens airforce, the FANY or other female services in the UK. I have a picture of a female SOE wearing an RCAF uniform and she was British and never in the airforce. It must be remembered that SOE was not a traditional military organization, it was under the auspices of the Minister of Economic Warfare.

Just one note, after interviewing surviving members of SOE who helped to establish it beginning in 1940, it was stated that it is better to describe those in SOE as paramilitaries NOT agents. Although early in its history, intelligence gathering was part of its function, this was only to est. circuits behind enemy lines. They were NOT spy's. Many veterans of this organization and authors have utilized this term to glorify the cloak and dagger aspect of SOE however they were first and foremost saboteurs and towards the end of the war that is all they were. The spying by AGENTS was done by SIS and its branches. This is what differentiates between SOE and SIS. In fact when SOE was formed, a conference was held between the SOE Director and Keyes at Combined Operations. This was to ensure a differentiation between the role of SOE and CO Commando and sabotage operations.

That is correct, SOE -never in its existance- ever sanctioned insignia outside of the parachute badge. This too was presented after special guidelines were drafted by SOE. ( of which I have copies and will be in my upcoming book) They did not follow the same parachute syllabus as parachute troops at ringway. Many only completed two or three jumps before going into action. Many of those who were not capable of parachuting and too valuable to drop because of this, were flown in.

Thanks

Ken Joyce

Hi everyone

Here is a photo showing four known danish SOE-agents as leutenants in the General Service Corps. The picture is taken just after the liberation in may 1945. My knowlegde about brittish regiments is quite limited but I understand that this regiment was for unassigned personel or what? Could someone tell me why these are assigned to the G.S.C. and not the BUFFS, where the danes usually were?

All help is welcome

All the best

Thomas

[Jack Dutton-Roberts]

Nice image!

Ken, do you have a release date for your book yet?

Thanks, from Jack.

[Thomas Bendixen]

Hi Ken and Cam

Thanks very much for the info and your time - it clarifies why danish agents wore different regiments uniforms. What confused me is that some danes seems to have joined The Buffs and then were recruited for SOE, while others seems to have only had the uniform of The Buffs as a cover. I can guess that youre writing a book on the subject? I have studied SOE for some weeks now, because the Danish Resistance Museum, where I work, is preparing a new exhibition about Denmark during the occupation. The danish agents seems mostly to have acted as organizers, sabotage and radio instructors - only rarely taking active part in actions.

Cheers Thomas

[force136]

SOE and Books

Hi Jack and Thomas

I know I keep mentioning books on this forum. It may seem a bit far fetched at this point. However I began back in 1994 to write a book on the history-uniforms and insignia of all of Canada's airborne pioneers. This incorporated the 1st Cdn Para Bn, 1st Cdn Special Serv. Bn ( FSSF ) and SOE. It was a small project to begin with but then it expanded as my research expanded at various institutions in Canada, the US and Britain. This meant I had to chop up the subjects. The book on the FSSF will be done soon, thats means printed and on the shelf. The 1CPB book is being published by an investor- I have to wait until a printer can give him a quote before it is done. With all the books recently on 1CPB, it was not easy finding someone to publish it even though nothing based on concrete evidence has ever been done on its uniforms and insignia. The publisher doing the FSSF book is also supposed to release a smaller book shortly after on the uniforms and insignia.

As for SOE, I am hoping to have the last documents out of the UK in a month or so. Although it covers Canadians in SOE, from "F" Section to Force 136, it does contain good info on the overall training of SOE. This includes where training was conducted around the world. Most interesting are the records I located listing the parachute training syllabus and the results achieved by all the Canadians in the UK, Algiers, Palestine, Egypt, India, Australia and in Italy.

There will be short references to insignia and equipment such as jump suits-helmets and other head gear. In truth, SOE did not wear a lot of insignia. The parachute badges of the UK-Canada-US-Australia being covered. The only authorized formation badges worn appear to be the patch of South East Asia Command. Others were worn- however unofficially. I also get in depth into the true history of the Special Force Headquaters and the SF wing.

Anyway- I can't really explain why the Danes were placed in the Buff's? was there some affiliation to Denmark? was it a uniform suggested by SOE while men were under contract at the War Office and placed on the General List?? Whatever the circumstances, as stated, they could wear the badges of the General List ( which was made up of many lists depending on the circumstance of the officer or OR ) or whatever unit they initially came from. Maybe for security reasons, they later did not want them wearing any distinguishing badges of Danish forces??

From what I have on the Canadians- foreign personnel where initially discharged from their native service and re-enlisted in the UK forces. This did not stop them wearing Canadian uniforms however. Later in the case of Canada an agreement was signed with the War Office placing Canadians-on loan- to the War Office for a one month test period. Then if this went well, an additional six month period. The War Office could then ask to extend this. These men remained part of the Canadian Army. A similar situation may have been for the Danes?

Have you ever seen Danish SOE in uniforms with Danish insignia? I know Norwegians wore Norwegian insignia, French their insignia, Belgians theirs and so on.

Anyway glad to be of some assistance.

Ken

Nice image!

Ken, do you have a release date for your book yet?

Thanks, from Jack.

[force136]

Danish SOE

Hi Again Thomas

If you really want to locate the meat of Danish involvement in SOE I suggest to look at the UK National Archives site. You can check on-line. If you have names of personnel-operation names-etc etc you can check and see whats there. What you said was the primary purpose of SOE however many led the resistance forces in fighting. Many of the resistance groups having little if any experience, they required someone with knowhow. Later in the war when things were shifting to more offensive operations this was taken over by SFHQ and SPOC. They dropped the Jedburgh teams as well as a myriad of other special teams whose purpose now was to fight openly with the resistance. What used to be plain clothed SOE were now jumping with their uniforms to fight.

Ken

Hi Ken and Cam

Thanks very much for the info and your time - it clarifies why danish agents wore different regiments uniforms. What confused me is that some danes seems to have joined The Buffs and then were recruited for SOE, while others seems to have only had the uniform of The Buffs as a cover. I can guess that youre writing a book on the subject? I have studied SOE for some weeks now, because the Danish Resistance Museum, where I work, is preparing a new exhibition about Denmark during the occupation. The danish agents seems mostly to have acted as organizers, sabotage and radio instructors - only rarely taking active part in actions.

Cheers Thomas