ISBN 978-1-61200-952-0, Philadelphia Oxford, June 2021, 186 pages, $21.48 hardcover
Reviewed by: Thomas Brian Ventrone, Joint Special Operations University
To the average American citizen, World War II was won by aircraft bombing raids, amphibious assaults, and naval battles across the globe. James Stejskal, in No Moon as Witness, Missions of the SOE and OSS in World War II, enlightensthe reader to the secret agent activities and clandestine operations that enabled the Allies to perform their large-scale operations and conquer the axis powers. Stejskal, a career Army Special Forces Chief Warrant Officer and CIA case officer, served across the globe before becoming a military historian and author. His personal experiences and meticulous research has enabled him to illustrate several books on special operations throughout history and peel back the veil on our special operators and their exploits.
No Moon as Witness is a very interesting read. This book is divided into thematic sections focusing on the origins of the Special Operations Executive (SOE) and Office of Strategic Services (OSS); how they performed assessment, selection, and training; identified some specific tools of the trade; outlined some of the primary operations; and wraps up with the final actions that ended the war. The book offers insights into the establishment of clandestine organizations of the United Kingdom and United States. Under direct order of Prime Minister Winston Churchill, the British established the SOE with the mission to “set Europe ablaze.” Just a couple of years following the establishment of the SOE, the U.S. established the OSS under the direction of President Franklin D. Roosevelt.
Stejskal does a great job explaining the characters and their actions in developing the systems for selecting personnel and outlining the skills that these recruits would be trained and tested to perform once in the field. Much deliberation was done to find secure and unassuming locations to perform personnel selection, processing, and training to keep all organizational actions from leaking to the Germans.
The author performed a great deal of research and attention to detail in the production of this piece of work. The way he describes the various tools of the trade bring them to life. The reader can gain inordinate understanding of how these tools were developed, manufactured, and put to operational use. The Brits and Yanks were able to utilize unbelievable ingenuity in tools and their operational effectiveness. It is amazing that some of the processes and tactics practiced by the SOE and OSS are still effective to this day.
In addition, Stejskal describes the operations and field agents in such a way that the reader feels as if they are experiencing the operations and are able to know and appreciate the agents. The way that he illustrates the coordination between the SOE and OSS operatives and their in-country underground operatives made it easier to understand and retain. The operators really came to life in the illustration.
Although the SOE and OSS served with tremendous honor throughout World War II, they had challenges at the end of the war. There were personality changes with the senior leaders of each organization which caused the occasional roadblock or temporary diversion in training or mission execution. This text enabled the reader to understand the actions and dynamics of the effects that resulted from the missions throughout the war and where the organizations wound up. Lessons learned from this text will allow readers to evaluate their own personality traits and make better decisions in the future to promote a more cohesive environment for mission planning and execution.
I think Stejskal was able to take the reader back to the 1940s through his illustration of SOE and OSS history. I would recommend No Moon as Witness Missions of the SOE and OSS in World War II to all who are interested in special operations and the birth of irregular warfare or the spy game. The illustration used in this book does a good job drawing the reader into and through each section as you look forward to the next point of interest. The participants come to life and provide a greater platform to present the tactics and tools that were developed and utilized throughout World War II. Every reader will gain a greater understanding and appreciation of the insurgent relationships during World War II.
