Russell Shanks

Trump says 'everything's been knocked out in Iran' as he criticises UK and Starmer

Not taken too long into this war with Iran to get onto the WW2 comparatives. All too easy to throw around Churchill's name in comparative to any PM facing calls to go to war.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/cy...

France to boost nuclear arsenal and extend deterrence to European allies Emmanuel Macron said eight countries could enjoy protection from France's nuclear umbrella - but that Paris would retain sole decision-making power.

With current events escalating in Iran, this critically important geostrategic story appears to have slipped under the radar.

#nuclearweapons #nuclearhistory

www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Gunnerside-inspired levels appear in:
Medal of Honor (1999), Battlefield 1942 (2002), Secret Weapons Over Normandy (2003), Commandos: Strike Force (2006), Enemy Front (2014), Battlefield V (2018), and Medal of Honor: Above & Beyond (2020).
Have you played any of these levels? 8/8

But if you are looking for an authentic adaptation, Battlefield V is perhaps the best. The emphasis on stealth, with the added environmental dangers encapsulates the spirit of Gunnerside best. The gripping narrative and beautifully designed levels are novel adaptations of an epic SOE mission. 7/8

Returning to wholesale destruction, Enemy Front (2014) and MoH: Above & Beyond take it to epic levels by using the environment to lay waste to the plant. Perhaps more tongue in cheek in their approach, if you can get past the corny jokes in Above & Beyond, then the avalanche may finish you off 6/8

Videogame adaptations of the raid compress Gunnerside with the follow up sabotage of the DF Hydro ferry, warping time between them into a single action. By giving players a boat to sink at the end of the level, designers present a neat story for audiences before moving on to the next mission. 5/8

The weather conditions certainly make for an attractive spectacle , positioning a snowy winterscape for players to explore. Some games having made frivolous use of the environment... 4/8

Videogame adaptations have leant on the daring nature of the raid, but none have incorporated the element of survival as effectively as Battlefield V's Nordlys (2018). The act 'All is Ash' unique in challenging players to avoid hypothermia up on Hardangervidda in the middle of winter. 3/8

For a highly secretive operation, it's had a long cultural legacy. From Knut Haukelid's Skis Against The Atom (1954) to the blockbuster film The Heroes of Telemark (1965), it has featured in videogames since Medal of Honor (1999) which transmuted the raid into wholesale sabotage of the plant 2/8

This evening marks the 83rd anniversary of Operation Gunnerside, the legendary raid by Norwegian Commandos of SOE against Heavy Water at the Norsky Hydro Plant. Of all of SOE's activities, Gunnerside is the mission that most often appears in videogames. Why is that? 1/8

Glad my university has a department that puts on a variety of workshops to help open up and explore different approaches to academic work. Recently attended one on 'Storytelling Your Research'. Safe to say 'drawing' my PhD Journey has been inspired by playing a lot of Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag

Next week, for the 83rd anniversary, I will posting a thread about Gunnerside and its continued appearance in videogames 2/2

OTD 1944: 82 Years ago, members of SOE successfully sink the SF Hydro ferry and remaining stocks of Heavy Water (Deuterium Oxide/D2O) ending the Nazi nuclear program. This action is often condensed into videogames as part of Operation Gunnerside (Feb 1943) 1/2

I feel this could apply to those who are in Game Studies as well... 😅

Either through a combat flight sim or FPS - raiding prison fortress in the snow, requiring precision bombing has plenty of scope for developing into an exciting and entertaining level. Any thoughts Game Developers?

Featured in Secret Weapons Over Normandy (LucasArts, 2003), Mission 6: POW is an attack on a POW camp, while Mission 11: Heavy Water (pictured) is all about low level precision Mosquito flying in the snow. That said, Jericho is ripe for its own videogame level outright. 2/3

OTD: 82 years since Operation Jericho - the raid on Amiens Prison. This operation is a prime example of SOE-RAF cooperation at its finest. A daring low-level, precision raid by RAF Mosquitos to free Resistance agents. Aspects of the mission have inspired a few videogame levels 1/3

Even in final year of PhD studies, going back to basics with an easy to read text to help gain new insights and perspectives can be really helpful and satisfying. This book just helping to polish off some perspectives in a current thesis chapter.

So far overall it has been a fascinating area of research which I look forward to completing this year.

#SOE #criticalgamestudies #phd #research #ww2 #videogames

Although most games hail from the FPS genre, the ways in which SOE appears and is portrayed vary significantly in places. Each game has its own slant on how it wants to be played which often translates into an adaption of how SOE's history is interpreted.

From adaptations of famous missions to remediation of SOE in cinema, my research is looking at how the SOE is represented and how it's legacy is understood through new media. From its material culture to the ways forms of identity intersect within games.

January 2026 marks 80 years since the end of the Special Operations Executive. Perhaps one of the quieter Second World War anniversaries to pass by. Nonetheless SOE remains a popular topic for Digital Wargames, the organisations actions inspiring narratives and gameplay over the past 40+ years.

Third year grind.
New year, new chapter, same core readings.

#AcWri #PhD

a man and a woman walking down a street with the words " i need to get my life in order " ALT: a man and a woman walking down a street with the words " i need to get my life in order "

Sometimes it's the simple and small things that can help organisation and navigation on big projects. Like putting thesis chapter numbers in document titles for ease of access in my folders.

#accwri #smallvictories

The National Intelligence History Conference (NIHC) is an academic conference looking at all aspects of the history of intelligence - from people, organisations, pop culture and more. The inaugural… National Intelligence History Conference 2026 - Save the date

I can neither confirm nor deny my appearance in this video.
On a serious note, looking forward to the conference this year back at Bletchley Park.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=WPw_...

A black Tarmac road with "no populists" written in white above more words reading "look right".

How can Hannah Arendt’s book The Origins of Totalitarianism help us understand this new age of far-right populism? @cjfinlay.bsky.social @sgiadurham.bsky.social takes a look 👉 www.durham.ac.uk/research/cur...

The pedantic part of me would have preferred the memorial to be on Baker Street or near to the SIS building in Vauxhall. Nonetheless the memorial did look rather resplendent in the late afternoon sun by Lambeth Palace, opposite Thames House and the Houses of Parliament. 3/3

Considering the cultural imaginary of the SOE, I was particularly struck by the prominence of cinematic references were in the memorial text. (Pictured) Not only with reference to Szabo and 'Carve Her Name with Pride' (1958) but to Operation Gunnerside and 'The Heroes of Telemark' (1965). 2/3

Took a moment when in central London recently to find the SOE Memorial nr Lambeth Bridge. Topped with a bust of Violette Szabo, it was touching to see the memorial still covered in poppy wreaths. Noticed a few passers-by stopped to have a read and reflect. 1/3
#SOE #London

Discovered this holiday period that SOE operative Krystina Skarbek (Christine Granville) is buried in the same cemetery as some of my Step-Dad's relations. Took a moment to pay respects at her grave and reflect on her remarkable life.
(Photos my own)