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Mission Europe

The Secret History of the Women of SOE

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Mission Europe

By: Kate Vigurs
Narrated by: Kate Vigurs
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About this listen

The remarkable history of the women who worked for Special Operations Executive across occupied Europe

In the wake of the Nazi invasion of Europe, the tentative sparks of resistance in occupied countries were fanned by Britain's Special Operations Executive. Across the continent, SOE recruited women to "set Europe ablaze." Working as secret agents and saboteurs, these individuals bolstered resistance from within and provided much needed support and weapons. F Section's actions in France are renowned, and today some operatives have become household names. But what happened to the women who worked outside France and those who were locally recruited?

In this gripping account, Kate Vigurs tells the stories of the lesser-known women who worked across Europe, from the Netherlands to Belgium and Poland to Denmark. She explores too the lives of Jewish agents recruited in Mandate Palestine for missions in Eastern Europe. These are stories of trial and error, escape and even execution. Mission Europe examines why women were recruited, analyzing their successes and contributions—and celebrates the ordinary women who did extraordinary things.

©2025 Kate Vigurs (P)2025 Tantor Media 20th Century Military Modern Belgium
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Appreciated the account of female operatives - especially in counties other than France. Learned al lot about what was going on in Denmark, Netherlands, Belgium etc.
Very disappointed that there is not an accompanying pdf withe maps and photos. The absence of these in the audible version is very unhelpful.
Narration by the author is OK but in my opinion not as good as the professional narration in the previous book (Mission France).

Good account of female operatives of SOE

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I’ve always preferred one of two things: either a professional VO artist (I am one myself) working in conjunction with the author; or the author themselves, where the performance has a personal sincerity, but may be a little rough. This book is the latter, although it is only early on that the audio work shows a couple of small flaws - and that is the fault of the editors not the speaker - as the author warms up very quickly and the enthusiasm for her subject shines through. And what a subject. Many stories woven into a chronological narrative, revealing the spirit and tenacity of the men and women of SOE, SIS and the brave agents of Europe, not just France, which has had a much greater share of previous works. Accessible and moving. Thank you

Amazing stories from an amazing author

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