Originally published on August 26, 2027 (Episode 472).
Introduction
Peter J. Ortiz was one of the most decorated United States Marines of the Second World War—and he served in the European Theater. In fact, his service was almost entirely within occupied France, where he worked for the Office of Strategic Services as the manager of a resistance network and later as the leader of a (sort of) Jedburgh Team.
The stories of his exploits are legendary, though admittedly legendary among a much smaller circle of people than they deserve to be. One that can be verified is the time that, in a French bar, Ortiz ordered a round of drinks for a group of German officers, opened his raincoat to reveal his Marine uniform, drew two pistols, and ordered the Germans to drink toasts to President Roosevelt and the United States Marine Corps.
That and many other tales of his winding career are to be found in Ortiz’s War: The Allies’ Secret Weapon Against the Nazis in France, a new book by Nicholas Reynolds and Katie Sanders.
About the Guest
Nicholas Reynolds is a historian, former United States Marine Corps infantry officer, and former CIA operations officer, where he subsequently served as historian for the CIA Museum. He earned his DPhil in history from the University of Oxford and has written extensively on intelligence, military history, and special operations.
Katie Sanders, who could not join us for the conversation, is an award-winning journalist who has written for National Geographic, The New York Times, Washington Post Magazine, New York, TIME, Smithsonian, Vanity Fair, Insider, Glamour, and Marie Claire. She is also the granddaughter of American pilot Murray Simon, whose escape through occupied France was made possible by Peter J. Ortiz.
For Further Investigation
Nicholas Reynolds and Katie Sanders, Ortiz’s War: The Allies’ Secret Weapon Against the Nazis in France (Harper Horizon, 2026)
Nicholas Reynolds, Need to Know: World War II and the Rise of American Intelligence – How Churchill Built the CIA and Modern Spy Operations from Nothing (Mariner Books, 2022)
Ben Jones, Eisenhower’s Guerrillas: The Jedburghs, the Maquis, and the Liberation of France (Oxford University Press, 2016)
Douglas Waller, Wild Bill Donovan: The Spymaster Who Created the OSS and Modern American Espionage (Free Press, 2012)
Douglas Porch, The French Foreign Legion: A Complete History of the Legendary Fighting Force (Skyhorse, 2010)
—, The Conquest of Morocco: A History (Farrar, Strauss, and Giroux, 2005)
—, Defeat and Division: France at War, 1939-1942 (Cambridge University Press, 2022)
Related Episodes
Trojan War: Odysseus and Peter J. Ortiz might have had a lot to talk about
Agent Zo: Clare Mulley on Elżbieta Zawacka, a Heroine of Poland’s Resistance against Nazis and Soviets.
Eisenhower’s Guerillas: Ben Jones on the Jedburgh teams and the liberation of France
Tags
Second World War • OSS • Peter J. Ortiz • Marines • Special Operations • France • Resistance • Intelligence History • Military History • Biography • Nicholas Reynolds
