Soe Syllabus: Lessons in Ungentlemanly Warfare, World War II (Secret History Files)

Rating:
Summary: Technical yet interesting account of SOE training at Camp X
Review: A very interesting book full of information that you will in all odds never use.

However, we need to remember the past. The SOE did not set Europe ablaze as Churchill had hoped but undoubtedly made a difference in the second world war. The training methods developed at Camp X still have a strong influence today. I have seen some of the hand to hand combat techniques in newer publications reproduced almost word for word. A variation Fairbairn's knife technique is still taught in the military.

Much of the information is adaptable to day to day life. Being aware of ones situation, how to find out if you are being followed and what to do about it and other situations are covered. While none of us will probably have to kill a brothel full of German solders it is still rather interesting to see how it would be done.

Don't expect smooth readability. This is a collection of technical documents and reads like it. It is not entertaining style but still a fascinating record of one of the most interesting sections of history.