Special Service Force

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The Special Service Force is a designation used by a Second World war Canadian-American formation, and also used by a Canadian Army formation from 1977 to 1995.

[edit] Second World War: 1st Special Service Force

In 1942 a highly specialized joint Canadian-American force was created to undertake special operations in Europe. In order that 500 "all ranks" could be recruited without undue publicity being directed towards their future role, the 2nd Canadian Parachute battalion was raised at the same time as the 1st, coming into order on 10 July 1942. On 25 May 1943 it became the 1st Canadian Special Force Brigade, with its officers & men distributed with the Americans throughout the multi-national unit. The 1st Special Service Force was trained in Helena, Montana before being deployed in the Aleutians Islands in 1943, where it had valuable training experience. By November it had gone into action in Italy, where it distinguished itself in the successful assaults on Monte Le Difensa & Monte La Remetanea. It also fought at Anzio and then the drive to Rome, where it was the first Allied formation to enter the city. The 1st Special Service Force then advanced as far as the Tiber before being deployed for the invasion of Southern France, where it spearheaded the landing force. After seeing action on the Franco-Italian border, the joint force was disbanded and the Canadian element was separated. It, too, was disbanded in December 1944, having fought well, earning ten battle honours & been given the nickname "the Devil's Brigade".

[edit] Post World War II: Canadian Army Special Service Force

In 1977, 2 Combat Group combined with the Canadian Airborne Regiment to form the Special Service Force, a formation of the Canadian Army. The latter day Special Service Force represented a compromise between the general purpose combat capabilities of a normal brigade and the strategic and tactical flexibility that derived from the lighter and more mobile capabilities of the Canadian Airborne Regiment. Though ultimately the Special Service Force's readiness and deployability were never tested as a formation, its units and soldiers served often & well in operations both at home and around the world. They have served in Cyprus, Somalia, the Former Yugoslavia, Rwanda, Namibia and internally at the Native uprisings in Ipperwash & SE Ontario. Its troops were also used during the natural disasters as the 1998 ice storm in Quebec and the 1998 Winnipeg Flood.

The following Units were serving in the SSF on disbandment in 1995:

With the addition of Leopard tanks for the RCD, M109 howitzers for 2 RCHA & the addition of the 2nd Battalion of The RCR, the Special Service Force was officially redesignated as 2 Canadian Mechanised Brigade Group (CMBG) by a Ministerial Order signed on 24 April 1995. This decision and the associated reorganizing and re-equipping of the formation are a reflection of the current emphasis in Canadian defence policy on general purpose capabilities. With a smaller force structure, a smaller defence budget and more frequent operational taskings, it has become clear that general purpose capabilities provide the best return on investment in defence. Accordingly, 2 CMBG has been designed to be a mirror image reflection of its two sister formations, 1 CMBG in Western Canada, and 5e Groupe-brigade Mécanisé du Canada (GBMC) in Quebec. In completing this transformation, 2 CMBG will maintain the fine spirit and traditions of the Special Service Force, while mastering the equipment and tactical doctrine that will give it wide employability in the range of possible taskings that face Canada's Land Force today.

[edit] See also