Abstract
The Auxiliary Unit was a secret highly trained group of men especially designed by Prime Minister Winston Churchill to be last line of defense for Britain if Hitler were to invade. Hitler was growing in power and strength at what seemed to be a daily rate, and he had just taken hold of France. Churchill and the rest of the United Kingdom not only felt threatened by an invasion, but they were also exceedingly concerned that the only thing separating Britain from Nazi Europe was the English Channel. If he were to successfully invade Britain, Hitler would have to overcome many obstacles, such as the Royal Air Force, the English Channel, the regular Army, and the Home Guard. After taking these into consideration Hitler devised Operation Sea Lion, a plan for invading England. Once Churchill and the War Cabinet became aware of Operation Sea Lion, they devised a form of protection should Sea Lion actually be deployed. This protection took the form of a new unit, one unlike anything the United Kingdom had seen before. It was a combination of intelligence and resistance, military in character, and under the aegis of the Home Guard. The men came from all walks of life and were individually hand picked by Maj. Colin Gubbins, a specialist in guerilla warfare. Although trained to carry out specific duties, they never had the opportunity to go into action.
Date of publication
Fall 8-20-2013
Document Type
Thesis
Language
english
Persistent identifier
http://hdl.handle.net/10950/172
Recommended Citation
Rice, Cassy, "The Auxiliary Units: Britain's Last Line of Defense During World War II" (2013). History Theses. Paper 1.
http://hdl.handle.net/10950/172