Salvatore J. LaGumina is Professor Emeritus and Director of the Center for Italian American Studies at Nassau Community College, USA. He has been president of the American Italian Historical Association, has written dozens of scholarly articles and is the author, editor and co-editor of twenty books on the Italian American experience. He has received many honors including the Pietro DiDonato/ John Fante Literary Award.

.1.Introduction .-

.2.Intelligence Agency in Embryo.-

.3.Recruitment and Training Strategies .-

.5.Agents Extraordinaire .-

.6.Operation Husky .-

.8.From Salerno to Anzio to Rome.-

.9.Italian Mainland Operational Groups .-

.10.Interaction With Italian Partisans.-

.11.Conclusion.

This book explores the contributions of Italian Americans employed by the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) during World War II. Italian Americans fluent in Italian language and customs became integral parts of intelligence operations working behind enemy lines. These units obtained priceless military information that significantly helped defeat the Axis. They parachuted into frozen mountains tops to link up with Italian guerilla units in northern Italy or hovered in small patrol torpedo boats and row boats across the Mediterranean Sea in pitch black darkness to destroy railroad junctions.