Daily History Hangfire: Women Spies of the OSS in WWII
Office of Strategic Services, or OSS, was a critical part of the Allied offensive against the Nazis, but do you know about the female spies?
oss
William “Wild Bill” Donovan, Awarded MOH October 14-15, 1918
He stated that the medal belonged not to him but “to the boys who are not here, the boys who are resting under the white crosses in France.
Ian Fleming, the mysterious creator of James Bond
You only live twice: Once when you are born And once when you look death in the face Ian Fleming the intelligence operative of World War II, and accomplished author of the James Bond series died on this day in 1964. Fleming was nearly as fascinating a character as his James Bond alter ego. He […]
Special Forces Detachment A: Counterterrorism & hostage rescue operations
You can read part I here and part II here. The men of Det A were highly trained professionals, ready to carry out what would most likely be a suicide mission in the opening hours of World War Three. With targeting packets completed, covers established, and extraction plans committed to memory, they were prepared to […]
Special Forces Detachment A: Training & missions
You can read part I here. Assigned to 10th Special Forces Group in 1958, radio repairman Private James Wild was selected to go to Berlin despite his objections, as he wanted to stay with an A-Team. Trucked over to Munich, and then taking the train to Berlin, he was picked up by several Det A […]
Special Forces Detachment A: an elite Cold War unit
It was the early 1970s at Andrews Barracks in Berlin. A stern-looking Special Forces Sergeant Major paced down the hallway for roll call. Daily Army accountability formations are normally held outside, but due to the extremely classified nature of the mission carried out by the Special Forces soldiers standing in the hall that day, roll […]
History of intelligence gathering: The Cold War
On March 5, 1946, Winston Churchill, former Prime Minister of Great Britain rose to give a speech at Westminster College in Fulton, Missouri, a grim look on his face and an even grimmer message in his heart. His speech began with praise for his staunch ally and friend, President Harry S. Truman and the United […]
Intelligence gathering during World War II
We look at a few of the spies of World War II who helped their countries win – and sometimes LOSE – battles, and ultimately, the war.
Western spies are failing against Russia and China: time for a spycraft revolution
Western models of spycraft are failing. Traditional models of spycraft seek to inform decision-making based on predictive analysis, but this is no longer effective in today’s environment. By nature, closed and authoritarian regimes, such as Russia and China, have an easier job of spying on their more progressive and open adversaries — the United States […]
From the Holocaust to America’s Special Forces
For most people, surviving the Holocaust in Nazi-occupied Europe would be the defining moment of their lives. Men like Major General Sidney Shachnow aren’t most people. The Lithuanian-born Shachnow survived a forced labor camp and went on to join the U.S. Army, serve in Vietnam, and lead the Army Special Forces’ ultra-secret World War III […]
Special Operations hand-to-hand combat: World War 2 and the 1950s
World War II saw the advent of modern special operations, and thus the need for special hand-to-hand fighting skills for special operators.
CIA Reading List: Suggested readings for intelligence professionals
While intelligence is mostly known for its classified nature, a good portion of intelligence work is conducted using open source methods. OSINT, or open-source intelligence as it is referred to, is a valuable tool critical to any bit of analysis. A responsible intelligence analyst always takes into consideration the OSINT available. While it cannot (or […]
