Canada's Military is "Bankrupt"

[BigBadBrian]

'Bankrupt' Forces may shut 5 bases
Internal reports say $500M shortfall may cause closures from Winnipeg to Labrador

Chris Wattie
National Post


February 24, 2004




Canada's army, navy and air force are facing a funding shortfall of up to half a billion dollars, defence sources told the National Post, and the military is recommending drastic measures to make up the difference, including closing some of the largest bases in the country.

The federal government is stalling the release of internal documents that outline the looming financial crisis, but military sources said the reports indicate that in the fiscal year beginning on April 1, the air force expects to be $150-million short of funds needed to fulfill its commitments, the navy will be $150-million shy of its needs and the army will be as much as $200-million short.

The figures were submitted to General Ray Henault, the Chief of Defence Staff, last month by the heads of the land staff, the maritime staff and the air staff in anticipation of this year's defence budget.

The military sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the reports foresee a situation so dire that they recommend curtailing operations, dry-docking ships and mothballing vehicles or aircraft and closing at least four Canadian Forces bases.

Unless additional funding is awarded by the government, the air force is suggesting closing bases at Goose Bay, Nfld., Bagotville, Que., North Bay and Winnipeg, the sources said.

Further, the air force report says that unless its fleet of ageing CC-130 Hercules transport planes is replaced or modernized, the main transport base at Trenton should be closed within 10 years. "There won't be enough Hercs flying by then to justify keeping that base open," one air force source said.

The navy predicts it will not be able to live up to treaty obligations to NATO and other alliances and cannot carry out enough patrols of Canadian waters to comply with agreements with other government departments such as Immigration Canada or Fisheries and Oceans.

"We will not be able to meet our domestic defence obligations," one naval officer said.

The army is said to be in the worst financial state of all three branches of the Canadian Forces. "Everyone knows that the army's broke and has been for a couple of years," said one military source familiar with the reports.

Colonel Howard Marsh, a former senior army staff officer now working as an analyst for the Conference of Defence Associations, said he was not surprised by the size of the shortfall.

"This is a look forward ... at what they need in order to keep the army going," he said. "Nobody has ever seen a bankrupt military in a developed country.... This year I predict we will see that in Canada."

Col. Marsh said the military is saddled with ageing bases and increasingly dilapidated buildings that are fast reaching the point of collapse. "What they've been doing, year in and year out ... is not replace or repair those buildings, or buy new equipment," he said.

"The average age of the equipment in the Canadian Forces is over 20 years and it hasn't been well-maintained."

The Liberal government reduced defence spending by 23% and cut the number of regular military personnel to approximately 60,000 from 80,000 between 1993 and 2000. There were 120,000 people in the Canadian military in 1958.

In 2003, the defence budget was increased $800-million to $12.7-billion, the single largest increase since the Liberals came to power. But that still left the total below that of 1991, when the Mulroney Conservatives committed troops to the Gulf War and the defence budget stood at $12.8-billion.

Jay Hill, the Conservative defence critic, said the reports outline the result of more than a decade of Liberal cuts to the Canadian Forces.

"They shouldn't even be in this position," he said. "They shouldn't be having to look for nickel and dime savings when the government is blowing hundreds of millions on sponsorship programs."

Mr. Hill called on the government to make the three reports available immediately. "This flies in the face of this Prime Minister's stated commitment to being open and transparent," he said.

The Department of National Defence has refused to make public the annual reports, known as command impact assessments.

Defence officials this week turned down a request by the National Post and the influential defence publication Jane's Defence Weekly to see the reports under access to information legislation.

Judith Mooney, the director of access to information for the Department of National Defence, said the reports will not be made public for another three to five weeks because they are considered "draft" documents.

"I exercised my discretion to withhold the documents until the [Defence] Department's business-planning process is complete, at which time they will be released," she said.

Ms. Mooney could not say when exactly the reports would be released, but indicated they would be available by the end of March.

Although that would delay them until after the release of the federal budget, which is expected on March 23, she said David Pratt, the Defence Minister, was not involved in the decision to withhold the reports until then. Mr. Pratt did not reply to repeated requests for comment on the reports.

In previous years, the assessments have been made public.

This year's reports paint a picture even more bleak than last year's, which said the military would be unable to sustain itself without additional resources or a reduced workload.

They were the basis for a story last year in Jane's Defence Weekly, the prestigious London-based magazine, which caused a furor in Canadian and NATO defence circles. Under the headline "Running on Empty," the story said the army, navy and air force did not receive the money they needed.

The article said the navy asked for an additional $50-million to bridge the funding gap, but received only $6.7-million. The air force expected a $104-million shortfall but received about $7-million. The army had a larger gap between what was expected of it and the funding available, and received $85-million in extra money.

Major-General Terry Hearn, the chief of finance for the Canadian Forces, acknowledged the military has had "issues" with funding over the past four years.

But he said the department is implementing a long-term plan to stabilize its finances. "We'll become sustainable over the next couple of years," he said. "We have long-term strategies to deal with these issues ... [but] we're not going to solve them next year."

Peter Stoffer, a New Democrat MP whose Nova Scotia riding includes a large military base, called the government's refusal to release the reports "very suspicious."

"If anyone out there honestly believes that access to information will be any easier under this government, they are fooling themselves," he said. "They say one thing and do another."

[Eyes of the Night]

Buwahahaha! The shit HAS hit the fan ... time to invade canada!;)


:gulp:

[Seshmeister]

$500M is not very much in government terms.

[Wayne L.]

Canada is bankrupt for a lot of reasons besides their military like being intimidated by Triumph The Insult Dog but their music artists are great like Rush, the Guess Who & Shania Twain.

[ELVIS]

What ??

:confused:

[High Life Man]

Originally posted by Wayne L.
Canada is bankrupt for a lot of reasons

Socialized health care wouldn't be one of them, would it?

Let's attack now!

[FORD]

Originally posted by ELVIS
What ??

:confused:

It's Wayne, Elvis! He's not supposed to make any fucking sense :D

[Mr Grimsdale]

a great shame
there's some top troops in the canadian military

[flappo]

..oh yeah?

[BITEYOASS]

I guess Canada needs to quit funding classes on gay sex! LOL I'm just assuming, I don't know if they actually do waste there money on anything like that.

[Catfish]

Originally posted by Mr Grimsdale
a great shame
there's some top troops in the canadian military

Yeah, they fight like tigers. Their sheer force in numbers will be missed.

Goddamn frogs.

[KANE]

Originally posted by Mr Grimsdale
a great shame
there's some top troops in the canadian military
Where ? i wouldnt go through a door with any of the ones ive seen, there still waitin for their eagle badges.... there military has clusterfucked its way into the ground, you can thank their (french) liberal government for that, and why not,AMERICA WILL TAKE CARE OF US if anyone kicks sand in our face....

[Catfish]

I think--HOPE--he's kidding...

[Full Bug]

Where have you guys been? The Canadian miltary has been bankrupt for years with soldiers having to use food banks, this isnt even close to being something new, blame Canadians for electing Liberal Governments for years......:rolleyes:

[Catfish]

BLAME CANADA!

[Viking]

Canadian nationals are already coming to this country to avoid the socialized health care up there. Down here, we see a doctor on one day, and have to take a sick day during the week to get a follow-up MRI. Up there, they wait weeks, or months, to get the same treatment. Now their military has gone to shit, and some liberal fag will probably propose that it be disbanded, and let the U.N. Blue Helmets try to scare the boogeymen away. Fine. I hope it gives incentive for every sober-minded Canadian (if there any left) to immigrate to the U.S., and let Canada become a mecca for every Deanie-Baby, Naderite, tinfoil-hat Kucinich loon that we have to smack on the nose with a rolled-up newspaper down here. Then wait a few years, and wall off the border.

Problem solved.

[Seshmeister]

Originally posted by KANE
Where ? i wouldnt go through a door with any of the ones ive seen, there still waitin for their eagle badges.... there military has clusterfucked its way into the ground, you can thank their (french) liberal government for that, and why not,AMERICA WILL TAKE CARE OF US if anyone kicks sand in our face....

Let's face it you wouldn't go through a door at all.

You would blow up the door from two miles away killing the women and children inside.

SAY IT! :)

Cheers!

:gulp:

[KANE]

Originally posted by Seshmeister
Let's face it you wouldn't go through a door at all.

You would blow up the door from two miles away killing the women and children inside.

SAY IT! :)

Cheers!


:gulp:
THE SESHMAN, THE SESHMEISTER MAN, hows my scottish friend doin ? its been awhile, good to see your still hangin in the hood...

[Full Bug]

Originally posted by Viking
I hope it gives incentive for every sober-minded Canadian (if there any left) to immigrate to the U.S., and let Canada become a mecca for every Deanie-Baby, Naderite, tinfoil-hat Kucinich loon that we have to smack on the nose with a rolled-up newspaper down here. Then wait a few years, and wall off the border.

Problem solved.
I dont know, can we bring our beer?

[BigBadBrian]

Originally posted by Full Bug
I dont know, can we bring our beer?

Yes, and the good lookin' chicks. Leave the behemoths up north, though. :D

[Full Bug]

Originally posted by BigBadBrian
Yes, and the good lookin' chicks. Leave the behemoths up north, though. :D
The behemoths? Doesnt that mean us guys bringing the beer? So you want us to just send them over the border after we got them drunk? Not a bad plan actually......:D

[lucky wilbury]

i didn't know you could consider a bunch of drunks with hockey sticks a military.

[Cathedral]

Same thing happened in Russia and it is as Full Bug said...Liberal Military Management.
Let this and all other Liberal run countries be a lesson to you, they are weak on defense and would rather NOT be able to put up a resistance because it is clearly easier to cower for your life and be on your knee's NOT to be wiped offt he face of the earth.

I say BULLSHIT on that idea....This Cowboy'd Up American will put a hurtin on your ass before i go down.
I have nothing to counter a startegically placed bomb of course, but man the fireworks will be awesome.

Funny thing is, I have a few friends that have been heavy into the Militia stuff around here and they have all these routes mapped out and battle plans to defend themselves.
I used to shake my head at them and think Why?, But now i am adding ammo to that stockpile as well, lol.

The only thing is, they are planning on figthing the U.N. after this European Union gets set in place.
I didn't really start buying more guns until 9-11 and i try to find them without going throught the system.
When they knock on my door for my firearms i'll hand over some guns and pretend to be heartbroken about it....then i'll blow the backs of their heads off when they turn around to leave, lol....

Yippeeeee Ki Yay Mother Fuckers!!!

[Seshmeister]

I know there's a little rivalry between Canada and the US but call me old fashioned if you weigh it up I would rather have good beer than a good millitary.:)

How you doing Kane?

Nice to see you around these parts.

SAY IT!
AROUND PARTS!

Cheers!

:gulp:

[Cathedral]

Well, around my homestead we drink Whiskey and get a mean drunk going on.
Try and burn my White House now, bitch...

We'll send Dudley Dooright home with his head pouring out his ass.

No, seriously, we're there for you Canucks when you need us.....and you will be needing us in the future

So, Be Nice.... :)

[John Ashcroft]

The Canucklehead do have some fine militarymen, and a shit load of military lesbians... (Not Penthouse lesbians, but mullet-wearing, bull-dyke style). But they will drink most young dudes under the table. Their gov't gives them the shaft at every opportunity, and it's a shame. Met some great radar techs that were Canuks. In many cases, better than the American counterparts (but naturally, not most cases :D ). I've seen their moral gutted by cut after cut, and unfortunately alot of their civilians look down on them like Kerry on his fellow Vietnam Vets. If I were them, I'd come down south to a real country...

[BigBadBrian]

Originally posted by Seshmeister
I know there's a little rivalry between Canada and the US but call me old fashioned if you weigh it up I would rather have good beer than a good millitary.:)



It's all in fun, though. I have a high opinion of Canadians and you British/Scots/Welsh/Irish of the UK even though I sometimes post inflammatory stuff trying to pick a fight. :gulp:

[ELVIS]

FUN FACTS ABOUT CANADA

* Canada was originally populated by peoples loyal to Britain and dumb people who just got lost.

* Canada is still technically owned by England and has to dance for them when commanded.

* That happens usually three times a year.

* The border between U.S. and Canada is the longest unprotected border in the world. There are plans to mine it, set up video cameras all along it, and not tell Canada for a new Fox special called When Americans Are B@stards.

* It is rumored Canada has its own military. Their most powerful weapon is the telephone with which they can call America and say, "Help! We're being invaded, eh!"

* Canadians are almost as genetically similar to humans as the chimpanzee.

* Was originally called Cana, but, since everyone there said, "I live in Cana, duuuuh," the name Canada eventually stuck.

* For the same reasons, it will eventually be known as Canadada.

* Their national symbol is the most evil of leafs, the Maple Leaf, a.k.a. Satan's Palm.

* In a fight between Aquaman and a maple leaf... actually, a maple leaf is even too lame for Aquaman. Our national symbol, the bald eagle, would whup Aquaman's @ss, though.

* Canadians pretend to be peaceful, but more Canadians are murdered in Canada every year than any other country.

* Canada modeled their currency after ours just to annoy us when we accidentally get useless Canadian trinkets in change instead of hard American currency.

* Canada has a picture of a queen on their money to show their contempt for democracy.

* A large minority of Canadians speak French, and they boss around the rest of the Canadians. Bossed around by French-speaking people - that's so pathetic I can't even imagine it.

* Canadians think they are superior to Americans. The rational basis for this is unknown.

* Canada holds up a sham democracy to try and be accepted by the civilized world, but in fact all real decisions are made by their moose overlord.

* It's a myth that the normal way a Canadian says "about" is so that it rhymes with "boot". It just happens that a lot of Canadians are retarded.

* The northern area of Canada is technically God-forsaken. If anyone there has a prayer, he or she first has to mail it to an American priest for God to hear it.

* Most of the prayers involve hockey and are promptly ignored.

* If a Canadian ever tries to express an opinion about America, hit him on the head with a rolled up newspaper while shouting, "No!" You have to catch them in the act or they'll never learn.

* Canada has gone its entire history without doing anything of note, something almost unheard of for a country its size.

* Canada has become an entry point for terrorist which has caused Canada's boring index to decrease slightly.

* Canada has no known industry. It's believed all their income comes from sales of syrup and hockey tickets.

* Canadians have universal healthcare. The way they afford it is making people wait so long that most die before seeing a doctor.

* Canadians are completely harmless, but don't assume someone who is wearing a hockey mask is Canadian. The people at Crystal Lake made that mistake and, well, it was messy.

* Canadians don't have any nuclear missiles because we decided they are not mature enough for them. Maybe when they’re older.

* Canadians have national gun registration. While solving no crime, the excessive amount of money the initiative has taken has foiled Canada's evil schemes to make mutant snow monkeys.

* If ever attacked by a Canadian... well... beat the crap out of him. What? You can't take a Canadian? What kind of pansy are you?

* This list would be classified as a hate crime in Canada.

* Actually, most Canadians who read this list would just say, "Eh?"

:D

[Full Bug]

Originally posted by ELVIS
FUN FACTS ABOUT CANADA

* Canada was originally populated by peoples loyal to Britain and dumb people who just got lost.

* Canada is still technically owned by England and has to dance for them when commanded.

* That happens usually three times a year.

* The border between U.S. and Canada is the longest unprotected border in the world. There are plans to mine it, set up video cameras all along it, and not tell Canada for a new Fox special called When Americans Are B@stards.

* It is rumored Canada has its own military. Their most powerful weapon is the telephone with which they can call America and say, "Help! We're being invaded, eh!"

* Canadians are almost as genetically similar to humans as the chimpanzee.

* Was originally called Cana, but, since everyone there said, "I live in Cana, duuuuh," the name Canada eventually stuck.

* For the same reasons, it will eventually be known as Canadada.

* Their national symbol is the most evil of leafs, the Maple Leaf, a.k.a. Satan's Palm.

* In a fight between Aquaman and a maple leaf... actually, a maple leaf is even too lame for Aquaman. Our national symbol, the bald eagle, would whup Aquaman's @ss, though.

* Canadians pretend to be peaceful, but more Canadians are murdered in Canada every year than any other country.

* Canada modeled their currency after ours just to annoy us when we accidentally get useless Canadian trinkets in change instead of hard American currency.

* Canada has a picture of a queen on their money to show their contempt for democracy.

* A large minority of Canadians speak French, and they boss around the rest of the Canadians. Bossed around by French-speaking people - that's so pathetic I can't even imagine it.

* Canadians think they are superior to Americans. The rational basis for this is unknown.

* Canada holds up a sham democracy to try and be accepted by the civilized world, but in fact all real decisions are made by their moose overlord.

* It's a myth that the normal way a Canadian says "about" is so that it rhymes with "boot". It just happens that a lot of Canadians are retarded.

* The northern area of Canada is technically God-forsaken. If anyone there has a prayer, he or she first has to mail it to an American priest for God to hear it.

* Most of the prayers involve hockey and are promptly ignored.

* If a Canadian ever tries to express an opinion about America, hit him on the head with a rolled up newspaper while shouting, "No!" You have to catch them in the act or they'll never learn.

* Canada has gone its entire history without doing anything of note, something almost unheard of for a country its size.

* Canada has become an entry point for terrorist which has caused Canada's boring index to decrease slightly.

* Canada has no known industry. It's believed all their income comes from sales of syrup and hockey tickets.

* Canadians have universal healthcare. The way they afford it is making people wait so long that most die before seeing a doctor.

* Canadians are completely harmless, but don't assume someone who is wearing a hockey mask is Canadian. The people at Crystal Lake made that mistake and, well, it was messy.

* Canadians don't have any nuclear missiles because we decided they are not mature enough for them. Maybe when they’re older.

* Canadians have national gun registration. While solving no crime, the excessive amount of money the initiative has taken has foiled Canada's evil schemes to make mutant snow monkeys.

* If ever attacked by a Canadian... well... beat the crap out of him. What? You can't take a Canadian? What kind of pansy are you?

* This list would be classified as a hate crime in Canada.

* Actually, most Canadians who read this list would just say, "Eh?"

:D
Thats nasty stuff Elvis, I dont think I will share our great Canadian beer with you anymore......;) :D
Most Americans think we are a bunch of hicks who live in igloo's, of coarse thats not true, we arent very different then you folks.....
We have the same type problems, only its generally colder here in the winter (Depending on the province you live in)
I have met many Americans in my travels over the years (My mom worked for a major travel agency) I used to go to the states or south of there at least twice a year, and always got along fine with my friends to the south, the only folks I found rude were the Germans or the odd time the French (Paris, ect...) and count alot of good yankee friends on this site, Elvis among them.....I think the main trouble is the major part of the American media ignor us, and that causes big misconceptions........

[ELVIS]

Originally posted by Full Bug
Thats nasty stuff Elvis, I dont think I will share our great Canadian beer with you anymore......;) :D
Most Americans think we are a bunch of hicks who live in igloo's, of coarse thats not true, we arent very different then you folks.....


No that's alaska.. get it straight eh ??

[Full Bug]

Originally posted by ELVIS
No that's alaska.. get it straight eh ??

Eh? Eh? Maybe you are Canadian all this time and are misleading us, EH? EH?

[ELVIS]

Not a chance...:D

[Hecubus]

Canada has a military?

[Cathedral]

Full Bug, as far as i'm concerned you live in the States. I don't think aboot you as being a Canucklehead, eh?

One thing i have noticed though, I don't get along with Canadian chicks at all.
They find me offensive, opinionated and rude....Yep, I'm an American alright..:)

[ELVIS]

That's because you're not liberal...

[Cathedral]

Hmmmm, you may have a point there. I have yet to meet a Female Canuck that i could see eye to eye with.

Now that i think about it, that makes perfect sense, lol...

[ELVIS]

~Ha!~

:elvis:

[SilvioDante]

I for one cannot understand all this Canada bashing. It is more than a great hockey and beer country. There are their great comedians like Howie Mandell and Alan Thicke. Then there are their great female vocalist like Anne Murray. And let's not forget the great rock and roll music that came from Canada like Loverboy, Moxy and April Wine. I don't even want to imagine a world without Mike Reno!!!

BTW - If we DO invade, people always say that the strategic key to Canada is Thunder Bay, but they are wrong, its Moose Jaw! The Romans new it, the Carthaginians knew it, now you know it.

[ELVIS]

I don't get it...

[BITEYOASS]

Well an ever better way to fund the Canadian military would be to eliminate funding of sex change operations and eliminate health care for illegal immigrant. Then transfer most of those funds to the Ministry of Defense for the procurement of modern weapons and have enough active personel to where ther will be at least on full regiment per province, One consolidated air group per province, and one naval battle group per province. Oh yeah and get some damn aircraft carriers while your at it eh!

[BITEYOASS]

correction: Immigrants

[BITEYOASS]

correction: there Damn I hate misspellings

[ELVIS]

What does Canada need a military for ??

[BITEYOASS]

Originally posted by ELVIS
What does Canada need a military for...

....when they got crazy sons a bitches like me to save there asses!!! LOL

[Mr Grimsdale]

Originally posted by KANE
Where ? i wouldnt go through a door with any of the ones ive seen, there still waitin for their eagle badges.... there military has clusterfucked its way into the ground, you can thank their (french) liberal government for that, and why not,AMERICA WILL TAKE CARE OF US if anyone kicks sand in our face....

As hard as the Canadian government tries to ruin the military at every opportunity with poor kit, budget cuts, and what have you, the individual Canadian infantry or airborne soldier (when he is allowed to do his stuff properly), is a damned fine troop.

Last year the US 161st Inf (Mechanized) - who were about to deploy to Iraq, took part in a joint exercise with Canadian troops down in Yakima, Washington. On the last day there they did a 12 mile cross-country tab, with full kit. The US officers exhibited a general lack of drive and fitenss and the inability of the Officers/NCO's to set a good example was quite revealing. In fact, NCO's were dropping out left right and centre. One (equivalent) company sergant major was ambling along with his unclipped respirator bag strap dragging along behind him and his rifle at the trail. His eyes were glazed over in short he was a bag of crap. The 161st had 700 troops out there on that course with a big white "snivel bus" cruising up and down to pick up stragglers (of which there were many!) and take them back to camp.

At one point along the route there was a US sergeant lying on his back in the grass with a cig in his mouth who said, "What y'all gotta prove". To which one of the Canadian privates replied: "That we're no a bunch of idle F*****s like you lot."

There were only about 50 Canadian guys there but most of them ran the whole thing to get it over with. At the end the US CO had a big parade to hand out 15 of these special unit coins he had had hand painted with enamel and coated. He rambled on about them for a while then called for his Operations Officer to call out the fifteen fastest times. Every guy who marched out there was a Canadian. The US troops were just about tripping over their bottom lips! It was pretty funny. Whether the US troops present were truly representative I don't know, but those present weren't exactly fighting fit.

Overall Canadian troops are very good. When the Third Battalion Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry were in Afghanistan, the U.S. command were so impressed by them that they redesignated them as SF and had them working with Delta teams. When it came time to select the ORBAT for Iraq, the organising "commitee" included 3 PPCLI on the ORBAT of one of the divisions as SF. When the Canadian Forces liasion officer who was at that meeting pointed out that Prime Minister Cretien in his infinite wisdom had decided not to provide Cdn military support for the caper, they were quite put out that they couldn't have 3 PPCLI. That says 2 things, the Canadian government is a joke and secondly that Canadian troops are highly regarded for their individual skills and ability.

[lucky wilbury]

bump because this topic came up in another thread

[Nickdfresh]

Originally posted by Mr Grimsdale
(Abstract) Overall Canadian troops are very good. When the Third Battalion Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry were in Afghanistan, the U.S. command were so impressed by them that they redesignated them as SF and had them working with Delta teams. When it came time to select the ORBAT for Iraq, the organising "commitee" included 3 PPCLI on the ORBAT of one of the divisions as SF. When the Canadian Forces liasion officer who was at that meeting pointed out that Prime Minister Cretien in his infinite wisdom had decided not to provide Cdn military support for the caper, they were quite put out that they couldn't have 3 PPCLI. That says 2 things, the Canadian government is a joke and secondly that Canadian troops are highly regarded for their individual skills and ability.

Very true indeed. As I stated in the other thread, U.S. commanders were impressed with the performance of the Canadian light infantry and their Snipers in Afghanistan.

Before you hicks (like Elvis) :D beat up on the Canadians and start up the retarded "let's invade Canada" bantor, you should read a little about a fierce WWII unit called the 1st Special Service Force that was a joint U.S.-Canadian special operations unit somewhat equivalent to the Army Rangers today.

There is also a pretty good 1968 film starring William Holden, Claude Aikens, and Richard Dawson (the origional Family Feud host). The film is erronoius in its highlight of the U.S.-Canadian feuds and the portrayl American "volunteers" as criminals (I think this was a take off on "The Dirty Dozen" which came out the same year)
Devil's Brigade


From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


[edit]
General information
The volunteers for the 1600 man force consisted primarily of enlisted men recruited by advertising at Army posts, stating that preference was to be given to men previously employed as lumberjacks, forest rangers, hunters, game wardens, and the like. The 1st Special Service Force was officially activated on July 20, 1942 under the command of Lt. Colonel Robert T. Frederick. Force members received rigorous and intensive training in stealth tactics, hand-to-hand combat, the use of explosives for demolition, amphibious warfare, rock climbing and mountain fighting, and as ski troops. Their formation patch was a red arrowhead with the words CANADA and USA. They even had a specially designed fighting knife made for them called the V-42.

[edit]
History
Their first scheduled operation was code named "Project Plough," a mission to parachute into German-held Norway to knock out strategic targets such as hydroelectric power plants. This operation had to be abandoned but in October of 1943 the commander of the US Fifth Army, Lt. Gen. Mark W. Clark, brought the 1st Special Service Force to Italy where its members demonstrated the value of their unique skills and training. At Monte la Difensa they immediately earned a reputation for being able to take impenetrable objectives when no one else could. Here, in the dead of winter, the Special Force wiped out a strategic enemy defensive position sitting high atop a mountain surrounded by steep cliffs. Previously, American forces had suffered many casualties in futile attempts to take the important target. This incident was the basis for the 1968 motion picture titled "The Devil's Brigade."

During Operation Shingle at Anzio, Italy, 1944, the Special Force were brought ashore on February 1st, after the decimation of the U.S. Rangers, to hold and raid from the right-hand flank of the beachhead marked by the Mussolini Canal/Pontine Marshes, which they did quite effectively.

It was at Anzio that the enemy dubbed the 1st Special Service Force as the "Devil's Brigade." The diary of a dead German soldier contained a passage that said, "The black devils (Die schwarze Teufeln) are all around us every time we come into the line." The soldier was referring to them as "black" because the brigade's members smeared their faces with black boot polish for their covert operations in the dark of the night. Canadian and American members of the Special Force who lost their lives are buried near the beach in the Commonwealth Anzio War Cemetery and the American Cemetery in Nettuno, just east of Anzio.

The first unit sent into Rome, the Devil's Brigade were given the assignment of capturing seven essential bridges in the city to prevent the Germans from blowing them up. During the night of June 4th, members of the Devil’s Brigade entered Rome. After they secured the bridges, they quickly moved north in pursuit of the retreating Germans. The following morning, throngs of grateful Romans lined the streets to give the long columns of American soldiers passing through the city a tumultuous reception. War photographers captured the scenes of joy on film to be seen back home, but the soldiers who actually liberated the city had passed through Rome during the early morning hours in darkness and near silence and were again in fierce combat with the Germans along a twenty-mile front on the Tiber River.

Following the taking of Italy, on August 14, 1944 the Brigade was shipped to Iles d'Hyères in the Mediterranean Sea just off the coast of Southern France. As part of the U.S. 7th Army, they fought again with distinction in numerous battles. On September 7th, they moved to the Franco-Italian border in what is called the "Rhineland Campaign." Members of the Brigade, usually traveling by foot at night, made their way behind enemy lines to provide intelligence on German positions. This operation not only contributed to the liberation of Europe, but the information Brigade members were able to pass back to headquarters saved many Allied soldier's lives.

The Devil's Brigade, a one-of-a-kind military unit that never failed to achieve its objective, was disbanded by the end of the War. However, in 1952 Col. Aaron Bank would create another elite unit using the training, the strategies, and the lessons learned from the Devil's Brigade's missions. This force would evolve into specialized forces such as the Green Berets, Delta Force, and the Navy SEALs. In Canada, today's elite and highly secretive JTF2 military unit is also modeled on the Devil's Brigade. Like World War II, Canadian JTF2 members and American Delta Force members were united again into a special assignment force for the 2001 invasion of Afghanistan.

In September of 1999, the main highway between the city of Lethbridge, Alberta Canada and Helena, Montana in the United States was renamed the "First Special Service Force Memorial Highway." This highway was chosen because it was the route taken in 1942 by the Canadian volunteers to join their American counterparts for training at Fort Harrison.

A large number of the Devil's Brigade members were honored for their acts of valor, including Tommy Prince, Canada's most decorated aboriginal soldier of WW II.

[edit]
Battles of the First Special Service Force :
Aleutians Campaign, 1943 :

Kiska & Little Kiska - August 15-August 19, 1943
Segula Island - August 17, 1943
Italian (Naples-Foggia-Rome) Campaign 1943-1944 :

Monte la Difensa - December 3-December 6, 1943
Monte la Remetanea - December 6-December 9, 1943
Monte Sammucro - December 25 (Christmas Day), 1943
Radicosa - January 4, 1944
Monte Majo - January 6, 1944
Monte Vischiataro - January 8, 1944
Anzio - February 2-May 10, 1944
Monte Arrestino - May 25, 1944
Rocca Massima - May 27, 1944
Colle Ferro - June 2, 1944
Rome - June 4, 1944
Southern France, (Alpes-Maritimes) Campaign, 1944 :

Iles d'Hyères - August 14-August 17, 1944
Grasse - August 27, 1944
Villeneuve-Loubet - August 30, 1944
Vence - September 1, 1944
Drap - September 3, 1944
L'Escarène - September 5, 1944
La Turbie - September 6, 1944
Menton - September 7, 1944
Rhineland Campaign, 1944 :

Franco-Italian border - September 7 - November 30, 1944
Motion Picture :

The Devil's Brigade (1968) - starring William Holden, Cliff Robertson, Vince Edwards
Books :

Joseph Springer, The Black Devil Brigade: The True Story of the First Special Service Force , (Pacifica Military History, 2001).
Robert Todd Ross, THE SUPERCOMMANDOS First Special Service Force, 1942-1942, An Illustrated History (Atglen, PA Schiffer Publishing Ltd. 2000).
Robert H. Adleman, and Colonel George Walton, The Devil's Brigade (Philadelphia., PA: Chilton Books, 1966).
Robert D., Burhans, "The First Special Service Force: A Canadian/American Wartime Alliance: The Devil's Brigade" (Washington: Infantry Journal Press Inc. 1947)


Retrieved from

[BigBadBrian]

Originally posted by Nickdfresh


There is also a pretty good 1968 film starring William Holden, Claude Aikens, and Richard Dawson (the origional Family Feud host). The film is erronoius in its highlight of the U.S.-Canadian feuds and the portrayl American "volunteers" as criminals (I think this was a take off on "The Dirty Dozen" which came out the same year)
Devil's Brigade

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:1st_Special_Service_Force.patch.jpg

Got it on DVD, actually. I'm a Military History buff, including books and movies and military board games. :gulp:

[Nickdfresh]

Originally posted by BigBadBrian
Got it on DVD, actually. I'm a Military History buff, including books and movies and military board games. :gulp:

I have to get that on DVD.

They were notorious for slitting the throats of unsuspecting German soldiers in their foxholes and writing "the worst is yet to come" in German on their forheads and placing the following sticker on them:

Shoulder sleeve patch of the 1st Special Service Force. Properly designated as the 1st Special Service Force, the Devil's Brigade was a joint World War II American-Canadian commando unit trained at Fort Harrison near Helena, Montana in the United States.