Blackmail Sabotage: Attacks on French Industries During World War Two

In late-1943 Harry Ree one of Britains secret agents operating in eastern France witnessed an RAF bombing mission on Peugeots automobile factory in Sochaux/Montbeliard. As many bombs missed their target damaging houses and killing innocent French civilians he was aware that it could turn public opinion against the Allies. With the agreement of his boss in the Special Operations Executive he approached one of Peugeots directors and made him an offer: Agree to have your vital machinery sabotaged or have the factory destroyed by British or American bombers. To help the director decide he was offered compensation by the Allies after the war. When this novel approach proved successful SOE set up a blackmail sabotage committee which targeted over thirty French factories. Over twenty specially trained agents both men and women were infiltrated on missions which included blackmail sabotage. This book details their successes and failures.