The Brenner Assignment, by Patrick K. O Donnell

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1 Reading Guide for The Brenner Assignment, by Patrick K. O Donnell BACKGROUND AND CONTEXT Though not explained in detail in the book, the story contains references to the many people and nations involved in World War II, the most widespread and deadliest conflict in human history. You should recall some from your study of World History at St. Edward. List the major powers that made up each alliance in the Second World War: Axis Powers Allied Powers List the wartime roles of these historical figures, each of whom is mentioned in the story: Adolf Hitler - Heinrich Himmler - Benito Mussolini - Winston Churchill - Franklin Delano Roosevelt -

2 A Guide to Reading While The Brenner Assignment is an action-packed story, it is above all a historical account that is supported by meticulous research. The numerous names, dates, places and events can seem overwhelming at times. Your purpose in reading is not to memorize every last detail, but to instead understand the actions of the main characters, Captains Hall and Chappell, and their roles in the OSS including their plan for the Brenner Pass. In doing so, you should keep track of the key supporting characters, names that are mentioned frequently among the OSS and the partisan. Similarly, pay attention to August Shiffer, the Nazi evil genius, and the few characters with whom he most closely associated, such as Christa Roy and Rudolph Thyrolf. The questions that follow are meant to guide you. On the Ground in Italy: The Context of the Story The National Fascist Party came to power in 1922 under the leadership of Benito Mussolini. Its totalitarian government ruled the Kingdom of Italy, in the name of the monarch, King Victor Emmanuel III, into World War II, which began in September of 1939 with Hitler s invasion of Poland. By 1943, however, Italy had suffered severe military defeats; the people became disillusioned with the war and began to turn on Mussolini. In July of 1943, backed by popular support, King Victor Emmanuel III ousted Mussolini as Prime Minister, placing him under arrest, and banned the National Fascist Party, all while beginning secret negotiations with the Allies. In September of 1943 Italy signed an armistice with the Allies, and later turned against the Axis by officially joining the Allies in the fight. Meanwhile, also in September of 1943, Mussolini was rescued by the Germans and installed as the head of a Fascist government, a so-called German puppet state in the north of Italy, known as the Italian Social Republic. The result of the turmoil was a land of divided loyalties. The north of Italy, including the area around the Brenner Pass, was still controlled by Mussolini and his Fascist supporters with the backing of Nazi Germany. The partisans in the story are local residents of the region who, despite their location in the north, had taken up arms to defeat their enemies: the ruling Fascist government, the Nazis, and the Axis powers. Organized into militias or small fighting units, these men were not soldiers in a traditional army. Rather, they fought where they could against their enemies, sometimes receiving supplies from the Allies and support in the form of military leaders such as Hall and Chappell. They likewise served as confederates of the Allied troops behind enemy lines, providing protection and hiding for Allied soldiers. Though the partisans were united against a common enemy, they represented competing political parties that were sometimes in conflict with one another. Thus these guerilla fighters were part of an unstable political order that teetered on the edge of civil war. Some unfamiliar words: coup de grâce: (from French), a death blow, especially one delivered mercifully to end suffering. nom de guerre: (from French), an assumed name, as one under which a person fights.

3 READING GUIDE QUESTIONS To check your comprehension, answer the following questions during or after reading. Chapter 1: Letter to Destiny 1. What does the acronym OSS stand for? 2. What plan does Roderick Hall propose in the letter? 3. What qualifications does Hall possess that make him the right man for the job? 4. What was the purpose of the OSS? 5. Who was William J. Donnovan (also known as Wild Bill )? 6. What training did Hall receive? 7. Who was Hall s best friend? Chapter 2: Looking for Trouble 8. What was the one problem that plagued Chappell, who was otherwise a good fit for the job of military policeman? 9. Where did Chappell go after the colonel told him he was looking for trouble? 10. What did Wild Bill Donnovan tell Chappell his assignment would be? Chapters 3-5: 11. Where did Hall and Lukitsch travel to begin training OSS men? 12. What traits did the desperados under Chappell s command have in common? 13. What were Salvador Fabrega s most valuable skills? 14. When Chappell moved his OG s training to Catalina island in California and forced his men to live off of the land for five days, what resourcefulness did the men demonstrate?

4 15. Because of the secret directive issued by Hitler (p. 31) what was the likely risk for an undercover operative such as Hall behind enemy lines? Chapter 6: Boondoggle 16. Who greeted Buchardt and Chappell as they disembarked the boat with the other men of the OG? 17. How did the OG obtain most of its supplies? 18. What was the problem with the OG s being stationed in Oran and later even in Algiers where the OSS had a base? Chapter 7: The Jump 19. What was surprising to Hall about the area into which he, Luketisch, and other members of Eagle Team jumped? 20. Page 45 and 46 details the multiple factions unified against the Fascists in northern Italy. Chapters Who was the Brain and what was his job? 22. What did the buildup of Cossacks and SS troops mean for Eagle team? Note: The Cossacks were East Slavic people who organized into democratic, semi-military communities in Ukraine and Southern Russia. Following Russia s civil war, a program of decossackization aimed to eliminate the peoples entirely, not unlike Nazi Germany s final solution for its Jews. During World War II, some displaced Cossacks fought for the Nazis while others fought for the Soviet Union. Chapter 11: The Evil Genius 23. What was August Schiffer s rank and role? 24. Who was Christa Roy? How did lower employees regard her?

5 25. What role did Storz and Andergassen fulfill for Schiffer? 26. What were the swing and suspending as used by Schiffer? Chapter 12: The Mountaineer 27. The Val Cordevole Brigade was made up of many Alpini. Who were the Alpini? 28. Who was Ettore Davare? 29. What was a rastrellamento? That is, what did the Nazis intend to rake up with their brutality? 30. What book did Ettore give Hall to read to pass the time? Chapters Who was the countess, and what was her relationship to Stephen Hall? 32. What mission was Chappell finally given? Who was on his three-man team? 33. What fate befell Hall s main partisan confederate, Tell? 34. Marmalade was code word for. 35. How did Schiffer tighten his web of intelligence around Hall? 36. The Countess house also served as the center of what movement? 37. What was Tacoma? 38. Who was the Italian double agent in Schiffer s chain of command? 39. Why did Chappell need to get rid of the Austrians? Chapters What did the Countess letter to Hall, carried by Ettore, implore him to do? 41. What happened after the priest found Hall? 42. Why was Chappell disappointed in the Seventh Alpini? 43. Why did Chappell and his men abandon the plan for a landing strip? 44. How did Schiffer s men, Storz and Andergassen, carry out the execution of Hall?

6 45. What was the cause of death the doctor noted on the death certificate for the stateless individual named Holl? Note: In chapter 29, the fascists who fought with the Germans are also referred to as partisans, because they are non-military fighters much like those of the Muzinni Brigade who fought alongside Chappell. Chapters Which members of Chappell s team are captured? Who is killed? 47. How did Chappell escape his captor? How did he manage to escape through a field of Germans? 48. Who was the Tigress? 49. Where did Chappell and his men hide under the German s noses? 50. What did Chappell s destruction of the bridge allow American fighter-bombers to do? 51. What was the Nazi s Alpine Redoubt supposed to be? What was the reality? 52. When outgunned in the ambush by Chappell, what did the Nazis, led by Major Schröder, threaten to do? 53. What was Chappell s response? 54. How does Schiffer attempt suicide? 55. What happened to Tell, the enemy spy who turned in Captain Hall? Chapters 45-end 56. Who led the investigation into War Crimes Case #36? 57. What became of the OSS after the war (chapter 47)? 58. Which people were brought to justice for Hall s murder? 59. How did Christa Roy likely escape capture? 60. Who joined the officers in placing the plaque in memory of Hall?

Italian Campaign June 10, 1943 May 02, 1945

Italian Campaign June 10, 1943 May 02, 1945 In the Italian Campaign there were three major amphibious missions to take over Italy. 1. Sicily (Operation Husky) 2. Salerno (Operation Avalanche) 3. Anzio