Special Operations Executive

E27962

The Special Operations Executive was a secret British World War II organization responsible for conducting espionage, sabotage, and supporting resistance movements in enemy-occupied territories.

All labels observed (7)

How this entity was disambiguated

Statements (49)

Predicate Object
instanceOf British government organization
intelligence agency
special operations organization
codename Baker Street Irregulars
Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare
conflict World War II
country United Kingdom
createdBy Winston Churchill
director Colin Gubbins
dissolved 1946
documentedIn official British government histories of SOE
employed agents behind enemy lines
followedBy Special Operations Branch
surface form: Special Operations Branches of postwar services
hasTrainingSpecialty demolition and explosives
hand-to-hand combat
radio communications
headquartersLocation London, England
surface form: London
inception 1940
languageOfWork English
legalStatus secret organization
motto Set Europe ablaze
notableFor coordination of resistance movements in occupied Europe
development of sabotage techniques
use of female field agents
notableMember Colin Gubbins
F. F. E. Yeo-Thomas
Noor Inayat Khan
Odette Sansom
Vera Atkins
notableOperation Norwegian heavy water sabotage
operations in Greece
operations in Yugoslavia
support to the French Resistance
operationalArea German-occupied Europe
surface form: Nazi-occupied Europe

Southeast Asia
oversight British War Cabinet
parentOrganization UK government
surface form: British government
partOf British war effort
precededBy MI(R) of the War Office
Section D of MI6
primaryRole espionage
sabotage
supporting resistance movements
shortName SOE
timePeriod World War II
surface form: Second World War
trainedAt various secret training schools in the United Kingdom
usedMethod covert operations
guerrilla warfare support
training and arming resistance fighters

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (60)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

British Security Coordination coordinatedWith Special Operations Executive
European resistance movements cooperatedWith Special Operations Executive
OSS collaboratedWith Special Operations Executive
this entity surface form: British Special Operations Executive
British intelligence historicalPrecursor Special Operations Executive
Operation Anthropoid participant Special Operations Executive
Operation Anthropoid supportedBy Special Operations Executive
Operation Jedburgh operator Special Operations Executive
Yugoslav Partisans supportedBy Special Operations Executive
this entity surface form: British Special Operations Executive
Greek People’s Liberation Army (ELAS) collaboratedWith Special Operations Executive
subject surface form: Greek People’s Liberation Army
this entity surface form: British Special Operations Executive
Special Training School 103 operatedBy Special Operations Executive
Special Training School 103 partOf Special Operations Executive
this entity surface form: Special Operations Executive training network
Hydra radio station affiliation Special Operations Executive
Intrepid Park commemorates Special Operations Executive
Danish resistance movement collaboratedWith Special Operations Executive
this entity surface form: British Special Operations Executive
Czechoslovak resistance cooperatedWith Special Operations Executive
this entity surface form: British Special Operations Executive
Malayan Peoples Anti-Japanese Army supportedBy Special Operations Executive
this entity surface form: British Special Operations Executive
Force 136 partOf Special Operations Executive
Force 136 branch Special Operations Executive
French Resistance supportedBy Special Operations Executive
Maquis receivedSupportFrom Special Operations Executive
Anthropoid organisedBy Special Operations Executive
Anthropoid supportedBy Special Operations Executive
this entity surface form: British Special Operations Executive
Belgian resistance alliedWith Special Operations Executive
this entity surface form: British Special Operations Executive
Belgian resistance supportedBy Special Operations Executive
this entity surface form: British Special Operations Executive
SOE fullName Special Operations Executive
Norwegian heavy water sabotage participant Special Operations Executive
Vera Atkins employer Special Operations Executive
Vera Atkins militaryBranch Special Operations Executive
Vera Atkins workedOn Special Operations Executive
this entity surface form: F Section of the Special Operations Executive
F. F. E. Yeo-Thomas employer Special Operations Executive
Baker Street Irregulars refersTo Special Operations Executive
Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare formalPartOf Special Operations Executive
Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare coordinatedBy Special Operations Executive
Section D of MI6 successor Special Operations Executive
Section D of MI6 mergedInto Special Operations Executive
Section D of MI6 relatedOrganization Special Operations Executive
MI(R) of the War Office reorganizedInto Special Operations Executive
MI(R) of the War Office predecessorOf Special Operations Executive
this entity surface form: Special Operations Executive planning sections
Sten submachine gun usedBy Special Operations Executive
Odette Sansom employer Special Operations Executive
Odette Sansom militaryBranch Special Operations Executive
this entity surface form: F Section (SOE)
Colin Gubbins employer Special Operations Executive
Jan Kubiš trainedBy Special Operations Executive
this entity surface form: British Special Operations Executive
Noor Inayat Khan employer Special Operations Executive
Norwegian resistance movement supportedBy Special Operations Executive
this entity surface form: British Special Operations Executive
Vercors uprising of 1944 supportedBy Special Operations Executive
this entity surface form: British Special Operations Executive
People's Liberation Army of Yugoslavia supportedBy Special Operations Executive
this entity surface form: British Special Operations Executive
Italian Resistance supportedBy Special Operations Executive
this entity surface form: British Special Operations Executive
Milorg cooperatedWith Special Operations Executive