Speaker 1: Welcome to the Great Adventures of Old Time Radio from
boy Sataho. This is your host, Adam Graham. In a moment,
we're going to bring you this week's episode of Cloak
and Dagger. But first I want to encourage you, if
you enjoy this podcast, to follow us using your favorite
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But now, from June eleventh, nineteen fifty, here is the
People in the Forest.
Speaker 2: Are you willing to undertake a dangerous mission behind the
enemy lines, knowing you you may never return alive. What
you have just heard is the question asked during the
war to agents of the OSS ordinary citizens who to
this question answered yes.
Speaker 3: This is.
Speaker 2: Cloak and Dagger, black warfare, espionage, international intrigue. These are
the weapons of the OSS. Today's story the People in
the Forest is suggested by actual incidents recorded in the
Washington files of the Office of Strategic Services, a story
that can now be told.
Speaker 4: The plane began to slow down and then it circled slowly.
Someone pulled the cover off a jump home.
Speaker 3: And I got my first view of France occupied France,
August nineteen.
Speaker 4: Forty four actioncations on the ground. To the right, I
could see fires like safety matches lit the moonlight, and
I wondered how big they really were, those fires that
were out there. The guide us in the dispatcher told
me I was to jump second.
Speaker 3: Ready, number one, Ready, And then it.
Speaker 4: Happened, the first bad break of admission. Only it didn't
happen to me. It happened to Chris.
Speaker 3: Powler seeing France, got pill okay, followup number one, good luck,
Oh geronimo.
Speaker 4: I just stood there looking down watching them go, and
my heart started to pound all over me my breath.
Speaker 3: I nearly choked on it. Chris fell and fell and fell.
Speaker 4: The shoot didn't work, came out of the bag and
streamed unopened behind him.
Speaker 5: Paratroopers call that a Roman candle outbreak. I want to
turn back stabella, huh no, no, I'll jump into Okay,
then ready number two, number.
Speaker 4: Two ready Ready. The wind came up and hit me
in a rush. I felt myself falling. I think I
died a few times until I heard the crack of
the shoot.
Speaker 3: Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful, the.
Speaker 4: Most beautiful sight in the whole world, that big white
umbrella over me. The little safety matches on the ground
got bigger and bigger. I realized there were torches, and
then I saw a figure of a man waving. He
started to get bigger too, and then the torches were
put out. I was about to get my first introduction
to the French underground.
Speaker 3: Are you all right? Yeah, yeah, I'm all right. I
saw what happened to your friend. It was too bad. Yeah,
you had courage to jump after bed. Maybe if I'd
stopped to think about it, I never would have. Maybe
I was afraid I'd never jump again if I didn't. Then, well, anyway,
here I am. My name is Captain Robert Skirpeller. Captain
Robert Scarpeller, American. Welcome, Welcome to Franz. I am ecstatic
to make your acquaintance. Captain. The little guy threw his
arms around me and kissed me.
Speaker 4: When I was twelve, i'd said next to me, you
see my father, good night, because it embarrassed me, and
here was this little frenchman with the beret and baggy
pants and far my shoes where his arms around.
Speaker 3: Hey, I'm just so happy to see you about it
while I'm the Fox. The Germans themselves gave me that name.
Look at this head would you believe there is a
price on it? Or are you the leader? Yes, of
one of our little bands. The British radia alerted us
about you coming. Well, that's a got reason for my coming,
Captain Fox. You may call me simply Fox. Okay, Fox.
Now let's pick up supplies before bragfeople. Right. As for
your mission, Captain, there will be time enough to talk
about it when we get deeper into the forest to
our highway. Is that very far from here? Unfortunately there's
a little walk. We were forced to move our headquarters
last night after another German raid. Oh what do you
mean another? Our positions have been rated three times the
past night, almost as if the bush were given a
map of where we were in the forest. So sounds
to me like somebody's dirty work. I have thought of that, Captain.
But if there is a traitor in our group, I
shall find him. We know how to deal with such.
I'll bet you do. Oh yeah, oh that's nice, very
very very nice. This current rifle, beautiful garden. There are
shoes on those packages too, and food and grenades. Oh
what a beautiful rifle. I was to tell you to
expect a heavy supply drop in a few weeks. What
a beautiful rifle. We still are using few pieces from
the frank Oppression war, but this is a beauty. Now,
gather up your things, Captain Scarpella. I'll be back in
a few minutes. I'll be back. The fox disappeared into
the woods.
Speaker 4: The whole thing seemed like a crazy nightmare, the whole
forest surrounded by Germans, and yet here I was passing
the time of day, just like nothing at all, with
the Frenchman who had a price on his head, and
somewhere there where he drifted, Chris was a dead heap
under a lot of parachute silk.
Speaker 3: I grabbed a.
Speaker 4: Gun and I waited for trouble. I didn't know whether
to go after the parx and take a chance on
being ambushed, to stay where I was.
Speaker 3: Someone was coming. I duck behind a tree.
Speaker 4: The only thing I could figure was the Germans that'd
seen the plane seen me land I took aim carefully, slowly.
Speaker 3: American a kind of loud. What happened? What were those shots?
I just wanted to get the feel of your gun,
so I simply tried it on a couple of Germans
over the edge of the hills. Excites very well, crying
out lot this little dinner parties. You're on her, Captain Scarpta,
I regret we have nothing better than wild Rabbits store.
Well it's as well, quite a welcome headquarters. Don't tell
me to expect anything like this. Lose more wine for
the captain, but of course, yeah, I will repay your glass.
Oh thank you? Oh no, and place we say thank
you this way? You mind not kissing you? Oh no, no,
not at all. I love American alicy come hurt me?
I need you now. God, Mary is calling, Oh we alive. Coming.
She's a very pretty girl that lost Losette, and very young, yeah,
only seventeen already. She has seen so much hiding like
this in the Paris sneaking back into the German old village,
into the village we miss her. Many of our group
work in the village, right into the noses of the enemy,
and the Germans do not know that they are members
of the mcke or. But they know you're here. Oh
they know, they know that we're here, but they do
not there come near the forest, excepting big rating fives.
They know very well that to one dead of ours,
there will be twelve dead of theirs. Well, captain, now
about your mission it's purpose?
Speaker 4: Tell me more, please, While I was sent here to
find out the German defense plans for the port of
Santa's area and the entire coastal area around Ah, I
know those plans are in German.
Speaker 3: Headquarters in the village, and you request our help.
Speaker 4: I've got to have those plans, and in a matter
of days I've got to deliver on personally the eighth
cour head.
Speaker 3: Now put your mind of these, Captain Scarpella. The facts
will help you.
Speaker 1: Now.
Speaker 6: The first thing I will do is put your don't
you Captain Scarpella, I'm marry Ah.
Speaker 3: She's the mother cat of that little kitten who kissed
you before. Oh, happy to meet you, and.
Speaker 6: We are all enchanted to meet you American in your honor,
we have a special surprise.
Speaker 3: Listen, I tons you.
Speaker 7: Mean you're please, Captain ster Feller.
Speaker 3: Well, this is something I write home about, write home
about yeah, nice cozy evening with friends. How you never
know there was a walk going on? We neighbors? Where
does the lookout got autrem Captain fall, I see, I
see what else to division? I? At least don't you
have a touch surroundings? Captain star Color, I regret very
much to have interrupted your welcome party in this man Brenner,
real box Renner. We the new machine in our American
friend brought with him. Now what is it called, Captain Scarpeller. Oh? Yes,
this Butzuka now ticket take it to an end that
they just position? You understand? We find now less not
my friend, my friend. Now is the best time for
him and some of the others to learn how to use.
Speaker 4: A hoof for crying out love. If I thought it
seemed like a nightmare before, it was nothing. But what
happened now it's so mixed up in my mind. I
can't remember it clearly. It wasn't anything like the patrols
I've been trained for.
Speaker 3: In the army. Captain Scarpella, allow me please all right? Ah,
these Germans are becoming very annoying. Uh what would you
mind pointing out the other way? First? Excuse me? This
is a beauty just a little beauty.
Speaker 4: From out of nowhere. A German soldier fell forward on
his face, and then the fox and I moved on.
I remember thinking of cripes, this is like kids playing cops.
Speaker 3: Scatters.
Speaker 4: French boys still in their teens ran by with the
cross of the rains on their coats. I saw Marie
take in behind a tree, and all the time the
fox kept smiling and never stopped smiling. I feel selfish.
Captain Scarpella, give me that gun. I will let you
bury yours a while. They are about fifty yards ahead.
Speaker 3: There is a juicy rabbit in German uniform. Oh please
get him, Captain. The fox was right.
Speaker 4: The rifle did side well, and then all of a
sudden they were less Frenchmen around and more Germans all
around us.
Speaker 3: In a case like this, my friend, the best course
is to run, well, run this first. It's like a
chicksaw puzzle to me. You know it backwards. It is
from necessity, of course, I regret exceedingly that I must
ask you to join me here in this swamp. We
will stay here till it is safe to leave ships
under the water. Leave only you knows about it. To
breathe God, How can one fight what one cannot see?
I think we happen this time.
Speaker 2: Half they are scattered and disorganized.
Speaker 5: This is the end of our trouble with them retreated,
but may return.
Speaker 2: Well, we will find out from our informant later.
Speaker 3: I'll got the job we have done this time. I'm
going on my hands.
Speaker 2: Shall I stay here?
Speaker 3: Ask God? No, it is not necessary, there's nothing here.
Come better with me.
Speaker 5: Yeah.
Speaker 3: If they had posted a guy here, it would have
been the most inconvenient Chaptain Scarpeller, are you very wet?
What do you think? Well, they will be king close
for you at our ride out come. It is time
for us to go there. Well, this has been a
very annoying givenent Foxy Fox. Did you hear what they
said about an informant? I heard, I heard Captain scarp.
Marie is employed as charwoman and German headwaters in the village.
She is the contact of whom I spoke. What can
I do to help you? Just tell me there are
plans for the defense of San Nazar. What do you
think the chances are that they may be in the
files of the office where you wake. Marie? Very good,
I would say, Marie, Marie tell me. What are my
chances of getting into those files?
Speaker 6: All so very good? The door of the Huffman's office
is left open for me, so I may wash the floors.
I see it will be easy to enter. As for
the files, I have a key, A key, wait, I
will give it to you. Who else is better than
I hoped for? When can we go tomorrow?
Speaker 3: Tomorrow? Why not?
Speaker 1: Now?
Speaker 6: The Germans are still out searching the forest and the
coast will be clear.
Speaker 3: Let us leave now. Well, I'll say it for you,
Captain Scarpella, for crying out loud. Less than an hour
later we were in the village. It was five o'clock
in the morning and there's no one around the village.
Speaker 6: Slept Captain Scarpelle, listen to me. There is the German
headquarters across the street. I will leave you and go
inside to get my mup and bucket. You will watch
through the window when I distract the guard. Go quickly
to the side door.
Speaker 3: It is opener. The Hawkman's office is the third door
from the end. Third. You have the key to the
to the fire's heads. Yes, yes, I have it, Bob.
I go now. Remember the signal I gave you in
case of danger.
Speaker 4: I watched to go into the pelly, and then I
took up my position at the open window. There was
a guard at the front desk, no one else around.
I pressed myself into the shadows, and after a while
Marie came to the front desk and began to mop
the floor.
Speaker 6: I'm not that, and the sooner I finished, the sooner
I am through.
Speaker 3: I knew that soon she'd do something to distract us.
Speaker 7: Too.
Speaker 3: Must be worse, No, I would be too, pleasantly sorry.
It was not deliberate. Side door was open, and she
said what The third door from the.
Speaker 4: I made it the German Captain's office, and in the
corner were the files. The key in my hand was
hot and sticky.
Speaker 3: It fit. It fit the key fit I knew it would,
But somehow it would slid in and turned. I took
a breath of relief. I didn't have much time. I
knew it didn't have much time. I had to find
those plans. But where the papers? Where were they? And
I heard Marie signal a froze. But I couldn't stop searching.
Speaker 4: Now ready, almost as if God had put it into
my hand at the right moment, I found the photostadtic
copies of the defense plans.
Speaker 3: No, she could only hold them off until I get
out of the place. Let's see now, let's see the window.
That's it.
Speaker 4: It was going a short drop to the ground and
still knowing in sight. I had a feeling Marie could
take care of herself, and I started back for the forest,
the plans in my pocket.
Speaker 1: HM.
Speaker 3: I'll see here, Captain Scarpella, I'm the man you see.
You come out of the forest three miles north at
this point right? Is that a clear road? Fox? You
will have no difficulty. Captain. There has never been any
reason for the Bosh to post guards at this exit.
Now pay attention. I must talk to you, both of you. Marie,
what are you doing back at the farmhouse? Why are
you not in the village? Murie was at trouble after
I left through that window. Do they know about the papers?
They know because they were told told by a dirty
little spy from our own ranks. What now, Please quiet,
This is my business, Captain speak Marie. I overheard the
spy one of us. I blushed with shame to think
of it.
Speaker 6: The spy was telling the Bush captain about the papers
and the Americans mission. Fortunately for you, Captain Scarpella, the
spy was not able to warn him early enough, and
the road is blocked. However, you are trapped here, American.
You may have the plans, but there is no way
for you to leave and deliver them. The road knows
is swarming with the red ants of Germans.
Speaker 3: Traitor his name, Give me his name, Marie. I will
do better. I will give you the trait Rennee. Bring
her in here, cold on the floor, Throw her on
the floor.
Speaker 6: Listen to herself, my own daughter, torn from my own flesh,
right daughter, that for what is going to be done
to you, but for what you have done, spy.
Speaker 3: Trait this girl, my daughter.
Speaker 6: I speak on her.
Speaker 3: I waited for her.
Speaker 6: Outside after I heard her the captain, her German captain.
Speaker 3: I waited for her and dragged her back here. Fox
to do what you want with you? Know that, No
lose that look, No, No, was it you you who
gave away our positions each time?
Speaker 6: Yes, yes, I told her.
Speaker 3: It has been so hard.
Speaker 8: I have known more for so long.
Speaker 9: Now, all my life, I have known two words you
had on my own. I am glad your your father
is dead, so he does not see this.
Speaker 3: They promised me so much.
Speaker 4: I did not think it's so bad.
Speaker 9: I only gave them.
Speaker 3: Small bits of information, information except what is lost about
the American You call giving away our small loser.
Speaker 4: We are so much smarter, and it always gave us
a chance to kill.
Speaker 3: So many of them. Your excuses disgust me. Say the
word fox. Let me throw her to the rest. I
am your mother no longer. Do not call me that foxes.
Maybe you're fair, but I've got a stake in it. Now.
Whether you wish to say, Captain, there's.
Speaker 4: Only one way out of this forest, it's blocked right
now thanks to her. Let's forget that. All that matters
to me is that I get through with these plans,
all set. Do you want a chance to prove yourself?
Speaker 3: Oh well, I will do anything. You not listen to her,
She has a quiet Go on, captain, now our German headquarters.
Before Marie distracted the guard because she knew. Now who
knows the Germans at the exit of the forest. To
distract them, I do, I will let me please, they
trust me. I will give you a chance to slip by.
It is too great to risk, my friend. I have
no choice. I can't stay trapped here. The plans are
no good in my pocket. Very well. On one condition,
I will go alone, and if she does not do
what she says, the facts will shoot her through the heart.
You have my permission. Ah, There are many clouds out
tonight to hide the moon and talk of the bitter Losette.
There are your friends at the foot of the hill.
Go to them. We will hide here among these piles
of firewood. Way I will go, and remember, Losette, this
gun is aimed at you.
Speaker 10: Go.
Speaker 4: We hid behind towering cords of tree trunks and branches,
piled in a woodlock for the village's firewood.
Speaker 3: We watched a.
Speaker 4: Few minutes later. We saw them, the soldiers and the girl,
silhouetted against the moon. We couldn't hear what they were saying,
but every once in a while we heard them laugh.
Speaker 3: They swarm about her like bees about a flower. Come
on this way, we will sneak past them and into
the brush wild. Now she's doing a good job trying
to retain herself a completion.
Speaker 8: Yes, one was the clue decided through the help. It
don't take us to mistake with you all God, A
bangages to being any myself captain this week into the brush.
Get h.
Speaker 3: I looked back over my shoulder and saw the ze
crumple into a keep on the road. I knew she
was dead. I do not grieve for her, my friend.
It is best this way. It is easier than living
with herself. How do we get out of this? We're surrounded.
Speaker 9: Up.
Speaker 3: Surrender? What means that way? You know?
Speaker 9: Yeah?
Speaker 3: Have you call it? Come out that this will help?
Kevin Joe said, b the bus, Come on, I'm trying
to burn us out. We come out, we'll be shut
down by the machine guns America. I have an idea. Yeah,
stand here. When you hear a loud crash and I
call out, you run through the fire. It is not
dead yet, my friend.
Speaker 4: He ran, like the fox of his nickname, to the
tallest pile of firewood in the dark night. I saw
him struggle with a log at the base of the pile,
and then a huge tower of wood came tumbling down
and the screen. I plunged through the fire and found
the pass, and a few minutes later the sly Fox
miraculously joined me.
Speaker 3: You can make it from here along to the American lines.
Captain sc what about you, Fox, don't worry about the fox.
I'll get back all right. Perhaps we shall meet again
one day, Captain who knows well? Or why then goodbye?
I never looked back, and I never saw him again.
But when I think of him now, I think of
him not with the beret, but with a green hat
and a feather, a little like Robin Hood.
Speaker 2: Captain Scarfeller delivered the plans personally to the Assistant G
two at eight Core Headquarters, and he was recommended for
the Distinguished Service Cross or the American lives he had
saved at the port of Santa's Air. Thus, the exploits
of another OSS agent closes with the words mission accomplished.
A further adventure in Black Warfare is next week.
Speaker 3: Cloak and Dagger.
Speaker 10: Heard in Today's Clock and Dagger Adventure were Joseph Bueloff,
Lily Darvos, Larry Haynes, Nancy Franklin, Barry Kroger, Raymond Edward Johnson,
Carl Weber, Boris Aplin, and Jerry Jarrett. Script for Cloak
and Dagger was written by winterfred Wolf, and the music
was under the direction of John Gart. Today's true OSS
adventure was based on the book Cloak and Dagger by
Corey Ford and Alistair McBain. This has been a Lewis G.
Cohn production in association with Alfred Hollanders. It was under
the direction and supervision of Sherman Marx Robert Warren speaking
Stay tuned now for the up to the minute news
on the Open Golf Championship.
Speaker 1: Welcome back. This continues to be a program that doesn't
pull punches about some of the harsh necessities and situations
that come up in the course of war. Having to
jump out of a plane after your buddy's parachute didn't
open because the mission is so vital is one example
of that and a very jarring way to start the program.
And certainly there are examples of the same principle with
the McKee. But I think the Fox is an interesting
character for his attempts to maintain his humanity and his
unique personality and approach and to bring a lotness where
he can. He was willing to do what was necessary
and could be very dangerous and deadly, but there was
no necessity for him to go about grimly all the time,
and the French underground grim moments would come all too often,
all on their own. Listener comments and feedback now and
we go over to Facebook where Emmett rights regarding an
episode to the Trojan hor course, this was a really
good episode from a series I'd never heard of before.
I hope there are lots more of these, though I
doubt it. Thanks for finding this well, thanks so much.
Hamt Lots is a bit of a relative term. We
have more than twenty episodes, which doesn't compare to some
of the bigger series that we're going to do, such
as Counterspy, but is far better than so many other
series which have really been ravaged by time, leaving only
a few episodes extent for modern listeners to listen to. Well,
thanks so much. And now it's time to thank our
Patreon supporter of the day, and I want to go
ahead and thank Allen, Patreon supporter since February twenty twenty four,
currently supporting the podcast at the Detective Sergeant level of
seven dollars and fourteen cents or more per month. Thanks
so much for your support, Alan, and that will do
it for today. If you're enjoying the podcast, please follow
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In the meantime, though, send your comments to Box thirteen
at Great Detectives dot net. From Boise, Idaho, this is
your host, Adam Graham, signing off the