Double agents, daring escapes, parachuting near enemy lines and vicious Nazis are only the tip of OSS exploits covered in Patrick K. O’Donnell’s THE BRENNER ASSIGNMENT: THE UNTOLD STORY OF THE MOST DARING SPY MISSION OF WORLD WAR II. The best spy thriller of the year is a true account of one Howard Chappell, a captain who was one of the first OSS operatives. While he’s the nonfiction work’s central focus, his is not the only story that is told.
For those unfamiliar, the OSS was the forerunner of what was to become the CIA. O’Donnell details the formation of this group of men sent off as commandos to raid and destroy enemy bases. These men were to use partisans to the best of their abilities, all while avoiding capture by the Germans.
This is material that could not be made up. The story is told through not only detailed notes of missions, but of Chappell’s personal diaries, where you just feel for what he must have been going through. It is jaw-dropping that everything in THE BRENNER ASSIGNMENT is 100 percent real, making the writings of certain spy masters look like fairy tales, especially when it comes to the brutality that some of Chappell’s fellow officers endured when captured.
O’Donnell tells the story of one Stephen Hall, a commander of his own mission who was killed by Germans who then tried to cover it up as a suicide. Chappell makes it his purpose to get Hall’s body back. This is no Hollywood tale where things are tied up nicely, making this book even more of a must-read, since there are moments where you can’t believe what is going on and how these people pulled off these missions. Such examples include hiding in trucks being driven through German checkpoints, to the torture of OSS agents and how Germans would deal with their prisoners.
BRENNER could easily be referred to as the real-life WHERE EAGLES DARE, but that would be a disservice to the men behind this history. As the author states, Chappell is not someone who readily discusses his time in the OSS, which is a shame since it seems his story should have gotten greater exposure. O’Donnell has created a work of non-fiction that surpasses the greatest works of spy fiction. —Bruce Grossman
Related posts:
- The Strange Case of Hellish Nell: The Story of Helen Duncan and the Witch Trial of World War II
- Mavericks of the Sky: The First Daring Pilots of the U.S. Air Mail
- Finding Atlantis: A True Story of Genius, Madness, and an Extraordinary Quest for a Lost World
- The Alibi Club
- World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Chappell went to work as a Federal Narcotic Agent after the war.
He eventually left the Bureau in Los Angeles and went to work under Mayor Yorty as Commissioner Public Works where he remained until retirement. He lived in Pismo Beach, CA. He died about Easter 2007. He was a good man!
Hi Darrell,
I worked for Howard Chappell as Staff Services Officer for the Public Works Commissioners. He was all you have mentioned. I could tell many stories of his escapades as commissioner. One of my employees had a problem with a neighbor who broke my employeess nose during a dispute. I called Howard and told him about it. He said send him up to my office. After an hours wait my employee came back and said Howard said not to worry, he would strap on a 45 and confront the neighbor if he had further problems. He also called the chief of police about the incedent in the city where my employee lived and the neighbor received a call about the indicent. The problem went away rather fast. Interesting person who garnered much respect from those who worked for him.
He tended to be rather abrupt (which is an understatement) and I told him one time not to tell me how to accomplish something, but just what the end result was that he wanted. I would try to accomplish that legally and quietly.