SOE Casualties in Dachau

Discussion in 'SOE & OSS' started by Drew5233, Mar 6, 2011.

  1. Drew5233

    Drew5233 #FuturePilot 1940 Obsessive

    Extracted from WO 204/12699

    Thought this maybe of interest Steve?

    [​IMG]
     
  2. Smudger Jnr

    Smudger Jnr Our Man in Berlin

    Andy,

    A very interesting post which I am sure several members will appreciate.

    Regards
    Tom
     
  3. Gage

    Gage The Battle of Barking Creek

    Interesting. I know that Brian Stonehouse was also at Natzweiler.
     
  4. Harry Ree

    Harry Ree Very Senior Member

    Drew.

    Another interesting document you have unearthed.It reflects the closing acts of the war where those in German captivity were in a perilous postion while the SS were dictating events.

    There were a number of SOE people held in concentration camps, some to be more fortunate than others.

    "Heiflings".I think this must be a category of prisoner although I cannot ascertain the English.

    F/O Weller RCAF,I would think was not a member of the SOE but most probably a persistent escaper. I cannot find any detail of F/O Weller being with the SOE.

    Lieutenant G M Groome,it would appear was a member of the SOE although I cannot find any detail on him.

    John Hopper.I cannot find any detail of his involvement with the SOE.

    Brian Stonehouse was a well known member of the SOE who as a wireless operator operated in the Lyons area.A survivor of three concentration camps,Mauthausen,Natzweiller and Dachau,he did not give anything away despite rough treatment.Brian Stonehouse died a few years ago.I remember an interview with his courier regarding the day they were picked up by the Germans through using the same location for transmitting.

    Robert Sheppard was a member of the SOE who had the terrible misfortune on his first and only job, to be dropped in Burgundy,straight on top of a police station roof.Not much chance of evading and he went into the bag.Born in Normandy of an English father,he survived and I think he is still with us.

    Pat O'Leary made his name in the clandestine history of WW2,first as the commander of HMS Fidelity and then in covert operations when he set up the Pat O'Leary escape line.In reality, O'Leary was a former Belgian Army doctor by the name of Albert Guerisse.It was Guerisse along with Brian Stonehouse who were able to indicate the possible fate of Vera Leigh,Diana Rowden,Andre Borrel and Sonia Olschanesky when they witnessed their arrival at Natsweiller in July 1944.Albert Guerisse died nearly 20 years ago.Always a friend of the British,he was awarded the G.C and DSO.

    Captain Jimmy Langley worked at MI 9 along with Airey Neave.

    W/Cdr Day was no other than "Wings" Day,a persistent escaper if ever there was one.He had over 5 years in German captivity,being shotdown in the autumn of 1939 as C.O of No 57 Squadron on an overfly reconnaissance operation to the Hamm,Hannover,Soest areas.Day after escaping yet again, met up with the "prominentis" and using a MI 9 compass was able to direct the group into the path of US forces.

    The "prominentis" were a group of prisoners,regarded by Himmler to be prominent and important such that he anticipated that they would be an excellent "commodity",should he have to "wheel and deal". As Germany collapsed the group guarded by the SS to Himmler's oreder travelled south awaiting orders.Lucky for them the SS guards were replaced by Wehrmacht guards on the 29 April or there might have been serious blood letting with the former in charge.

    It would be interesting to find the identity of "Mr Source" who it would appear was member of the "prominentis" group.The politicians, Leon Blum and Kurt Schuschnigg were among the group along with the present Earl of Harewood,the Queen's cousin and Giles Romilly,a nephew of Winston Churchill.
     
  5. Drew5233

    Drew5233 #FuturePilot 1940 Obsessive

    Glad you find it of interest but the credit must go to ADM199-He sent me the file.
     
  6. Ron Goldstein

    Ron Goldstein WW2 Veteran WW2 Veteran

    Fascinating stuff !

    Lest we forget !

    Ron
     
  7. Harry Ree

    Harry Ree Very Senior Member

    Just found a reference to Tom Groome.Apparently he was an Australian and at the time of his capture was Pat O'Leary's wireless operator for the escape line run by O'Leary.He was in France from October 1942 and would be around when O'Leary was organising escapes by evaders from the South of France, using the armed trawler Tarana.

    Mary Lindell was offered Groome as her Wireless Operator but she declined his services saying she could not work with him.(Mary Lindell was the sort of person who usually got her own way and was the person who gave tremendous help to the surviving members of Operation Frankton,Blondie Hasler and Marine Sparks at Ruffec)

    He owed his presence in France to the sound teaching of French by his French born mother.However his luck ran out in January 1943 when he was caught transmitting at Montauban,neglecting to safeguard himself by posting a lookout and was picked up by a German radio detector team.At Toulouse he was interrogated but escaped by jumping through a window and even after a thirty foot drop was able to run and hide in a doorway.He was recaptured by the following Gestapo, after his doorway hiding place had been pointed out, by a bystander.

    You might say that he had a laugh on the Germans when he was forced to transmit to England with a gun in his back.He successfully left out his security check.Claude Dansey got involved in the act and sent the Germans and Italians on a wild goose chase to Genoa by transmitting false information to the effect that the Chief of Police in Genoa was hiding several Allied escapers.Dansey, it was said, knew the Genoa Chief of Police from prewar days and had a grudge against him.It was reported that the ruse landed the Italian into serious trouble which was designed to create mistrust between the Germans and Italians.

    Just looking at the document again,all except F/O Weller,RCAF and John Hopper have War Office, Room 055A as their "office" which gives further support to the thinking that these two were not associated with the SOE.
     
  8. Cutstone

    Cutstone Junior Member

    A very interesting document. I'm pretty shure there are similar documents with reference to other camps. Im looking for information about 7 particpants in a british operation to Norway in may 1943, - operation Checkmate. They were caught and sendt to Sachenshausen and Belsen, where 6 of them were executet and one died of Thyphus.
    - Lt John Godwin – leader of the operation
    - Sgt. Victor John Cox ( Jack )
    - Petty Officer Alfred John Roe
    - Petty Officer Harold Hiscock
    - Able Seaman Keith Mayor
    - Able Seaman Neville Burgess
    - Able Seaman Andrew Anthony West
    I'm planning a trip to Kew this month and will look for similar documents.
    Anyone whith information about anyone of these guys. (I have been to the CVA site.)
     
  9. sanglier

    sanglier Junior Member

  10. Smudger Jnr

    Smudger Jnr Our Man in Berlin

    A very interesting document. I'm pretty sure there are similar documents with reference to other camps. I'm looking for information about 7 particpants in a british operation to Norway in may 1943, - operation Checkmate. They were caught and sent to Sachenshausen and Belsen, where 6 of them were executed and one died of Typhus.
    - Lt John Godwin – leader of the operation
    - Sgt. Victor John Cox ( Jack )
    - Petty Officer Alfred John Roe
    - Petty Officer Harold Hiscock
    - Able Seaman Keith Mayor
    - Able Seaman Neville Burgess
    - Able Seaman Andrew Anthony West
    I'm planning a trip to Kew this month and will look for similar documents.
    Anyone whith information about anyone of these guys. (I have been to the CVA site.)

    I posted this article some time ago.
    It was compiled by someone in the Intelligence Branch when stationed in Berlin.

    Before the Berlin Wall fell, only Brixmis personnel were allowed to visit sachsenhausen in the East.

    I hope that it is of use to you.

    Regards
    Tom
     

    Attached Files:

    Last edited: Nov 29, 2018
    chrisharley9 likes this.
  11. Jedburgh22

    Jedburgh22 Very Senior Member

    Thanks Drew - been spending too much time at Kew lately!!! The pics take a while to format and will have some nice posts for you all in the near future.

    Not only SOE agents were sent to the KZs - Air Crew after bombing raids, Commandos, POW escapers, and even civilian internees.
     
  12. Jedburgh22

    Jedburgh22 Very Senior Member

    For the Checkmate Mission there are files in the HS series at Kew but in addition see
    WO309/109
    WO309/1159
    WO309/1077
     
  13. sanglier

    sanglier Junior Member

    Here is H R Weller's ( mentioned in earlier post) Liberation Report
     

    Attached Files:

  14. sanglier

    sanglier Junior Member

    And the last page.
     

    Attached Files:

  15. Hillfox28

    Hillfox28 Member

    I'd be very interested in any lists of actual/believed SOE, MI9, PWE, SIS agents held in Dachau.
    Many thanks
     

Share This Page