London, England • July 22, 1940 On this date in 1940 British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain, encouraged by future Prime Minister Winston Churchill, signed the founding charter of the Special Operations Executive (SOE) organization. For security purposes the SOE’s “cloak and dagger” operations was concealed behind the name “Inter-Service Research Bureau.” (At the time the…
London, England • May 30, 1944 In the run-up to the invasion of mainland Europe (Operation Overlord), the Western Allies concocted an ambitious strategic deception plan to mislead their adversaries as to where and when the actual invasion would take place. Called Operation Fortitude, the plan had 2 polar-opposite components. Fortitude North supposedly threatened German-occupied Norway…
London, England · July 22, 1940 On this date in 1940 the British government created the Special Operations Executive (SOE) organization. For security purposes the SOE was concealed behind the name “Inter-Service Research Bureau.” (At the time the SOE was variously referred to as “the Baker Street Irregulars,” “Churchill’s Secret Army,” or the “Ministry of…
London, England · July 22, 1940 On this date in 1940 the British government created the Special Operations Executive (SOE) organization. For security purposes the SOE was concealed behind the name “Inter-Service Research Bureau.” (At the time the SOE was variously referred to as “the Baker Street Irregulars,” “Churchill’s Secret Army,” or the “Ministry of…