The base in Vine Street was requisitioned to become the Aliens Registration Office in August 1939, so the unit was temporarily closed.
It reopened in October in a secret meeting in a public house in Leicester Square for officers to take instructions and collect their expenses.
During the Second World War, the vice scene in the west end of London thrived due mainly to the number of overseas soldiers based in England, many of whom visited Soho.
As the ensuing corruption investigations widened, the Obscene Publications Squad was replaced in its entirety with a new group of officers drawn from the uniformed branch and more than 20 detectives were dismissed or required to resign.
When the cases ultimately came to trial in 1977, the presiding judge, Mr Justice Mars-Jones, summarised those involved as having engaged in "corruption on a scale which beggars description".
With new legislation expected that covers the possession of "extreme obscenity" the work of the Clubs and Vice Unit continues apace.
In 2014, the unit was merged into the Metropolitan Police's Human Trafficking Command and the focus on clubs and vice was reduced.