Devil's Brigade - Name, Insignia and Uniforms

Name, Insignia and Uniforms

While carrying out beachhead operations at Anzio, a member of the Force uncovered the journal of a German lieutenant from the Herman Goering Division. The journal contained the following entry: "The Black Devils are all around us every time we come into the line. We never hear them come." Henceforth, the Force was known as the Black Devils. General Frederick had cards printed up with the unit's insignia on them and the words Das dicke Ende kommt noch! or "The worst is yet to come" printed in red ink down the right side which the Force would leave on the bodies of dead Germans as a form of psychological warfare. This was so effective that Sergeant Victor Kaisner reported hearing a German soldier whisper "Schwartzer Teufel" ("Black Devil") as the German's throat was being sliced on the beachhead. It is notable, however, that recent historiography surrounding the unit debates about whether or not Frederick and his general staff made up the nickname in order to instill fear within the enemy.

Before officially choosing the First Special Service Force as their name, the unit was unofficially known as the Braves. Their spearhead shoulder insignia was chosen with this name in mind. The formation patch was a red spearhead with the words USA written horizontally and CANADA written vertically. The branch of service insignia was the crossed arrows formerly worn by the U.S. Army Indian Scouts. The unit wore red, white, and blue piping on their garrison cap and on the breast an oval (or trimming) behind their Parachutist Wings. Members of the unit also wore a red, white, and blue fourragère, lanyard, or shoulder cord made out of parachute shroud lines.

American members of the Force arrived for training in Helena in standard Army attire: green twill coveralls, some wearing khaki pants and fatigue hats. Others were dressed in trousers and green uniform jackets and wore green caps. Ultimately, however, the American uniforms did not differ widely from one another. The Canadian troops, however, arrived in all different manners of uniform: some wore kilts, others plaid trousers (trews) and others Bermuda shorts. Headgear differed just as widely, depending on where the soldier was from – wedge caps for some, black berets for troops taken from armoured regiments and large khaki Tam o' Shanters for soldiers from Scottish regiments. Eventually, it was decided that the uniforms would come from an American supplier and olive drab trousers and blouses were issued. The only thing that differentiated an American Force member from a Canadian one was the disc worn by the soldier (Americans wore American discs and Canadians wore Canadian discs). Forcemen also wore a red, white and blue aiguillette. For mountain warfare, the men were given baggy ski pants, parkas and a helmet. Standard boots were originally the same as those issued to parachuting regiments, but these were substituted for infantry combat boots in Italy.

Colonel Frederick worried from the outset that the soldiers from both countries would have trouble forming a cohesive unit. On a base level, the techniques and commands used by either army were confusing to the other. Commands for marching, for example, had to be homogenized in order for the unit to operate in the field effectively. In order to satisfy the men from both countries, compromises were made. Canadian bagpipers were put into American unit marching bands to play "Reveille" every morning. The marching styles and commands of the American and Canadian armies were mixed and uniforms were made identical. In the end, Frederick's fears were unfounded as the men bonded through training and dedication to the Force.