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Sunday, March 26, 2023

‘Real courage’: Remembering the OSS commandos who helped defeat the Nazis in Southern France | Stars and Stripes

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In commemoration of the Office of Strategic Services’ 80th anniversary, this exhibition highlights the global perspective that formed a new international order during and after World War II.

U.S. forces undertook the legendary D-Day invasion of Nazi-occupied France on June 6, 1944. The Office of Strategic Services personnel made a significant but lesser-known contribution to the war: They parachuted into the rural hills of Southern France around Toulouse to aid the French resistance.

The OSS recruited and trained locals to fight against German soldiers in a “hidden war.”  A significant amount of its unique guerilla fighting tactics have influenced modern military special operations.

Today, Skydivers celebrated the 1944 night landing of Office of Strategic Services soldiers, who helped reverse the tide against Nazi forces in Southern France. Spaur parachuted into the Tarn area of France with the Office of Strategic Services’ Operational Group PAT. He was killed in combat during a confrontation with German soldiers on August 12, 1944. Sgt. Bernard Gautier attempted to remove a machine gun but was hit in the back. Details of the conflict remain unknown. Both were interred in the Le Vintrou chapel.

Six days after his arrival in France, Bernard Gautier was killed in a confrontation with German soldiers. With fellow OSS agent Charles Spaur, he informed the local German commanders that uniformed Americans were present inside their lines. Saturday, under the shadow of the modest village church in Le Vintrou, a new stele was revealed. Annually, French veterans conduct a memorial service. According to a CIA information document, the OG PAT teams established the benchmark for covert operations.

The local resistance and OG PAT successfully blew up a strategically significant railroad bridge two days later. The landing of 94,000 American and French troops on the beaches near St. Tropez marked the end of the German occupation of Provence. Nearly 5,800 Nazi troops capitulated to the disparate group of guerilla fighters. He requested that the youngest attendees carry banners and light mourning candles during rituals. Only four of the initial local resistance fighters who welcomed the Americans are still alive.

“For me, it’s about ensuring these guys are never forgotten,” he adds. In 1944, Operational Group PAT assisted French resistance forces in liberating the area from Nazi domination. The Father of Brial could not attend the ceremony. In 2008, the last member of OG PAT passed away. Wheeler said, “Time is running out since few of these guys remain alive.”

https://www.stripes.com/theaters/europe/2022-05-30/oss-memorial-day-southern-france-6177611.html

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