Agent delivery by air

[healdav]

I have just been reading the official history of the RAF and SOE. In it, it says that delivering agents into occupied Europe was much more difficult in WW2 than it had been in WW+, and goes on to give the reasons.

The only instance I know of was a Belgian, who thought he was working for the French, but was, in fact, working for the British, flying by balloon from somewhere to the east of Verdun to Luxembourg. Even the story of that doesn't mention aircraft being used to fly agents in.

 

Any ideas?

 

[Moonraker]

History of Intelligence (B), British Expeditionary Force in France

 

paragraphs 64-69

 

Moonraker

[pierssc]

Ralph Barker's "A brief History of the Royal Flying Corps in World War 1"  has a whole chapter on the subject.  Chapter 12 is entitled  Agents and pigeon fanciers; a spy in the Motor Trade.  A common (but by no means invariable) means of delivery was by BE2.  Examples given include flights by Capt Mulcahy-Morgan http://www.theaerodrome.com/forum/showthread.php?t=25939     Capt. GL Cruickshank, and Lt JW Woodhouse.  Woodhouse later led a special flight under the Headquarters Wing specifically for dropping agents (some by parachute).  I have a feeling (though I can't remember where I read it) that Albert Ball may have done some spy-dropping in his BE2 days as well. *

 

EDIT: * Found the reference.  Ian Mackersey No Empty Chairs Ch.13.  Ball was sent to 8 Squadron to fly BE2cs and volunteered to fly an agent across the lines at night.  He made four successful landings, but the agent refused to get out so he had to be brought back.

 

See also

 

and eg

 

https://www.greatwarforum.org/topic/132385-aerial-infiltration-of-agents-over-the-front-lines/?tab=comments#comment-1258837

 

Edited 9 February , 2020 by pierssc

[healdav]

18 hours ago, pierssc said:

Ralph Barker's "A brief History of the Royal Flying Corps in World War 1"  has a whole chapter on the subject.  Chapter 12 is entitled  Agents and pigeon fanciers; a spy in the Motor Trade.  A common (but by no means invariable) means of delivery was by BE2.  Examples given include flights by Capt Mulcahy-Morgan http://www.theaerodrome.com/forum/showthread.php?t=25939     Capt. GL Cruickshank, and Lt JW Woodhouse.  Woodhouse later led a special flight under the Headquarters Wing specifically for dropping agents (some by parachute).  I have a feeling (though I can't remember where I read it) that Albert Ball may have done some spy-dropping in his BE2 days as well. *

 

EDIT: * Found the reference.  Ian Mackersey No Empty Chairs Ch.13.  Ball was sent to 8 Squadron to fly BE2cs and volunteered to fly an agent across the lines at night.  He made four successful landings, but the agent refused to get out so he had to be brought back.

 

See also

 

and eg

 

https://www.greatwarforum.org/topic/132385-aerial-infiltration-of-agents-over-the-front-lines/?tab=comments#comment-1258837

 

Thanks, very interesting. If Trenchard forbade landings more than 15 miles behind the lines, it would account for the use of coal gas balloons.