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The Phantom: The Untold Story of the American Marine the Nazis Could Not Kill
Not yet published
Expected 6 Oct 26Soldier, spy, scout, saboteur, and French Resistance leader in the heart of Nazi-occupied Europe--the untold story of Marine legend Pete Ortiz.
Major Pierre “Pete” Ortiz was a Manhattan-born and Paris-educated polymath fluent in five languages. An adventuresome French Foreign Legion veteran specifically recruited by "Wild" Bill Donovan’s Office of Strategic Services (the precursor to both the CIA and U.S. Special Forces) upon his enlistment in the Marines, Ortiz was the officer “Wild Bill” instinctively knew he needed and could rely on to complete a string of clandestine missions.
While recuperating from gunshot wounds received during a behind-the-lines excursion into enemy-held North Africa, Ortiz delivered his After-Action Report directly to Donovan in Washington. After reading it, “Wild Bill” scrawled across the top of the “Please re-employ this man as soon as possible.” Ortiz’s handlers heeded Donovan’s request. Within a year Ortiz was surreptitiously parachuted into the Haute Savoie region of Occupied France, where he made contact with the resistance fighters who called themselves Maquisards.
By the time he retired as a United States Marine Corps colonel, he received two Navy Crosses for extraordinary heroism in World War II. He was one of the very few U.S. Marines to serve in combat in Europe during World War II, and one of the most decorated Marine officers of the war.
Major Pierre “Pete” Ortiz was a Manhattan-born and Paris-educated polymath fluent in five languages. An adventuresome French Foreign Legion veteran specifically recruited by "Wild" Bill Donovan’s Office of Strategic Services (the precursor to both the CIA and U.S. Special Forces) upon his enlistment in the Marines, Ortiz was the officer “Wild Bill” instinctively knew he needed and could rely on to complete a string of clandestine missions.
While recuperating from gunshot wounds received during a behind-the-lines excursion into enemy-held North Africa, Ortiz delivered his After-Action Report directly to Donovan in Washington. After reading it, “Wild Bill” scrawled across the top of the “Please re-employ this man as soon as possible.” Ortiz’s handlers heeded Donovan’s request. Within a year Ortiz was surreptitiously parachuted into the Haute Savoie region of Occupied France, where he made contact with the resistance fighters who called themselves Maquisards.
By the time he retired as a United States Marine Corps colonel, he received two Navy Crosses for extraordinary heroism in World War II. He was one of the very few U.S. Marines to serve in combat in Europe during World War II, and one of the most decorated Marine officers of the war.
352 pages, Hardcover
Expected publication October 6, 2026
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Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
The Phantom: The Untold Story of the American Marine the Nazis Could Not Kill by Bob Drury
With all the books I've read about WWII, the French Resistance, and Bill Donovan’s Office of Strategic Services I'm surprised I didn't know more about Pierre “Pete” Ortiz and his accomplishments before and during WWII. Born in 1913, fluent in at least ten languages, and already having served in the French Foreign Legion, Pete was close to thirty by the time he enlisted in the United States Marine Corps in 1942. This is a man who has already seen it all and a man who could outdo younger men at just about anything, so when Bill Donovan became aware of Pete's accomplishments and talents, he snapped Pete up for the Office of Strategic Services in 1943.
The book spends a good amount of time on Bill Donovan, his endeavors, his accomplishments, and his often strained relationships with those in power during WWII. Knowing about Bill allows the reader to know the type of organization that Pete was joining. Not all of Bill's ideas were good ideas but grabbing Pete as one of his OSS agents showcases Bill seeing a man who was just what he needed to make a difference with his agency. To know about most of the OSS agents is to also know something about Bill. Pete excelled at the physical, mental, and emotional hardships of fighting a war that required the greatest of sacrifices. It's amazing that Pete survived being shot several times, walking among the enemy whenever needed, and the life of a POW more than once.
Pete's master of languages and cultures allowed him to be whoever he needed to be which made him a excellent spy but he was also a great leader of the men assigned to him. He trained members of the French Resistance and also managed to get numerous downed pilots out of enemy territory to safety. Add to all of this, he was a handsome Errol Flynn lookalike and he appeared in many movies and TV shows although he didn't consider himself very good as an actor. I know I'm just highlighting a few things about Pete and his accomplishments, the details are so very interesting and now I want to read more about him in the future.
I often get lost researching the people I meet in my nonfiction reading, and this time, once I learned about Resistance leader, Jean Bulle, I know I'll look for more to read about him although most of what I see seems to be in French. There are many more men who had contact with or worked closely with Pete who have drawn my interest thanks to the book. I'm glad to have gotten to know this man, someone who never wanted to sit on the sidelines and who was willing to use his talents to defeat the enemy, no matter where he found himself.
Expected publication October 6, 2026
Thank you to St. Martin's Press, SMP Early Readers, and NetGalley for this ARC
With all the books I've read about WWII, the French Resistance, and Bill Donovan’s Office of Strategic Services I'm surprised I didn't know more about Pierre “Pete” Ortiz and his accomplishments before and during WWII. Born in 1913, fluent in at least ten languages, and already having served in the French Foreign Legion, Pete was close to thirty by the time he enlisted in the United States Marine Corps in 1942. This is a man who has already seen it all and a man who could outdo younger men at just about anything, so when Bill Donovan became aware of Pete's accomplishments and talents, he snapped Pete up for the Office of Strategic Services in 1943.
The book spends a good amount of time on Bill Donovan, his endeavors, his accomplishments, and his often strained relationships with those in power during WWII. Knowing about Bill allows the reader to know the type of organization that Pete was joining. Not all of Bill's ideas were good ideas but grabbing Pete as one of his OSS agents showcases Bill seeing a man who was just what he needed to make a difference with his agency. To know about most of the OSS agents is to also know something about Bill. Pete excelled at the physical, mental, and emotional hardships of fighting a war that required the greatest of sacrifices. It's amazing that Pete survived being shot several times, walking among the enemy whenever needed, and the life of a POW more than once.
Pete's master of languages and cultures allowed him to be whoever he needed to be which made him a excellent spy but he was also a great leader of the men assigned to him. He trained members of the French Resistance and also managed to get numerous downed pilots out of enemy territory to safety. Add to all of this, he was a handsome Errol Flynn lookalike and he appeared in many movies and TV shows although he didn't consider himself very good as an actor. I know I'm just highlighting a few things about Pete and his accomplishments, the details are so very interesting and now I want to read more about him in the future.
I often get lost researching the people I meet in my nonfiction reading, and this time, once I learned about Resistance leader, Jean Bulle, I know I'll look for more to read about him although most of what I see seems to be in French. There are many more men who had contact with or worked closely with Pete who have drawn my interest thanks to the book. I'm glad to have gotten to know this man, someone who never wanted to sit on the sidelines and who was willing to use his talents to defeat the enemy, no matter where he found himself.
Expected publication October 6, 2026
Thank you to St. Martin's Press, SMP Early Readers, and NetGalley for this ARC
Displaying 1 of 1 review