Lesson Plan | My Site 2

What is the SOE and OSS?

Lesson Plan

Olivia Gamertsfelder

Objectives:

Students will be able to learn about British and American intelligence agencies in WWII.
Students will be able to learn about different missions women were involved in.
Students will be able to think of skills they could apply in WWII.

Lesson:

Purpose of the SOE. (Introduction) Source: (“The History”) & (Schaefer) - 3 mins.
1. When?

In WWII Churchill realized he wanted to, in his words, “Set Europe ablaze” after fear began to rise of Nazism in the UK. Churchill knew he’d soon need secret eyes watching for Natzi threats and influence over his weakening allies. Thus, the Special Operations Executive was established on July 22, 1940. (“The History”).

The SOE had a nickname on the street: ‘Churchill’s Secret Army,’ because that’s exactly what it was. Agents trained, worked, and lived in secret carrying out tasks to “coordinate, inspire, control and assist the nationals of the oppressed countries” (Schaefer).

The SOE was heavily supported by the military and government. Because the SOE had to keep as much secret as possible, they had many different stations for many different things like: “forging paperwork, developing weaponry and camouflage, recruiting new operatives and training them in spycraft” (“The History”).

History of the OSS. (Lecture) Source: (“Secret Agents”) & (Healey) - 3 mins
1. When?

President Roosevelt had the same idea of an organization that gathers foreign intelligence and even took some framework of the SOE. The man he appointed to be in charge of the Office of Strategic Services was Major General William J. Donovan. In the middle of a New York football game on December 7th, 1941 Donovon was told over the loudspeaker there was an important phone call waiting for him. It was Roosevelt demanding to see Donovan immediately in his office… Japan had just attacked Pearl Harbor. After Congress declared war the OSS was formed and Donovon was put in charge. (Healey)

The OSS, like the SOE, was created quickly for war purposes and composed of the most qualified, educated, and experienced individuals. This earned it street names like “Oh So Snobby” and “Oh So Social” (Healey).

The OSS was the precursor for the CIA and started true foreign intelligence practices in the United States. “OSS veterans led the CIA through the Cold War.” The majority of CIA offices are actually here in Virginia. In 2015, the CIA had a total budget of $66.8 billion (“Secret Agents”).

SOE agents ultimately trained many OSS agents. SOE agents themselves, both men and women, were trained to endure interrogation, to avoid capture, physical combat, and weaponry (guns). Survival rates for agents was only 50 percent, and if caught they could be tortured and executed (Shaefer).

Agents in the OSS, somewhat unlike the SOE, were recruited for skills rather than background. Since many agents were trained by SOE officers, OSS agents underwent the same physical and mental training. Agents showing up for training arrived with nothing and were given basic necessities and fake identities. Instead of “Oh So Snobby” an OSS agent was described as a "Ph.D. who can win a bar fight” (“Office of Strategic Services”).

Vera Atkins was the female James Bond. Ian Fleming based the fictional character “M” (the head of the Secret Service Operations) on Atkins in his James Bond novels.” Atkins did everything from recruiting agents in sketchy hotel rooms to training them, to planning their operations. At one point when 118 of her agents went missing, she found the location of every single one. At first, Vera was recruited as a secretary, but moved up the ranks and became the head intelligence officer for the French division (Shiffer).

Noor Inayat Khan came from Indian royalty on her father's side. She was a radio operator in France but was betrayed by a French national to the Gastapo after her team was ambushed and killed. However, Khan never broke during her interrogations and tries escaping multiple times until she was sent to Dachau, the first ever Nazi concentration camp in Germany, in September 1944 and was executed upon arrival (Shaefer).

After her death, Khan and two other women were the first women to be awarded the George Cross pendant, the highest bravery award in Britain (Shaefer). Vera Atkins on the other hand was awarded the French military medal, Croix de Guerre, and made a knight of the Legion of Honor by the French government in 1995 (Silverman).

Virginia Hall was most known for her prosthetic leg named “Cuthbert.” Despite this, Hall was the master of disguises, and it was said she could be four different women in the span of an afternoon. Virginia Hall was trained by the SOE because that’s where her career started. She was an expert in wireless radio operating and established safe houses for French civilians, and aided prisoners of war in escaping. The Gestapo referred to her as “one of the most dangerous Allied agents in France” and vowed to find and destroy her.” However, they failed (Healey).

Barbra Lauwers lead one of the most successful black ops missions called “Operation Sauerkraut.” Lauwers and her agents would sneak into prisoner-of-war camps, and find German or Czech prisoners to train and dispatch to spread propaganda. These former prisoner of war agents were nicknamed the Sauerkraut agents” (“The Glorious”).

Barbara Lauwers was awarded the Bronze Star for getting nearly 600 Czechs to surrender to the Allies on April 6, 1945 (“The Glorious”). Virginia Hall received the Distinguished Service Cross and was the first woman to receive such an honor (Kelly).

Be your own agent - 5 min
1. Which task force would you like to be in and why?
2. What type of agent would you be? Codebreaker? Propaganda?
3. What would you want to accomplish as a spy? Describe how you would benefit either agency and why you’d make a good spy. What would you do?

Materials:

Powerpoint presentation
Create your own nametag and describe what type of agent you are, your codename, and your history. Card handout.