Editing Operation Staybehind (section)

==Key Details==
	•	Formation and Context: The UK’s stay-behind network was initiated in the mid-1940s, shortly after World War II, building on the experience of the Special Operations Executive (SOE) and Auxiliary Units, which had prepared for resistance against a potential Nazi invasion during the war. By 1947–1948, with the onset of the Cold War, the focus shifted to countering Soviet threats, aligning with NATO’s emerging Gladio strategy.

	•	Structure: The network included former SOE operatives, SAS personnel, and civilian volunteers, often recruited from trusted anti-communist groups. It maintained secret arms caches, communication systems, and training facilities, primarily in rural areas like the Scottish Highlands and Wales. The network was coordinated by MI6’s Section D (for destruction/sabotage) and later integrated into NATO’s Clandestine Planning Committee (CPC) and Allied Clandestine Committee (ACC).

	•	Activities: The UK stay-behind units trained for guerrilla operations, including sabotage of Soviet infrastructure, assassination of collaborators, and establishment of escape-and-evasion networks. They also monitored domestic communist activities, particularly the CPGB, which had significant influence in trade unions during the 1940s. Training was conducted by SAS and MI6 operatives, with some exercises held at NATO facilities like Fort Monckton in Gosport.

	•	Secrecy: The network operated with extreme secrecy, known only to a small circle of MI6, military, and government officials. Unlike Italy or Belgium, the UK never conducted a public inquiry into its stay-behind activities, leaving much of its history undocumented.