Assignment Algiers: With the OSS in the Mediterranean Theater. This item is unavailable.Assignment Algiers: With the OSS in the Mediterranean Theater

Princeton grad Erasmus Kloman was undergoing Army training at Fort Bragg in 1943 when, due to his passing knowledge of French, he was interviewed for potential involvement in "a highly confidential activity." The interview culminated in the question, "Would you be willing to volunteer for hazardous duty behind enemy lines?" He signed up for duty with the newly formed Office of Strategic Services (OSS) and after an intensive period of training in various aspects of espionage, found himself on assignment in wartime Cairo, Algiers, and Caserta. At age twenty-four with the title of OSS Acting Chief of Operations in the Mediterranean Theater, he helped organize and coordinate the actions of Special Operations (SO) teams that infiltrated Italy and occupied-France on daring sabotage missions.

The OSS teams cut and harassed enemy lines of communication, attacked vital enemy installations, organized and trained local resistance elements, and furnished intelligence to the Allied forces. The author’s account of his experience coupled with his extensive research of declassified documents provides a fascinating inside view of the "shadow war" within the larger conflagration of World War II. Colorful imagery and photographs enliven a narrative that will appeal to everyone interested in true spy stories.

Erasmus H. Kloman, who earned a Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania, is the author of three travel guides on France. His professional career engaged him in government, academia, and private business. Now retired, he lives in Chestertown, Maryland.