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See also: SOE F Section timeline and List of female SOE agents

These are the networks, also known as circuits, (réseaux in French) established in France by F Section of the British Special Operations Executive during World War II. The clandestine networks were "dedicated to encourage and aid resistance" to the German occupation of the country. Activities might include gathering intelligence, organizing and supplying indigenous resistance groups, and sabotaging transportation, communications, and industrial facilities. A typical SOE network had three personnel: (1) Circuit organiser: leader, planner, and recruiter of new members. 2) Wireless Radio Operator: send and receive wireless messages to and from SOE headquarters in London, encode and decode messages, maintain wireless sets. (3) Courier or messenger: travel between organiser, wireless operator, and resistance groups to deliver and receive messages, and, on occasion, deliver explosives and other equipment. Large networks sometimes had more than one courier and wireless operator.[1]

Each network was given a name and each individual belonging to the network had one or more code names and aliases which he always used in France. For example, SOE organiser George Reginald Starr was the organiser of the Wheelwright network and known as "Hilaire" to French contacts in the resistance and to other SOE personnel.[2]

Nearly fifty SOE networks were operating in France when the country was liberated from German control in 1944. Forty-three circuits were no longer existent at that time of which 31 had been destroyed by the Germans. Many agents served in more than one network and had more the one code name. [3]

Approximately 470 SOE agents served in France during World War II.[4] The Valençay SOE Memorial in Valençay, France lists the names of 91 men and 13 women who were killed or died in prison while serving as SOE agents.[5]

Networks, operations, and personnel

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Acolyte

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June 1943 – September 1944

  • Robert Lyon {Adrien), organiser (also known as Gilbert Calvert)
  • Jean Coleman (Victor), organiser
  • Robert Martin, real name: Albert Grinberg (Ibis), wireless operator

Acrobat

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Operated August to October 1942; May to July 1943.

  • Harry Rée — worked with Acrobat before taking charge of Stockbroker
  • Diana Rowden — courier. Arrived in France 17 June 1943. Captured, executed.
  • John Renshaw Starr — organiser. Arrived in France 29 August 1942. Captured, survived.
  • John Cuthbert Young – wireless operator. Arrived in France 20 May 1943. Captured, executed.

Actor

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May 1944 – September 1944

Adolph

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Operated in the region of Tours, Orléans and Vierzon, attached to Physician/Prosper in late 1942.

  • Pierre Culioli – organiser
  • Yvonne Rudellat — courier. Arrived in France 30 July 1942. Captured and died in captivity. Also in Monkeypuzzle circuit.

Alpes/Maritime (mission)

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Operated August 1944

  • Christian Sorensen - saboteur. Arrived in France 3 August 1944. Captured, rescued by Christine Granville.

Archdeacon

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A network which was meant to be established by Frank Pickersgill and John Kenneth Macalister, who were both captured in June 1943 immediately upon arrival in France. The network became an operation run by the Germans.

Joseph Placke, an assistant in the wireless section at 84 Avenue Foch, impersonated Pickersgill, and MacAlister's captured radio and codes were used to transmit false messages to London, arranging parachute drops of supplies, which of course fell into German hands. The fake operation continued until May 1944 and resulted in the capture of a sabotage instructor and six other agents sent to join the network.

Asymptote

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Operation Asymptote was mounted in February 1944, while the Operational Instructions[6] were quite clear, the disguised objective was to rescue two agents Émile Bollaert and Pierre Brossolette who had been captured on 2 February 1944 while trying to leave Brittany by boat. F. F. E. Yeo-Thomas (alias Shelley, alias Asymptote alias Cheval) and Maurice Lostrie (alias Trieur) were dropped on the night of 24 February 1944 by a RAF Halifax of 161 Squadron on DZ (Drop-zone) Sarrall, 16km NE of Montluçon, Allier. Yeo-Thomas was captured by the Gestapo on 21 March 1944. Brossolette died while trying to escape the next day.

Author

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Operated from October 1943 to August 1944.

  • Harry Peulevé — organiser
  • Jacques Poirier – organiser
  • Cyril Arthur Watney – wireless operator. Arrived 16 October 1943 and later worked with Footman Network.

Autogiro

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The first SOE network, organised in Paris by Pierre de Vomécourt in May 1941, but destroyed in May 1942 after being betrayed by Mathilde Carre.

  • Georges Bégué — wireless operator; the first SOE agent in France, arriving by parachute the night of 5/6 May 1941.[7][8]
  • Noel Fernand Rauol Burdeyron (real name, Norman F. Burley) — agent, single-handedly derailed German supply train by pulling up a rail, Autogiro's only successful attack
  • Christopher Burney — assigned to assist Burdeyron
  • Marcel Clech — wireless operator
  • Raymond Henry Flower
  • Pierre de Vomécourt — organiser

Bergamote

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Operated in Creuse from June to September 1944

  • Jack Thomas Shannon - saboteur. Arrived in France 27 June 1944. OSS, Jedburgh team, survived.

Bricklayer

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A small network specialised in the economical and financial matters in view of the allied landing on D-Day. The French members were mainly businessmen, lawyers, bankers and engineers.

Butler

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Operational in Sarthe Department from March to September 1943

  • Marcel Rousset - wireless operator. Arrived in France 24 March 1943. Captured, escaped 8 June 1944.

Carver

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Operated from April to September 1944 near Angoulême

  • Charles Henri Lucien Corbin – organiser.
  • Allyre Sirois - wireless operator. Arrived in France 3 March 1944. Survived.

Chestnut

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Operated from June 1942 to July 1943

  • Roland Dowlen – wireless operator
  • William Grover-Williams — organiser
  • Marcel Uget. Local recruit, survived capture and imprisonment.

Cinema

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Clergyman

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Corsican

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Operated July to September 1942

  • Daniel Turberville - saboteur. Arrived in France on 10 October 1941, captured immediately but later escaped.

Detective

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Operated from November 1942 to June 1943 and September 1943 to September 1944

  • Denise Bloch — wireless operator, 1943–1945
  • Henri Sevenet - organiser. Arrived in France 26 August 1942, killed in action 20 July 1944.

Dietician

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Operated from May to August 1944.

Digger

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  • Charles Beauclerk – wireless operator
  • Emile Gerschel – instructor
  • Peter Lake
  • Jacques Poirier – organiser

Diplomat

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Operated in the Aube from October 1943 to August 1944

  • Maurice Dupont - organiser.
  • Jacques Taschereau - assistant. Arrived in France 13 June 1944.
  • Paul Emile Thibeault - arms instructor. Arrived in France 13 June 1944

Ditcher

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Operated in Saone-et-Loire from October 1943 to September 1944

  • Jean Renaud-Dandicolle, (aka John Danby)
  • Guy D'Artois — organiser
  • Jean Tabourin - local recruit. Survived.

Donkeyman

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A network organised following the collapse of Autogiro and built on the remnants of Carte. It had small groups over the whole of France.

Eucalyptus

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Operated in Vercors Massif area from July to August 1944

  • Phillipe Saillard - wireless operator. Arrived 6 July 1944. Survived.

Facade

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Operated from November 1941 to June 1942.

  • André Simon. Arrived in France 6 May 1942. Captured and released.
  • Gilbert Turck - wireless operator, organiser. Arrived in France on 7 August 1941, captured, survived.

Farmer

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A network in the Lille area active from December 1942 until September 1944.

  • Francois Reeve - saboteur
  • Arthur Staggs – wireless operator. Arrived in France 18 November 1942, captured, survived.
  • Michael Trotobas – organiser. Arrived in France 6 September 1941, captured, escaped, later killed in action.

Farrier

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Operated from January 1943 to February 1944. An operation to organise aircraft landings and the reception of agents sent by such means.

  • Juliane Aisner — courier
  • Marcel Remy Clement – assistant
  • Henri Déricourt — organiser
  • Adher Pierre Arthur (Andre) Watt – wireless operator. Arrived 16 October 1943

Fireman

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  • Alexander Campbell – assistant
  • Edmund Mayer – organiser
  • Percy Mayer – organiser
  • Patricia O'Sullivan — wireless operator

Footman

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Operated from January to September 1944.

  • George Hiller — organiser
  • Cyril Arthur Watney – wireless operator. Arrived 16 October 1943 and worked initially with Author Network.
  • William Hawk Daniels – OSS instructor
  • Richard Pinder – instructor
  • Guy S. Songy – OSS instructor. Arrived in France 30 July 1944. Survived.

Freelance

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Operated in Allier and adjacent departments from May to September 1944

  • John Alsop – instructor
  • Andre Michael Bloch – instructor
  • Rene Dussaq – assistant
  • John Farmer – organiser
  • Denis Rake – wireless operator
  • Reeve Schley - instructor. Arrived in France 8 August 1944. Survived.
  • Nancy Wake — courier. Arrived in France 30 April 1944. Formerly with Pat O'Leary Escape Line.

Gondolier

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Operated from December 1943 to September 1944

  • Paul Sarrette - organiser. Arrived in France 23 December 1943. Killed in an explosion 5 September 1944
  • Huge Davidson Sillito - saboteur. Arrived in France 31 August 1944. Survived.

Headmaster

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Heckler/Saint

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Heckler: August 1941 to November 1942, Saint: April 1944 to August 1944

  • Paul Goillot – organiser
  • Virginia Hall - creator of Heckler, wireless operator of Saint
  • Henri L. Laussucq aka Henri Lassot
  • Henry Riley – organiser

Historian

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Operated from April to August 1944.

  • Nicholas Allington – assistant
  • Lilian Rolfe — wireless operator
  • André Studler – assistant. American, also with OSS, arrived in France on 6 April 1944. Captured, escaped.
  • George Alfred Wilkinson – organiser. Arrived in France 05/04/1944; captured and executed.

Inventor

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A sub-circuit of the Physician network.

Jockey

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Operated in south-east France from May 1943 to September 1944.

Juggler

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Operated from July to August 1943. The "Jewish Network," A sub-circuit of Physician, operating from Châlons-sur-Marne, east of Paris. It also had headquarters in the rue Cambon, near the Place de la Concorde. Also known as Robin.

  • Gustave Cohen – wireless operator
  • Sonya Olschanezky — courier
  • Jacques Weil – second in command
  • Jean Alexandre Worms (aka Jean de Verieux) — organiser. Arrived 20/05/1943; captured, executed.

Labourer

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  • Elisee Allard (aka Charles Montaigne)
  • Pierre Geelen (also known by the surnames Garde and Grandjean)
  • Marcel Leccia (aka Georges Louis) — organiser
  • Odette Wilen - wireless operator. Arrived 11/04/1944.

Marksman

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Operated July to August 1942, November 1942 to June 1943, and September 1943 to September 1944.

  • Elizabeth Devereux-Rochester — courier
  • Richard Henry Heslop — organiser
  • Owen Johnson – wireless operator
  • Gordon Nornable – wireless operator
  • Geoffrey Parker – medic
  • Jean Pierre Rosenthal – organiser. Arrived in France 22 September 1943. Survived.
  • Marcel Veilleux – wireless operator. Arrived in France 7 July 1944.

Minister

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Monk

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Operated from June 1943 to March 1944

  • Marcel Clech – wireless operator
  • Jean Dubois – wireless operator
  • Eliane Plewman — courier
  • Jack Sinclair - organiser. Arrived in France 3 June 1944. Captured, died in captivity.
  • Charles Skepper – organiser. Arrived in France 17 June 1943. Captured, executed.
  • Arthur Steele – wireless operator. Arrived in France on 20 June 1943. Captured, executed.

Monkeypuzzle

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Operated from July 1942 to March 1943

  • Yvonne Rudellat — courier. Arrived in France 30 July 1942. Captured and died in captivity. Also in Adolph network.

Musician

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Operated in eastern Picardy from March 1943 to January 1944.

Parson

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Operated from June to November 1943

  • François Vallee - organizer. Arrived in France on 18 June 1943. Captured and executed.

Pedlar

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Operated in July and August 1944

  • Alfred Claude Brenton Sowden - wireless operator. Arrived in France 10 July 1944. Killed in Burma in 1945.

Pimento

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Permit

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Operated from July to September 1944

  • Robert Bruhl – assistant
  • Gerard Dedieu – organiser
  • Ginette Jullian – courier[9]
  • Charles Ronald Shearn. Arrived in France 8 August 1944. Killed in Burma, 1945.

Physician

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Also known as Prosper. Operated in northern France from October 1942 to June 1943. SOE's most important network during that time. Agents continued to be sent to the Prosper network for some time after it came under control of the Germans in June 1943.[10]

Priest

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Destroyed in March 1944 before becoming fully operational

  • Roméo Sabourin - wireless operator. Arrived in France 3 March 1944. Captured, executed.

Prosper

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An unofficial name for Physician, named for its organiser's codename. See Francis Suttill.

Privet

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Operated near Angers from July to August 1942 and November 1942 to June 1943.

  • Edward Mountford Wilkinson - organiser. Arrived 01/06/1942; captured and executed.

Prunus

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A network in the area of Toulouse. Penetrated and dismantled in April 1943.

Racketeer

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Operated in Brittany from April to August 1944

  • Maurice Rouneau. Arrived in France 15 April 1944. Previously with French Resistance. Survived.

Robin

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An unofficial name for Juggler.

Rover

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Operated from March to May 1944.

  • Alphonse Sybille - saboteur. Later with Woodcutter. Survived.

Salesman

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Operated from May 43 to January 1944 and June to August 1944

  • Edgar Fraser – Dakota expert
  • Jean Claude Guiet – wireless operator
  • Claude Malraux
  • Isidore Newman – wireless operator
  • Violette Szabo — courier. Arrived in France 5 April 1944. Captured and executed.
  • Philippe Liewer (aka Charles Staunton) — organiser
  • Bob Maloubier – weapons instructor

Satirist

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Operated from November 1942 to June 1943

  • Octave Simon - organizer. Arrived in France on 7 March 1944. Captured, executed.

Scholar

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  • Raymond Aubin – organiser
  • Yvonne Baseden — wireless operator
  • Rene Bichelot – assistant
  • Louis Antoine Nonni
  • Marie Joseph de Saint-Genies – organiser

Scientist

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Operated in Bordeaux area from July 1942 to August 1944

Scullion (operation)

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Operated in August and September 1943

  • David Sibree - saboteur. Arrived in France 16 August 1943. Captured and executed.
  • Victor Soskice - saboteur. Arrived in France 16 August 1943. Captured and executed.

Shipwright

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Operated from May to September 1944

  • Ivan Justin (Ian) Woolf - wireless operator. Arrived 26/08/1944

Silversmith

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Spindle

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Previously known as Urchin, a network based in Cannes, then moved to Saint-Jorioz.

Spiritualist

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Operated February to August 1944

  • Henri Diacono – wireless operator
  • René Dumont-Guillemet – organiser
  • Paul Tessier – assistant. Arrived in France 18 August 1943. Also Musician Network. Killed in action.

Spruce

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Operated from June 1942 to July 1943 and March to August 1944. Also known as the 'Gardener' network.

Stationer

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Operated from January 1943 to April 1944 in Châteauroux in the center of France and near Tarbes in southern France.

  • Jacques Dufour
  • Amédée Maingard – wireless operator. Organiser of Shipwright network following Southgate's arrest.
  • Rene Mathieu – wireless operator
  • Pierre Mattei – landing grounds
  • Jacqueline Nearne — courier
  • Alexandre Schwatschko – landing grounds. Arrived in France 29 February 1944, suicide to avoid capture 8 June 1944. Also Shipwright Network.
  • Maurice Southgate – organiser. Arrived in France 26 January 1943, captured, survived.
  • Pearl Witherington — courier, organiser of Wrestler network following Southgate's arrest.

Stockbroker

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Operated in Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region from April 1943 to September 1944.

  • Eric Cauchi – instructor
  • Joseph Maetz
  • Harry Rée — organiser
  • Jean Alexandre Simon - assistant. Local recruit, killed in action 27 January 1944.
  • Paul Eugene Bertron Ullman – wireless operator. Formerly with OSS, arrived in France 12 April 1944, killed in action 15 April 1944.
  • André Henri van der Straten - saboteur. French employee of Puegeot, 1929-1943. Returned to France 6 September 1944.

Tilleul

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Operated from July 1944 to September 1944

  • André Simon. Arrived in France 6 May 1942. Captured and released.
  • Gilbert Turck - wireless operator, organiser. Arrived in France on 7 August 1941, captured, survived.

Tinker

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Operated from July 1941 to June 1942, March to October 1942, April to October 1943, and July to August 1944.

Urchin

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Later known as Spindle, based in Cannes

  • Francis Basin (Olive) — organiser
  • Isodore Newman (Julien) — wireless operator

Ventriloquist

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Operated from March 1941 until November 1942 and April to August 1944

  • Muriel Byck — wireless operator
  • Blanche Charlet -- courier
  • Emile Counasse
  • Maurice Lostrie – saboteur
  • Stanislaw Makowski – instructor
  • Brian Stonehouse -- wireless operator. Arrived in France 7 July 1942, captured, survived.
  • Philippe de Vomécourt — organiser
  • Juste Winant - wireless operator. Arrived in France 25/08/1944.

Wheelwright

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A network in the area of Toulouse. Operated from January 1943 to September 1944.

  • Jean-Claude Arnault|Jean-Claude Arnault – saboteur.
  • Yvonne Cormeau — wireless operator
  • Philippe de Gunzbourg – courier
  • George Reginald Starr — organiser. Arrived in France 4 November 1942. Survived.
  • Anne-Marie Walters — courier. Arrived in France 4 January 1944. Survived.

Wizard

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Operated in Paris from March to August 1944

Woodcutter

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Operated from July to September 1944

  • Alphonse Sybille - Saboteur. Formerly with Rover. Arrived in France for Woodcutter on 10 September 1944. Survived.
  • Albert Victor Woerther - organiser. Arrived in France 18/07/1944. Survived.

Wrestler

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Operated from May to September 1944. Located in the Valençay-Issoudun-Châteauroux triangle.

Map of networks as of June 1943

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The map below shows the major SOE F Section networks which existed in France in June 1943, based on the map published in Rita Kramer's book "Flames in the Field" (Michael Joseph Ltd, 1995).

Note: The map does not show the correct location of the original Autogiro network, which operated in the Paris area and did not exist after the spring of 1942. However the network was later revived by Francis Suttill, organiser of Prosper.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Escott, Beryl E. (2010) The Heroines of SOE, Stroud, Gloucestershire: The History Press, pp. 9, 12, 26-27
  2. ^ Glass, Charles (2018), They Fought Alone, New York: Penguin Press, p. xiv
  3. ^ Foot, M. R. D. (1966), S.O.E. in France, London: Her Majesty's Stationery Office, pp. 145-146
  4. ^ "The Female Spies of the SOE," [1], accessed 8 Jan 2020
  5. ^ "The Section F Monument," [2], accessed 8 Jan 2020
  6. ^ Marshall, Bruce (2001). The White Rabbit. Cassell. p. 101. ISBN 030435697-2.
  7. ^ Foot, M.R.D. (1966), SOE in France, London: Her Majesty's Stationery Office, pp. 161-164
  8. ^ Cookridge, E.H. (1967), Set Europe Ablaze, New York: Thomas Y. Crowell Company, pp. 67-68
  9. ^ Escott, pp. 207-210
  10. ^ "The British Prosper Spy Network: Destroyed to Protect D-Day?".
  11. ^ Foot, M. R. D. (1966), SOE in France, London: Her Majesty's Stationery Office, p. 374.

Category:Special Operations Executive

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