In early 1943 the War Office decided that there was now little chance that the Auxiliary Units would be used in any anti-invasion capacity. The organisation survived through re-inventing itself as a reconnaissance unit for the Home Guard in order to counter any German 'spoiling raids', and by bureocratic inertia, whilst still making the most of their secret status in order to mainain morale amongst the volunteers.

 

As a consequence of this state of limbo, the Auxiliary Units did not share in the new weapons that were produced during 1943.  Most obviously, they did not receive the new silenced sten which was issued to all other special forces. Neither did they receive the new generation of SOE booby trap devices. 

 

By the end of 1943 the mask of secrecy was slipping and questions were being asked within the War Office as to why they continued to be supplied to their existing level.  This can be seen in querying of  the amount of trip wire that were being requisitioned.