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| First Special Service Force patch on a US Army
shirt. The shirt markings are also shown. The patch is believed to be original but
we cannot confirm this as we have no history on it. (Colin Stevens'
Collection).
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.
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REPLICA - Shoulder patch of the First Special Service Force
(FSSF). This is a replica purchased new in 2002 in Hawaii. (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. Their formation patch was a red arrowhead
with the words CANADA and USA.
The unit 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 officially called the 2nd Canadian Parachute Battalion and
I believe it was also called the 2nd Canadian Special Service Battalion - for administrative
purposes. In service however the Canadian and US men were intermixed between the
regiments of the Force.
The tracked 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. These knives turn up either in mint condition
(where soldiers mailed them home) or well used. I do not yet have one in my
collection. I would prefer one that has a known history of who carried it and
where. (As per my Father's Fairbairn-Sykes Fighting Knife
http://bcoy1cpb.pacdat.net/images/AH_STEVENS_F-S.jpg which I have)
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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 Model 1941 Johnson Light Machine Gun. The latter had been traded from
the US Marines Corps and was much beloved by the Forcemen who called it the
"Johnny 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: Lieut.
Larry Storey and the late Lieut. 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
WANTED: V-42 knife; deactivated M1941 Johnny Gun (in Canada); FSSF uniforms,
souvenirs etc.
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