The devil’s brigade, which inflicted an estimated 12,000 casualties on enemy forces and took 7,000 prisoners during the war, gave rise to the u.s. special forces. the legendary unit’s exploits were later dramatized in a 1968 film, the devil’s brigade. Robert t. frederick. the 1st special service force was an elite joint american–canadian commando unit in world war ii created and formed by major general robert t. frederick of the operations division of the u.s. general staff. during the italian campaign of wwii it was commanded by frederick and attached to the united states fifth army.
The various special forces groups of the second world war played a major role in the evolution of elite units in the decades to follow. this is particularly true of the first special service force (1ssf) – also known as the “devil’s brigade” – who operated in the european theater between 1942 44. The young man wearing two stars was, in fact, maj. gen. robert t. frederick, creator and commander of the 1st special service force, one of the most feared–and most fearless–fighting units ever assembled. robert tryon frederick, son of a san francisco doctor, impressed almost no one during his four years at the u.s. military academy at west. The first special service force (fssf) was formed in 1942 as a top secret unit made up of us and canadian soldiers. the fssf spearheaded the italian campaign, taking on the impossible task of clearing the nazis from the mountains of the winter line. they entered combat on december 3, 1943 with a strength of 1,800 men, and completed their. One of the these early special forces units was the first special service force, also known as the “devil’s brigade.” the origins of the first special service force (or the force, as its members referred to it) began at the highest levels of the allied command in world war ii.
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