The elite 1st Special Service Force from the Americas made a name for themselves during their first combat mission by charging up Monte La Difensa in Italy and taking out the defenders in a fierce six-day fight.
As night fell, they hopped onto a convoy of trucks, their olive-green uniforms looking a bit softer thanks to loose pants and heavy jackets.
The 2nd Regiment of the 1st Special Service Force was heading out from their base in Santa Maria, Italy, towards Presenzano, which was about 37 miles north of Naples and served as the headquarters for the 36th Infantry Division.
The trucks crawled along muddy roads, relying on dim blackout lights since they didn’t want the enemy to spot their movement. It was December 1, 1943, and as they drove, a cold rain started pouring down, soaking the truck covers and making it even harder to see. In the distance, they could only catch glimpses of artillery flashes lighting up the sky.
They rolled into Presenzano around 9 PM, where guides from the 142nd Infantry Regiment met them and led them through the wooded area outside the village. Ahead loomed the formidable Monte La Difensa, a heavily fortified position crucial to the Germans’ Winter Line defense, which aimed to halt the Allies’ push towards Rome.
It was dark, wet, and chilly, but the regiment needed to reach their staging area before dawn to keep their presence under wraps. They had a 10-mile trek ahead, with some guys lugging gear that weighed nearly as much as they did. But they were fit and ready for the challenge. As they marched, they passed the bodies of fellow Americans who had fallen earlier in the battle but kept pushing forward.
Sergeant Donald MacKinnon from the 2nd Regiment’s 1st Company recalled the eerie vibe of it all. “We were so worn out from trying to keep pace, slipping and sliding through tough conditions, that we thought if we had to jump into action when we got there, we’d be pretty useless.”At last, the front of the group made it to the staging area, but the back end wouldn’t show up until almost dawn. The guys found spots in the trees and brush, doing their best to stay hidden. Luckily, the rain finally let up. Behind them, the rest of the troops were waiting a bit further back; the 2nd Regiment was leading the charge.
This was the unit’s first taste of combat, and they had a tough job ahead of them. The soldiers, now out of sight, took some time to rest during the day. To kill time, they cleaned their weapons, munched on cold rations, and looked forward to nightfall when they could prove they were worthy of the trust placed in them.
The 1st Special Service Force started forming in early 1942. The Allies were on the lookout for ways to hit back at Germany, which had a strong grip on Europe, so they were checking out commando units. The British had some experience with these kinds of troops, and the Americans were keen to set up similar forces.
The Brits came up with a plan for a commando-style team trained for winter warfare to lead an invasion of Norway, calling it Operation Plough. They even looked into a snow-capable tracked vehicle designed by a civilian named Geoffrey Pyke.
When they realized they couldn’t develop the vehicle themselves, the British handed over Pyke’s idea to the Americans. U.S. Army Chief of Staff General George C. Marshall liked the concept and sent it off to American car manufacturers for further development. This eventually led to the creation of the tracked T-15 (later known as the M-29) Weasel cargo carrier.
Meanwhile, Lt. Col. Robert T. Frederick, a West Point grad from 1928 and a staff officer at the War Department, took a look at Operation Plough. He thought it was a good idea to have a multinational commando force made up of Americans, Canadians, and Norwegians, but he wasn’t too happy about the lack of a solid plan for getting the troops out if things went south.
Despite his concerns, work continued on forming the commando unit, initially aiming for equal numbers of American, Canadian, and Norwegian soldiers. However, since the Norwegians couldn’t provide enough qualified troops, they decided to move forward with just Americans and Canadians.After the 1st SSF was shut down in December 1944, Maj. Gen. Robert T. Frederick took over as the commander of the 45th Infantry Division. He had already caught the attention of big names like General Dwight D. Eisenhower and Lord Louis Mountbatten, so he was put in charge of a new group called the Plough Force. Frederick asked for volunteers who were single, aged between 21 and 35, and had at least three years of grammar school under their belts. Plus, they needed some outdoor experience, so he wanted guys who had worked as game wardens, lumberjacks, hunters, prospectors, explorers, or similar jobs.
Before long, the Plough Force was renamed the 1st Special Service Force and officially kicked off on July 20, 1942, at Fort William Henry Harrison near Helena, Montana—an ideal spot for this kind of training.
That same month, the Canadian Army sent over 697 officers and soldiers to join the force. While they technically stayed part of the Canadian Army, the U.S. government covered all costs for clothing, gear, and other expenses. Frederick now had his raw team of commandos and set out to shape them into a unit that truly lived up to its name.
The training for the 1st SSF was some of the toughest any Allied soldiers faced during the war. Staying physically fit was super important; only those in top shape could handle the grueling task of fighting in freezing conditions.
They went on forced marches that could stretch up to 36 miles while carrying full combat gear. The guys also got parachute training, but since time was tight, they only managed two jumps instead of the usual five. This intense training lasted for several months, resulting in a tight-knit group of tough, resourceful men who could work well together even in tough situations.
First Lieutenant Bill Story remembered, “We did calisthenics, lots of calisthenics… We had the usual push-ups and running around, but we also did a ton of walking, hiking over hills, and climbing mountains. It was great conditioning. There was even some mountaineering involved.”They also got training in small-unit tactics, enemy weapons, and survival skills. The demolitions training was so intense that the guys accidentally blew up the wrong targets a few times. Hand-to-hand combat lessons were taught by Captain Dermot Michael (Pat) O’Neill, who was from Ireland and had a background in martial arts as well as being a former police chief in Shanghai. He taught the troops how to take down opponents using knives, garrotes, and their bare hands and feet.
The 1st Special Service Force (1st SSF) was part of a big operation with 35,000 U.S. and Canadian troops aimed at kicking Japanese forces off Kiska Island in the Aleutians, but the enemy bailed just days before the operation kicked off in August 1943. In this pic, you can see 1st SSF soldiers taking care of their weapons after a pointless patrol. The 1st SSF was set up differently than regular infantry units, more like airborne or other specialized Allied groups, reflecting its mixed national roots.
The basic unit was called a section, made up of 12 guys led by a staff sergeant. Each section had demolition experts, a medic, and a radioman, kind of like today’s Special Forces teams. A platoon had two sections, along with a mortar team, and was led by a lieutenant and a platoon sergeant. Three platoons formed a company.
There were three regiments, but only two battalions in each, and each battalion had three companies instead of the usual four. The 1st SSF also had a headquarters with various service, maintenance, medical, and communications teams. When fully staffed, there were nearly 2,800 men in the 1st SSF, which is pretty solid for a commando-style group.
The 1st SSF’s first action was on August 15, 1943, during the invasion of Kiska in the Aleutian Islands. The 1st Regiment (led by Lt. Col. Alfred Marshall) was the first to hit the beach in rubber boats, while the 3rd Regiment (Lt. Col. Edward Walker) came ashore the next day; the 2nd Regiment (Lt. Col. D.D. Williamson) stayed back as a reserve. However, the whole thing turned out to be a bit of a letdown since the Japanese had already evacuated three days earlier, leaving no one to fight.
So, it ended up being more of a realistic training drill, but the troops received kudos for their professionalism from the invasion commander for landing in the dark and meeting all their goals on time, despite the tough weather and rough terrain. Colonel Frederick also got some special recognition.To tap into the skills of the 1st SSF, the unit was quickly sent back to the U.S. and by September 1943, they were back in training at Fort Ethan Allen in Vermont. They weren’t given any hints about their next mission, but since they started getting lessons on Italy and its culture, it was pretty clear what was coming. Soon after, they headed to Hampton Roads, Virginia, hopped on some transports, and set off for the Mediterranean on October 28, 1943. Ahead of them lay the Winter Line, which promised brutal cold and intense close combat.
From September through the winter of 1943, the Allies faced a tough time pushing up the mountainous boot of Italy towards Rome and beyond. They made some headway, but it wasn’t easy. The German commander, Field Marshal Albert Kesselring, was hell-bent on making the Anglo-American forces fight hard for every bit of Italian land they took.
The rough and tricky terrain worked in favor of the defenders. Kesselring decided to establish a main defensive line called the Gustav Line that stretched from one coast to the other through Monte Cassino, but he needed some time to set up the defenses.
In front of the Gustav Line, they quickly put together another defensive setup known as the Bernhardt Line; combined with some delaying tactics along the Volturno River, this was meant to slow down the Allied advance until the Germans were ready to face them. All these fortifications together became known as the Winter Line.
The Bernhardt Line included several mountains overlooking the Mignano Gap, which was a route leading into the Liri Valley and further to Rome. There were mountain ranges on either side of the gap; Monte Lungo was on one side, while Montes Maggiore, La Remetanea, La Difensa, and Camino were on the other.
The 1st and 2nd Battalions of the 1st SSF climbed the steep eastern slopes of Monte La Difensa, part of the Winter Line, and then launched an attack on the German positions atop Monte La Remetanea. These mountains were perfect for defense and offered a great view of the whole area. Standing at 1,900 feet, Monte La Difensa and its neighboring peaks were crucial for holding the territory; without them, the German defenses would likely fall apart. But capturing them was going to be a tough challenge.After the war, a study by the U.S. Army looked into the battle and concluded that the Winter Line was a tough obstacle for the Allied forces. There wasn’t just one way to break through; every mountain had to be conquered, each valley cleared, and even then, there were more mountains to tackle and another line to breach with relentless infantry assaults.
Allied troops had made attempts to capture these mountains, but a mix of strong defenses, lousy weather, and fatigue from earlier battles kept them from succeeding. Lt. Gen. Mark Clark, who was in charge of the U.S. Fifth Army, needed a unit that could crack this mountainous defense and get the stalled Allied advance back on track. That’s when the 1st Special Service Force (SSF) was chosen for the job and arrived on November 22.
They teamed up with the 36th Infantry Division, which had recently taken over from the 3rd Infantry Division along the Winter Line. Their mission was to take Monte La Difensa, which stood at 1,900 feet, and then move on to capture the nearby Monte La Remetanea. Frederick and his team started gearing up for the tough challenge ahead.
To defend the Winter Line, Kesselring put General Fridolin von Senger und Etterlin in charge of the XIV Panzer Corps. This group included five divisions with varying levels of combat experience, and since Monte La Difensa was crucial, the seasoned 15th Panzergrenadier Division was tasked with holding it down.
They set up their defenses with solid artillery support and plenty of mortars ready to deliver quick and precise fire across the front. German observers quickly zeroed in on potential attack routes and set up supply lines and casualty evacuation paths. Many defensive positions were built using local rocks to create bulletproof machine-gun nests that covered each other’s fields of fire.
The 1st SSF was specifically assigned to attack a position defended by about 250 soldiers from the 3rd Battalion, 104th Panzergrenadier Regiment. Next to them, half of the 3rd Battalion, 129th Panzergrenadiers were also in the 1st SSF’s area, while the other half was spread out in the zone of the British 56th Division. The local reserve for these units was the 115th Reconnaissance Battalion.A report estimated that around 340 Germans were holding down the mountain, and they had solid artillery support. However, Allied airstrikes and artillery made it tough for them to get supplies through. By the time the 1st SSF launched their attack, the Germans had already fended off several Allied assaults, even though they were a bit short on troops.
Monte La Difensa is pretty steep overall. The lower parts are covered in scrub pine and have some boulders, but they don’t really offer much cover. As you go higher, there’s almost no vegetation, and the top is just a shallow dip. One side has sheer cliffs that are impossible to climb without special gear and training.
There are plenty of trails that are too steep for mules, so soldiers had to carry everything themselves. There are also a lot of deep ravines, making it even harder to climb up. All in all, Monte La Difensa looked like a natural fortress, standing tall over the Allied lines.
Colonel Frederick checked out the mountain himself and sent scouts from the 1st SSF to take a look too. They found that while the position was tough, it wasn’t unbeatable. Frederick flew some aerial reconnaissance missions and saw that many German positions were mainly focused on the most likely attack route, leaving them vulnerable to flanking or rear attacks.
The Germans later acknowledged this flaw, attributing it to a lack of experienced officers and engineers. Frederick noted that the steep cliffs on the northeast side posed a challenge, but his troops were trained and ready to tackle it.
Major Ed Thomas, the executive officer of the 1st Battalion, 2nd Regiment, put together a scouting party. He took two lead scouts from the 1st Company—Staff Sgt. Howard Van Ausdale and Canadian Sergeant Tom Fenton.Van Ausdale quickly figured out how to get to the bottom of the cliffs. Private Joseph Dauphinais from the 1st Company remembered that Van was a top-notch scout, like a king among them. He was a true mountain man who could read the land as easily as you’d read a book. He discovered a great path for us to approach the cliff without the Germans noticing.
Frederick decided to have Lt. Col. D.D. Williamson’s 2nd Regiment lead the charge. They needed to climb the mountain, catch the Germans off guard, and then push through to Monte La Remetanea. Meanwhile, the 1st Regiment, led by Lt. Col. Alfred Marshall, would hang back at the base of the mountain as part of the reserve.
Lt. Col. Edwin Walker’s 3rd Regiment was given different roles for its battalions; one would stay at the mountain’s base to support the 2nd Regiment, while the other would be in charge of supplies and carrying stretchers. They’d be backed up by 14 battalions of divisional and corps artillery, including two battalions with 8-inch guns. Plus, there were two battalions of tank destroyers ready to add their firepower to the mix.
That was a serious amount of firepower all lined up to support Frederick and his troops. However, the mountainous terrain meant the artillery had to shoot at steep angles, which made it less effective against the bunkers.
The guys in the 1st SSF had put in a ton of hard work training for their role in the war. They had been let down during the Aleutians campaign, but now they had a chance to show that their unit was worth all the effort that went into building it. Frederick was determined not to miss this opportunity.
As night fell over the Winter Line on December 2, it was finally time for the 1st SSF to launch their attack. A heavy bombardment kicked off at 4:30 pm, with around 925 Allied guns hammering German positions along the front line. Thousands of high-explosive shells rained down on the mountain defenses, mixed with white phosphorus rounds that sent up huge clouds of burning white smoke everywhere.As the artillery boomed overhead, the guys from the 2nd Regiment made their way up the mountain in a single-file line, following the paths scouted out earlier. Some of them glanced at the explosions and jokingly called Monte La Difensa the Million Dollar Mountain, thinking about how much ammo was being used against it.
After weeks of fighting on the Winter Line, the 1st SSF was sent to support the Anzio beachhead. On April 20, 1944, a night patrol with soldiers’ faces painted black was getting briefed behind an Italian haystack before heading out. In response, the German artillery fired back, targeting the trails they thought the Allied troops might use, as well as the defensive spots held by the 36th Division.
This led to various command posts, aid stations, and supply points taking fire, but surprisingly, the artillery exchange didn’t cause too much chaos for either side; the 1st SSF was on the move while the Germans were well entrenched.
By 10:30 pm, Williamson’s 2nd Regiment reached the base of the cliffs on the northeast side of Monte La Difensa, ready to start their climb. Two pairs of soldiers were chosen to take the ropes up. The first pair—Staff Sgt. Ausdale and Canadian Sergeant Fenton—went ahead, using the best climbing route they had already checked out.
Quietly, they made their way up the steep 70-degree cliff, relying only on their hands and feet. Once they reached the top, they had to avoid a nearby German guard but managed to secure their ropes.
The second pair, Private Joseph Dauphinais and Sergeant John Walter, followed the lead scouts and attached their ropes to the ones already set up. Now, the three companies of the regiment’s 1st Battalion (led by Lt. Col. Thomas MacWilliam) were ready to climb the cliffs and jump into combat for the first time, carrying just their weapons, ammo, and musette bags to keep things light and quick.Behind them, Moores’ 2nd Battalion was waiting for their chance to climb up, bringing along extra weapons, ammo, and water. Further down the slope, part of Walker’s 3rd Regiment was getting ready to make supply runs, loaded with food, more water, medical supplies, and even more ammunition. It was a pretty tense situation; if any unit got spotted, they’d lose the element of surprise and be wide open to German fire.
At 1 am, Frederick finally gave the green light for the 1st Battalion to start their climb. Two soldiers at a time began scaling the cliff. The tension was palpable; every little sound seemed amplified, making the guys wonder if the Germans could hear them. A chilly rain was falling, making the rocks slippery but probably helping to cover up the noise they were making. The artillery had switched targets, which actually worked in their favor. The shells hitting Monte Remetanea created echoes that drowned out the sounds of the Allied climbers.
Two hours later, the 1st Company reached the top and formed a rough skirmish line, carefully moving to their left. By 4:30 am, the entire 2nd Company was at the summit, taking position in the center.
Finally, the 3rd Company made it up the ropes and took the right flank. In their first combat mission, the 1st SSF had completely caught the Germans off guard—they didn’t realize an enemy battalion was behind them because they thought those cliffs were impossible to climb. Now it was time to strike.
The 1st Company’s 3rd Platoon led the charge, with scout Howard Van Ausdale in front. As he moved forward, a German sentry suddenly appeared and spotted him. Quick on his feet, Van Ausdale pulled out his Fairbairn-Sykes knife and quietly took out the sentry without alerting anyone else.
The German, not quite dead yet, rolled down the slope and landed near a sergeant named Waling, who watched as the enemy soldier gasped for air. Moments later, Waling pushed ahead with the rest of the men, now just yards away from their enemies.Out of nowhere, a German voice shouted in the dark. There are different stories about what tipped him off; some say it was loose rocks that got kicked up as the guys made their last few steps, while others claim it was a helmet that fell off someone’s head. Either way, right after the German yelled, gunfire erupted.
Sergeant Donald MacKinnon remembered it well: “That’s when the machine guns started blasting all around us. It was around 5:30 am, and flares shot up into the sky, lighting up the rocky terrain. Mortar rounds zipped through the air, landing among our troops, who responded with grenades and readied their bayonets.”
The top of Monte La Difensa turned into chaos with hand-to-hand fighting, explosions, and screams of agony and fury. Sergeant Joe Glass from 1st Company recalled, “We jumped right into it… We had our bayonets ready because we expected close combat, and thank goodness we did since we were right on top of each other… I can’t really remember what happened in those first few seconds, but before I knew it, I was out of grenades.”
Glass shared how he used one of his grenades: “There was a German down below me over a ledge shooting tracer rounds straight up. I just dropped one right on his head. They’re pretty effective if you know how to use them.”
The Germans were caught off guard, but they quickly got their act together; they had no choice if they wanted to make it out alive. The guys from the 2nd Regiment were attacking fiercely too, firing at the enemy positions. Private Kenneth Betts was manning a machine gun, taking shots at any German he could spot. Once the ammo ran out, he grabbed a rifle from a fallen comrade and pushed forward. The Germans turned their own machine guns around to deal with this new threat from behind.
Private Joseph Dauphinais found himself near an MG-42, with its crew firing bursts at him. He had barely any cover and could only watch the muzzle flashes as bullets came for him. Eventually, one hit him, and he blacked out.Check out this pic of Canadian Lieutenant J. Kostelec rocking the red spearhead patch on his field jacket. That morning, Sergeant Van Ausdale was a total game-changer. The last German strongholds on the mountain were these nasty machine-gun nests, and the guys manning those MG-42s were unleashing some serious firepower on the Allies.
A sergeant named McGinty was trying to lead his team in an assault on one of those nests but got stuck in a tough spot. So, Van Ausdale and his buddy, Sergeant Fenton, started firing back at the enemy to give McGinty a chance to get his wounded men out. After that, Van Ausdale gathered up eight soldiers, called in three mortar rounds from their company’s 60mm, and directed a machine-gun team to lay down some cover fire on the Germans hiding in a cave.
The plan worked! Van Ausdale led his crew over the edge and into the cave, using bayonets and grenades to take out the defenders. They used the same strategy on another MG-42 further up the mountain.
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Lieutenant Colonel Thomas MacWilliam, who was in charge of the 1st Battalion, sent in his 1st Company led by Lieutenant C.W. Rothlin and Captain Stan Waters’ 2nd Company to finish off the remaining nests. They had the 3rd Platoon of the 1st Company provide covering fire while the rest of the companies flanked the machine guns. A platoon led by a lieutenant named Kaasch formed a skirmish line while he moved ahead with two men.
They managed to flank the first gun, which made the entire crew surrender. Then they pushed towards the second gun, but that crew kept firing. A barrage of grenades took care of them, leaving most of the Germans dead around their weapon.
With two more machine guns taken out, many of the remaining panzergrenadiers decided they’d had enough. A lot of them started retreating across the narrow ridge between Monte La Difensa and Monte Remetanea. Those who couldn’t escape just surrendered; for a few minutes, the mountainside was filled with white flags and Germans holding their hands up high.A few panzergrenadiers were still in the fight, which led to some tragic events. Lieutenant Rothlin, the commander of the 1st Company, was handling a group of enemy soldiers who were surrendering when he got shot in the face. There are different stories about what happened; some say he peeked out from cover to check on the Germans who had their hands up, while others claim he was escorting guys who had already given up. There’s even a tale that the Germans pretended to surrender while hiding submachine guns behind their backs. Whatever the reason, Rothlin lost his life in the chaos.
After that, several men decided to adopt a “no prisoners” mindset. The company was now under the command of 1st Lt. Larry Piette, who spread his troops out to avoid getting hit by mortar and sniper fire. One lieutenant recalled how fiercely the Germans fought, as if they were determined not to lose the war. “We didn’t take any prisoners,” he said. “When it’s like that, you don’t even think about it.” Another soldier was sent to escort a captured officer down the mountain but came back just minutes later saying, “The son of a bitch died of pneumonia.”
By 7 am, Lt. Col. MacWilliam had set up his 1st Battalion in defensive positions, ready for an expected German counterattack. The troops were positioned to defend the south and west sides of the mountain, with Monte Remetanea to the west still in German hands.
Meanwhile, the 2nd Battalion of the 2nd Regiment, led by Lt. Col. Bob Moore, was just starting to arrive at the mountaintop. These fresh troops began taking over from the 1st Battalion so they could get ready to push toward Monte Remetanea. MacWilliam wanted to move on Remetanea before the Germans could regroup. He also knew that the American 36th Division’s 142nd Regiment was attacking nearby and would struggle to hold their ground unless the Germans were pushed back further.
As the 1st Battalion got ready to advance, MacWilliam and his staff took their usual position at the front, leading the charge. But then, German mortar and artillery fire started landing around them, and snipers targeted anything that moved. Just as MacWilliam, at the head of the 1st Company, gave the order to move out, a mortar round exploded right in their midst, killing him and two others.One soldier remembered looking back just in time to see everything vanish—it was like a red mist. The rest of the team got hurt too, with blasts and shrapnel hitting everyone.
The crucial attack that was supposed to stop the Germans from regrouping hit a pause. Major Ed Thomas, the executive officer of 1st Battalion, 2nd Regiment, took over for MacWilliams.
Colonel Frederick showed up soon after and told Thomas to hold off until they could bring in more troops and ammo. The colonel had set up his base at the mountain’s foot but climbed up to check on things himself.
Frederick moved around the soldiers, sending out patrols and gradually expanding the rocky area held by the 1st SSF, all while putting himself in the line of fire to lead the guys forward. One captain noted how hard it was to understand his nonchalance towards enemy fire; there were times when heavy mortar fire would have us diving for cover, only to find him chilling with a cigarette in the same spot we’d just vacated.
The 1st SSF soldiers held their ground, with one lieutenant recalling how he shared a foxhole with an enemy soldier—who didn’t ask for any cigarettes because he was dead.
Around 8:35 am, Frederick received a message from a British liaison saying that the nearby British 169th Brigade had captured several hills, including Monte Camino. Unfortunately, the Germans still had a foothold on the northwestern side of Camino and were using it to target the 1st SSF. They were also bolstering their position between Difensa and Camino. Meanwhile, the U.S. 142nd Infantry Regiment was pushing ahead, not waiting for Monte Remetanea to be secured.
Since resupply was taking longer than expected, Frederick decided to wait until dawn the next day for the 2nd Regiment’s attack. He instructed the unit leaders to use artillery fire against the German positions overnight and to send out patrols to clear out any Germans to the south. Later, as Walker’s 3rd Regiment arrived with fresh supplies, news came in that the British had lost Camino due to a German counterattack.The effort to bring supplies up the mountain was almost as impressive as the 1st SSF guys actually making it to the top. Each soldier had a packboard strapped to their back, filled with water jerrycans, food rations, and tons of ammo. They also had blankets and medical gear, which made things even heavier. It took them eight hours to climb the mountain while dodging sniper fire the whole time.
Once they reached the peak and unloaded their supplies, they faced another challenge: getting a wounded comrade back down. They had to use a complicated system of ropes to lower him, and it took eight men ten hours to get just one injured soldier off Monte La Difensa and into an ambulance waiting below.
At first, some of the troops complained about having to act like supply workers instead of using their actual skills. But that chatter quickly faded when they realized that no regular medics or quartermaster types could have managed the climb or descent. They were literally saving lives that no one else could.
Colonel Frederick asked for more supplies, raising some eyebrows among the logistics crew. He wanted whiskey and condoms sent to the summit, which made some people wonder what kind of wild party was going on up there. But Frederick’s reasons were pretty straightforward; the whiskey was meant to warm up the guys who were freezing in the cold and damp conditions. The condoms were to cover the muzzles of their guns to keep them dry—a trick the 1st SSF learned while in the icy Aleutians. This unusual request even got to Mark Clark, who approved it, saying something like, “They took the mountain, give them what they want.”
Meanwhile, the Germans were doing everything they could to stop the Allied troops from reaching the top or getting back down. Snipers used tracer rounds to guide mortar and artillery fire, knowing exactly where the trails were and sweeping fire across them to block any easy escape routes. Many of the 1st SSF guys got hurt, and the rest were completely worn out from this dangerous mission.As the resupply mission continued, Lieutenant Finn Roll, Fredericks’ intelligence officer, interrogated 43 German prisoners captured at the top of La Difensa. He found out that they were part of the 15th Panzergrenadier Division, with at least a battalion still holding their ground up there. Roll also learned that around 75 enemy soldiers had been killed during the morning’s attack, while the 1st SSF suffered about 20 dead and 160 wounded.
Some guys recalled a German medic who chose not to evacuate with the other prisoners. Instead, he stayed behind to help the injured at the summit. One soldier had a serious sucking chest wound that the Allied medics couldn’t fix, but the skilled German medic managed to treat him successfully. The wounded soldier wanted to thank him later, but what happened to the medic after that is a mystery.
When night fell, rain made things even tougher for the 1st SSF. The exhausted troops on La Difensa stared into the darkness and fog, anxiously waiting for a German counterattack. Patrols were sent out to try and figure out where the enemy was and how strong they were.
While the 2nd Regiment held their ground, the 1st Regiment was pulled from reserve by their commander, Lt. Col. Marshall, to support the troops on La Difensa. But as they moved along their route, sharp-eyed German observers spotted them and used their usual tactic of firing tracer rounds to mark their position. Those glowing bullets were soon followed by a heavy barrage of cannon fire that lasted for 20 minutes, causing a staggering 40 percent casualty rate in that short time. The remaining soldiers quickly regrouped and pushed up the trail to join their comrades.
By dawn on December 4, things were still pretty unclear. There were reports of strong German positions south of Remetanea, and Frederick was still concerned about a potential counterattack. So, he decided to hold off on his own attack for another day, planning to wait until the morning of the 5th. Throughout the day, more patrols were sent out, and often the 1st SSF guys coming down from La Difensa ran into German patrols heading up from Remetanea.It was super foggy and the rain just wouldn’t quit. Sometimes the mist would suddenly clear up, putting the guys at risk from snipers. They’d shoot at each other through the fog, and when it cleared, everyone would duck for cover, waiting for the patrol leader to decide if they should attack or pull back. The situation got even trickier with some precise mortar fire coming in. The Germans had this nasty tactic where they’d fire six rounds and then adjust their aim. Major Ed Thomas, who took over the 1st Battalion after MacWilliam got killed, ended up getting hurt himself when he jumped into a foxhole during a bombardment and landed on a soldier’s bayonet. Major Walter Gray then took charge.
In the afternoon, a couple of prisoners were brought back by a patrol. In exchange for some K-rations, these POWs spilled the beans about a counterattack that the Germans were planning for 3 AM the next morning. An artillery observer nearby confirmed this when he spotted around 400 Germans gathering close by. They called in artillery to disrupt their gathering, and the guys on the front lines were told to stay sharp all night.
A small silver lining was that the prisoners also mentioned the Germans were struggling with supplies too. The rain was flooding their routes, and a lot of their mules had been taken out by Allied artillery. Eventually, the rain stopped, but it was still a chilly night on the mountain, made a bit better by the few sips of whiskey each guy got from Colonel Frederick. But the enemy attack they were expecting never happened.
The next morning, the 1st SSF’s attack got delayed again, but three patrols went out to gather more intel, hoping they could launch an attack later that afternoon. One patrol tried to find the enemy on Monte Remetanea but didn’t see anything. The second one moved towards the 142nd Infantry but didn’t make contact with them or the enemy either. The last patrol aimed to locate the British 169th Brigade but came up empty as well. Even though they couldn’t find the flanking units, Frederick felt hopeful since they hadn’t run into any enemy forces either, so he started prepping for an attack.At 1 pm, Major Gray and his three companies from the 1st Battalion, 2nd Regiment, along with a company from the 3rd Regiment, set out towards Remetanea. They moved mostly along the northern slope of the ridge while patrols took the southern slope. Unfortunately, the patrols soon faced mortar and machine-gun fire, which quickly spread to the whole attacking force, forcing them to halt halfway and dig in. While most troops waited until nightfall, more patrols were sent out.
Around 4:30 pm, Moores’ 2nd Battalion, 2nd Regiment, supported by a company from the 1st Regiment, advanced toward the saddle between Monte Camino and La Difensa, aiming to break through the German defenses there. With smoke cover, Captain Hubbard’s 5th Company led the charge.
When they got close to the first German positions, known as “warts,” the Germans opened fire. The 1st SSF soldiers had no cover and had to keep moving or risk getting wiped out by mortar fire. They reached the enemy bunkers and tossed grenades into the firing openings. Lieutenant Wayne Boyce, who was leading the 1st Platoon of the 5th Company, flanked the enemy from three sides, drawing their full attention in a fight for survival. Soon enough, they took control of the first wart.
Boyce regrouped his platoon and launched an attack on the second wart. He got hit during this assault but refused to back down or get evacuated. He even jumped into a German machine-gun nest, using his knife to take out several enemies until he was caught by gunfire. Despite his serious injuries, he kept leading his men. Before long, they secured the second wart, but sadly, Boyce died just as they finished the job.
The 2nd Battalion, 2nd Regiment took over the warts and settled in for the night. More reinforcements arrived, but the night went by without a German counterattack. Some of the guys even got to watch British artillery pounding a German-held monastery on nearby Hill 963.The next morning at 10 AM, Major Gray and the 1st Battalion launched an attack on Monte Remetanea. They faced some heavy machine-gun and mortar fire from the hills nearby, but there wasn’t much direct resistance. The Germans were pulling back and had only left a small group behind as a rear guard. The 1st SSF’s assault caught many Germans off guard, especially in an area where they still had tents set up.
A bunch of Germans got taken out when they rushed out of their tents, shooting randomly. Even more were captured; one captain from the 1st SSF managed to snag 19 prisoners all by himself. By noon, Monte Remetanea was finally under Allied control.
With that goal achieved, the unit moved down into the valley, realizing the enemy was on the run. Frederick wanted to take advantage of the situation but knew his guys were worn out and freezing. Snipers were still a hassle, and they noticed that every time they used their radios, German mortars would start targeting their location.
Frederick spotted a group of Germans coming up a draw southwest of Monte Camino, so he told the commander of the 36th Division that if the British didn’t capture Camino by nightfall, the 1st SSF should go for it instead. But no orders came through, so the men settled in for another night, dealing with more sniper and mortar fire while waiting for a counterattack that thankfully never happened.
Finally, on the morning of December 7, the Force linked up with British patrols on their side. A close call happened when a British patrol accidentally fired on some 1st SSF guys in thick fog, but luckily, no one got hurt. Another British patrol showed up at the 2nd Regiment headquarters and was surprised to see so many majors and colonels at the front lines. Lt. Col. Williamson explained that the unit believed leaders should be in the thick of it—so that’s exactly where they were.A soldier from the 1st SSF, equipped with a bazooka, took aim at a farmhouse near Anzio where German snipers were hiding out. Although the battle was winding down, there was still some action left. A patrol from the 1st Battalion, 2nd Regiment was sent to connect with the British forces but instead stumbled upon a stronghold defended by around 50 German soldiers. The patrol leader quickly realized they were outmatched and made a smart decision to retreat.
Meanwhile, other members of the 1st SSF were on the lookout for the few snipers still causing trouble; most of these snipers were isolated soldiers cut off from their units. Others in the force were busy bringing down the last of the injured from the mountain.
As the weather improved, Army Air Forces transports attempted to drop more supplies, but most of them landed out of reach. The following day, December 8, Major Gray decided to send his entire battalion to take out the German outpost that the previous day’s patrol had discovered. They had plenty of artillery support, and the clear skies helped coordinate the attack.
The 1st SSF advanced while under a rolling barrage. They managed to take out half of the German troops and captured seven others. This marked the final combat for the 1st SSF on the mountain. The Germans turned out to be part of the Hermann Göring Division, which had been sent in to reinforce the rear guard.
That night, two battalions from the 142nd Infantry arrived to take over the Monte La Difensa area. The 1st SSF was relieved and began their descent down the mountain. When daylight broke, some were shocked to see the tough terrain they had just navigated and fought through.
Their replacements were equally stunned by the condition of the men; many couldn’t believe how bloody, dirty, and exhausted they looked after achieving in just a few days what regular infantry had struggled to do for weeks. The next day, they hopped onto trucks for the ride back to their starting point, the barracks at Santa Maria.On December 10, Colonel Frederick got two messages. The first one was from Maj. Gen. Geoffrey Keyes, the II Corps commander. He acknowledged how tough things were for the unit and praised them for a job well done. The second message came from Lt. Gen. Mark Clark, who led the Fifth Army. He pointed out how challenging it was to pull off a successful night attack in the mountains against a stubborn enemy and also gave props to the 1st SSF for performing so well in their first combat.
In just six days of fighting, the unit faced about 25 percent casualties, which included 73 killed, nine missing, 313 wounded, and 116 suffering from exhaustion. The casualty reports revealed some pretty grim injuries: gunshots, mortar shrapnel, grenade wounds, concussions, fractures, and even amputations. They were pulled back for 11 days to rest and regroup.
After that, the 1st SSF jumped back into action, tasked with capturing mountain tops that other units couldn’t take. On one of those peaks, Monte Majo, Marshalls’ 1st Regiment ran dangerously low on ammo and had to use weapons they captured. Even so, they managed to fend off over 40 counterattacks.
In February 1944, the unit was sent to the Anzio beachhead, part of the Allies’ plan to outmaneuver the Winter Line and get closer to Rome. There, they received some leftover troops from the battered Darbys Rangers as reinforcements. The 1st SSF held their ground and played a key role in the breakout that happened in May.
Later that summer, the 1st SSF became part of the First Airborne Task Force for the invasion of Southern France. But after all their hard work and tough missions, the unit was disbanded. This was a common fate for many specialized units during the war since higher-ups often didn’t understand how to manage these smaller groups that didn’t fit neatly into traditional military structures.
Despite its brief existence, the 1st Special Service Force showed what a dedicated, well-trained group of soldiers could achieve when they were properly led and given the right tasks. Frederick eventually got promoted to major general and later commanded the 45th Infantry Division. He was one of the youngest generals of the war and retired in 1952.The adventures of the 1st SSF were highlighted in the 1968 film The Devils Brigade, featuring William Holden as Colonel Frederick. There are also several books about this unit, and you can check out a website dedicated to the 1st SSF guys (www.firstspecialserviceforce.net) that has loads of personal photos from the soldiers and the places they served. Today’s Canadian and American Special Forces still take pride in their roots from the 1st SSF and continue to honor them.
