"T" Force had its origins in "S" Force which was created to co-ordinate the intelligence gathering prior to the fall of Rome. As other major population centres fell to the Allies many were allocated their own individual "T" Force. At this point, at least, there was no single "T" Force, nor was it uniquely a British operation. "S" Force was formed from intelligence assets of the US 5th Army and British 8th Army. Subsequent "T" Forces drew upon whatever resources were available. Since translation of foreign documents and interrogation of foreign nationals was a basic requirement of their operations, linguistic skills were at a premium.