Remember the Forgotten Heroes
Commentary
By some estimates, 2,520 veterans of the D-Day operation, the largest amphibious invasion in history, remain alive in 2021. Less well known are the troops of the First Special Service Force (SSF)–an elite group of Canadian and American fighters every bit as crucial to the victory over National Socialist (Nazi) Germany.
The Canadians were drawn from regiments such as the Royal Winnipeg Rifles, while the American ranks included lumberjacks, miners, and former bodyguards for Hollywood stars. At Fort Harrison in Montana, they trained in parachuting, skiing, hand-to-hand combat, and mountain climbing skills soon to be put into practice.
Somewhere in France : Manitoban hopes sharing WW I letters will encourage others to dig into family history
Kendra Minary hopes sharing the letters her great-great-uncle wrote from the front lines of the First World War will inspire others to dig into their own family s history.
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Devil’s Brigade: This Legendary Fighting Force Gave Rise to U.S. Special Forces
The 1st Special Service Force gained its place in history with daring exploits in combat in France and Italy.
Here s What You Need to Know: The Devil’s Brigade, which inflicted an estimated 12,000 casualties on enemy forces and took 7,000 prisoners during the war, gave rise to the U.S. Special Forces.
When General George C. Marshall visited London in April 1942, the new chief of the British Combined Operations Command, Lord Louis Mountbatten, introduced him to a “very odd-looking individual … [who] talks well and may have an important contribution to make.” The man in question was Geoffrey N. Pyke, a bearded, unkempt maverick and former journalist, philosopher, and inventor who had joined Mountbatten’s coterie of civilian strategists. Just weeks before Marshall’s visit, Pyke had conceived a plan called Project Plough, which envisioned specially trained troops on motorized, armed sleds
Juno Beach: Canada s Bloody Sacrifice on D-Day
It is well known that the deadliest of the five invasion beaches on D-Day was Omaha, where the Americans suffered heavy casualties. But what is not so well known is that the next deadliest beach was Juno.
Here s What You Need to Know: Casualties sustained on Juno beach alone totaled 1,204 Canadian and British soldiers.
Most students of World War II know that there were five invasion beaches included in Operation Overlord, the invasion of northwestern Europe, on June 6, 1944. There are numerous writings concerning Omaha Beach, where the 1st and 29th U.S. Infantry Divisions suffered heavily at the hands of the German defenders. The successful landings by the 4th U.S. Infantry Division at Utah Beach are also well covered. But far less has been written about the other North American beachhead that day, Juno Beach, which was assigned to the 3rd Canadian Infantry Division and the 2nd Canadian Armored Brigade.