Training Churchill's Secret Army: Special Operations Executives Training Section, 1940-1945

Shortly after the creation of the Special Operations Executive in July 1940, the first of its Special Training Schools was formed at Brickendonbury in Hertfordshire.The object of the school was to train men of different nationalities as instructors and recruiters who would then return to their own countries in Occupied Europe to raise groups to undertake acts of sabotage.The syllabus covered a variety of subjects ranging from political theory and propaganda to demolitions and weapon training. The men, and later women, selected for training first undertook a preliminary period of assessment where unsuitable candidates were dropped from the programme.The next stage would be paramilitary training where they would be instructed in demolitions, weapons, minor tactics, combined operations, intelligence methods, communications and parachute training, which was originally carried out by the RAF at the Central Landing Establishment at Ringway (today's Manchester airport).After the paramilitary