Bang-Bang Boys, Jedburghs, and the House of Horrors: A History of OSS Training and Operations in World War II

Bang-Bang Boys, Jedburghs, and the House of Horrors is an authoritative look at the history of the training and operations of the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) during World War II. The OSS, created by President Frankin Roosevelt in June 1942 (seven months after the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor) and headed by William “Wild Bill” Donovan, the OSS was to fill a vital role of intelligence-gathering and special operations during the war. From the intensive training at several National Park service units in the U.S. and at overseas camps, the men and women of the OSS were trained to fight, survive, and successfully complete their missions under unimaginably dangerous conditions. Bang-Bang Boys, originally prepared for the U.S. National Park Service in 2008 as OSS Training in the National Parks and Service Abroad in World War II, and based on the exhaustive research and interviews conducted by the author, tells their story. Included are 54 pages of maps and photographs. Author John W. Chambers II is a Distinguished Professor of History at Rutgers University and the author of a number of books on military history.