Last issue, I ran some information on that rather rare item, an elite American unit, presenting some information on the 100th Infantry Battalion and the 442nd Regimental Combat Team. While not wishing to sound like your basic "Our troops were better than your troops" writer, I would like to add another such unit to that list. Thus, allow me to present some information on my next candidate for elite status, the 1st Special Service Force. This unit, perhaps better known as "The Devil's Brigade," is unlike any other American unit of WWII. To begin with, it is not an American unit, but rather a joint American-Canadian command in which personnel of both nations were mixed into the same ranks. Then, the TO&E for the 1st Special Service Force is unlike any other found in either the American or Canadian Army during WWII. Add in the fact that the force saw action in the Pacific Theater of Operations, the Mediterranean Theater of 0perations and the European Theater of 0perations, and you have one of the few units of the war that can make that claim. The 1st Special Service Force was formed as the result of Plough Project. This was a plan, greatly encouraged by Winston Churchill, to carry out operations in Norway. It was pointed out that 50% of Norway's hydro-electric power was produced by 14 sites, and that the destruction of these sites could cripple the German occupation of Norway. To carry out the attacks, a special commando-type unit was needed that could parachute into Norway, and move quickly from place to place once there. To furnish the last, the US Ordnance Department built the M-29 "Weasel" while to furnish the manpower it was decided that the US and Canadian armies would comb their ranks, looking for men who had been "lumberjacks, forest rangers, hunters, northwoodsmen, game wardens, prospectors, and explorers." Lieutenant Colonel Robert Frederick of the War Departments Operations Division served as the devil's advocate during the planning stages of Project Plough, and wrote several papers on why this force should not be raised. General George C. Marshall, the US Army Chief of Staff was so impressed with Frederick's well reasoned and researched objections to the plan that Marshall appointed Frederick as the unit's first commanding officer. On June 16, Frederick not only found himself in charge, but given carte blanche by Marshall to raise, organize and train his command. Frederick named his new command the 1st Special Service Force in a deliberate move to disguise its role. He did not want to draw attention to it by naming it Rangers, Commandos, etc. (Throughout the unit's existence, as a result, it was often confused with the Special Service Branch of the US Army which was in charge, of providing entertainment for the troops.) The unit was organized at Fort William Henry Harrison at Helena, Montana. The site was picked because it offered flat ground for parachute training, and access to mountains for ski runs and rock climbing. The force trained there from July of 1942, to early April of 1943. During this time, all elements of the force, including the support elements, completed courses in parachuting, mountaineering, skiing, and engineering, as well as intensive work in small unit tactics and scouting The final totals for troop strength were 169 officers, eight warrant officers and 2,283 enlisted men, of which 42 officers and 552 other ranks were Canadians. The final TO&E adopted by Frederick for the force was as follows: 1st SPECIAL SERVICE FORCE (1st SSF) Veteran; Morale: 10 Force Headquarters, with: 1 command stand and 1 jeep Headquarters Battalion, with: Headquarters Company, with: 1 command stand 2 recon MP stands 3 jeeps 1 light staff radio truck 1 3/4-ton truck 1 band/gun crew 1 57L52 AT gun 4 support/porter stands 1 medium truck with AAMG and trailer 1 medium truck with AAMG and kitchen 1 L-5 liaison aircraft Ordnance Maintenance Company, with: 1 command stand 1 jeep 2 support stands 1 medium shop truck with parts trailer 1 medium truck with AAMG and trailer Quartermaster Company, with: 1 command stand 1 jeep 6 support porter stands 3 medium supply trucks with AAMG and trailer 6 jeeps with trailers 1st, 2nd, 3rd Infantry Regiments, each with: Headquarters Company, with: 1 command stand 1 recon patrol stand 2 jeeps 1 light staff radio truck 1 support/porter stand 1 1/4-ton truck with trailer 1st and 2nd Infantry Battalions, each with: Battalion Headquarters, with: 1 command stand 1 recon patrol stand 2 jeeps 1 light staff radio truck 1 support/porter stand 1 3/4 ton truck with trailer 3 Infantry Companies, each with: 1 command stand 3 weapons stands Notes 1. Companies are numbered 1 to 6 consecutively throughout each regiment, with the 1st Battalion having companies 1-3, and the 2nd having 4-6. 2. All stands are at the players choice any combination of the following: ski, recon, mountain, parachute and engineer. 3. Staff radios can be dismounted from their trucks, and carried by the porter stand into the field. 4. All weapon stands have integral bazookas. 5. Support/porter stands fire as US infantry, not as US support stands. 6. For the record, each 25-man platoon was equipped with two 60mm mortars, four light machineguns (two Browning, two Johnson) and two 2.36" Bazookas. Project Plough Cancelled Project Plough was canceled late in 1942, officially due to logistical problems, but also due to the fact the Norwegian Government in exile indicated that while they were willing to help the war effort all they could, they did not feel that the destruction of the Norwegian hydro- electric system would inconvenience the Germans as badly as it would the Norwegian people. The Special Service Force (henceforth referred to as the 1st SSF) found itself in need of a new mission. Once the forces availability became known, there were no lack of offers for employment. The 1st SSF was first sent west to serve at the invasion of Kiska only to find that the Japanese had already fled. It was brought back to the US, and then sent to Italy where it served from November of 1943 to August of 1944. During this time, it earned a fearsome reputation among the Germans it faced, resulting in the unit's nickname of the Devil's Brigade. During the Italian campaign, the 456th Parachute Artillery Battalion was attached to the 1st SSF to give the unit some heavier firepower. The 1st SSF served at Anzio from February 1 to the breakout and capture of Rome. Upon arrival at Anzio, the force and the attached 456th Parachute Artillery was assigned the task of holding the 13 kilometer sector along the Mussolini Canal. Total combat strength had dropped to 68 officers and 1165 enlisted men, resulting in the 1st and 2nd regiments each being reduced to a single battalion. (The headquarters battalion numbered an additional 600.) Nevertheless, the SSF carried out a steady outpost war to clear their front, resulting in the German pullback of their lines several kilometers from the canal. While at Anzio, the remaining rangers of the 1st, 3rd, and 4th Ranger battalions, whose commands had been decimated in an action earlier at Cisterna, were transferred to the Special Force. These replacements, in addition to others received from the United States and Canada, allowed the force to regain its former strength. (By May, combat strength was restored to 104 officers and 1966 enlisted men.) In addition, the SSF acquired its first integral heavy weapons, when the Ranger Force Cannon Company was added to the headquarters battalion. This unit had: Cannon Company: 1 command M3 GMC (75) At this time, I would rate the unit as Elite; Morale: 10, but would have the 1st SSF lose its parachute rating. The Canadian and US replacements were parachute qualified, but the Rangers were not. The 456th Parachute Artillery was replaced by the 463rd Parachute Artillery for the drive on Rome. On June 5, the 1st SSF was among the first Allied units to enter Rome. It withdrew from combat in late June to prepare for the invasion of Southern France, and at this time it lost the services of its founder and commander. Frederick, now promoted to the rank of Major General, had been selected to command the 1st Allied Airborne Task Force for the invasion of Southern Italy. The 1st SSF helped cover the Dragoon landings of August 1944 by assaulting German batteries on the Iles D'Hyeres. From there it proceeded east in the so called "Champagne Campaign" along the French Riveria, coastline, closing up to the French-Italian Border by the end of November, 1944. Upon its relief there, on December 5, 1944, the 1st SSF was disbanded, as there was no reason to maintain such a specialized formation. The remaining Canadian personnel, 44 officers and 583 enlisted men were ordered to England to reinforce the Canadian parachute battalions, while the remaining Americans, 89 officers and 1,382 enlisted men, were ordered to form the new 474th Infantry Regiment. With the disbandment of the 1st SSF, the remaining American personnel of that unit found themselves faced with two choices. Those officers and men who wished, and were qualified to, were allowed to volunteer as replacements for the 82nd and 101st airborne divisions. Eight officers and 345 men, about 75% of the remaining parachute qualified personnel, took this course of action. The remainder of the officers and men were sent to Barneville-sur-Mer, a coastal town in Normandy. There they were joined by two other units and replacements, and combined into the newly organized 474th Infantry Regiment. The first of the two additional units was the 99th Infantry Battalion (Norwegian-American), an independent infantry battalion that had been serving with the 1st Army, and was tasked for use at some future time in Norway. The other unit was the 552nd Antitank Company, which had served as part of the 1st Airborne Task Force in Southern France. From these different elements, the following personnel was assembled: Unit Officers enlisted 1st SSF 81 1184 ex-Rangers/1st SSF 7 427 552nd AT Company 6 150 99th Infantry Battalion 43 857 Replacements 21 462 The regiment was to be organized as a standard US infantry regiment, with the 99th Infantry Battalion becoming the 3rd Battalion, while the ex-1st SSF and replacements formed the rest of the unit. The regiment was tasked at first with protecting the Normandy coast from German raiding parties based on the Channel Islands, as well as collecting information on Norway. At this point in time, SHAEF wanted to keep a force in reserve for possible deployment in Norway. The regiment's new commander, Colonel Edwin Walker, pointed out to SHAEF that this was a waste of well trained and veteran manpower. In response, Walker was ordered to reorganize the 474th to serve as a security force to operate as a "fire brigade" in the rear areas of the 12th Army Group. SHAEF was worrying about the possibility of German resistance movements being formed in areas captured by the Allied forces, and the usefulness of having a mobile force that could be used to put down any such uprisings. Each battalion of the 474th was to be equipped for independent operations, and totally mobile. As a result, the 474th had its own unique TO&E: 474th Infantry Regiment, with: Veteran; Morale: 9 Regimental Headquarters, with: 1 command stand 1 jeep 1 staff radio light truck 1 recon M-8 armored car 1 recon M- 20 armored car 1 support stand 1 medium truck with AAMG and trailer 3 Infantry Battalion, each with: Battalion Headquarters, with: 1 command stand 1 jeep 1 staff radio light truck 1 engineer stand 1 gun crew stand 1 57L52 AT gun 2 light trucks 1 support stand 1 medium truck with AAMG and kitchen 1 medium baggage truck with trailer Detachment, Cannon Company, with 1 M-7 HMC (105) Detachment, Antitank Company, with: 1 command M-5 light tank 2 recon M-8 armored cars 2 recon jeeps with MG 3 Infantry Companies, each with: 1 command stand 3 infantry stands 1 weapons stand 2 medium trucks Heavy Weapons Company, with: 1 command stand 1 jeep 6 jeeps with MGs 1 81 mm mortar stand 2 medium trucks Notes 1. The infantry and weapons stands have integral bazookas. 2. The battalions were organized for independent operations, hence the lack of a regimental service company and the breakup of the anti tank and cannon company. Battalions were numbered 1st, 2nd, 99th. Walker managed to have the entire 474th assigned to the 3rd Army, and the regiment operated as a combat element from April 5th to May 7. Among its tasks was the movement of the captured German gold reserves from a salt mine near Merker in mid April to the Reichsbank in Frankfort. After the German surrender on May 7th, the 474th was sent to Norway, where it remained until October, assisting in the disarmament and repatriation of the German garrison. As a result, the remains of the 1st Special Service finally managed to make it to the target area that they had been raised to strike. Bibliography The First Special Service Force, Robert D. Burhans, Infantry Journal, 1947. The Devils Brigade, Robert Adleman, Philadelphia, 1966. The Champagne Campaign Robert Adleman, Philadelphia, 1969. 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