From a series we’re developing (more on it to come) with its roots set in World War II about the exploits of the veterans of a fictitious elite OSS unit, SO Team R-1, Codename: ‘THE FERRETS.’ The accompanying images are concepts for their unit patch. The series spans World War II (operations in Romania and throughout southeastern Europe) to the present day, as surviving team members—and their successors—adapt to new missions and evolving threats.

‘The Ferrets’ original assignment, OPERATION: RATCATCHER, was to locate secret redoubts, fortified bunkers, places where high-ranking Nazis could hide and escape routes (ratlines) they could use once Allied forces moved to re-take Europe. Then… to capture or kill those they found.

Their secondary mission—1944-45 and post-war—results from the team members’ involvement in 1943’s OPERATION: UNDEAD, a temporary deviation from RATCATCHER. OPERATION: UNDEAD and its aftermath had a far-reaching, long-lasting impact on the team. We recount its events in an upcoming story.

After the war, ‘The Ferrets’ surviving team members, some now operating solo, face a new era of covert threats and sinister adversaries. Their loyalty to each other, duty, and honor come with a grave personal cost, leaving even more visible and concealed scars as each follows their chosen path.

The name ‘The Ferrets’ was carefully selected for the story to reflect their wartime and post-war roles, symbolizing the team’s resolve, adaptability, and ability to operate in the shadows. Like the animal they’re named after, ‘The Ferrets’ are unyielding hunters, capable of breaching the darkest, most secretive locations to track down their prey. Clandestine operators focused on elusive targets to capture or kill and to find and secure deadly artifacts and dangerous intel.

Symbolism of the Codename:

1. Persistence and Tenacity: Ferrets uncompromisingly pursue their prey. They never give up. This mirrors the mission of an OSS team stalking Nazi leaders and searching for, sequestering and securing, Nazi-discovered relics and arcane knowledge that pose a current risk to Allied forces and an inconceivable future threat to civilians and governments globally. Neutralizing threats that persist even after the official end of the war.
2. The Hunt: Just as ferrets are adept trackers and hunters, the OSS unit searches for and finds hidden Nazi facilities, underground fortifications, and garrisoned repositories with equal expertise. Their ability to navigate complex, forbidding, and treacherous environments makes them uniquely capable of penetrating and assaulting them from within. Capturing or eliminating Nazi leaders, depraved men and women, and expertly uncovering and seizing secreted Nazi assets, experimental equipment, and securing lethal instruments, deadly oddments, and perilous discoveries.
3. Stealth: Silent and swift, ferrets slip in and out of restricted spaces, much like the OSS team, who must infiltrate enemy-controlled areas, collect intelligence and objects, strike with precision, and vanish without a trace. This makes them feared—and targeted—by those who believe they can hide… believe they’re protected… behind layers of camouflage and secrecy.
4. Elusiveness: Known for their cleverness, ferrets are elusive creatures, evading enemies and using their surroundings to their advantage. ‘The Ferrets’ skillfully avoid—most—enemy traps and ambushes and expect to complete their mission and escape.
5. Vermin Control: Historically, ferrets drove rats and other pests out of their hiding places. ‘The Ferrets’ root out Nazis hiding in hardened ‘burrows’ or on the run as the war moves steadily toward a Third Reich collapse. In the post-war world, they find evil goes by many names and labels other than ‘Nazi.’ There is ‘no pause for the wicked… so no rest for the weary.’
6. Psychological Warfare: ‘The Ferrets’ also serve a psychological purpose. For evil men and women hiding or operating within the dark, the idea of an elite team inexorably hunting them down creates a palpable sense of fear. ‘The Ferrets’ have a reputation for leaving no trace as they pursue their targets, a fearsome force working within the shadows that hide those they hunt.