Here are nine such true stories about the brave souls who put country first and risked everything to bring about the end of World War II. Their stories of daring feats are some of the most exciting tales ever told. They had to do their jobs and survive using their wits, rudimentary equipment, and not a little sheer luck. Today’s world is filled with all kinds of advanced technology used for spy warfare, but the men and women who worked to thwart the enemies during World War II didn’t have such luxuries. And when it’s a real story, it’s ten times as exciting. Is there anything more exciting than a spy story? Spoiler: Nope. Photo courtesy of National Archives and Records Administration, College Park, Maryland Little did he know when he accepted President Roosevelt’s call to launch the nation’s first foreign intelligence agency that missionaries and religious activists would be central to his plans.įrom Double Crossed: The Missionaries Who Spied for the United States During the Second World War by Matthew Avery Sutton. It had an anti-tampering component and could also be attached to a moto to detonate after a certain distance.William “Wild Bill” Donovan drew on the talents of Americas from many different walks of life as he built the OSS. Called “limpet” due to its similarity to the sea snail that clings tightly to rocks and other surfaces, a swimmer or diver can attach the device to a vehicle/magnetic surfaces. However, this was not the same scuba as we know today.Ī naval mine that was able to be attached to vehicles by magnets. He later renamed the device to SCUBA (becoming “scuba”). The OSS bought the concept and hired him to lead the unit. Lambertsen demonstrated the device in a pool at a hotel in Washington in 1942.
Lambertsen, dubbed the Lambertsen Amphibious Respiratory Unit. The idea of an underwater breathing apparatus was developed in 1939 by Christian J. Due to the secrecy being so high surrounding the decks, not much is known about them to this day. These decks, when soaked in water, became easier to peel, revealing the map. The maps were hidden in between the thin layers that formed the sides of the cards. and British intelligence agencies joined forces, creating the “map deck”. One could find escape maps on decks of playing cards, too. World War II: The Definitive Visual History However, both the American OSS and the British SOE used forms of his original explosive during World War II.Ī selection of the kit agents may have used. While Courtenay had approached the British War Office to further refine his idea, they turned him down.
Originally, it was a hollow iron casing (to look like coal), that was intended to be shoveled into the firebox of Union steam transportation ships, where it would explode. Thomas Edgeworth Courtenay of the Confederate Secret Service. The “coal torpedo”, as it was also named, was invented by Capt. Because of the nature of their work (espionage and sabotage), they required highly specialized equipment, such as silenced pistols and submachine guns. They worked behind enemy lines for the United States Armed Forces, and their duties also included propaganda, subversion and post-war planning. The Office of Strategic Services (OSS) was a United States intelligence agency formed during World War II, and was the predecessor of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). However, we’ll be looking at some of the real tools that helped agents out behind and within enemy lines. TV, film, games and literature may have led us to believe that all those weird and wonderful gadgets employed by spies and secret agents are purely a work of fiction.
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