Overview

When Winston Churchill made his 'we shall never surrender' speech in 1940 he was speaking in the knowledge that Britain's Secret Intelligence Service was planning a civilian British resistance movement to mobilise after the country had been occupied. Britain's planning for clandestine warfare developed out of a fierce battle between the Secret Intelligence Service and the War Office for the control of guerrilla warfare and conflicting ideas over the legitimacy of armed civilians. A multi-layered system of secret organizations was the result. The Auxiliary Units are the best known of these 'ungentlemanly' forces, but in this perceptive new study based on painstaking original research, Malcolm Atkin clearly demonstrates that they were never intended as a resistance organization. Instead, they were designed as a short-term guerrilla force, whilst their Special Duties Branch was designed to spy on the British public as much as any Nazi invader. Meanwhile, deep in the shadows, was the real resistance organization – Section VII of SIS. Malcolm Atkin's conclusions will cause controversy among military historians and will change our understanding of the preparations made in Britain to resist Nazi occupation in the Second World War. SELLING POINTS: . Controversial reassessment of British resistance organization in the Second World War . Compelling account of the struggle between the Secret Intelligence Service and the War Office . Uncovers the real relationship between the Auxiliary Units and the Home Guard . Based on original new research in wartime archives . Insight into conflicting ideas about the role of civilians in armed warfare 60 Illustrations

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9781473833777

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This detailed yet accessible historical study documents Britain's resistance to Nazi occupation, with special focus on the creation of secret organizations known as The Auxiliary Units, as well as the conflict between Britain's Secret Intelligence Service and the War Office and their debates over arming citizens and guerilla warfare. Going against current scholarly opinion, the author argues that The Auxiliary Units were intended as a short-term guerrilla force, and further argues that the Special Duties Branch of The Auxiliary Units was intended to spy on the British public. The book relies on primary source documents and includes b&w historical photos, documents, and posters. --ProtoView

This detailed yet accessible historical study documents Britain's resistance to Nazi occupation, with special focus on the creation of secret organizations known as The Auxiliary Units, as well as the conflict between Britain's Secret Intelligence Service and the War Office and their debates over arming citizens and guerilla warfare. Going against current scholarly opinion, the author argues that The Auxiliary Units were intended as a short-term guerrilla force, and further argues that the Special Duties Branch of The Auxiliary Units was intended to spy on the British public. The book relies on primary source documents and includes b&w historical photos, documents, and posters. -- ProtoView

"""This detailed yet accessible historical study documents Britain's resistance to Nazi occupation, with special focus on the creation of secret organizations known as The Auxiliary Units, as well as the conflict between Britain's Secret Intelligence Service and the War Office and their debates over arming citizens and guerilla warfare. Going against current scholarly opinion, the author argues that The Auxiliary Units were intended as a short-term guerrilla force, and further argues that the Special Duties Branch of The Auxiliary Units was intended to spy on the British public. The book relies on primary source documents and includes b&w historical photos, documents, and posters.""-- ""ProtoView"""

Author Information

Malcolm Atkin is a former head of the Historic Environment and Archaeology Service for Worcestershire. He a leading authority on the English Civil War, but he has also made a special study of home defence - and resistance organization - during the Second World War. His many publications include Cromwell's Crowning Mercy: the Battle of Worcester, The Civil War in Evesham: A Storm of Fire and Leaden Hail, Worcestershire Under Arms and Worcester 1651.

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