Osprey's examination of the First Special Service Force of the second half of World War II (1939-1945). This famous unit was formed with three battalions in July 1942, for special operations in occupied Norway, from handpicked US and Canadian volunteers who were trained in parachute, amphibious, ski, mountain and demolition operations and other 'Special Forces' skills. Their training base was Fort Harrison, Montana. In the event the Force first saw combat in Italy. There they distinguished themselves, at heavy cost, in the battles of La Difensa (Dec 1943), Mte Majo (Jan 1944), on the Anzio beachhead (Feb - May 1944) and in the race to Rome, which they actually liberated. Their uniforms, clothing and weaponry had many unique features reflecting their bi-national composition and specialist skills. The FSSF fought with a ferocious skill which earned them a fearsome reputation. At Anzio, although at only half strength, they successfully held at least a quarter of the entire beachhead and were the spearhead of the final breakout towards Rome. Famed for their night-time fighting ability, the Germans named them "Die Schwartze Teuflen" ­ the Black Devils (they blacked their faces with boot polish). However, after taking part in the South of France campaign in Aug­ - Nov 1944 the Force was disbanded, survivors passing to other units. 1,800 men at full strength, they had accounted for 12,000 enemy casualties, taken 7,000 prisoners and experienced a 600% attrition rate. “...the organization, training, combat operations, uniforms and special equipment are all covered in excellent fashion, in a very competent style within the text. This is complimented by a fine selection of relevant photos, including some rare ones taken in the midst of combat; captions are uniformly informative and well-presented. The color art covers an excellent variety of uniform styles, which were quite unique when combining Canadian and US dress. The figure modeler looking for something unusual should have no difficulty here. This book has lots of 'good stuff' in it, all put together in a nice little package. Figure modelers take note!” ― Frank De Sisto, missing-lynx.com Bret Werner was raised in the Philadelphia area of Pennsylvania. He is deeply involved with living history organizations with an emphasis on the soldier of the 20th century. The author is also an associate member of the First Special Service Force Association, and he attends the veteran reunions every year. Having studied art first in Winnipeg and then in Paris, Michael Welply began his illustrating career in 1977 and has worked for many publishers in Europe and the United States. He has illustrated over 50 books, ranging from historical work to fantasy and fairy tales. Used Book in Good Condition