#Alan Malcher Military Historian

[alanmalcherhistorian]

Reichsführer Heinrich Himmler: Attempting to escape British forces.

In this second episode, we follow Himmler as he goes on the run, heading south through the British occupation zone until his capture and identification by British forces. Dr. Mark Felton is a well-known British historian, the author of 22 non-fiction books, including bestsellers ‘Zero Night’ and ‘Castle of the Eagles’, both currently being developed into movies in Hollywood. In addition to…

[claudiodangelo59]

Alan Malcher MAAlan Malcher MA• 1°• 1°Researching Narrative Warfare through OSINT and also a Military Historian. Currently writing a book about SOEResearching Narrative Warfare through OSINT and also a Military Historian. Currently writing a book about SOE

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French Resistance during WW2. A rare image of an underground press printing 'Defence of France'. (Musée de la Résistance) Vedi traduzioneAttiva per visualizzare un’immagine più grande,

[alanmalcherhistorian]

Denis Barrett SOE Wireless Operator

Denis Barrett SOE Wireless Operator

Denis Barrett (fieldname Honore) arrived in north-eastern France by parachute in April 1943 and worked as the wireless operator for a clandestine circuit in the Troyes area. He was in regular contact with London until his cover was blown several months later and escaped to England after being extracted by Lysander aircraft from No.161 Special Duty Squadron RAF. Barrett volunteered to undertake a…

[alanmalcherhistorian]

SOE agent Andrée Borrel

SOE agent Andrée Borrel

Andrée Borrel escaped from France to England in 1942 after working for an escape line for two-years during which she assisted allied aircrews shot down over France to escape to neutral Spain and eventually return to England. After passing agent selection and training, on the night of 25 September 1942 Borrel along with Lise de Baissac became the first female agents from SOE’s French Section to…

[alanmalcherhistorian]

Alexandre Schwatschko, field name Alexander Shaw: Air Landing Officer SOE French Section.

24 year old Alexandre Schwatschko aka Alexander Shaw Alexandre Schwatschko was born in Russia on 19 July 1919 to a wealthy family with property in the Ukraine and during the Bolshevik Revolution (8 March 1917 to 6 June 1923) the family moved to France. When war was declared in 1939 he enlisted into the French Air Force and served as a pilot until the fall of France in 1940. After being…

[alanmalcherhistorian]

Irene Arckles: Air Transport Auxiliary Pilot during WW2.

(DB colour from original unknown B&W image) Irene Arckless was described as an ordinary working class girl determined to obtain her pilots licence who passed her flying test just before the start of the Second World War. During the war she was a pilot with the Air Transport Auxiliary delivering all types of aircraft from factories to operational RAF airfields throughout England.On Sunday 3 June…

[alanmalcherhistorian]

RSM 'NOBBY' Arnold Parachute Regiment.

RSM ‘Nobby’ Arnald. A legend in the Paras whose sense of humour helped install discipline. I recall a story of him putting his bicycle against the Guardhouse wall and after it fell over in the wind had his bicycle arrested and locked in a cell for not obtaining permission for falling over. Typical RSM banter. He saw active service in Palestine, Canal Zone and Suez, Cyprus and the Radfan. Many…

[alanmalcherhistorian]

Forgotten Women of the French Resistance during WW2.

For eighty years thousands of women who were members of the resistance during the Second World War were rarely mentioned in history books. According to history professor Laurent Douzou only 6 women were recognised for their work with the resistance by being awarded the Companion of Liberation compared with 1,038 men. Though civilian resistance was mainly the work of women they were not counted…

[alanmalcherhistorian]

Eugéne Gréau: French Resistance during WW2.

Tour de France cyclist Eugéne Gréau was married with four children and shortly following the occupation of France joined the resistance. After being arrested for sabotage at the Niort railway yard where he worked he was transported to Sonnenburg concentration camp under the Nacht und Nebel decree (Night and Fog). This decree targeted political activists and members of the resistance and…

[alanmalcherhistorian]

John Young: SOE Wireless Operator F (French Section)

John Young. John Cuthbert Young was born to British parents in Newcastle, England on 25 September 1907, he was married to a French woman and employed as a fire insurance surveyor before enlisting into the British army. Young was recruited by SOE on 27 April 1942 and is said to have struggled with the physical part of the training and his suitability as an agent was called into question after SOE…

[alanmalcherhistorian]

Adolphe Deniset: Weapons instructor SOE F (French Section)

Adolphe François was a French Canadian whose parent unit was the Royal Canadian Artillery who began his SOE selection and training in October 1943. His training assessment describes him as very intelligent, mature minded, serious and of good motivation and stated he could do good work in the field. A later report added, whilst he has certain powers of leadership and has a pleasant and…

[alanmalcherhistorian]

JU87 'Stuka'. Under New Management (RAF). The full clip and other film archives can be found at: https://www.iwm.org.uk/

December 1943, Benghazi North Africa

[alanmalcherhistorian]

Northern Burma, troops of 2nd Battalion The Buffs cross the Shweli River before the assault on Myitson, with machine gun, mortar and artillery fire in support, as the divisional commander watches.

The full clip and other film archives can be found at: https://www.iwm.org.uk/ 2nd Battalion the Buffs

[alanmalcherhistorian]

Private Henry Tandey VC, MM, DSO awarded during the Great War.

Private Henry Tandey was among the most decorated soldiers who survived the First World War and the question remains whether he could have changed history if he had not shown compassion towards a wounded German soldier. It is widely believed the wounded German soldier was Adolf Hitler but some historians claim it was not Hitler and the myth was promoted by Hitler himself to impress his political…

[alanmalcherhistorian]

Jan Baalsrud MBE (1917-1988) SOE Norwegian Section

(Image source Unknown) In early 1943 Baalsrud was part of Operation Martin consisting of three other Norwegian agents who were taken to Norway by a clandestine fishing boat with a Norwegian crew of eight. Their mission was to destroy a control tower at a German airfield at Bardufoss and then recruit and establish a resistance movement. They had been given the name of a resistance contact who…

[alanmalcherhistorian]

Noreen Riols MBE (Née Baxter) talking about her service with the Special Operations Executive (SOE) during the Second World War.