Wonderry Plus subscribers can binge full seasons of the Spy Who early and add free on Apple Podcasts or the Wondery app.

This episode includes depictions of violence. Please be advised.

July 1943, Baker Street, London.

In a dimly lit office at SOE headquarters, Hardy Amies sits at a large table with the agency's other section heads.

Together, they direct sabotage operations behind enemy lines, from Nazi-occupied Europe to the jungles of Southeast Asia.

Cigarette smoke hangs in the air and an atmosphere of suppressed excitement pervades the room.

For all the section heads to have been gathered at once, something important must be afoot.

But no one knows what.

The chatter hushes as brigadier Eric Moklaferriman enters the room.

He's the SOE's new director of operations in northwest Europe.

He strides to the front of the room and turns to the assembled section heads.

Gentlemen, the agents you are sending into Europe are brave men. There are few things as courageous as volunteering to fight behind enemy lines. But unfortunately, we have been failing them.

The enemy have infiltrated too many of our networks

and far too many of our agents are getting caught.

We have failed to protect them.

Amies looks at the distressed faces of his fellow section heads.

They may be chafing under this harsh criticism, but Amies knows it is true,

especially in his own patch, Belgium.

The guilt of sending agents to their deaths without any way to protect them weighs heavy upon him.

The brigadier tries to regain control of the room.

But that stops now.

We're going to send a message.

...