Mackenzie, Kenneth (Oral history)

British officer served with F Section, Special Operations Executive in GB and France, 1942-1945

REEL 1 Recollections of period as officer with F Section, Special Operations Executive in GB, 1942-1944: reasons for becoming an agent; initial reaction to having to parachute into France; psychological assessment; allocation to role as wireless operator; refusal to take cyanide tablet; attitude towards survival; advice given on how to deal with torture; training in Scotland; opinion of silent killing methods; atmosphere amongst trainee agents; selection of his organiser; instructional duties in military matters; opinion of British, French and Polish female agents; opinion of Jewish women working in France; memories of Denise Bloch and Violette Szabo; difficulties of relations with women during Second World War. REEL 2 Continues: explosives training in Scotland; description of how to blow up a car; use of plastic explosive; problems with wireless training; story of narrowly escaping capture whilst sending wireless message in France; importance of wireless security checks; impressions of Leo Marks; memories of Eileen Nearne and Violette Szabo. Recollections of operations as agent with F Section, Special Operations Executive in France, 1944: abortive flight to France; purpose of his mission to France; opinion of Vera Atkins; farewell meal at RAF Tempsford; reaction to leaving GB. REEL 3 Continues: reasons for shaving moustache prior to going to France; narrow escape; character of parachute drop; impressions on arrival on French soil; story of escape from German troops whilst travelling in car in Toulouse; reaction to first contact with Germans in Toulouse; move to chateau in countryside; warning of German search of chateau and move to peasant house; German search of peasant house and kindness of elderly peasant woman. REEL 4 Continues: opinion that he passed for French; story of dentist discovering his British fillings during treatment; quality of false papers carried; strict security rules adhered to and discipline of Maquis; German treatment of captured agents; presence of two Communists in Maquis; opinion of Communist Francs-Tireurs et Partisans (FTP) Maquis; incident of Francs-Tireurs et Partisans (FTP) shooting wrong woman; use of BBC message system; reaction to hearing of D-Day landings, 6/6/1944; relations with family; parents' reaction to his work as agent. REEL 5 Continues: opinion of success as agent; mission to rescue group of Maquis from Germans; RAF attack on German armoured division; opinion of Germans; story of training in silent killing by former Shanghai Municipal Police officer; capture and treatment of Gestapo agent; opinion of France.