Missions focused on insertion and network setup.
During the Second World War, Gibraltar served as a critical clandestine hub for the Special Operations Executive (SOE), facilitating the infiltration of agents into occupied France and North Africa and supporting strategic contingency plans for the Iberian Peninsula.
Operation Savannah (or Savanna) was the first insertion of SOE-trained Free French paratroops into German-occupied France in March 1941. The mission aimed to assassinate pilots of the Luftwaffe’s Kampfgruppe 100 pathfinder wing to reduce the effectiveness of night raids on Britain.
The Special Operations Executive (SOE) operated a dedicated Czech Section to support resistance movements in occupied Czechoslovakia during World War II. Its efforts focused on infiltrating agents, coordinating sabotage, and supporting local networks despite the stringent security of the German Protectorate.