Description
In this Conversation, we’ll examine the lesser-known story of the bravery and fortitude of Churchill’s Secret Army, the members of the British wartime agency known as the Special Operations Executive (SOE). Established in 1940, the SOE would conduct espionage and sabotage with a bid to undermining the Third Reich.
Under director of operations Brigadier Colin Gubbins, the SOE parachuted into occupied Europe, travelled to Yugoslavia to assist the ‘Chetnik’ resistance, trained the assassins who would go on to kill Hitler’s henchman Reinhard Heydrich, armed the French resistance, and an awful lot more. We will discuss the nerves of steel of the SOE’s top operatives, including Violette Szabo who parachuted into France to sabotage German lines of communication during the D-Day landings; Nancy Wake, "The White Mouse", who helped downed Allied airmen evade capture by the Germans and bicycled through war-torn Europe as a message courier; and the one-legged American spy Virginia "Artemis" Hall, central to the SOE’s network in France and regarded by the Gestapo as the most dangerous Allied agent.
Led by an expert on Third Reich and WWII history, Dr. Finn Ballard, this Conversation will illuminate the schemes - and occasional absurdities - of the 'Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare.' Designed to inform curiosity as well as future travels, participants will come away with an increased understanding of WWII espionage and particularly of the courage of the SOE's female agents.
This Conversation is a perfect companion to Finn's other Conversation: The Women Who Fought WWII!
Under director of operations Brigadier Colin Gubbins, the SOE parachuted into occupied Europe, travelled to Yugoslavia to assist the ‘Chetnik’ resistance, trained the assassins who would go on to kill Hitler’s henchman Reinhard Heydrich, armed the French resistance, and an awful lot more. We will discuss the nerves of steel of the SOE’s top operatives, including Violette Szabo who parachuted into France to sabotage German lines of communication during the D-Day landings; Nancy Wake, "The White Mouse", who helped downed Allied airmen evade capture by the Germans and bicycled through war-torn Europe as a message courier; and the one-legged American spy Virginia "Artemis" Hall, central to the SOE’s network in France and regarded by the Gestapo as the most dangerous Allied agent.
Led by an expert on Third Reich and WWII history, Dr. Finn Ballard, this Conversation will illuminate the schemes - and occasional absurdities - of the 'Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare.' Designed to inform curiosity as well as future travels, participants will come away with an increased understanding of WWII espionage and particularly of the courage of the SOE's female agents.
This Conversation is a perfect companion to Finn's other Conversation: The Women Who Fought WWII!
About Your Expert
Finn grew up in Northern Ireland before moving to England to study and later teach in the department of Film and Literature at the University of Warwick. He completed his doctoral study on German folklore and popular cinema in 2012, and has published extensively in the fields of Film Studies and Gender Studies. Since 2008, he has been living and guiding in Berlin. He now works as a historical advisor for television and film productions set in Berlin, particularly during the Weimar era or Third Reich. He is a journalist for the 'Siegessauele', Europe's foremost Queer magazine, and organises events at Berlin's English-language bookstore 'Another Country'.
Audience
This conversation is suitable for all ages.
Duration
90 minutes, including a 30 minute Q&A.