D . ▁Foot , ▁the ▁official ▁historian ▁of ▁the ▁SO E , ▁named ▁Cow burn ▁as ▁one ▁of ▁the ▁half - do zen ▁best ▁male ▁agents . ▁ ▁Biography ▁Cow burn ▁was ▁born ▁on ▁March ▁ 3 , ▁ 1 9 0 9 . ▁He ▁had ▁arrived ▁in ▁Paris , ▁aged ▁eight ▁with ▁his ▁parents , ▁and ▁studied ▁at ▁a ▁British ▁school ▁in ▁Bou log ne - sur - Se ine ▁and ▁then ▁at ▁a ▁Ly c ée . ▁He ▁later ▁studied ▁elect rical ▁engineering ▁and ▁worked ▁for ▁the ▁American ▁firm , ▁F oster ▁Whe eler , ▁building ▁dist ill ation ▁plants ▁for ▁oil ▁ref iner ies ▁all ▁over ▁France . ▁He ▁was ▁a ▁fl uent ▁French ▁speaker . ▁He ▁was ▁married ▁to ▁a ▁French w oman . ▁Due ▁to ▁his ▁knowledge ▁of ▁the ▁oil ▁industry ▁in ▁France , ▁he ▁was ▁seen ▁as ▁an ▁excellent ▁ac quisition ▁for ▁the ▁Special ▁Oper ations ▁Executive . ▁ ▁W art ime ▁activities ▁Rec ru ited ▁in ▁ 1 9 4 1 ▁into ▁SO E ' s ▁' F ' ▁( F rench ) ▁Section , ▁Cow burn ▁was ▁trained ▁at ▁W an borough ▁Man or ▁in ▁the ▁Spring ▁of ▁ 1 9 4 1 . ▁ ▁First ▁mission ▁Cow burn ▁first ▁par ach uted ▁into ▁V ich y ▁France ▁from ▁a ▁Wh itle y ▁bom ber ▁on ▁ 6 ▁September ▁ 1 9 4 1 ▁with ▁Pierre ▁de ▁V om éc ourt ▁( aka ▁' L uc as '). ▁His ▁mission ▁was ▁to ▁obtain ▁information ▁on