The Story of Operational Group II
by Robert E. Perdue, Jr.
Behind the Lines in Greece is the story of twenty-two enlisted men and two officers of Operational Group II of the Office of Strategic Services, predecessor of the Central Intelligence Agency, who served in German-occupied Greece in 1944. All but one of these soldiers were fluent in Greek. Some were U.S. born, the sons of Greek immigrants; others were recent arrivals in the United States. Some had “jumped ship” in U.S. ports. A few had previously served in the Greek Army. This non-fiction book is based primarily on documents in the U. S. National Archives, including the official history of OG II. Other Archives sources include a record of the debriefing of the first leader of OG II, Lt. John Giannaris, after he was severely wounded, the diary of Robert Moyers, the OSS dentist serving as a physician who ministered to Giannaris at the clandestine airstrip where he awaited evacuation to Italy, the recently released “consolidated 201 files” of the men of OG II, and material from interviews with Giannaris and Nicholas Pappas (second leader of OG II).
Members of OSS Operational Group II in Athens after German troops evacuated Greece and just before OG II was flown out to Italy. OG II, alone or with small British forces and Andartes, participated in 14 operations against the Germans. They destroyed three locomotives and 31 railroad cars, six trucks, mined roads and blew up almost 7500 yards of rail.
During Operation 10, Lt. Giannaris was severely wounded by a land mine when he tried to aid one of his men who had been killed. Almost two weeks later, and near death, he was evacuated to Italy from a clandestine airstrip in a single-engine Lysander, a daring daylight rescue flight by British Flight Officer Norman Attenborrow.
After Giannaris was wounded, the Group was commanded by Lt. Nicholas Pappas.
EXCERPT:
"Suddenly for a split second there is an opening in the clouds, an opening so small as to show only the least bit of blue; yet in that split second a plane darts through the aperture and circles over Karditsa. We held our breath lest the ack-ack [anti-aircraft] guns open up on him . . . He unconcernedly inspects the valley looking for our fires. After he decides we are not there he hops the small line of hills separating us from Karditsa and begins a similar systematic search of our little valley. The moment he spots us he tips his wings as if to say 'Oh there you are' and circles in for a perfect landing. The tent is already dissembled and the patient [is] by the runway as he taxis up. Loading the lieutenant is a problem since there is a place for head and feet but no support in between. Bob squeezes beneath him and kneeling, held him up all the way to Italy. I yelled to the pilot,'My gosh, I could kiss you'.
“‘Never mind that now, there's three Spitties upstairs waiting for me.’” And so they were off and though I will only give him a 50-50 chance of living I am happy to be rid of him.
"Back at Neohorion I went to sleep in a moment. I would have slept the whole day and night except that I was awakened at 1700 hours by Sergeant Parkin with a wireless message reading: ‘Giannaris arrived here OK. Doctors give you great credit for saving his life.'
"Certainly, that alone was worth all the trouble and tribulation we went through."
So recorded Lieutenant Robert Moyers, a 23-year-old OSS dentist from Iowa, who operated a hospital behind the lines in Greece during 1943-44. The date was September 17, 1944. The patient was a badly wounded 1st Lieutenant John Giannaris, commanding officer of OSS OG II, flown from this clandestine airstrip in an unarmed single-engine Lysander, piloted by British Flight Officer Norman H. Attenborrow.
“With his detailed reconstruction of the formation, training and deployment in battle of OSS Operational Group II, Bob Perdue has written a well deserved homage to this little-known group of Greek-American soldiers. At the same time he has unearthed a fascinating episode of the Second World War, describing the intricacies of fighting behind enemy lines in Greece, the sometimes delicate relationship between Allied soldiers and Greek guerrilla partisans, and the spectacular results achieved by the OSS sabotage teams. The men of OG II came from different backgrounds and their life stories are as captivating as their courage and stamina in combat. Well-written and meticulously researched, this book makes a very good read.”
Karel Margry,
Editor of After the Battle magazine
“A masterfully researched book. Robert Perdue adds an important missing piece to the history of World War II.”
Cal Thomas, Syndicated Columnist
“An important contribution to the history of the Office of Strategic Services, forerunner of U.S. Special Operations Forces that today wear the OSS spearhead as their insignia. OSS founder General William Donovan chose this symbol to represent his belief that OSS was the tip of the spear. The Operational Groups were the tip of the tip of the OSS spear.”
Charles Pinck, President, The OSS Society
“This book is excellent; a riveting well-researched tale.”
John Persinos, Publisher/Editorial Director, AviationToday.com
Robert E. Perdue, Jr., a World War II veteran, was a 1st Lieutenant, Platoon Leader, with the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment of the 101st Airborne Division. He has a BS in Botany from the University of Maryland and a PhD from Harvard University. After retirement in 1989 as a Research Scientist with the Agricultural Research Service of the U. S. Department of Agriculture, his interest turned to history. His memoir of his WW II experience, published in part in After the Battle, led to an interest in OSS events in Greece.
Behind the Lines in Greece is now available. 254 pages with 57 illustrations $27.95 + $4.00 S&H Available only from:
PG Associates |