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Recruitment | ||
Over 13,000 men and women worked for the OSS during World War II. Agents were parachuted or smuggled into hostile territories to work closely with Resistance and underground units across Europe. Three hundred and fifty OSS agents operated behind enemy lines in Italy and the OSS alliance with the partisans was essential in undermining the Axis powers in Italy. In the Spring of 1943, as the campaign in Italy was set, General Donovan, decided it was time to organize OSS activity in Italy. The Allies had not expected strong, widespread Resistance against the Nazis after the Armistice since Italy had been considered part of the Axis alliance from the beginning of the war. However, in the face of strong and unexpected German opposition to the landing in Salerno, the Americans decided that it was necessary to reinforce their units for intelligence and orthodoxy warfare behind the Italian lines. The first contacts between the OSS, the British SOE and the anti-Fascist groups occurred in the early summer of 1943, in preparation for the invasion of Sicily. |
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