History Extra Podcast — "Forgotten Female Secret Agents of WW2"

Episode Date: 28 November 2025
Host: Eleanor Evans (Immediate Media)
Guest: Dr. Kate Vigers (Historian, author of Mission Europe)

Episode Overview

This compelling episode of the History Extra Podcast dives into the remarkable, yet under-recognized, lives of female agents in the Second World War’s Special Operations Executive (SOE) beyond France. Historian Dr. Kate Vigers discusses her new book, Mission Europe, which uncovers the diverse, daring, and poignant stories of women agents in the Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark, Poland, and Mandate Palestine. The conversation traverses their recruitment, training, field operations, family ties, the challenges of discovery, and their lasting legacy.

Key Themes & Discussion Points

1. Why Go Beyond “F” Section?

• Motivation for Mission Europe
  • Vigers explains her prior work centered on F section (France), but she “wanted agents who weren’t well known... to be brought out of the footnotes.”
  • Expansion into other European countries unearthed “women in the Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark, and some who had emigrated from Eastern Europe into Mandate Palestine who parachuted back. Their stories were just so interesting” (03:21–03:59).
  • Two chapters cover France, but not the usual section—“It’s about the République Française, De Gaulle’s sections, which have been absolutely fascinating to research.” (04:20)

2. What Was SOE’s Mission?

• SOE: Special Operations Executive, established July 1940 after the fall of France/Low Countries.
• Mission: “Sabotage and subversion… not spies, they are secret agents... slow down the German war effort by means of sabotage... to help the resistance in occupied territories.” (05:31–06:08)

3. Becoming Agents: Recruitment Stories

• Trix Terwindt (Netherlands)

• Former KLM stewardess, recruited post-invasion, initially lived as a recluse until asked to help set up an Allied airmen escape line.
• Described in her MI5 clearance as “a plucky little patriot.” SOE trained and parachuted her into the Netherlands, leading to her involvement in major missions and dangers. (06:44–08:38)

• Elżbieta Zawacka (Poland)

• Participated in pre-war female military organizations, was “an instructor... they were fully prepared and did their best to fight back” (09:12).
• After the occupation, she couriered information across Europe, once hiding microfilm in a key (10:02).
• Entrusted with delivering a report to the Polish government in exile and advocating for women’s recognition. Notably, “She takes four attempts to get to London” and doesn’t deliver the report herself—the only seat goes to a man.
• Trained others to return to occupied Poland: “She is instructing the agents, or Cicho-ciemni... the silent unseen” (10:45–11:52).

4. Training: Equal or Different?

• Vigers’ research found, “women were treated equally to men... they’d be dealing with the same terrain, the same enemy.” (12:12)
• Training varied based on background—veterans like Elżbieta needed only parachute training; others began with basics and moved to intense paramilitary courses.
• Anecdote: “One woman was so terrified of parachute training she just could not jump. They still infiltrated her via other means.” (13:34–14:30)

5. Gender & Perception in the Field

• Women’s training reports were generally positive, and “...they’re ready, get them in now.” (16:31)
• Example: Jeanne Bohec (France) arrived to resistance skepticism—“but you’re a woman, we don’t want a woman.” She replied, “well, tough, I’m here, you’re gonna have to get on with it.” (17:08)
• Bohec was respected, leading sabotage training and earning admiration. “All I seem to pick up is absolute respect from the men... they’re all prepared to follow her to the ends of the earth.” (17:49)
• Only overt sexism: when Zawacka fought for women’s equal military rank in London—ultimately, she succeeded. (18:41)

6. Researching Forgotten Stories

• SOE destroyed ~85% of their files post-war. A further fire at Baker Street archives shrank the remaining record (19:17–19:41).
• Vigers travelled across Europe—Wales, Copenhagen, Warsaw, the Netherlands—to discover personal letters, artifacts, and prison archives.
• “Basically, you photograph everything... don’t speak Dutch or Hungarian... and work it out at home.” (20:38–21:08)

7. Case Study: Hannah Senesh (Mandate Palestine)

• Details her journey from Budapest to Palestine, her Zionist awakening, and being trained as a parachutist.
• “She kept diaries and letters, so we have a vivid account.” (21:36)
• Parachuted into Yugoslavia, worked with Tito’s partisans, attempted to infiltrate Hungary, ultimately captured, tortured, and executed at age 23.
• “She knew the mission was bonkers, but said, ‘if the news reaches just one Jew that someone tried to help them, then I’ve succeeded in my mission.’” (25:11)

8. Family Ties and Motivations

• Many women “want the first thing to do is see their parents... there’s a very, very strong family link through most of these stories.” (26:10–27:02)
• Also pragmatism: some would move out to avoid endangering family by association.

9. Impact and Recognition

• Occasional recognition for achievements, but often delayed or shunned. “Some of these women, they just don’t want it. They want to go back to normal, everyday lives.” (29:16)
• Examples: Immediate recognition for some (like Virginia Hall), delayed for others.

10. After the War: Tracing Lives

• For some, postwar records exist: “Trix wrote a lot of letters... received LSD treatment to cope.” (30:16)
• Many simply “did their job” and undervalued their actions, e.g. Sarika Braverman: “I was with the partisans for a month, I didn’t do much.” (31:18)

11. Legacy and Public Memory

• Some famous nationally (Hannah Senesh in Israel), most forgotten in the public record.
• “People like République Française section just seem to disappear from public memory... and it’s hard to say why.” (32:17)
• Vigers’ mission: “I’ve fought for it—I’m trying to make sure their names are out there now.” (33:00)

Notable Quotes

• “So women are finally getting their time in the spotlight.” – Kate Vigers (03:56)
• “They are not spies, they are secret agents... the main remit is to slow down the German war effort by means of sabotage.” – Kate Vigers (05:36)
• “She was a plucky little patriot and she should be assigned to work to go back into the Netherlands.” – Kate Vigers on Trix Terwindt (07:46)
• “She is instructing the agents... the silent, unseen, what life was going to be like when they went back.” – Kate Vigers (11:31)
• “The answer is a universal yes, they were [treated equally to men].” – Kate Vigers on training (12:16)
• “No one told them Rateau was a woman. And she kind of went, well, tough, I’m here, you’re gonna have to get on with it.” – Kate Vigers on Jeanne Bohec (17:09)
• “She knows what she’s talking about. They’re all prepared to follow her to the ends of the earth.” – Kate Vigers (17:46)
• “SOE destroyed a lot of their files after the war... around 85% of the files were destroyed.” – Kate Vigers (19:33)
• “If the news reaches just one Jew that someone tried to help them, then I’ve succeeded in my mission.” – Hannah Senesh, quoted by Vigers (25:11)
• “They are people. They make mistakes. They do things for themselves. That’s what I love about studying this—the humanity.” – Kate Vigers (33:49)

Timestamps for Major Segments

• 02:13 — Introduction; setting the context for SOE women
• 03:21 — Why expand this history; scope of Mission Europe
• 05:31 — What is the SOE? Role in wartime Europe
• 06:44 — Recruitment stories: Trix Terwindt and others
• 09:12 — Elżbieta Zawacka’s pre-war preparation, missions to London
• 12:12 — How women were trained; equality and differences
• 16:31 — Perceptions in the field, Jeanne Bohec’s experience
• 19:17 — Research challenges and archival adventures
• 21:26 — The saga of Hannah Senesh, her family, her fate
• 26:10 — Family ties as motivation; the risks and ethics of returning
• 28:29 — Impact and recognition of agents’ work
• 30:16 — Life after war; tracking ordinary, extraordinary women
• 32:16 — How they are remembered (or not) today
• 33:49 — Final reflections: Humanity and ordinary women in extraordinary roles

Memorable Moments

• Vigers being handed the actual key Elżbieta Zawacka used to hide microfilm (10:02): “Holding a piece of history that meant so much to me personally, was unbelievable.”
• Vigers describes finding a long-sought letter in a Dutch archive and “danced a jig around the archives when I found it.” (20:57)
• The story of Hannah Senesh’s last meeting with her brother before her fatal mission (22:52–24:37): “She spends the afternoon with her brother. She can’t tell him what she’s doing... they postpone it by a day.”
• The everyday humility of these women: “They’re so self-effacing. ‘I was with the partisans for a month, I didn’t do much.’ ... If that’s just a job, then all credit to you.” (31:18)
• Vigers’ closing insight: “They are people. They make mistakes. They do things for themselves. And that’s what I love about studying this—the humanity.” (33:49)

Further Listening

• Kate Vigers’ “Life of the Week” episode on Noor Inayat Khan (34:15)

This summary captures the rich tapestry of stories, scholarship, and personalities discussed in this episode, offering both factual highlights and an appreciation of the humanity underlying these extraordinary lives.