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Special Operations Executive - this page is a stub

During World War II (WWII), the Special Operations Executive, or SOE, was a temporary British espionage, sabotage and reconnaissance organisation, that was active from 22 July 1940 to 15 January 1946. It was formed by merging Section D 1 of the SIS with Department MI(R) 2 of the British Army and with Electra House (EH) — a propaganda group of the British Foreign Office.


The SOE was a secret organisation that had its headquarters at 64 Bakerstreet in London (UK). 3 It is also known as The Bakerstreet Irregulars, as Churchill's Secret Army and as the Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare. Approx. 13,000 people were involved, 3200 of which were women [1].

During the first years of its existence, there was a fierce rivalry between the SOE and the SIS, particularly because SIS quietly conducted intelligence gathering without attracting attention, whilst the SOE carried out sabotage operations with the aim to attract maximum attention.

Initially, the SOE used clandestine radio sets, also known as spy radio sets, that were developed by the SIS, but this changed in mid-1942 when the SOE established its own research facility at the Frythe (Station IX) near Welwyn (Hertfordshire, UK) and began developing their own radio sets. The SOE-designs were influenced by the Polish spy radio sets — developed by Polish engineers at Stanmore Park (UK) — which is why they are distinctively different from the SIS spy radio sets.


  1. Established in 1938 for unorthodox warfare (UW).
  2. MI(R) = Military Intelligence Research.
  3. Also at 82 Baker Street (Michael House) and at 83 Baker Street (Norgeby House).


British suitcase spy radio set Type A Mk. II (A2)

The UK Type A Mk. III (A3)

Type 3 Mark II, also known as the B2

Whaddon Mk V spy radio set (Le Paracette) - 1941 - developed by the SIS

AP-5 spy radio set, developed by the Poles in the UK

BP-3 spy radio set developed by the Poles in the UK

BP-5 spy radio set developed by the Poles in the UK

The UK Type 31/1 (Sweetheart), produced in the UK during WW-II for Norway

Polish OP-3 (Type 30/1) WW-II clandestine receiver. Produced in the UK during WW-II.

VII b Yeast-Vite Factory Whippendel Road, Watford Wireless Section, packing and despatch
VII c Allensor's joinery factory King George's Avenue, Watford Wireless Section Research
VII d Kay's Garage Bristol Street, Birmingham Wireless Section Production
VIII Wueen Mary Resevoir Staines Engineering section
IX The Frythe Welwyn Wireless research unit, weapons development and production, research and development
IX a PO Box 1 Ashford, Middlesex Submersibles word at Staines resevoir
IX c Fishguard Bay Hotel Goodwick, Pembrokeshire Submersibles work
X Bletchley Park
Bletchley, Milton Keynes, Buckinghamsire