Historical person
Colin Gubbins
1896–1976
Colin Gubbins was a British army officer and specialist in irregular warfare who became head of the Special Operations Executive in 1943. He oversaw support for resistance movements, sabotage and clandestine operations across occupied Europe while balancing military, political and intelligence demands.
Gubbins had served in the First World War and later developed a particular expertise in guerrilla and resistance warfare through work connected with Russia, Ireland and inter-war military planning. In 1940 he helped organise the secret Auxiliary Units intended to continue resistance if Britain were invaded. His experience made him central to the development of the Special Operations Executive, where he promoted the training, supply and coordination of clandestine forces rather than treating sabotage as a series of isolated operations.
Giles Milton’s Churchill’s Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare traces the small group of officers, engineers and unconventional fighters who developed that capability through Section D, MI(R) and the Special Operations Executive. Figures including Colin Gubbins and William Fairbairn helped turn improvised weapons, demolitions and close-combat methods into a system for clandestine warfare.
Non Fiction
Non Fiction featuring Colin Gubbins (1 book)
Biographies, histories and other non-fiction are listed separately from the historical novels above.