A deadly three-in-one secret weapon British spies used to kill the enemy has sold for £4,050 after a bidding war. The seemingly unremarkable-looking pen was carried by a Special Operations Executive (SOE) agent behind enemy lines in World War Two. But the versatile gadget could be used to stab, poison or strangle their adversary. Beneath the lid, the pen's tip is a nail dagger, which contains poison to stab the target with. The operative would break the tip's synthetic seal on a rough surface before using the knife. If that method of killing was not possible, a garotte between the pen and lid could be wrapped around the target's neck. The Swiss Army-style weapon was hidden inside a leather pouch, which was concealed on the operative's body while behind enemy lines.
The SOE was a British organisation formed in 1940 designed carry out espionage, sabotage and reconnaissance in German-occupied Europe with the instruction to ‘set Europe ablaze’. The heroic men and women of the top secret organisation would risk life and limb to fight Hitler’s henchmen and worked closely with local resistance movements.
Colonel Colin Gubbins, SOE’s first head of training and operations, organised in-depth training for recruits in unarmed combat, firearms, sabotage and wireless techniques. Research and development stations were set up near Welwyn in Hertfordshire, where scientists and technicians worked on specialist weapons, sabotage equipment and camouflage materials.
Agents operated in countries under the occupation of Nazi Germany, including France, Belgium, Greece, Albania, Yugoslavia and Italy. They also operated in East Asia in a branch known as Force 136. Agents were generally dropped by parachute, although some were transported by submarine. SOE also had a Naval Section, which used small boats to put agents ashore.
