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| First Special Service Force patch on a US Army
shirt. The shirt markings are also shown. The patch MAY be original but
we cannot confirm this as we have no history on it. (Colin Stevens'
Collection).
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Shoulder patch of the First Special Service Force
(FSSF). This is a replica purchased new in 2002 in Hawaii. They also
wore the crossed arrows as a collar-badge. For Officers the arrows were
in brass, for Enlisted men the crossed arrows were on a disc. (Colin
Stevens' Collection)
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An original V-42 knife carried by a US Forcemember during WWII. |
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The First Special Service Force (FSSF) was a joint Canadian-American elite
unit which existed from 1942 to 1944. The Germans called them "The Devil's
Brigade". Their formation patch was a red arrowhead with the words CANADA
and USA.
They were raised for Project Plough - an invasion to liberate Norway, but
the project was cancelled. They were then sent to Kiska in the Aleutian Islands,
then Italy, and later the south of France. When they disbanded, some of the
Canadians transferred to 1 Canadian Parachute Battalion.
The Canadian contingent was called the 2nd Canadian Parachute Battalion and
I believe the 2nd Canadian Special Service Battalion - for administrative
purposes.
The Weasel (T-28, later standardized as the Studebaker M29 and M29C) was developed for
their use initially.
They were trained in parachuting (they had their own parachute oval to wear
behind the US para wings), mountain climbing, skiing etc.
They had their own fighting knife designed and made for them - the V-42. It
was made by Case in the USA.
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Drawing by the late Gordon Hughes. I worked with one of his nieces. He died in
2000. I do not have a V-42 in my collection but would like to have one -
especially from a veteran with some history. |
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"Front" of knife showing thumbprint.
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"Back" of knife
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Manufacturer's name beside the thumbprint.
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This V-42 was carried by Charlie Winrod, Austin, Nevada and it is now
preserved in a private collection. Photos courtesy of the owner - S.
G.
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They carried US weapons such as the Thompson SMG and M1 Garand. They also
used the Johnson Light Machine Gun.
They eventually all wore US uniforms. Their special US style insignia
included a the shoulder patch (spearhead), parachute oval, lanyard, side cap
with special piping. The Canadians wore a collar badge of CANADA on one side and
the crossed arrows insignia of the FSSF on the other lapel. Enlisted Men wore
the crossed arrows on a disc, and the officers wore the crossed arrows as a
separate badge - one that snagged on all sorts of things. There was no cap badge
as the US airborne units wore a generic parachute troops patch on their caps.
Several Canadians wore the crossed arrows collar badge as a hat badge later in
the war, when they returned to Canadian uniform.
I have had the pleasure of meeting several former members: Guy d'Artois
among them.
The late Major Guy
d'Artois was a Savat (foot fighting) instructor with them, and went on to
serve with them at Kiska. He later served with S.O.,E. in France as a secret
agent, he raised and commanded the Canadian SAS Company post-WWII, and served
in Korea with the Royal 22nd Regiment (Van Doos). I took this photo when I
visited Guy and his wife at their home. He gave me his FSSF parka and skit
pants with suspenders. I later donated these to the Canadian War Museum.
About 1968 a movie was made of their exploits. It was called "The
Devil's Brigade"
Their knife is used in the US Special Forces (Green Berets) cap badge, as is
their collar badge - the crossed arrows. Their battle honours were perpetuated
by the US Special Forces and by the Canadian Airborne Regiment (since
disbanded).
Link to a new
web site about the FSSF (2002 August 8):
http://www.execulink.com/~kiska/FSSFHomepage.index.html
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