World War II: OSS Tragedy in Slovakia

by Jim Downs

This is a dramatic account of the DAWES mission which the Office of Strategic Services ran in Slovakia in the fall of 1944. As the Slovak National Uprising raged, the Americans were caught in the middle. Forced to flee the rebel capital, the Americans evaded German patrols in the Prasiva Range in severe winter conditions. The day after Christmas, a German patrol surprised the main American Party and captured most of the personnel. Heinrich Himmler in Berlin ordered the prisoners sent to Mauthausen concentration camp where they were brutalized and then shot. Maria Gulovich, a Slovak school teacher who had joined the mission, luckily survived. General Bill Donovan brought her to the U.S. after the war and she became the first woman ever decorated at West Point.

360 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 2002

About the author

Jim Downs is Gilder Lehrman–National Endowment for the Humanities Professor of Civil War Era Studies and History at Gettysburg College. He is the editor of Civil War History and author and editor of six other books, including Sick from Freedom: African-American Illness and Suffering during the Civil War and Reconstruction.

Reviews

[Elainesage · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book described what the OSS and the British while trying to complete The Dawes Mission. One of the most famous missions of the OSS (a precursor to the CIA).
My uncle was Robert Brown was the radioman for this mission. He was captured with the others on December 26, 1944. The book replays what these men and women had to go through while keeping the Germans at bay. They were taken to Mauthausen concentration camp where Hitler sent in a special team to interrogate and torture these men. Eventually, they were all executed and cremated.
I was so grateful to find this book only 6 months or so ago. I knew about the mission due to my mother having records, photos, letters, and government correspondence.
This book reads like a novel. Incredible detail from survivors of this mission. Jim Downs pieces this part of military history wonderfully.
If you're interested in WWII this is one book you shouldn't miss.

[Alex · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good book that tells the story of OSS and downed US pilots in Slovakia around the time of the 1944 uprising. The narrative is entertaining - I do wish there were more Slovakian (pre-regime) sources/perspectives included as the book focuses mostly on the US and guerrilla perspectives.

[Georgene · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this book because I am interested in Slovakia. But there were so many people involved in this event and included in the book that I had a hard time keeping everyone straight. There were many errors in the text that an editor should have picked up, and at times the narrative got bogged down by the details. But I was interested to learn about this little-known event.