The Devil’s Brigade: The First Special Service Force

World War II set the stage for the union of American and Canadian commandos into an elite military unit – the First Special Service Force. “The Devil’s Brigade,” as they soon came to be called, was created by Major Robert T. Frederick and activated on July 9, 1942.

The unit’s supplies – including uniforms, food, and equipment – would be funded by the U.S. Army, while the Canadian soldiers would be paid by the Canadian government. Initially, the unit would be half Canadians, including the command, officers, and enlisted. However, as the war progressed, the Canadian cohort fell to roughly one-third due to casualties and lack of availability of Canadian replacements.

The US volunteers were officers who originated from Fort Belvoir and Fort Benning. The rigorous selection process excluded married men, and preferred occupations with an outdoor focus such as hunters, lumberjacks, and explorers. Once selected, they were not told the exact details of their new orders due to closely held secrecy surrounding the unit. However, they would soon learn their new positions as they arrived at Fort William Henry Harrison in Helena, Montana, for training.

The Force included three regiments who began their training on a tight schedule. They trained in a variety of skills such as jumping from planes, weapons handling, hand-to-hand combat, and skiing. Their training was designed to prepare them for deployment to mountainous, winter-weather areas.

Despite the winter uniforms of parkas and ski pants, the U.S. Army soldiers originally wore their standard-issue uniforms, while the Canadians initially arrived in a variety of uniforms such as kilts, shorts, and assorted headwear depending on their origins. Shortly after the unit’s formation, all members – both American and Canadian alike – donned uniforms from an American supplier. With that, however, Canadians and Americans would be told apart by their collar insignia and dog tags.

Even after the activation and training of the unit, the command met difficulty with ensuring both Americans and Canadians understood the commands and procedures. Each country’s techniques differed, so the two styles mixed to better serve the operations of the unit.

Once training was complete, the unit saw action. First, they traveled to the Aleutian Islands in Alaska in July 1943 to combat any threat of Japanese forces. Following that, the First Special Service Force embarked to Italy in November 1943 where they would spend the bulk of their time during the war. The unit used their training in mountainous warfare, as well as their hand-to-hand combat skills, to repel Nazi forces.

After their time in Italy, the Devil’s Brigade traveled to southern France and participated in Operation Dragoon in August 1944, which followed the famed D-Day invasion of Normandy, also known as Operation Overlord.

The First Special Service Force was disbanded on December 5, 1944 in France. Frederick, the unit’s founder and commander, believed the unit’s specialized training was no longer utilized in their assignments. Unfortunately, this was likely true as the newer recruits were not subjected to the same rigorous training the first members originally undertook. The now disbanded members were then sent to other American and Canadian units as replacements.

Following their heroism, the First Special Service Force received numerous awards. They were awarded the Distinguished Unit Citation, the Croix de Guerre, and the Combat Infantryman Badge. Then in 2015, the unit was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal.

The Still Picture Branch houses numerous photographs of the First Special Service Force within the photographic records of the U.S. Army Signal Corps (111-SC). Samples of these photographs are included throughout this post. The photographs included in this post are considered US Government records and are therefore within the public domain. If you have any questions about the images in this post or the holdings of the Still Picture Branch, please contact us at stillpix@nara.gov.

Sources

• The Army Historical Foundation; First Special Service Force
• U.S. Army Special Operations Command, History Office; First Special Service Force Legacy
• “What the Devil’s Brigade Did in World War II” By Michael D. Hull
• “Unique Support for a Unique Unit: The Service Battalion of the First Special Service Force” By Kenneth Finlayson

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