The OSS Deer Team was established by the United States Office of Strategic Services on to attack and intercept materials on the railroad from

Hanoi Hanoi ( ; ; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Vietnam, second-most populous city of Vietnam. The name "Hanoi" translates to "inside the river" (Hanoi is bordered by the Red River (Asia), Red and Black River (Asia), Black Riv ...

in central Vietnam to

Lạng Sơn Lạng Sơn () is a city in far Northern Vietnam, and the capital of Lạng Sơn Province. It is accessible by road and rail from Hanoi, the Vietnamese capital, and it is the northernmost point on National Route 1. History Due to its geograph ...

in northeast Vietnam with the hope of keeping Japanese military units from entering China. They sent intelligence reports to OSS agents stationed in China. The team provided training, medical and logistical assistance to

Hồ Chí Minh (born ; 19 May 1890 – 2 September 1969), colloquially known as Uncle Ho () among other aliases and sobriquets, was a Vietnamese revolutionary and politician who served as the founder and first president of the Democratic Republic ...

and the

Việt Minh The Việt Minh (, ) is the common and abbreviated name of the League for Independence of Vietnam ( or , ; ), which was a communist-led national independence coalition formed at Pác Bó by Hồ Chí Minh on 19 May 1941. Also known as the Vi ...

in 1945. The first mission of OSS Deer Team was to help train 50 to 100

guerrillas to help drive Japanese soldiers out of

French Indochina French Indochina (previously spelled as French Indo-China), officially known as the Indochinese Union and after 1941 as the Indochinese Federation, was a group of French dependent territories in Southeast Asia from 1887 to 1954. It was initial ...

. Deer Team worked closely with

and

Võ Nguyên Giáp Võ Nguyên Giáp ( vi-hantu, , ; 25 August 1911 – 4 October 2013) was a Vietnamese general, communist revolutionary and politician. Highly regarded as a military strategist, Giáp led Vietnamese communist forces to victories in wars agains ...

, whom they knew only as "Mr. Hoo" and "Mr. Van". The two groups were friendly and fought as comrades-in-arms to capture the Japanese garrison at Tân Trào, and celebrated that victory by getting drunk together. The Americans left camp on August 16, not long after hearing the news of Japanese surrender. They traveled on foot with

and his troops to Thái Nguyên, the French provincial capital. When guerrilla combatants debuted against French and Japanese troops until the French governor capitulated on August 25,

had arranged for the Deer Team to stay hidden away in a safe house on the outskirts of town.. Following the

victory, Deer Team stayed for a few days "getting fat, getting a sun-tan, visiting the city and waiting for permission to go to

. ..The

did everything to make our stay as pleasant as possible for us," said Defourneaux. Finally, the Americans arrived in

and returned to the United States. The night before leaving, Major Thomas had a private dinner with

and

said to Thomas and his men: "I want to thank each of you for what you have done for us. We are truly grateful. You are welcome to come back at any time." Medic Paul Hoagland is reputed to have saved the life of

with

quinine Quinine is a medication used to treat malaria and babesiosis. This includes the treatment of malaria due to ''Plasmodium falciparum'' that is resistant to chloroquine when artesunate is not available. While sometimes used for nocturnal leg ...

and sulfa drugs. Lieutenant Defourneaux explained: When

discovered a French agent sent with the Deer Team who was apparently part of it: "This man is not an American. Look, who are you guys trying to kid? This man is not part of the deal." Lieutenant Montfort was arrested and deported to China. Two other undercover French–Vietnamese agents suffered the same treatment. The OSS was dissolved on 9 September 1945.

References

External links

Ho Chi Minh and the OSS
at Historynet.com – June 10, 2009
Ho, Giap and OSS Agent Henry Prunier
at Historynet.com – May 24, 2011 {{Authority control 1942 establishments in the United States 1945 disestablishments in the United States Defunct United States intelligence agencies Government agencies established in 1942 Intelligence services of World War II Office of Strategic Services World War II resistance movements

See also

References

External links