The Supercommandos: First Special Service Force, 1942-1944 An Illustrated History [Hardcover]

Robert Todd Ross (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 2000 | Series: Red Series

?Vigorous training, hazardous duty. These were the words that lured prospective volunteers to the First Special Service Force, and that promised, for those who measured up, the chance of getting into the war quickly. Unique during World War II, the First Special Service Force evolved as the amalgam of two Armies, Canadian and American, and the men who filled its ranks were among the hand-picked best from throughout North America. Their diverse and intensive training took them from the dust-covered prairies of Montana, to the bitterly-cold peaks of the Great Divide, to the waters of Chesapeake Bay. Their skillfulness, their remarkable esprit de corps, and their legendary endurance saw them through tough combat missions in both the Asiatic-Pacific and the European Theaters of operation. The Supercommandos chronicles the organization, training, and combat operations of the First Special Service Force during its brief but exhilarating history. Accompanying the broad text are nearly 400 black and white images, most unpublished, including a photo-essay by renowned combat photographer, Robert Capa. As well, there are more than forty extraordinary full-color wartime images of the Force both in training and in the combat zone. Beautifully rendered full-color maps, highly detailed Order of Battle graphics, charts, and numerous facsimiles of noteworthy original Force documents are also included. Completing this volume are over eighty full-color images of exceptionally rare, authentic First Special Service Force uniforms, insignia, weapons and equipment. The Supercommandos offers an unparalleled view of one of the worlds all-time military elites, and will prove to be an invaluable resource for any collector, reenactor, veteran, or historian.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Schiffer Publishing (January 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0764311719
• ISBN-13: 978-0764311710
• Product Dimensions: 11.1 x 8.8 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #623,741 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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25 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars THE SUPERCOMMANDOS, First Special Service Force, 1942-1944,, December 13, 2000

By 

WILLIAM STORY (Moneta, Va.) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Supercommandos: First Special Service Force, 1942-1944 An Illustrated History (Hardcover)

This is a book about the unit with which I served in World War II. It's the book for which veterans of the Force, like me, have been waiting since Robert Burhans wrote the first Force history in 1947. It's a true successor to Burhans because it contains none of the bombast,mistruths and basic errors of many other writings. Author Todd Ross, in his first book, has proven what a careful, conscientious,and honorable researcher he is, and the book amply demonstrates that. During World War II, there was no other elite unit as unique as the First Special Service Force, if one were to consider only the fact that its Combat Echelon contained trained soldiers from the Canadian Army. They served alongside their U. S. Army compatriots, wearing the same uniform, totally integrated. When I and a fellow Canadian Sergeant walked into our pyramidal tent in 5th Company, Second Regiment, we found two trained American volunteers awaiting our arrival.Within days, it was hard to tell American from Canadian as we learned to parachute together, laughed over trying to integrate basic drill commands and actions. In his text, Ross covers this uniqueness, before moving on to our weapons training, demolitions, mountain climbing, skiing, unarmed combat, the use of German weapons,and the range of other training elements, including development of the Weasel, the first truly effective over-the-snow vehicle. He follows our path into combat, with the dry run at Kiska when the Japanese left before we and others landed. Our sudden shift to Italy: fighting in the mountains leading to Cassino;our 98 days without relief at Anzio holding almost one quarter of the entire Beachhead;the road to Rome--the first Allied troops to enter the Eternal City in force, two days before Normandy; our role in leading the invasion of S. France; and the saddest day of all when the Force was disbanded in December, 1944, in S. France. This is an illustrated history, with photos by Robert Capa, famed WWII photographer, as well as many others; maps which give battle details, charts, reports,an extensive bibliography, and a host of color plates showing our uniforming and equipment. This is the best-appearing and most complete book on the Force ever published. As veterans who lived through the life of the Force, we have nothing but praise for it, and heartily recommend it to Amazon.com readers.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the forerunners of the Green Berets, January 21, 2001

By 

Winston A. Clough CSM Ret 5th SFG(A) (Hopkinsville, Ky United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Supercommandos: First Special Service Force, 1942-1944 An Illustrated History (Hardcover)

If only one word could be used to describe Todd Ross's book the Supercommando's, that word would have to be awesome! Ross's book is the most definitive work about the unit known as the 1st Special Service Force since Robert Burhan's book War History of the North Americans. The book contains many never seen before photographs of the force and is worth the price of the book alone. Maps are in vivid color, and are very easy to read and understand. The Force equipment and weapons are authentic and not cheap reproduction look a likes. A real highlight of the book is Ross's attention to detail and accuracy. Ross is to be commended for the outstanding layout of the book and its smooth transition from one point to the next. This book traces the force from its inception to its heartbreaking disbandment and shows the force for what it really was, a tough, daring, resouceful, highly specialized special force that had few equals in WWII. This book dispells the myth created by the highly entertaining but highly inaccurate movie the "Devils Brigade and the book by the same name, No Dirty Dozen here! This is a must have book for those interested in Special Forces, and military history. This book is a must have reference for the professor of military history and historians. This is not a book to be read once and then put away, this is a reference book to be used over and over again. If you have Robert Burhan's book and Ross's book the Supercommandos, you have the history, expolits and unparalleled view of the 1st Special Service Force. I salute Mr. Ross for a job well done!

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Well Done!, December 8, 2000

By 

Richard Rinn (Richmond Hill, Ontario Canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Supercommandos: First Special Service Force, 1942-1944 An Illustrated History (Hardcover)

Having just received my copy of this book in the mail, I can't say that I've read through the entire text yet. But this is not necessarily the type of book that you plod through dutifully from the first to the last page in rigid sequence. After all, as one veteran of the First Special Service Force commented to me, this is a "coffee table" book. And, as with the best of that species (whatever the subject matter), it's meant to be savored slowly and appreciated over time!

Lavishly illustrated in both colour and black and white, it presents a fine visual record of almost every aspect of the First Special Service Force. Numerous contemporary photos are complemented by frequent carefully constructed plates which meticulously document more than half a century later the uniforms, equipment, and insignia of the Force. (The author, incidentally, is present in more than one, photographed wearing the typical "kit" of Forcemen from various periods of the unit's short but significant existence.) Maps show the major areas of operations, and are graphically clean and easily absorbed. An appendix at the end even corrects omissions made in a previously published list of all men who served with the Force.

While the illustrations immediately catch the eye, there is also a detailed and rigorously annotated text. A quick examination of the extensive bibliographic notes at the end of the book reveals an impressive depth and comprehensiveness of background research. That matches the overall production values of this large book, which is simply a pleasure to hold in your lap and and enjoy the more you browse through it.

Well done!