Joint Task Force 1
Most nations' Terrestrial Forces' have elite units hearkening back to before WW3. UNAS in particular reactivated the 1st Special Service Force as JTF1 given the shared Canadian and American heritage. This specialized Commando regiment has a long and storied history dating back to World War 2. JTF1 proudly touts the nicknames "The Devil's Brigade" and "The Black Devils" based on a World War 2 legend that at the battle of Anzio, a German Lieutenant remarked in his journal that "The Black Devils are all around us every time we come into the line. We never hear them come."
JTF1 also retains the motto "DAS DICKE ENDE KOMMT NOCH!" on their insignia, in reference to one of the unit's psychological warfare tactics which involved leaving a card with the aforementioned phrase on the bodies of German soldiers. The phrase roughly translates to "The worst is yet to come."
History
09.JUL.1942 - The 1st Special Service Force is formed in @Fort William Henry Harrison in Helena Montana.
10.JUL.1943 The FSSF secured the Aleutian Island of Kiska, however Japanese forces had already evacuated.
NOV.1943 The FSSF were brought in to carry out commando raids in Morocco and later mainland Italy.
02.DEC.1943 The FSSF were tasked with taking two heavily fortified German positions in the Italian Mountains. During the battle of La Difensa, Commandos from the Force's 2nd Regiment scaled the mountain at midnight in freezing rain to surprise and overwhelm the German defenders. The battle for the La Difensa hilltop was expected to take 4-5 days, but instead took only two hours.
During the entire mountain campaign, the FSSF suffered 77% casualties, but were ultimately successful.
01.FEB.1944 The FSSF participated in the battle of Anzio, fighting so fiercely that the Germans believed the small unit to be an entire division, forcing the German commanders to allocate a disproportionate amount of troops to the defense of the Mussolini Canal sector. Germans offered 10 days of leave to any soldier or unit capable of capturing a member of the "elite Canadian-American Force".
During the battles at Anzio, the FSSF smeared their faces with black boot polish for covert night operations. This was believed to be the origin for the Germans' nickname for them: "Black Devils".
05.DEC.1944 The First Special Service Force was disbanded in a field near France's Mediterranean coast.
09.JUL.2177 The First Special Service Force is reactivated as Joint Task Force 1.
Type
Military, Special Operations Force
Parent Organization
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