In Occupied Europe during World War II, a co-ordinated assassination offensive against Nazi security forces, codenamed Ratweek, was mounted in January 1944 by the Special Operations Executive (SOE), with the intention of creating confusion and trepidation at the same time as the Allies increased preparations for the Resistance's contribution to the Normandy Landings. Full details have never been released, but it is known that "Ratweek" achieved successes against Nazi personnel and collaborators in Norway, France, Denmark, and the Netherlands. In 2000 it was revealed that the operation had been supervised by Edwin Hardy Amies, at the time head of the SOE's Belgian Section.