Operatives, Spies, and Saboteurs, Patrick K. ODonnell
Operatives, Spies, and Saboteurs, Patrick K. ODonnell
List: $19.95 | Sale: $13.97
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Operatives, Spies, and Saboteurs
The Unknown History of the Men and Women of World War II’s OSS

Author: Patrick K. O’Donnell

Narrator: Christopher Lane

Unabridged: 9 hr 11 min

Format: Digital Audiobook (DRM Protected)

Published: 03/21/2011


Synopsis

"Operatives, Spies, and Saboteurs is a superbly told story of the men and women of the OSS. They helped write the book on special operations. I was struck by the similarity of the context of their stories to ones I've experienced in different combat situations. This book is a must-read for those in the special operations business today and anyone else who wants to learn about the exploits of the real warriors of the OSS during WW II. Only by understanding the deeds of those who have gone before us can we appreciate the sacrifices made that paved the way for the outstanding records established by present-day special warriors."—Captain Robert A. Gormly, USN (Ret.), author of Combat Swimmer and former SEAL team commander.

About Patrick K. O’Donnell

Patrick K. O’Donnell is a bestselling military historian and the critically acclaimed author of numerous books, including Beyond Valor, Dog Company, and First SEALs. He has provided historical consulting for DreamWorks’ award-winning miniseries Band of Brothers and for documentaries produced by the BBC, the History Channel, and Fox News. He lives in Arlington, Virginia.

About Christopher Lane

Christopher Lane is an award-winning actor, director, and narrator. He has been awarded the prestigious Audie Award for Best Narration several times and has won numerous AudioFile Earphones Awards.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Melissa on November 07, 2016

After reading this book, I think the subtitle should have been "The OSS: At Least We Tried." The author does his best, but the subtext paints a picture of an organization balked at every turn, whose missions rarely turned out as they should. To be fair, much of this was due to the fledgling spy orga......more

Goodreads review by Natali on August 22, 2023

I've not read anything that focuses on OSS; not much about SOE and WW2, to be honest. I think this is a good starting point: a broad, not too deep and introduction. Worth the time. I will find more to read.......more

Goodreads review by Amelia on February 01, 2018

The author recounts the beginnings of the Office of Strategic Services (OSS), a precursor to the present day CIA, based on archival information made more compelling with personal accounts derived from over 300 interviews with surviving OSS personnel. It's a fascinating perspective on WWII history an......more

Goodreads review by Dee on March 07, 2022

Audible 9 hours 49 min. Narrated by Christopher Lee (B)......more

Bottom Line First: Patrick K. O'Donnell has brought together some interesting first person accounts of America's WWII military spy organization the Office of Strategic Services. His book Operatives, Spies and Saboteurs is a readable if light weight construction of what individual survivors did while......more


Quotes

“A revealing look into the intrigue and extraordinary courage of our intelligence gatherers of World War II. A rare combination of suspense thriller and true heroism by a great American writer.” Clive Cussler, New York Times bestselling author

“Deftly using oral history and recently declassified documents, Patrick O’Donnell gives us a fascinating look at the shaken-not-stirred life of these intrepid soldiers, who were into intrigue long before intrigue was cool.”
Hampton Sides, bestselling author of Ghost Soldiers

Operatives, Spies, and Saboteurs is as gripping as a techno-thriller, with the bonus that its stories are true.”
Dennis Showalter, author of Tannenberg

“A unique and uniquely valuable contribution…O'Donnell breaks new ground with these first-hand accounts by people who never expected to tell their story.” 
Geoffrey Perrret, author of Eisenhower

“This book is far more than a simple historical survey and reads like a satisfying cloak and dagger yarn, making it a good choice both history and mystery buffs.” 
Publishers Weekly

“Christopher Lane’s reading gives proper due to these agents, who did everything from acts of sabotage to seducing military leaders in order to learn secret codes. He clearly relishes these tales, and his interest and enthusiasm for [this] superb book shine through at every turn.” AudioFile