She was a Romanian born British intelligence officer who worked in the France section of the Special Operations Executive (SOE) during WWII. I became aware of Vera from the 30+ hours of Sarah Helm's thorough history of Ravensbruck (concentration camp for women). This was subject matter I would not have expected to choose or care a thing about. We will never know much of what she knew/did It presents a more realistic view of the role of SOE operations than that portrayed in more popular books and films. This is a serious book well worth reading (or listening to ) for anyone interested in WW2 in Europe. The post war period is very well described.
This book spells out clearly the repeated and serious errors of judgement made by Maurice Buckminister which led to the death of many agents and resistors in France. Through records, from a diverse range of worldwide sources, a compelling picture is painted of the central figure Vera Atkins, the SOE staff, the secret agents, the role of German officials and officers, resistance members, the horror of imprisonments suffered, the strangeness of the war crimes trials, and the many unanswered questions. Her research leads the author to interview and meet numerous people -often descendants - from both sides.
The author uses this biography of a key figure to delve into and document complex interactions between agencies and enemies during and after WW2. In A LIFE IN SECRETS Sarah Helm has stripped away Vera's many veils and - with unprecedented access to official and private papers, and the cooperation of Vera's relatives - vividly reconstructed an extraordinary life.Fascinating history of SOE operations WWII Vera Atkins, who never married, covered her life in mystery so that even her closest family knew almost nothing of her past. Vera Atkins had helped prepare these women for their missions, and when the war was over she went out to Germany to find out what happened to them and the other agents lost behind enemy lines.īut while the woman who carried out this extraordinary mission appeared quintessentially English, she was nothing of the sort. Twelve of these were women who died in German concentration camps - some were tortured, some were shot, and some died in the gas chambers. During World War Two the Special Operation Executive's French Section sent more than 400 agents into Occupied France - at least 100 never returned and were reported 'Missing Believed Dead' after the war.
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