UNHAPPY ALLIANCE: The American-Canadian First Special Service Force in World War II
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- Опубликовано: 20 июн 2021
- A video describing some of the unique and sometimes overlooked aspects of the history of the First Special Service Force in the Second World War, particularly from a Canadian perspective.
1:43 - Genesis of the Force
3:50 - Combat in Italy and France
5:27 - Postwar Histories
7:15 - Administrative Obstacles
9:17 - Manpower
11:31 - Organization and First Losses
14:47 - New Mission and Re-organization
19:07 - Senior Canadian John McQueen Jul 1942 - Sep 1942
20:44 - Senior Canadian Don Williamson Sep 1942 - Jan 1944
28:32 - Senior Canadian Jack Akehurst Jan 1944 - Dec 1944
31:39 - Awards
33:06 - Assessment
35:18 - Conclusion
36:38 - Credits
37:03 - Easter Egg
The following references were used in part in researching this video:
Further Reading:
Burhans, Robert D. The First Special Service Force: A War History of The North Americans 1942-1944 (Methuen Publications, Toronto, ON, 1981) ISBN 0-458-95020-1
Caravaggio, Angelo N., "Commanding the Green Centre Line in Normandy: A Case Study of Division Command in the Second World War" (2009). Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive). 1075. scholars.wlu.ca/etd/1075
Dancocks, Daniel G. D-Day Dodgers: The Canadians in Italy 1943-1945 (McClelland & Stewart Inc., Toronto, ON, 1991) ISBN 0771025440
Finlayson, Kenneth Unique Support for a Unique Unit: The Service Battalion of the First Special Service Force (Veritas, Vol. 2, No. 3, 2006 accessed online at arsof-history.org/articles/v2...)
Grieves, Keith. "MAKING SENSE OF THE GREAT WAR: REGIMENTAL HISTORIES, 1918-23." Journal of the Society for Army Historical Research 69, no. 277 (1991): 6-15. Accessed June 15, 2021. www.jstor.org/stable/44225627.
Joyce, Kenneth H. Snow Plough and the Jupiter Deception: The story of the 1st Special Service Force and the 1st Canadian Special Service Battalion, 1942-1945 (Vanwell Publishing Ltd., St. Catharines, ON, 2006) ISBN 1-55125-094-2
Joyce, Kenneth H. A Case of Differentiation, The Story of Colonel Donald Dobie Williamson Officer Commanding The First Canadian Special Service Battalion/1st Special Service Force, 1942-1944 (pdf dated 2015 accessed online at nebula.wsimg.com/c87ccca66030... )
J. R. Seeger Book Review: The Force: The Legendary Special Ops Unit and WWII’s Impossible Mission David Saul (Hatchette Books, 2019) “Studies in Intelligence Vol 64, No. 2 (June 2020) “
Werner, Bret First Special Service Force 1942-44 (Osprey Publishing Ltd, Botley, Oxford, UK, 2006) ISBN 978-1-84176-968-4
Wood, James "“Matters Canadian” and the Problem with Being Special: Robert T. Frederick on the First Special Service Force." Canadian Military History 12, 4 (2003)
Stanley W. Dziuban, Military Relations Between The United States and Canada, 1939-1945 (Washington: Department of the Army, 1959)
C.P. Stacey, Arms, Men and Governments. The War Policies of Canada, 1939-1945 (Ottawa: Department of National Defence, 1970)
Powell, Lawrece. “In the Thick of Things - West Nova Scotia Regiment unpacks artifacts, memories at new museum exhibit: Permanent display set up at Middleton's Macdonald Museum: accessed online www.saltwire.com/cape-breton/...
Primary Sources:
War Diary, 1st Battalion, The Lincoln and Welland Regiment July-August 1944 (Library and Archives Canada RG 24 DND Fonds, RG 24-C-3 Volume 15104)
Nicholson, G.W.L. “The 1st Canadian Special Service Battalion” Army Headquarters Report #5, 22 Feb 1946
Thank you for another excellent presentation. I served in the US Army as an Airborne Infantryman and I was a card carrying honorary member of the Canadian Airborne Battalion Association in the 80’s.
A new video? It's like getting a big box of warm kittens for Christmas.
I always wondered how two armies of different cultures could integrate successfully ! They didn’t as I suspected. Excellent documentary.
The video does emphasize the obstacles placed in front of them but at the section and platoon level the integration was probably no worse than any other infantry platoon - at that level, it's just getting guys with different personalities to mesh well, which doesn't change based on nationality. But at the higher levels, particularly among senior leadership, I think postwar accounts have been too quick to praise and just assume all went well. Joyce goes into detail about Frederick, for example, and how he received almost all the praise for the Force's successes at the expense of the regimental and battalion commanders who were just as responsible, and mostly ignored afterwards. That's nothing unusual in military history - people would rather read glowing reports of hand to hand combat and objectives won, and don't really care how many hours the unit adjutant spent on the phone wrangling equipment or fixing pay problems.
Well, Americans cried and ran after the Canadians truck after disbandment. Also, my Uncle who was Canadian gained many good friends with Americans. I heard good stories of lots being comrades to the ends. Yes in all units there is tension at times.
They got quite inseparable as the war continued. The 1SSF formed a very special bond between American and Canadian forces and many would go on to meet each other after the war.
The legend is back!
Good to see a new video from you, well worth to wait.
Love to content man. You deserve so much more recognition
Nicely done. Thanks.
Another incredibly articulate and informative production. Where were you when I was taking WWII history at university? Probably would have ended up going fullbore into history had this kind of stuff been around then. Thank you!
Another great video of yours. It was one of your most interestings, together with that video about Lt. Keehr's photo, where you blended the personal story with the research so well . Also, quite glad that you touched on the subject of payment, such overlooked topic when dealing with WWII.
So good, this video has a amazing context, well done! Keep up the great work! :)
My great-grandfather had dual canadian-american citizenship. He gave up his Canadian citizenship before he joined the US army.
As a kid I was told that that was because he knew that the British would cold-bloodedly send Canadians to Die to Save the lives of Brits, but I'm pretty sure the real reason was that he would be paid more if he served in the American United States Army
Interesting story, well told!
My grandfather is on the right at 27 minutes! Thank you all.
Thanks for the video, I was planning to watch the movies based off this unit. Now I know the full picture and history behind the unit, god bless those Canadians.
This partly explains why veterans of the First Special Service Force called the "Devil's Brigade" a silly movie.
Fantastic video! Also my morning dog walk seemed to have been exactly the same length of this video. Coincidence?
If your wife doesn't mind (or the dog), how can I, Tyler?
This shows how far we have come in combined operations
My Grandfather was a Canadian member of the First Special Service Force. His name was Palmer O. Griffiths HQ Det 1st Rgt
Hansard BRITISH ARMY (PAY). HC Deb 10 February 1942 "From the information I have been able to obtain it seems that the minimum rate of pay of a non-tradesman private in the United States Army who is now in the British Isles works out at about 5s. per day. The minimum rate for the similar kind of private in the Canadian Army is 5s. 2d., and in the Australian Army 6s. 9d. The British equivalent receives 2s. 6d."
new video!! :D
let’s gooo, finslly a new video
Can you please do a evaluation of the fallschirmjager uniform ww2 please
I'll leave it to someone more passionate about the topic than me, but it's certainly an interesting field of study.
@@HandGrenadeDivision ok thanks for replying
Well, they did get in the FSSF. So, I like to know where you got your info from as my Uncle stated they got along well. Many if the Forcemen also stated this fact when I talked with them. Yes, you do get some who will have confrontation. Normal.
The sources are laid out in the video description. The video clearly states that the men in the lower ranks got along and worked well together.
Hand to hand combat instructor "Pat" O'Neal was born in Ireland and a captain in the US Army. In the movie sergeant O'Neal was a Canadian.
But he did join the Devils Brigade straight from a gig in Ontario training secret agents for ops behind German lines in occupied Europe.
@@steveweatherbe Camp X
@@nickdanger3802 Is that a question? en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camp_X
@@steveweatherbe No
@@nickdanger3802 Hollywood's Devils Brigade clearly wanted to make big contrasts between the two groups. It's interesting solution on the Canadian side : one Irishman, one French Canadian, one red headed Scot, and one vaguely British major ( Crown).
Hell yeah
Very well researched. Excellent video. Interesting that the American's would have such a hard time with African and Indian force members but no issue with Native American force members E.G. Tommy Prince.
I can't speak for the specifics in this case. Some black men did serve with the Force, and it's possible officers at higher levels had the issue. Or the combat echelons didn't care but the rear base fellows noticed the black Canadians come up with the reinforcements and stepped in and reminded the Force of the policy. Maybe someone will do a deeper dive into the issue than me as I am curious as well. As for the native troops - I think there were a lot of preconceived notions about indigenous peoples, not only in Canada and the US, but for what it is worth in Germany as well, that made them respected as soldiers. Possibly a rare case where being racially stereotyped worked in your favour.
It's funny how the pay discrepancy flipped, Canada now has one of the highest paid armies on earth
Is that why 50 families at Canadian Forces Base Gagetown are going to local food banks? Or that they can't afford rent? The Canadian military is full of top paid officers while ncos and ranks are starved.
I have Lt-Col. John G. Bourne's post war uniform in my collection.
I was in the 10th Mountain Division 2002-2005. Could you break down a Mountain Division, or compare US and German Mountain Divisions? Thanks. Love the content
Informative video on a subject I knew something about but had never done a deep dive on.
Not to besmirch the efforts and combat accomplishments of this unit and the men serving in it, but after this video it seems as if, in practical terms, a huge waste of time, effort and money.
I'm of the impression that both nations could've and did, develop their own Commando, Ranger and "spec ops" type of units.
It makes me wonder about what the real primary directive for the creation and continuation of this combined force was.
It is dumbfounding that the higher commands didn't see the obvious consequences of integrating soldiers, performing the same hazardous duties, and not paying them equally.
The organization probably made sense for the intended mission to Norway. After that, hindsight aside, there were reasons to keep going - not necessarily *good* ones. After the US put out that press release in August 1942, basically announcing the mission to Norway, the planners feared that disbanding the Force would tip off the Germans that Norway was a bluff, releasing German troops there for duty elsewhere. The Aleutians made sense as well, given the other troops going from Canada were to some degree draftees and probably needed shoring up. We'll never know how well they would have done against Japanese resistance. I can see Frederick's (and everyone else's) point about the Force not being equipped for its missions in the mountains in Italy (at least, after la Difensa which by all accounts was a success - but the British captured the neighbouring hill mass with a plain old vanilla infantry division, something else Joyce points out in his writing), but also Clark's desire to keep the Force together. I'm no expert, but from what I've read, the Force did well at Anzio though to be honest, the hottest part of the front was due north of Anzio up the Anziata around Campoleone, Aprilia (the Factory) etc. Had FISCHFANG gone in through their part of the front - who knows. I doubt it could have due to the canal and the marshes, but the Germans also thought the FSSF was a division, not just a couple thousand guys.
@@HandGrenadeDivision Thank you for that detailed and thoughtful reply.
11.55 Soldier on right has M1903 bolt action rifle.
Burger and syrup jointing forces.
A Hot Dog with maple syrup injected down the middle.
@@sgtmayhem7567 Please tell Mrs. Mayhem I won't be accepting dinner invitations to eat at your house.
I wish I can remember the name of the author who wrote in a book About that German officers diary so more or less you are calling some of the Americans and Canadians Layers about the diary
The historical record is what it is. There is an advantage to lying in wartime - for security reasons, for propaganda, for morale. It's just unfortunate when those necessary falsehoods get passed off as fact after the war.
Finnaly
WELL. Poor Canadians