Download or read book The Secret War in Italy written by Will Fowler and published by Ian Allan Publishing. This book was released on 2010 with total page 436 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The war in Italy was characterized by a host of Special Forces actions. The fact that the Italians had formed two governments, one backing the Allies and one a puppet German government, meant that the secret war was vital to the Allies conventional forces and partisans, the SAS, SOE, the US OSS (precursor to the CIA) all played important roles. On the night of 20/21 April 1945, the last operational jump of World War 2 took placeAE"Operation Herring. Operation Herring lasted over 72 hours instead of the 36 initially foreseen, but it turned out to be a success. The action did presage the end of the Italian campaign and the war in Italy, but until now little has been written about this, and other secret operations, on the Italian front. It will be an essential reference for students of World War 2.