First Special Service Force 1942-1944 (E.#145)

This famous but little-published unit was formed with three battalions in July 1942, for special operations in occupied Norway, from handpicked US and Canadian volunteers who were trained in parachute, amphibious, ski, mountain and demolition operations. The force first saw combat in Italy where they distinguished themselves, at heavy cost, in the battles of La Difensa (Dec 1943), Mte Majo (Jan 1944), the Anzio beachhead (Feb-May 1944) and the race to Rome. They fought with a ferocious skill which earned them a fearsome reputation. At Anzio, although at only half strength, they successfully held at least a quarter of the entire beachhead and were the spearhead of the final breakout towards Rome. Famed for their nightime fighting ability, the Germans named them "Die Schwartze Teuflen" - the Black Devils. Their uniforms, clothing and weaponry had many unique features to reflect their unique bi-national component and specialist skills. ."..the organization, training, combat operations, uniforms and special equipment are all covered in excellent fashion, in a very competent style within the text. This is complimented by a fine selection of relevant photos, including some rare ones taken in the midst of combat; captions are uniformly informative and well-presented. The color art covers an excellent variety of uniform styles, which were quite unique when combining Canadian and US dress. The figure modeler looking for something unusual should have no difficulty here. This book has lots of "good stuff" in it, all put together in a nice little package. Figure modelers take note!" -Frank De Sisto, "missinglynx.com"