THE WWII SCHOOL FOR ESCAPE ARTISTS
Long before Winston Churchill called for the newly formed Special Operations Executive (SOE) to “set Europe ablaze” with its sabotage campaign, Britain was already conducting secret missions behind enemy lines through agencies like MI6. Lesser known, though, is the work of MI9, established to aid British personnel in evading and escaping capture. This specialist agency trained soldiers, set up escape networks to harbour escapees and created tools to aid POWs to escape in the first place. Historian Dr Helen Fry has delved into newly declassified files and documents to lift the lid on one of World War II’s most secretive agencies, and we were delighted to learn more about it from her.
What was the primary mission of MI9?
The primary purpose of MI9 – which was not dissimilar to MI5 and MI6, the organisations we’re more familiar with – was actually to facilitate escape and evasion during World War II. It was established in December 1939, quite early in the war, with a view to bring airmen, soldiers and Allied personnel back from behind enemy lines to fight again.
The activities of MI9 were highly secretive, so when did the organisation first
