WWII OSS Clandestine Radio

[General Apathy]

 

I am showing here an American made Clandestine - Spy radio, it has two parts, one holds all the workings, and the other the batteries. Each metal box measures approximatey 9 x 6 x 2 inches, the ouside paint is a grey ' crackle' finish, the internals of the boxes slide out through the top entrances. There is a wire lead from the transmitter-receiver box that connects across to the top of the battery box. It can be seen in the photograph that each box has a leather pad attached to the top of the boxes, these have a button-hole in them, they were worn on the chest by attaching to either shirt or jacket pocket buttons. There should have been an instruction decal on each box, unfortunately the one on the battery box is missing, the one on the receiver-transmitter box I believe to be Polish, but need this to be confirmed. All the valves and some of the other parts are stamped ' Made in USA'.

 

I can't say much more about this other than to describe it, I bought it in the mid sixties from a scientist who worked for the British Government during WWII.

[Gregory]

I confirm, it is in Polish, I would say in very good Polish. It is very interesting what kind of the WWII-era UK-based Polish elite forces used this model of radio. When it comes to the OSS, as you wrote in the topic title, the Poles trained commonly with the OSS paras-agents at least at Warnham Court and they served commonly in the Jedburgh Teams. The Polish elite unit cooperating with the OSS was going by the name of SKG which means Samodzielna Kompania Grenadierów. They were top elite Polish Armed Forces paras, not the same as from operation Market Garden.

[Bob Hudson]

I think they called those "sweetheart radios." I suppose if you had one pack hanging from a button on each chest pocket you'd become a rather buxom sweetheart.

[DUDLEY]

I have been researching Jedburgh operations for two years now but have never heard of Polish Jedburghs. How did you come by this information?

[Gregory]

The history of the Polish Jeds is similar to the history of the Polish SAARF paras -- they were trained and prepared for action but never jumped on occupied territory.

 

Look at this link. For more info I have to recommend you Polish articles and London based archives of The Polish Institute and Sikorski Museum. The Polish Jeds still wait for their historian because nobody writes about them profesionally. There is the only one author in Poland who tries to present their history but he does it with tens of errors.

 

Generally speaking the Poles cooperated with Lt. Col. Joseph Dasher of the OSS. Seven US officers and 10 NCOs served in the Polish Samodzielna Kompania Grenadierów (SKG) you may read about in the link I marked above. The SKG was top secret Polish special unit so their photograps almost do not exist. None the less there is one excellent image of the American-Polish Jeds in front of Warnham Court. The Poles wear fantastic mix of the Canadian High Top Assault Boots and US Jump Boots as well as not worse mix of US M1912 pistol belts and British P37 ones.

[DUDLEY]

Interesting, but if they never jumped they didn't 'commonly serve' in Jedburgh teams.

 

As far as I know Operation Bardsea was just an idea, 120 French- speaking Poles would be recruited and trained as JEDBURGH parties.

 

In total approximately 300 men, Americans, British, French, Dutch and I believe one person from Belgium and Canada were trained as Jeds at Milton Hall.

 

I don't believe that there were any Polish service men who trained at Milton Hall.

[Gregory]

If we are talking about military history seriously this is not a question of somebody's faith or lack of faith. This is a question of the facts only. The Jedburgh Teams history is not only a history of Milton Hall.

 

The Poles jumped within the framework of Operation Bardsea but not on as grand scale as planned for them. The last phase of the Bardsea plan was not realistic. This is not the Polish fault today that the Polish Jedburghs are deleted from official Western Allies history because at present not one Western author researches the archives of Polish Army, Polish MoD and the Polish MoD's "WSS" Department responsible for selected (not all) paras of an independent company mentioned above (Samodzielna Kompania Grenadierów). The Polish part of Operation Bardsea plan changed month by month and quarter by quarter but the Polish agents-paras did what was ordered them.

 

For the first time the Poles jumped over France (near St. Etienne) in Bardsea pre-launch phase. Ten officers and 13 NCOs jumped then under the command of Lt. Col Antoni Zdrojewski. Next months nine Polish air drops took place and next 16 Polish sabotage instructors landed in France. The Polish air drops contained also 39 field radios, 104 Sten SMGs, 111 pistols, 25000 pistol rounds and 992lbs of high explosives.

 

If you are a lover of the Jedburgh Teams history look at the sources and footnotes of your books dedicated to it and you will see quality of these books. If you see nothing about the documents of the Polish Army, Polish General Staff, Polish MoD and mainly MoD's Wydział Spraw Specjalnych (Special Duties Department) it means that this is not complete history of the Jedburgh Teams. If you see nothing about the Polish paras' so-called "Z" Service under the command of not Polish Army but Lt. Col. Antoni Liebich of the MoD's Special Duties Department ("WSS") it means that long way is ahead of the authors of such books to present credible and full history of the Jedburgh Teams. If they want to present full version of this story of course, not selected episodes only.

[DUDLEY]

The Bardsea Groups were similar in concept to the Jedburghs. The name 'Jedburgh' causes some confusion because some SOE Policy documents describe missions as 'Jedburgh Missions' (liaison and training missions) that used personnel that had not received Jedburgh training at Milton Hall. So what I ment with Jeds were the Jeds trained at ME65, Milton Hall.

 

This means we are both right.

[BC 41]

I also have a receiver-transmitter box called RBZ . Emerson is the maker and my radio was dropped to the SOE on the westcoast of Norway during the war.

 

If you wanna see some pics I can host up some.

[Gregory]

Yes, please.

[seebee1]

Excellent information Greg, as you mention, very little has been written about the Polish activities. My own main field of interest are the Jedburghs who trained at Milton Hall, however am keen to learn more on other similar operations.

[Gregory]

Thanks for good word. Here it is short info about Lt. Col. Antoni Zdrojewski I mentioned. It is in Polish but there is also his image where collar para badges can be seen.

 

http://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antoni_Zdrojewski

[Guest Edward T]

I have been researching Jedburgh operations for two years now but have never heard of Polish Jedburghs. How did you come by this information?

 

 

 

Good Morning,

 

I am trying to research my fathers military history and we have been

piecing things together and we have uncovered more documents. He was

awarded the Bronze Star and the second highest Polish medal.

 

He spoke fluent German and served the OSS. His real name was Zygmunt

Tydda, however his name was changed for security reasons to Zygmunt

Orlowicz. We have documents that he signed a contract on 19th March

1945. This document was signed by a Lt. Colonel Joseph Dasher, MI

 

The British Ministry of Defence also confirms he served "Special

Missions" from easrly in 1943 till almost the end of the war in

Europe.

 

We have his medals and a copy of his citation for the Bronze star.

 

We are immensely proud of him and people like him and we feel it

important to try and get as much of their history recorded as

possible.

 

We have his service number. We are extremely interested in his OSS

training and what missions he did for the OSS.

 

IF anyone can shine some light on this please advise. Copies of

doucments are available via email.

 

Thank you to all for your time, consideration and your past efforts.

Have a great Christmas and a relaxing, prosperous New Yesr.

 

Thank You.

 

Edward

[Gregory]

Good Morning,

 

I am trying to research my fathers military history and we have been

piecing things together and we have uncovered more documents. He was

awarded the Bronze Star and the second highest Polish medal.

 

He spoke fluent German and served the OSS. His real name was Zygmunt

Tydda, however his name was changed for security reasons to Zygmunt

Orlowicz. We have documents that he signed a contract on 19th March

1945. This document was signed by a Lt. Colonel Joseph Dasher, MI

 

The British Ministry of Defence also confirms he served "Special

Missions" from easrly in 1943 till almost the end of the war in

Europe.

 

We have his medals and a copy of his citation for the Bronze star.

 

We are immensely proud of him and people like him and we feel it

important to try and get as much of their history recorded as

possible.

 

We have his service number. We are extremely interested in his OSS

training and what missions he did for the OSS.

 

IF anyone can shine some light on this please advise. Copies of

doucments are available via email.

 

Thank you to all for your time, consideration and your past efforts.

Have a great Christmas and a relaxing, prosperous New Yesr.

 

Thank You.

 

Edward

Hello,

 

The USMF is fantastic -- step by step we develop unknown story.

 

If I am not mistaken Joseph Dasher is well-known man of the OSS. The Poles have never served in the OSS but cooperated with it very closely. That is why your father's story is very interesting. What was your father's citizenship during WWII -- the US or the Polish one?

 

A Very Merry Christmas

 

Gregory

[Guest kevanrijn]

Good Morning,

 

I am trying to research my fathers military history and we have been

piecing things together and we have uncovered more documents. He was

awarded the Bronze Star and the second highest Polish medal.

 

He spoke fluent German and served the OSS. His real name was Zygmunt

Tydda, however his name was changed for security reasons to Zygmunt

Orlowicz. We have documents that he signed a contract on 19th March

1945. This document was signed by a Lt. Colonel Joseph Dasher, MI

 

The British Ministry of Defence also confirms he served "Special

Missions" from easrly in 1943 till almost the end of the war in

Europe.

 

We have his medals and a copy of his citation for the Bronze star.

 

We are immensely proud of him and people like him and we feel it

important to try and get as much of their history recorded as

possible.

 

We have his service number. We are extremely interested in his OSS

training and what missions he did for the OSS.

 

IF anyone can shine some light on this please advise. Copies of

doucments are available via email.

 

Thank you to all for your time, consideration and your past efforts.

Have a great Christmas and a relaxing, prosperous New Yesr.

 

Thank You.

 

Edward

 

 

Hello, My name Mark Dasher. I am the only child of Joseph Dasher, the Lt Col of the OSS mentioned in this post. I came across this post last night when I was googling my father and the OSS. If you would like anymore information about him and the OSS, you may email me at [email protected]. Thanks,

 

Mark Dasher

[WARHORSE]

The radio is called a OP-3 and was made in England by the Poles for BBC and London based Polish broadcast reception. It is mentioned in Wireless For The Warrior-Vol. 4 and Radio Bygones ,No. 25

[[email protected]]

 

 

Good Morning,

 

I am trying to research my fathers military history and we have been

piecing things together and we have uncovered more documents. He was

awarded the Bronze Star and the second highest Polish medal.

 

He spoke fluent German and served the OSS. His real name was Zygmunt

Tydda, however his name was changed for security reasons to Zygmunt

Orlowicz. We have documents that he signed a contract on 19th March

1945. This document was signed by a Lt. Colonel Joseph Dasher, MI

 

The British Ministry of Defence also confirms he served "Special

Missions" from easrly in 1943 till almost the end of the war in

Europe.

 

We have his medals and a copy of his citation for the Bronze star.

 

We are immensely proud of him and people like him and we feel it

important to try and get as much of their history recorded as

possible.

 

We have his service number. We are extremely interested in his OSS

training and what missions he did for the OSS.

 

IF anyone can shine some light on this please advise. Copies of

doucments are available via email.

 

Thank you to all for your time, consideration and your past efforts.

Have a great Christmas and a relaxing, prosperous New Yesr.

 

Thank You.

 

Edward

 

Hello All:

 

I am writing a book on the OSS Eagle Project, which sent 32 agents (including Edward Tydda's father) by parachute into the Reich in March-April 1945. If you are a family member of one of the agents and wish to share some information, please let me know. Thanks,

 

Dr. John Micgiel

[email protected]