“Never say 'no' to adventures. Always say 'yes,' otherwise you'll lead a very dull life.”.― James Bond author Ian Fleming.Your name is John Doe. You don’t even exist anymore..You were told to report to a secret base along Lake Ontario, called Camp X, for a special mission..A base so secret, not even Canadian Prime Minister MacKenzie King knew about it.. Camp X, from the air.Camp X, from the air. .The Second World War against Germany is in full swing, but the Allied forces are quickly regrouping. The Americans joined the fight, and that will make a big difference..Meanwhile, you must learn the art of “silent killing.”.Which would you prefer — the Japanese Strangle, the Rock-Crusher or the Grape Vine?.These exotic and deadly names are only a few of the holds and blows agents perfected in their unarmed combat classes at the secret base near Oshawa, ON..According to a report in SOFREP.com, other blows studied were hand-knife strikes, open-hand chin-jabs, fingertip-jabs, boxing blows, kicks, knee strikes and head and elbow strikes..As for the best places to hit, the back of the neck was the prime cut. Anything from the nose to the base of the throat was a good target. Either side of the head and throat would work as well. And kidney-blows always yielded tasty results..Legendary resistance fighter Nancy Wake, a Camp X grad dubbed “the White Mouse” for her ability to evade capture by the Gestapo, once killed an SS sentry with a single karate chop to the neck..She would remark: "They'd taught this judo-chop stuff with the flat of the hand at SOE, and I practised away at it. But this was the only time I used it — whack — and it killed him all right. I was really surprised.". Agent Nancy Wake.Agent Nancy Wake. .“I was not a very nice person. And it didn't put me off my breakfast,” she added..Wake was was a tough cookie, prickly, profane, disdainful of fools and at times very, very funny. Just the kind of agent you wanted in occupied France..She was also a hard drinker who could (and did) drink the partisans she led under the table..An SOE (Special Operations Executive) officer she worked with in France said, “I had never seen anyone drink like that ever, and I don’t think the Maquis had either ... In my long life, it remains one of the most extraordinary things I have seen.”.Much like agent 007 in the battle with Nash on the train in From Russia With Love (Famed James Bond creator Ian Fleming visited Camp X in 1942), agents learned to fight dirty.. Bond gets the better of Nash.Bond gets the better of Nash. .To gain an advantage over their opponent, they should do everything possible: throw dirt, gravel, a handkerchief, or whatever they had, in his face to distract, and then strike, SOFREP.com reported..Some officers of pedigree found this to be ungentlemanly, but, as their instructors said, “foul methods of combat are more humane because they kill quicker.”.The school was headed by Sir William Stephenson (code name Intrepid) the celebrated “Quiet Canadian” chief of the British Security Coordination (BSC) in North and South America..During training, Fleming was given a mission: to kill an enemy agent at a cheap hotel in downtown Toronto.. Ian Fleming.Ian Fleming. .“It was a test of nerve,” said Stephenson, “a test to decide whether he really was ruthless enough to kill a man when it came down to it.”.According to the account, Fleming got cold feet — he waited outside the room for a time, and then went away..He later said, “You know … I couldn’t kill a man that way.”.Unknown to Fleming, the “agent” was a school instructor skilled in evading point blank shots, but the exercise was made as realistic as possible..The students at Camp X practised in attacking armed and unarmed sentries, spinal dislocations, releases from holds, disarming an enemy with a firearm, defending against a rifle butt or a bayonet, snatching prisoners for interrogation, and searching prisoners — the easiest way, instructors argued, was to kill them first..Knife fighting was another thing they became masters of, SOFREP.com reported..Their staple was the Fairbairn-Sykes double-edged commando knife, which had to be perpetually kept sharp to slash effectively.. Fairbairn-Sykes double-edged commando knife.Fairbairn-Sykes double-edged commando knife. .One of the best combat knives in the field, the double edged blade featured a vase handle, which made it easy to slip between the ribs for critical damage..It also had a well-balanced design, fitting properly in your hand without feeling heavy while in action..Instructors taught them how to hold a knife; how to pass it from one hand to another; how to feint and parry; and how and where to strike..After graduating from the unarmed section, agents advanced to the range, SOFREP.com reported..The firearms regime had three principles: first, any movement must be natural and instinctive; second, a pistol is a weapon of attack, not self-defense; and last, always shoot your target twice to be sure..Agents practiced in all the firing positions imaginable. But they’d always aim for the shoulder-firing position since it was the most effective. The challenge was how fast they’d transit from the carrying position to the shoulder-firing position..Hip-firing was discouraged..Recruits also rehearsed grip techniques, firing on moving targets, limited-visibility firing, stress-shooting, and indoors and outdoors shooting..They also became proficient at every type of weapon and ammunition circulating in Europe: from rusty WWI Czechoslovakian rifles to the slick STG. 44..When it came to submachine guns, the Thompson and Sten were the top choices since an accurate single-shot was preferred to rapid-fire, SOFREP.com reported..As for room-clearing, the instructors preached a most unorthodox method: an agent would blow the door, his comrades would provide support crossfire aimed at the opposite sides of the room, the agent would crouch underneath their fire and engage, and then his colleagues would follow him in..Espionage training at Camp X would also include sabotage, partisan work, recruitment methods for the resistance movement, demolition, map reading and Morse code..It was not until the agent completed the 10-week course that the instructors and commanding officers would assess each individual for his particular expertise and subsequently advise the SOE in London of their recommendations..For example, one agent might excel in the demolition field, while another might be better at wireless telegraph work..Upon their arrival in Britain, the agents would be reassessed and would be assigned to a finishing school where their expertise would be further refined..Once this task was completed, another branch of the SOE would take over and develop a mission best suited for each individual agent..After that, they were on their own..It is estimated between 500 and 2,000 British, Canadian and American spies were trained at the the site and sent to every theatre of the war.
