Original, WW2, Special Operations Executive, Secret Agent’s Spy Suitcase Radio Hand Generator. Of an Agent of Churchill's Secret Army, Behind Enemy Lines During Clandestine Warfare, Circa 1942/3 Issue, of the So-Called "Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare

We also have the incredibly rare complete and original SOE suitcase radio receiver transmitter type 2B, but sold separately.
A method to generate power for the secret SOE/OSS agent’s radio transmitter/receiver, when the battery has either lost power, or to save the power of the battery. Still screwed to its bespoke wood mounting block. Overall it is worn as one would expect, and it is just amazing to wonder the missions this fabulous historical rare piece of British WW2 spy equipment has been used, and remarkable that it survived the war and the subsequent 76 years. Ideal for a collector of highly interesting and rare SOE and 0SS spy equipment, or indeed the perfect accompaniment for a collector who has an SOE radio as they really ever survive together. A picture in the gallery is of Virginia Hall of SOE & OSS operating her suitcase radio transmitter, with Edmond Lebrat pedalling a generator, in July 1944 (by Jeff Bass). Using the bycycle chain of an adapted bicycle with pedals instead of using the hand crank handle that ours is fitted with. England. June 1940. Things looked bleak for the Allies after the fall of France and the retreat from Dunkirk, Britain was on the defensive and most people believed that the invasion of England would soon begin. In an effort to take some of the fight to the enemy Winston Churchill authorised Hugh Dalton, the Minister of Economic Warfare, to set up a clandestine organization to help form, supply and run resistance movements in occupied countries. This new Special Operations Executive (SEO) was to be responsible for recruiting and training agents who would then be sent behind enemy lines. (The work of the SOE). One of the most difficult roles which members of the SOE undertook was that of wireless operator.

An SOE wireless operator had to know the area they worked in intimately. It was vital that they transmit from a different place, and only very briefly, each time they made contact with base as it was estimated that, in an urban environment, the Germans were able to track down a transmitter in around half an hour. Agents also had to create schedules for their transmissions which did not involve making contact on the same day of the week or at the same time of day, as any sort of pattern which could be identified by the Germans would be disasterous. The ideal for an agent was to set up, transmit, dismantle and get away within a maximum of 20 minutes to avoid capture and torture. To be found transmitting would almost certainly mean death to the operator, but it could also be devastating to the resistance group they worked with. If the enemy captured a transceiver and code books they would try to use them to trap the rest of the grouup. To try to prevent such deceptions each wireless operator was instructed to spell certain words incorrectly – if a transmission was made with the word spelt correctly the handler back in England would know that the operator had been compromised and, hopefully, have time to warn field agents in time for them to make good their escape.


Noor Inayat Khan, a member of the SOE who was executed by the Germans
The majority of radio operators sent behind enemy lines by the SOE were women as it as believed that they would be able to move around with their equipment without drawing as much attention to themselves as a man would. After all, it was quite common for women to be out shopping with a bag during the day whilst a man in a similar situation would be much more conspicuous. The women who signed up to do this work were under no illusions as to the importance, and the danger, of what they were committing to – the life expectancy of as SOE wireless operator working in Occupied France was just six weeks. A picture in the gallery is of another complete with its battery clips but unused SOE hand generator probably unissued for sale a few years ago for £2,400. Our example is less than half that figure, plus has the intriguing feature of its being in obvious used condition, a great bonus our our minds,. Ours also still has its bespoke wooden mounting bracket attached, made to screw or mount the generator to a fixed support as as when needed. It had hand written marking of WD war department probably applied as its post war stores mark.

Code: 23497