OSS Codes

I just started looking at the file labeled “OSS CODES” that Opapa had on his computer, and as I read through scribbles, notes, and coding, I am most struck by the fact that Opapa kept these for 60 years! I mean, it’s astounding that he somehow kept them through the war in the first place: the first pages are dated August 23, 1944, and he took these notes when he was in Oran, Algiers. Somehow, he managed to keep them safe as he moved from North Africa to Italy. Where on earth did he keep these when he was parachuting into Slovenia?! Then, he packed them up and took them to Hungary after the war, then to Vienna, and finally across the Atlantic to California.

As I thought about the journey of these notes, an image of Opapa’s office came into my mind: papers upon papers upon papers – Opapa kept everything. It was almost impossible to move through his office in Ardmore. He created walls with the boxes and boxes of papers. As a kid, this was just how things were.

As a historian, I have a newfound gratitude for Opapa’s packrat tendencies. Thank goodness I have these scribbles from North Africa from 1944. And thank you, Opapa, especially for keeping your diary safe for three quarters of a century.

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Ok, so more about Opapa’s coding notes: from his diary, I know that he was near Algiers during August, 1944 (see the Timeline on my last post). On August 4, he wrote that he was staying at Camp X near Algiers and would go to town sometimes. “Since Monday,” he added, “I + three others (Hans Wynberg, Bob Sanders, Kurt Levy) have been staying at Station “E” in Baignon, taking a course in radio. The place is a nice house build right on the rocks of the coast. 20 feet from the water. This place serves as school and as base for field operations in training.”

What was he studying? Well, it all makes sense: “We study code, procedure, cryptography, radio tuning + repair.”

The OSS notes are the next page in the diary – even though Opapa split them into different digital documents, you can see on the image of the August 4, 1944 entry the imprint of the next page of writing, filled with code.

The next descriptive entry in Opapa’s diary is not until September 1944, when he writes that he has “been back at X since Oran. Were all ready to go on mission to France two weeks ago. Called off in last minute. Morale hits new low.”

We can now put those codes into context: We know that in August 23-26, 1944, when he took the coding notes, he was stationed at Camp X near Algeria, and thought he was about to be sent to France. Pretty soon thereafter, it seems that he learned that his mission was cancelled, and the morale hit a “new low.”

The first code, from August 23, 1944, was likely sent when morale was still high. It shows a degree of humor and included the following message: “Received terrible news about dogs x Perhaps Station E diet responsible x Hurrah for Paris x Salut X”. LOL

The rest of the content of the codes also make sense, given the chronology: they refer to the celebrations after the liberation of Paris (August 19-25, 1944), weather, trouble with antennae, and corrections of code.

The last day of coding entries, from August 26, seems to refer obliquely to the cancellation of their mission to France. That day, they received the following message from the base: “To the fighting OG’s [Operational Groups - see OSS Glossary] in Oran. Today last day of contacts. No contacts Sunday or thereafter. Suggest return at leisure. No urgent calls for your services yet. From Stenzel broke your nr. 5 through QRC”

While it doesn’t definitely say that their mission was cancelled, it does note that base is cutting contact, that Opapa’s OG (operational group) should “return at leisure, and that there were “no urgent calls for [their] services yet.” The final sentence, which notes that “Stenzel broke your nr. 5 through QRC” possibly refers to a weak code. I’ll have to read more about coding protocol for the OSS during WWII.

In any case, Opapa responded: “Sat. P.M. NR 8 to base: Sorry can’t make more contacts. Radio Oran taking over our installations. Will see you Tuesday night. Thanks to operators and code men.”

In what seems to be an unkind final message from the base, the last coding entry reads: “Text NR 8 - Your five had one misplaced block. Msg broken by Lt. Stenzel. Dull and foggy here too. N/C.” No wonder morale was low.

On the next page, Opapa drew a sketch of a military truck and what appears to be an antenna, possibly what they used to transmit their codes. It’s gray and looks unpleasant.

Some more notes:

- On August 4, 1944, Opapa mentions that he had been taking the course in radio at Station “I” in Baignon with “Hans Wynberg, Bob Sanders, Kurt Levy.” Hans Wynberg was also with him in Italy, and together (with two others) they petitioned to be transferred, so they could actually see some action. Both Opapa and Wynberg were interview by Patrick O’Donnell for his book, Operatives, Spies, and Saboteurs. Wynberg was a Dutch Jew who lost his family in the Holocaust and later became a chemist. 

- Need to do more background research on the OSS in 1944, esp in N Africa and Italy.During these expeditions, he camped, “climbed mountains, visited Arab villages, learned some Arabic,” and also did military operations, such as bridge demolitions.