Operation Varsity, Office of Strategic Services Teams

Allied Forces

• Sixten men Office of Strategic Services team, led by Captain Stephen Vinciguerra
• 2 WACO-CG4A Glider
• Kübelwagen

Axis Forces

Operation

Operation Varsity

The Office of Strategic Services detachment for Varsity, designated Operation Algonquin, divides into four two-man teams code-named Alsace, Poissy, S&S, and Student. Their insertion aligns precisely with the arrival of the main airborne assault forces. Unlike typical advance infiltrations, these Office of Strategic Services teams land simultaneously with troops from the US 17^th Airborne Division and British 6^th Airborne Division in military gliders. This method intends to allow operatives immediate access to rear areas without drawing attention. Team S&S, for example, transports their Kübelwagen inside a glider for rapid deployment upon landing. However, as gliders descend on the morning of March 24^th, 1944, they face severe German anti-aircraft and machine-gun fire. Vinciguerra’s glider is critically damaged by enemy flak, destroying the Kübelwagen’s tyres and the essential radio equipment upon crash-landing. Several operatives, including Captain Vinciguerra and Steltermann, sustain injuries but manage to find temporary cover despite the heavy German fire.

The Office of Strategic Services teams face severe setbacks. Intense German defensive fire inflicts casualties, destroys crucial transport and communications equipment, and immediately nullifies their mission objectives. The expected cover of confusion proves inadequate, as their gliders land directly within contested drop zones, making immediate covert actions impossible. Steltermann and Staub, now in Wehrmacht uniforms, find themselves pinned down alongside Allied airborne troops, unable to execute their intended deception operations. Immobilised, wounded, and trapped in intense combat, the Office of Strategic Services operatives cannot fulfil their planned missions. Moreover, the rapid progression of conventional Allied units soon renders any further covert intelligence-gathering redundant.

Aftermath

Outcome and Effectiveness of the Office of Strategic Services Varsity Mission Ultimately, the Office of Strategic Services detachment’s efforts during Operation Varsity fail to meet their objectives. The entire team becomes immobilised immediately after landing, with their critical equipment rendered unusable. None of the four two-man teams successfully infiltrate the German rear or collect actionable intelligence. Instead of creating confusion behind enemy lines, the operatives merely strive to survive amidst fierce fighting. Post-war assessments conclude that the operatives’ attempt at subterfuge, such as wearing enemy uniforms, proves ineffective within the context of a large-scale conventional operation. Even under ideal circumstances, the small Office of Strategic Services teams would likely have struggled to deliver substantial tactical intelligence. Allied ground forces quickly join the airborne units, further diminishing the importance of Office of Strategic Services covert operations. The detachment is subsequently recovered, with wounded personnel evacuated, but the mission itself is deemed an operational failure.

Multimedia