Station Victor

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Station Victor
Hurley, Berkshire, United Kingdom
Site information
TypeCommunications
OwnerOffice of Strategic Services
OperatorSecret Intelligence Branch
Controlled by United States
ConditionMostly demolished
Location
Map
Coordinates51°31′23″N 0°48′43″W / 51.523042°N 0.811875°W / 51.523042; -0.811875
Site history
In use1943-1945
Demolished1945
Battles/warsWorld War II
Garrison information
Past
commanders		George Lewis Graveson
DesignationsBlue plaque

Station VICTOR, also known as the Hurley Communications Center, in Hurley, Berkshire, was the primary communications facility of the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) in the United Kingdom between 1943 and 1945, operated by members of its Secret Intelligence Branch (SI).[1] Here, between 150 to 200 Americans were stationed at radio listening posts, communicating with officers and spies deployed to mainland Europe, and analyzing communications from the Wehrmacht and other military operations of the Axis powers in Occupied France.[2] Station Victor was especially vital to the success of Operation SUSSEX, communicating with the radio operators deployed with SI Branch OSSEX Teams to France on secret operations in the lead-up to the Normandy landings.[3]

Station Victor's headquarters building was at Hurley Manor.[4] The radio signals office and receiving site contained 8 radio huts and several communications masts, located on the top of Ashley Hill, near the town.[5] The boosted transmitting tower was located down the river in Bisham.[4] Lower-ranked soldiers and SI civilians were housed in a barracks facility at a local farmyard, while officers were provided requisitioned housing in the town. The bar of The Olde Bell was requisitioned as the officer's club.[2]

The secret communications huts were torn down shortly after the war. Several blue plaques were donated by the OSS Society and unveiled in June 2019, marking some of the historic locations of Station Victor that are still standing.[2]

For approximately a year between 1943 and 1944, in conjunction with SI at Station Victor, Special Operations Branch (SO) operated another OSS radio Station CHARLES on Poundon Hill in Poundon. However, these SO operators then moved to Station Victor in 1944 in the buildup to the Normandy operations.[6]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Station Victor.

References

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  1. ^ Bruxelles, Simon de (2016-04-05). "Tiny village hid wartime US spy base". www.thetimes.com. Retrieved 2025-12-21.
  2. ^ a b c "Hurley's Station Victor and the secrets of D Day". Visit Windsor. 2019-07-01. Retrieved 2025-12-21.
  3. ^ Colonel Dillon, Peter J. (7 April 1998). "A Theory For Human Intelligence Operations" (PDF). apps.dtic.mil. United States Army War College. p. 16.
  4. ^ a b Taylor, Will (2019-05-30). "Secret Hurley station essential to winning Second World War to be honoured in ceremony". www.maidenhead-advertiser.co.uk. Retrieved 2025-12-21.
  5. ^ Roberts, Hannah (2021-09-18). "A village's secret radio station that helped defeat the Nazis". Berkshire Live. Retrieved 2025-12-21.
  6. ^ Gordon-Smith, Dave (May 2018). "The Original Paraset: A few false connections" (PDF). Journal, Issue 47. p. 7.

Further reading

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