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The BrainFood Show

Who Were the Real Life "Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare” and What Did they Actually Do?

The BrainFood Show

Cloud10

History, Education

4.91.6K Ratings

🗓️ 4 November 2025

⏱️ 38 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Among the many box office bombs of the 2024 movie season was The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare. Starring Superman himself - Henry Cavill - and directed by Guy Ritchie of Snatch and Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels fame, the film tells the story of a ragtag team of saboteurs tasked with raiding a Nazi naval base off the African coast during the Second World War. Though highly fictionalized and over-the-top as only a Guy Ritchie film can be, the story is very loosely based on a real, daring raid that took place on January 14, 1942, which helped establish the reputation of one of the most infamous clandestine organizations in the war. This is the incredible forgotten story of Operation Postmaster. Author: Gilles Messier Editor: Daven Hiskey Host: Simon Whistler Producer: Samuel Avila Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0

Sean has had some good ideas over the years, but using Canva was a really good one.

0:08.0

Sean designed some social posts to promote his friend's car boot sale.

0:13.0

They looked good, really, really good.

0:17.0

Next thing he knows, someone came and bought the loft, including the car.

0:24.5

Now Sean doesn't know how he's going to get home.

0:28.0

Thanks, Canva.

0:30.1

Among the many box office bombs of the 2024 movie season was the Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare,

0:35.4

starring Superman himself Henry Carvel and

0:37.7

directed by Guy Ritchie of Snatch and Lockstock and Two Smoking Barrel's frame.

0:42.0

The film tells the story of a rag-tag team of saboteurs tasked with raiding a Nazi naval

0:46.1

base off the African coast during the Second World War.

0:49.0

Though highly fictionalized and over the top, as only a Guy Ritchie film can be,

0:53.7

the story is very loosely based on a real

0:55.8

daring raid that took place on January 14, 1942, which helped establish a reputation of one

1:00.8

the most infamous clandestine organisations in the war. This is the incredible forgotten story

1:06.6

of Operation Postmaster. The Ministry of Ungentlemanlyfare of the film's title was in fact Special Operations Executive

1:13.9

or SOE, tasked with, in the words, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, setting Europe ablaze,

1:20.4

SOE inserted agents into occupied territory to support native resistance movements, carried out acts of

1:26.0

sabotage and subversion, and generally

1:27.8

sowed chaos behind enemy lines.

1:29.8

Like the Army Commandos established around the same time, the organization provided

1:33.1

the British ground forces severely weakened following their evacuation from the beaches

...

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