Office of Strategic Services

The OSS was disbanded almost immediately following the end of the war, with President Harry Truman's Executive Order 9621 , which effectively cleaved the OSS in two. The Research & Analysis Branch — OSS' intelligence analysis division — was transferred to the Department of State, where it exists to this day as the Bureau of Intelligence and Research (INR). The remainder, comprising the intelligence collection and covert action divisions, was placed under the control of the Department of War, becoming the Strategic Services Unit (SSU). The dismantling of the OSS was at least partly the result of the death of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, who had been a key supporter of its founding chief, William J. Donovan , and who shared Donovan's belief that the US needed a permanent foreign intelligence service. Donovan was instrumental in building consensus around that need in the federal government and Congress that, but there was significant debate about what form the new agency should take. The period between EO 9621 and the creation of the CIA with the passage of the National Security Act of 1947 was characterised by extensive bureaucratic manoeuvering, frantic attempts by OSS veterans to preserve the organisation's hard-won institutional experience and expertise, and a prolonged tug-of-war between the three departments that possessed their own longstanding intelligence services: the Departments of State, War and the Navy. In January 1946, Truman established the National Intelligence Authority , creating a new Central Intelligence Group and Director of Central Intelligence, to coordinate intelligence strategy and operations between State, War and Navy. Donovan, who hoped to lead the new intelligence establishment, was essentially sidelined — but OSS veterans would go on to play a major role in the early history of the CIA. Some prominent examples: the SSU was stewarded for its short existence by Brigadier General John Magruder , who as Deputy Director of Intelligence in OSS had been one of Donovan's key lieutenants Allen Dulles , who had been OSS station chief in the service's critical Swiss outpost during the war, went on to serve as Deputy Director of Plans, overseeing the CIA's intelligence gathering and covert action departments, and Deputy Director of Central Intelligence from 1951-53. From 1953-59, he was Director of Central Intelligence William Harding Jackson , an old OSS hand who played a significant role in the counterintelligence and disinformation effort during the war, served as Deputy Director of Central Intelligence from 1950-51 Frank Wisner , another senior OSS officer in wartime Europe, succeeded Dulles as Deputy Director of Plans, serving from 1951-59 Richard Helms , who had started his career in OSS and became Wisner's deputy in the Directorate of Plans, served variously as Deputy Director of Plans, Deputy Director of Central Intelligence and Director of Central Intelligence from 1962-73 William Colby , who served in the Jedburgh direct action units during the war, was later appointed Deputy Director of Operations and Director of Central Intelligence from 1973-76 William J. Casey , onetime head of OSS' Secret Intelligence Branch, went on to serve as Director of Central Intelligence from 1981-87 So, it's fair to say that there's a significant amount of OSS influence in the CIA's DNA. In particular, the Agency's longstanding love affair with covert action (as distinct from pure intelligence collection) — psychological warfare and subversion campaigns, political and economic warfare, paramilitary operations, etc. — can certainly be traced back to its OSS roots. Some good further reading on OSS and CIA: Tim Weiner, Legacy of Ashes Christopher Andrew, For the President's Eyes Only Douglas Waller, Wild Bill Donovan Thomas F. Troy, Donovan and the CIA R. Harris Smith, OSS More on reddit.com

Are you looking for a casual unit to join on Post Scriptum? Do you wanna use unconventional tactics on the battlefield? Maybe even a bit of guerilla warfare? If you said yes, then OSS is for you!

OSS has over a hundred members, and boasts three main branches.

1. INFANTRY

The main fighting force. OSS’ infantry is led by several experienced officers that have been in the realism community for ages, and is a platoon sized element. There are two major squads in the infantry, Bloodhounds and Wolfpack.

However, there is a third squad. It’s called Raiders, and they specialize in stealth, demolitions, recon, and guerilla warfare. You have to pass a tryout to get into this squad, as it’s meant for the most skilled players.

Utilizing a mix of real world tactics (and some of our own), the OSS infantry is a force to be reckoned with.

2. ARMOR

The second largest branch of the OSS, the armored division smashes through enemy lines and unleashes steel fury on the battlefield. Every member of the armored is a master of their craft, and if they’re in a tank, they can achieve anything.

3. LOGISTICS

Logistics are the real heroes in any game of Post. The same goes for realism events. They build defenses, lay mines, and most notably are the ones using the mortars. Keeping the team running is their business, and business is good.

The best part about joining OSS is the ability to participate in realism events hosted by AEF, Post’s realism community made up of several Allied/Axis units. You also get to play the game using PSRM, a mod created by AEF’s modders (some of which are members of OSS). PSRM adds loads of content to the game, such as dragging wounded teammates, new tanks, vehicles, soldier skins, emplacements, etc.

Are you convinced? If so, please click the link below to get started at OSS!

https://discord.gg/theoss

(If the link goes bad, just DM me and I’ll send you a new one)

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My grandfather was taken from his Austrian farm and drafted into the Nazi infantry when he was 17. He never liked to speak much of the war except with my grandmother. I never felt proud of him but I respected him for what he did to keep his family safe, especially given that he lost his arm in Norway. He lived in the US most of the latter part of his life and never had any run ins that I'd heard of regarding his past (although he wasn't too vocal like I said). Anyways, did you ever meet a former Nazi in person? If so, how was that encounter? What were you feeling at the time? Did meeting that person change your perspective? If not, how do you think you would've reacted had you met a former Nazi in person? Would you still harbor ill-will? More on reddit.com

You won't find anything at least in western European OSS activities that will match the popular grandeur of intelligence scoops like Midway, but the OSS did have a significant contribution to the war effort throughout the American military's involvement in the Mediterranean theater from 1941-1945. The example I'll provide today is in regard to the American bridgehead at Anzio in Italy. (For another "victory" I would look at Operation Sunrise, the plan to accept the surrender of the German Army in northern Italy headed by Allen Dulles. I've provided sources for further study below) Also, for note, there are several different operational/admin groups within the OSS and the major ones were as follows: Research and Analysis (R&A), Secret Intelligence (SI), Special Operations (SO), Operational Groups (OG), Counter-Intelligence (X-2), and Foreign Nationalities (FNB) all focused on different types of intelligence. Anzio: Frenchmen Captain H. E. Andre Bourgoin and Lieutenant John Croze were two of the most successful examples of OSS recruitment of foreign officers to participate in OSS behind-the-line operations. Bourgoin, a French national, had spent the better part of the last twenty-four years managing petroleum concerns in North Africa, and now served as a Mediterranean SO specialist for the OSS. Croze, a former French Army officer, had received a commission into the US Army as a Second Lieutenant. The two men had participated in many different OSS Italy operations, most prominently alongside the OSS in Salerno with Downes later as part of the OSS French desk running operations in southern France from Corsica. Captain Bourgoin brought along Croze to Morocco in early 1943. Bourgoin and Croze participated in the second wave of the Allied invasion of the Italian mainland in the winter of 1943. While the Allied Armies fought their way up the peninsula, Bourgoin and Croze recruited a group a young Italians who would ultimately render great service to the OSS. The group consisted of Italians either too young to have joined the Italian army or who deserted and wanted to fight on the Allied side. Many Italians had a positive perception of the Allies, especially the Americans, which made it much easier for OSS agents, even Frenchmen like Bourgoin and Croze, to recruit locals for OSS operations. They recruited approximately sixty Italians from areas in North Africa and Sicily. The two men quickly trained and sent them behind enemy lines in southern Italy on short one to two day intelligence trips to gather vital German Order of Battle information. Their team also collected details on the location of supply and ammunition dumps, gun emplacements, and other high value intelligence. Once the Allies secured Naples and the OSS set up a headquarters on the Italian mainland, OSS MEDTO sent the entire group to training areas where they received further instruction on obtaining accurate information and correct map reading. Captain Bourgoin would later open and command an OSS training area in August 1944, assisting with SO agents. The group’s greatest achievement came during the Allied Anzio landings in January 1944. With the Anzio beachhead established, the group went ashore with the earliest OSS arrivals. On the beach, Croze remained in constant contact with Sixth Corps headquarters with the assistance of a jeep with a built-in radio transmitter and receiver. Sixth Corps gave Croze daily requests for specific information needed in the conduct of the battle. Croze’s equipment also allowed him to communicate directly with “Station Victoria,” the group of OSS agents stationed in Rome led by Peter Tompkins. Tompkins and his Rome agents worked closely with Croze and furnished timely answers to Sixth Corps’ demands for information. Croze also served as a pipeline for all the useful information at the beachhead coming from the north of Italy to OSS headquarters. He would eventually relay the beachhead-saving information that originated in Rome regarding an impending German counterattack. During the Allied crisis at the Anzio beachhead, the Rome station provided five reports a day, sometimes an hour in length. Its intelligence came directly from Kesselring's headquarters through an OSS sub-agent who worked on Kesselring's staff. The Rome team, through Croze, warned Sixth Corps’ G-2, Colonel Langeman, of a developing German counter-attack aimed for the sector between the American and British forces. The advance warning allowed the Americans to prepare for the attack and reinforce the British. Langeman credited the information with saving the beachhead. Sources: Col. W. A. Eddy and Lt. Col. A. D. Dodds-Parker to Assistant Chief of Staff, G-3, A.F.H.Q., “OSS/SOE Resources for Operations in Italy September – December 1943,” September 18, 1943, Folder 3, Box 39, Entry 99, RG 226, NARA-CP. Report, “John Croze,” undated, Folder 3, Box 39, Entry 99, RG 226, NARA-CP. Alessandro Cagiati to Major R. J. Koch, “Forward Echelons,” April 12, 1944, Folder 279, Box 31, Entry 165; Report, “John Croze,” undated, Folder 3, Box 39, Entry 99, RG 226, NARA-CP. Edward Breed Commander USNR, Attached to HQ, Co. G-2, 5th Army to Colonel Edward J. F. Glavin, “Report on OSS Activities during Invasion of Italian Mainland, September 12 to October 21 inclusive (with recommendations), October 23, 1943, Folder 37, Box 91, Entry 190, NARA-CP, 4-5; Report, “John Croze,” undated, Folder 3, Box 39, Entry 99, RG 226, NARA-CP. Charles S. Cheston, “OSS Intelligence Teams in Italy,” July 11, 1945, Folder 3, Box 39, Entry 99, RG 226, NARA-CP. Dulles: Maj. Judson B. Smith to Commanding Officer, 2677th Regiment OSS (Provisional), “S. O. Branch – Report of Progress 5 December 1944 – 5 March 1945,” March 5, 1945, Folder 8, Box 41, Entry 99, RG 226, NARA-CP. Neal H. Petersen, From Hitler’s Doorstep (Philadelphia, PA: Penn State Uni. Press) Michael Salter, Nazi War Crimes: Intelligence Agencies and Selective Legal Accountability (Abington: Routledge-Cavendish, 2007) Allen Dulles, The Secret Surrender (New York: Harper and Row, 1966) Bradley F. Smith and Elena Agarossi, Operation Sunrise: The Secret Surrender (NY: Basic Books, 1979). More on reddit.com