Operation Jedburgh

Jedburgh was an operation in World War II in which men from the Office of Strategic Services parachuted into Nazi occupied France to conduct sabotage and guerilla warfare, and to lead French Maquis forces against the Germans. The operation took its name from the town Jedburgh where the teams trained for a short period. After about two weeks of training the moved to Milton Hall, which was much closer to London.

Related Topics:
World War II - Office of Strategic Services - Nazi - France - Maquis - Jedburgh - Milton Hall - London

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The Jedburgh teams comprised three men: a leader, an executive officer, and a non-commissioned radio operator. The radio was critical for communicating with headquarters (SO Branch of the OSS, in London). Normally the radio operator was American, and one officer was Free French and the other American. Some individual teams differed.

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The Jedburgh teams normally parachuted in by night to meet a reception committee from a local Resistance or Maquis group. Their main function was to provide a link between the guerillas and the Allied command. They could provide liaison, advice, expertise, leadership, and -- their most powerful ability -- they could arrange airdrops of arms and ammunition.

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Like all Allied forces who operated behind Nazi lines, the Jedburghs or Jeds as they called themselves, were subject to torture and execution in the event of capture, under Hitler's notorious Commando Order. Because the Jeds normally operated in uniform, to apply this order to them was a war crime, but the illegality of the order must have been small consolation to those Jedburgh members executed -- about half of the total infiltrated.

Related Topics:
Hitler - Commando Order - War crime

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The Jedburghs and the larger OGs (Operational Groups -- about 30 men) were a uniquely American special operation. They were modeled to a degree on the British SOE, but unlike SOE operations, which often were arranged with a view to postwar politics, all that OSS expected from guerillas was willingness to fight the Axis. This led to some tension between the two clandestine operations organisations.

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Many of the surviving Jeds went on to great responsibility in the US Army or the CIA. Examples include CIA director William Egan Colby, Gen John Singlaub and Col Aaron Bank.

Related Topics:
William Egan Colby - John Singlaub - Aaron Bank

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