This is suppose to be a book about the OSS in World War II. In some ways it is, but mostly it is a book about Colonel Carl Eifler, an early and 'famous' OSS operative. In fact, most of the book is about Eifler. It turns out the author, who was also in the OSS, wrote a book about Eifler called "The Deadliest Colonel."
I believe the author just copied the first book, added filler on the OSS and several other WW II units, and then produced this book. Toward the end of the book, scores of pages are filled with somewhat dubious facts just placed on the page with little to unify them. The author does provide a bibliography, but not one single citation. You just have to accept what he tells you.
The other problem is the author pays no attention to time lines, units, or even proper English grammar. Entire sentences toward the end of the book make no sense. He jumps about in describing OSS actions, often within the same paragraph, and a lot of the filler has nothing to do with the OSS.
And, if you've read as many WW II books as I have, some of the stories he relates are just that.... stories with no basis for truth. So you being to wonder how much of what he relates, of which you have no knowledge of, is also false.
I could write pages, but here are some examples...
Giving 500 "brand-new" 1863 Civil War-era, muzzle-loading, Springfield muskets to the Burmese Kachins. Really? I want proof.
He has Eifler flying to North Africa and reports the German Army is fighting in Tunis. Then he has Eifler continuing on and flying up to the Anzio beachhead. Considering the German Army in North Africa surrendered in May 1943 and the Anzio beachhead in Italy didn't exist until January 1944, that must have been a very slow plane trip.
Then he has the Chinese army attacking Kachin "cities" in Burma. Later, he correctly calls them "villages," but you have to wonder if the author ever reviewed his own text. Then he has the OSS in Burma deliberately calling in air strikes on the Chinese, our allies. Citation please!
Then he has some Marine in the OSS, sneaking into Germany with his dress green uniform in his luggage. It gets through a custom inspection because it is turned inside out. Forgive me, but the Germans were not that stupid. Then he has the Marine drinking with German officers who insult the Marines. The Marine goes upstairs, changes into his uniform with all his medals, then goes downstairs to hold the German officers at gunpoint and insist they drink a toast to the Marines. How stupid does he think we are? No OSS agent would ever be allowed to go behind enemy lines with non-European clothing. All their clothing had to be specific to a particular country, even toothbrushes and other items. And the author even tells us this---in some detail---earlier in the book.
As just one example of bad grammar, and a sentence which doesn't make sense... He has an OSS agent taking photographs of "...some highly secret military fortification plants." Well, they are either military fortifications or they are military plants. But this sounds like a plant which 'grows' fortifications.
One story he relates, which I found funny, is using cats to aim bombs. The idea is cats hate to get their feet wet. So if you tied a cat to a bomb, the cat would direct the bomb to an enemy ship at sea, so it wouldn't land in the ocean and get wet. This was tried and was unsuccessful. If you believe OSS scientists actually tried this, would you please give me change for this $30 bill?
Sad. I give it one star because a lot of what I have read about the OSS is covered in the book. But if this is your first read about the OSS, tread lightly. Better yet, stop reading this book and find another book on the OSS to read. There are also numerous books about William Donovan, who headed up the OSS, which will provide you much better, and actually correct, information.
I believe the author just copied the first book, added filler on the OSS and several other WW II units, and then produced this book. Toward the end of the book, scores of pages are filled with somewhat dubious facts just placed on the page with little to unify them. The author does provide a bibliography, but not one single citation. You just have to accept what he tells you.
The other problem is the author pays no attention to time lines, units, or even proper English grammar. Entire sentences toward the end of the book make no sense. He jumps about in describing OSS actions, often within the same paragraph, and a lot of the filler has nothing to do with the OSS.
And, if you've read as many WW II books as I have, some of the stories he relates are just that.... stories with no basis for truth. So you being to wonder how much of what he relates, of which you have no knowledge of, is also false.
I could write pages, but here are some examples...
Giving 500 "brand-new" 1863 Civil War-era, muzzle-loading, Springfield muskets to the Burmese Kachins. Really? I want proof.
He has Eifler flying to North Africa and reports the German Army is fighting in Tunis. Then he has Eifler continuing on and flying up to the Anzio beachhead. Considering the German Army in North Africa surrendered in May 1943 and the Anzio beachhead in Italy didn't exist until January 1944, that must have been a very slow plane trip.
Then he has the Chinese army attacking Kachin "cities" in Burma. Later, he correctly calls them "villages," but you have to wonder if the author ever reviewed his own text. Then he has the OSS in Burma deliberately calling in air strikes on the Chinese, our allies. Citation please!
Then he has some Marine in the OSS, sneaking into Germany with his dress green uniform in his luggage. It gets through a custom inspection because it is turned inside out. Forgive me, but the Germans were not that stupid. Then he has the Marine drinking with German officers who insult the Marines. The Marine goes upstairs, changes into his uniform with all his medals, then goes downstairs to hold the German officers at gunpoint and insist they drink a toast to the Marines. How stupid does he think we are? No OSS agent would ever be allowed to go behind enemy lines with non-European clothing. All their clothing had to be specific to a particular country, even toothbrushes and other items. And the author even tells us this---in some detail---earlier in the book.
As just one example of bad grammar, and a sentence which doesn't make sense... He has an OSS agent taking photographs of "...some highly secret military fortification plants." Well, they are either military fortifications or they are military plants. But this sounds like a plant which 'grows' fortifications.
One story he relates, which I found funny, is using cats to aim bombs. The idea is cats hate to get their feet wet. So if you tied a cat to a bomb, the cat would direct the bomb to an enemy ship at sea, so it wouldn't land in the ocean and get wet. This was tried and was unsuccessful. If you believe OSS scientists actually tried this, would you please give me change for this $30 bill?
Sad. I give it one star because a lot of what I have read about the OSS is covered in the book. But if this is your first read about the OSS, tread lightly. Better yet, stop reading this book and find another book on the OSS to read. There are also numerous books about William Donovan, who headed up the OSS, which will provide you much better, and actually correct, information.
