Honouring the ‘ Devil’s Brigade’
The First Special Service Force was a super-elite American- Canadian commando unit during the Second World War
An all too obscure vignette of Canadian military history is our involvement in a superelite, American- Canadian commando unit — the “First Special Service Force” — during the Second World War. It was formed in July 1942 from carefully screened Canadian and U. S. volunteers, many of whom were formerly hard rock miners, explosive specialists, skiers, parachutists, hunters and rugged individualists. Popularized in a somewhat distorted 1968 Hollywood movie as the “Devil’s Brigade,” the unit became better known and feared by the Axis and Allies alike as the “Black Devils.”
Conceived in part by Winston Churchill as part of his Special Operations plan to “set Europe ablaze,” the unit trained first in the mountains of Montana, where it was rapidly moulded into one of the most highly skilled and successful combat units to serve in the Second World War. Its motto was “more sweat on the training field means less blood on the battlefield.” Strenuous 100- mile speed marches were the norm. The men were all specially trained in hand- to- hand combat with all kinds of weapons and explosives along with innovative all- terrain vehicles like the Weasel designed especially for their daredevil initiatives. They bonded tightly through intensive training and dedication to the Force. The rigorous training routine sifted the hard from the soft, fully integrating Canadians and Americans together down to the platoon level. Many accepted with alacrity at the outset that their tasks were to be essentially suicide missions.
The unit was originally intended for clandestine attacks against hydro- electric facilities in Norway and the oil fields of Romania but is best known for its exploits in Italy during the hard- slogging winter and spring campaigns of 1943- 44. Specializing in night fighting with surprise attacks behind enemy lines, the Force’s first assignment was an assault on a vital mountain peak — Monte la Difensa — the gateway to the Liri Valley and a direct approach to Rome. After an attack in freezing rain against a highly skilled, fanatic German foe, the Force achieved in two hours what allied units 10 times their size had failed to do in a month of fierce fighting. ( They improvised using condoms to keep gun barrels dry in the rain.)
Their next task was a lightning assault over the snow- covered mountains to seize Monte Cassino. Once again, their tenacious training, “derring- do” spirit and superb fitness brought victory.
Then came the Anzio beachhead where the allied force had become bogged down in mud and confronted withering resistance from some of Germany’s best land forces. The Force was rushed in to prevent complete disaster. Reduced to barely a thousand men due to heavy casualties in the earlier battles, they held the line on the Mussolini Canal and the entire right flank of the allies’ beachhead. Heavily outnumbered, they launched offensive but silent night raids using primarily their daggers against the enemy and leaving their red spearhead shoulder insignia as a calling card carrying the ominous message in German — “The worst is yet to come.”
The unit was unofficially first known as the Braves. The red spearhead shoulder patch was selected with that name in mind.
Highly decorated U. S. soldier and military historian Col. David Hackworth described their technique as “hitting the Germans where it hurt the most, in their own backyard, and essentially perfecting the same lightning hit- and- run techniques that became standard by Ranger, Raider and Special Forces units during the Korean and Vietnam wars.” So effective were their tactics that they became known to Nazi Germans as “Schwarzer Teufel” — “Black Devils.” An order found on a German POW reported they “would be fighting an elite Canadian- American force. They are treacherous, unmerciful and clever. You cannot afford to relax.” The “black” label was no doubt inspired by the fact that they smeared their faces with shoe polish to facilitate night fighting.
Built back to their original strength with new volunteers, the Black Devils then spearheaded the attack on Rome, where they became one of the first attacking armies to take that fabled city in 15 centuries. They were charged specifically with the task of capturing seven bridges to prevent demolition.
The unique unit’s extraordinary exploits in Italy were quickly overshadowed by the D- Day landings. After playing a complementary role with an amphibious attack on the Hyères Islands off Southern France, surprising and defeating the Germans and then liberating towns and villages along the Franco Italian border, they gradually faded into the limelight.
In December 1944, a combination of politics and a new military strategy caused the Force to be disbanded. The Americans and Canadians who had survived filled in as replacements in Allied Airborne Divisions.
the unit became
feared by the Axis and Allies alike.
Because conscripted troops in Canada could not leave the country — a Mackenzie King compromise — Canada desperately needed to replenish its fighting forces in Europe. By this time, commando units were considered less essential as the fast- moving, allied armoured troops drove headlong towards Berlin.
The elite group was not spared from petty, bureaucratic hassles. Despite being fully integrated, the members were paid by nationality. A Canadian sergeant was paid the same as an American private because, as one official explained, “a Canadian is a Canadian!” To partially offset this imbalance, the astute Force commander, Col. Robert T. Frederick, arranged that the Canadians would receive their pay on a different day than their American colleagues. The Canadians were also denied receiving American medals and awards during the war. After the war, in perverse, reciprocal fashion, the Americans were not able to accept awards offered by Canada.
The success of the Black Devils was exceptional but the sacrifice was horrendous. The numbers tell the tale. Rarely exceeding 2,000 in number, the First Special Service Force is credited with the capture of 12,000 prisoners and 15,000 enemy killed — the equivalent of two German line divisions. But these achievements came at a tremendous price — a 600 per cent attrition rate, with more than 500 killed and 2,400 wounded — many several times.
The Black Devils saga is one of uncompromising valour and an “esprit de corps” matched by few military units. They had all the essential qualities of the ideal combat unit. Quoting Hackworth again: “Great combat leaders who led from the front, and two-fisted warriors who performed brilliantly in what many consider the most brutal mountain fighting in World War II.” The brigade received the very rare Congressional Gold Medal in 2013.
I would hope that the Canadian War Museum might carve out a place to honour the memorable courage and sacrifice of this extraordinary unit. The outstanding record of the Force highlighted the most precious aspect of the Canada — U. S. partnership. Just as in WWII, Canadians with Joint Task Force 2 ( JTF-20) were united with America’s elite Special Forces Operational Detachment- Delta (SFOD-D or Delta Force) in a special assignment force for the 2001 invasion of Afghanistan.
For anyone seeking to learn more about this most unusual brigade, I would recommend reading “Black Devil Brigade: An Oral History” by Joseph A. Springer. You will get the story in the pungent words of many of the then surviving combatants.