| Replacement Training Unit 11, “The Farm” |
In the early months of 1942, the Special Intelligence branch of the Office of Strategic Services begins by instructing a small number of agents in a single room within its Washington, D.C. headquarters. However, with the growing demands of wartime intelligence work, the need for a dedicated training facility soon becomes evident. This facility, officially designated Replacement Training Unit 11, quickly becomes known informally among personnel as “The Farm.”
In April 1942, Office of Strategic Services officials identify Lothian Farm, a secluded 40-hectare country estate near Clinton, Maryland, approximately 30 kilometres south of Washington, as an ideal training ground. Originally scouted by Office of Strategic Services training coordinator Garland H. Williams for commando training, the site had been deemed too small for combat instruction but is perfectly suited for a compact, secret intelligence school.
The estate, featuring a manor house, stables, and outbuildings, offers both security and proximity to Washington. Quickly leased from its owner, a Pittsburgh industrialist, the property is given the cover name Replacement Training Unit 11, a deliberately bland designation intended to obscure its real purpose. It opens officially on May 5th, 1942, welcoming a first class of eight trainees. Though modest in size, RTU-11 marks the beginning of formalised, independent training for the Office of Strategic Services Secret Intelligence branch.
The Farm’s staff is drawn from a blend of academic and military backgrounds. Dr. J. R. Hayden and Kenneth H. Baker initially design the programme. In mid-1942, Dr. Stanley P. Baker, a former academic and reserve officer, assumes command. Under his leadership, the Farm integrates British training insights and emphasises psychological assessment. Instructor Captain Jenkins becomes executive officer, bringing combat experience from the Marine Raiders. Another key figure is Sergeant Leif Bangsbøll, a Danish-American instructor who later parachutes into Nazi-occupied Denmark. Professor Henry Chandler serves as chief instructor until his tragic death in 1944.
With a staff of just nine and accommodation for fifteen students, the school is designed for discretion. To local residents, it appears to be a minor military installation involved in weapons testing. In reality, the Farm is America’s first dedicated school for training espionage officers. Its secluded location and genteel facilities allow for both comfort and secrecy, and the environment is intentionally informal. Recruits wear civilian clothing or nondescript uniforms and live in the estate’s manor or outbuildings. The Office of Strategic Services maintains strict operational security through a convincing cover story and quiet military police patrols.
| Training |
The mission of Replacement Training Unit 11 is to train personnel in the complete craft of espionage. Influenced heavily by British Secret Intelligence Service and Special Operations Executive methods, the curriculum aims to produce agents as skilled with false identities and cipher systems as soldiers are with rifles. Trainees undergo an intensive four-week course encompassing cryptography, clandestine communications, agent recruitment and management, counterintelligence, surveillance, and concealment. Additional training includes lock-picking, cover stories, and the detection of hostile surveillance.
Although oriented towards intelligence rather than combat, basic weapons instruction, map reading, and fieldcraft are also taught. Instructors such as Captain Albert L. Jenkins of the United States Marine Corps provide hands-on training in pistol use and physical defence. Recruits learn unarmed combat, silent takedown methods, and how to move discreetly in urban and rural environments. Instruction in sabotage is limited to minor techniques, with more extensive demolition work reserved for other Office of Strategic Services schools.
Much of the training is experiential. Trainees are frequently sent on simulated missions into nearby cities such as Washington or Baltimore. There, using assumed identities, they must gather specific information or make contact with prearranged targets, all while maintaining cover. Every moment of their time at the Farm, from sunrise to lights out, is dedicated to refining tradecraft, sharpening instincts, and developing psychological resilience. Observation and psychological assessment by instructors and Office of Strategic Services psychologists are continuous throughout.
Replacement Training Unit 11 also becomes a centre of cross-training. From mid-1942 onwards, graduates often attend additional instruction at Area A or Area B in the national parks, where they receive further paramilitary training such as parachuting, Morse code, and demolitions. Likewise, some Special Operations recruits are given basic intelligence instruction at the Farm.
By late 1943, the Office of Strategic Services experiments with a unified introductory course held at Area E, covering common elements for all branches, but this initiative is short-lived. When Area E closes in 1944, Replacement Training Unit 11 resumes its role as the primary school for Secret Intelligence training.
The training of female operatives at RTU-11 contrasts with the male-only paramilitary schools. Women are not sent to the harsh outdoor camps but receive full intelligence instruction in comfortable estate surroundings. Their contributions range from codework and surveillance to double-agent management and interrogation.
By the time it closes in July 1945, Replacement Training Unit 11 has trained hundreds of agents who serve in every theatre of the war.