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

by Joseph A. Springer

Book Overview

They were the shock troops of the American Army. In their ranks were lumberjacks, miners, skiers--men from the United States and Canada, accustomed to hardship and living on their own. Their training... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0935553509
• ISBN13: 9780935553505
• Release Date: January 2001
• Publisher: Motorbooks International
• Length: 297 Pages
• Weight: 1.50 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.2" x 6.4" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

Grandson of one of the best

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.

The Black Devil Brigade

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.

An "oral history" relating a true and incredible story

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.

Black Devil Brigade

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.

Superlative Oral History

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.