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The Black Devil Brigade: The True Story of the First Special Service Force in the World War II

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Should a few more years have passed, this story would never have been told. Thanks to the years of dedication of Joseph Springer and the remaining survivors or the First Special Service Force who agreed to tell their wartime experiences, this book will serve future generations as a vital history of the leadership, comradeship, heroics, courage and terror on the World War II battlefield. This is a work that tells of a unit of mixed Canadian and American men that volunteered for a 'mission' and how their training made them into the finest, and most feared by the enemy, elite unit of WWII. They were given the most dangerous and difficult assignments that other units had not been able to achieve. This is a must read for the WWII history buff.

The Black Devil Brigade is one of the best oral histories I've read. When combined with THE SUPERCOMMANDOS by Robert Todd Ross and the official unit history by Robert Burhans, we now have the definative history of the First Special Service Force of WWII. By concentrating on narratives by a few key individuals of the unit, Springer tells a gripping story, while at the same time highlighting the exploits of this unique fighting unit. This book once and for all establishes the truth behind the Black Devils, and gives the veterans of the Force a true legacy for generations to come. this book is a must have for all those interested in first hand accounts of men in battle.

The Black Devil Brigade is an "oral history" relating the true and incredible story of the joint American/Canadian First Special Service Force. An elite and deadly combat unit formed in Montana, this blended military force was rushed to battle in the Aleutian Islands, then reinforced by a fresh batch of Canadian and American volunteers, saw action in Italy where it was used for the nastiest, deadliest missions the leadership of the U.S. Fifth Army could devise. Committed to the Anzio invasion they struck terror into the hearts of seasoned Germany troops and were dubbed "Schwartzer Teufel" -- Black Devils. Indeed, these "devils" were among the first to enter Rome. They went on to a key role in the invasion of southern France in 1944 suffering tremendous casualties (their commander was wounded nine times). They were eventually withdrawn from combat and shut down with the Canadian contingent dispersed as combat fillers and the Americans used as the core of a new standard infantry regiment. The stuff of battlefield legend, the lives and accomplishments of this unique unit is memorialized in Joseph Springer's The Black Devil Brigade and a welcome, much appreciated contribution to both military studies and the history of World War II.

I loved this book. The Black Devil Brigade is an indepth account of the First Special Service Force from the words of the men that fought the battles. Some books capitalize on numbers and troop movements, strengths, etc., but this book is an oral history that is both exciting and sad. The author has weaved a wonderful story about these men, using their own words and the results are unbelievable. We get to know these men as we read about them through the intense training and then violent combat with an equally determined enemy. I felt the full range of emotions as I read their account of the death, destruction, and then the hilarious actions of combat soldiers that are always present. These men, both American and Canadian, were the elite fighting force in their day and the forerunner of the present day Special Forces and this book documents many of their accomplishments that should be read by all. It was a pleasure to read about these men and their deeds.

The Black Devil Brigade is most assuredly a watershed in the coverage of World War II oral histories. Mr. Springer personally and diligently interviewed dozens of First Special Service Force veterans and selected and edited, what seems to be...thousands of pages of eyewitness accounts of the most remarkable narrative you will ever examine. Unlike other oral histories this book intertwines the veterans own dialogues in a flowing and explosive tale. The material covers the gamut of emotions...humor, war's brutality, and tragedy, thus making the Black Devil Brigade highly thought provoking. Here you will read of happenings that have been bottled up for sixty years. Many of these stories are short, some are longer, but all are powerful and moving. You will get a sense of what World War II was like for these elites. When reading this book I sat motionless...in awe...while these men describe, in their own accounts, hand to hand combat behind enemy lines with the German Wehrmacht. I simply could not put it down.

Organized into 10 chapters and the author insightfully pieces the narrative together with short and astute bridges.
Chapter 1 includes the remarkable story of recruiting the men for a suicidal mission...to destroy dams and heavy-water factories...behind enemy lines in 1942 Norway. One wonders why soldiers would put their lives at such unnecessary risk. Here you can examine...volunteer to volunteer...the reasons in their own words.

Chapter 2 covers the First Special Service Force and their arrival at Ft William Henry Harrison located near Helena, Montana. This is my second favorite chapter. The Canadian and American grew together and became close as brothers. This section also covers their reflections of training...the harshest training any infantry unit would receive in the Second World War. This training involved parachute training, ski training, forced marches, hand to hand combat training, explosive training, land survival, amphibious training, and extensive training in enemy small arms. This section also includes extensive member accounts about the citizens of the Hard Rock state of Montana, and the capital, Helena.

Chapter 3 comprises adventures of their trip to the Aleutian Islands off Alaska. The Japanese evacuated prior to their arrival but the words of their voyage to Kiska is filled the humorous tales.

Chapter 4 comprises their trip to Italy to attack a hard fought over mountain named Monte La Difensa. This mountain in the Liri Valley was attacked by three divisions but all failed. They called upon the First Special Service Force and this was their first combat experience. The material and reflections of close quarter combat included in this chapter is astounding. It also includes their reflections of losses.

Chapter 5 describes three mountain offenses against Italian mountain peaks near Cassino. The Italian winter and German resistance take enormous toll of their numbers and Force personnel were well below 1,000 during this time. Many platoons were down blow twenty percent but the Force continued to advance despite these grievous losses.

Chapters 6 and 7 describes the story of Anzio. These two chapters are my favorites of favorites. Outnumbered, the Forcemen begin to creep behind enemy lines to slice throats and kill and capture Germans by the hundreds. The Forcemen would put a death sticker on the forehead of the enemy dead. It was during this time the Germans gave the unit the nickname, "The Black Devil Brigade." Again, this is all described in a stirring...word by word account...by the warriors themselves. The story of Anzio is nothing short of exhilarating. I could not put it down.

Chapter 8 describes the breakout of Anzio and describes the liberation of Rome by the first man...a Forcemen...to enter Rome.

Chapter 9 describes their invasion of southern France and their lightning drive to the border of Italy. Unbelievable combat images are also in this chapter.

Chapter 10 describes the end of the Force. This is a very short, but moving chapter.

There is almost 100 pictures, maps, index, and table of deceased...and arranged by date of death (a -first- to my knowledge). I wish I could say this book is perfect but it has a few problems. There are many typos in the print. It looks to me like the publisher and editor never proofread the book. The pictures are very grainy and there is no table of contents page. Regardless of these benign problems the book is exceptional...a ten star effort...and a fitting tribute to the members of the First Special Service Force, the first Special Forces unit...ever. I am profoundly grateful to Mr. Springer for doing a distinctive service on behalf of these great warriors.

Walter "Pops" Lewis is my grandfather. If it wasn't for this book, I wouldn't know about the things he experienced. He has never mentioned half the stories in the book and I never knew he was in the first Special Forces. I knew he had fought and was wounded in WWII, but I knew nothing of the details. What an eye opener. What a great way to remember them all with these first person stories. Worth the read.

This book starts out a little slow with the author setting the scene, but once that is done hang on to your hat. This is the most realistic account I have ever read of war. You will laugh and you will cry. It makes you understand all the sacrafices these men made not just fighting, but sea sickness, lack of bathing, hard training, poor weather,and much more. This is a must read. I almost flew to the wrong city because I was reading on a plane and almost forgot to get off and catch my connecting flight.

I had the pleasure of meeting the author at a show and learned some background about how he came to write the book. Curious, I purchased a copy and later that night, sat down to look it over.

Well, I'll tell you, I read the thing straight through in one sitting. It caught my interest immediately and held it throughout. What an incredible story!

The book is put together as a series of anecdotes by the veterans of the First Special Service Force. The author skillfully weaves these together with enough background detail to inform the reader without taking away from the story of the people who were there. There were enough photographs to flesh out the stories as well. Always a nice addition to a non-fiction war book.

The whole story of the outfit is told in detail from early days of organization and training, through their numerous combat operations during World War II up to the present day survivors.

In my business as a used book dealer, I get to read, skim or look through a lot of books. This is one of the best I have read on World War II. Definitely worth a look.

Joseph Springer's The Black Devil Brigade may be one of the best books about WWII to come out of 2001. Its a "oral history" about a Canadian and Amercian commando brigade so the guys in the line tell their own storys in their own ways. I ordered my book through another book club that offered BDB and Band of Brothers together. After finishing both books I reread Black Devil again, something I won't do with Band of Brothers. Black Devil grabbed me. And hooked me. It reeled me in. This book is so moving and funny and found myself so engrossed in the men of the book that I could not wait to turn to the next page before finishing. I have not had a book in my hand that did that in years. The experinces of each man makes the reader feel for them and wonder if they are going to be maimed on the next page or chapter so you can't help yourself. The storys of survival in combat are incredible. They tell it like it was and in their own, special ways. I have never seen men talk like this of their combat. Most vets won't talk about their experinces at all. Not only did these men talk they tell it like it is and pull no punches. The big surprise is that this book reads as if it could have been written in 1945. It is not dated. You will laugh, you will cry, and sometimes you may even be offended. But whatever you will or will not experince you're going to love this book. Unlike Band of Brothers you are going to be wondering about the men in the Black Devil Brigade long after you read their story. You will too. That is unless you are a zombie.

This book is possibly the finest oral history ever written. Springer has captured the true nature of brutal World War II combat a seen through the eyes of those who served in the mulitnational US and Canadian commando unit, the First Special Service Force, a little known commando unit which may have been the finest trained combat unit of WWII. The book's layout encompassed the lifespan of the unit but Springer focuses mostly on the day to day trials and tribulations of the mental and physical aspects of the men. It is obvious a unit history is not what Springer wanted but a personal narrative of men in combat. By writing in this uniqe style Springer was the catalyst for the vets who had a truly remarkable and extraordinary story to tell. And do these men have a story to tell. Consisting of Canadian and US army volunteers the men were hand selected for their various specialties, (which consisted of volunteers who were single, and with backgrounds in demolitions, skiing, hunting, gamewardens, backwoodsmen, mountaineering, and firearm specialist.)I have never read, heard, or witnessed anything like the men of this unusual unit. The US and Canadians alike hold NOTHING back in their personal narratives. And I mean quite literally. Springer connects the reviting material in a flowing narrative so what you read is the story of events as how the men themselves witnessed them. This narrative is just about as close as you can get without the men sitting in your living rooms telling you of their experiences. I found myself laughing on one page and shedding tears on the next. And the recall of the veterans is amazing. Anyone interested in small unit actions, or personal narratives of commando or infantry combat in World War II WILL LOVE THIS BOOK. I cannot say enough to explain the emotion and contribution this book represents to the US and Canadian fighting man of World War II.