1st Special Service Force
home

Force information
Force troops

Force information Top

Information
The 1st Special Service Force was a joint US-Canadian force. All officers marked with a * are Canadian, the others are Americans.

Commanding Officer (CO)
00.00.1942-00.00.0000 Col. Robert T. Frederick
00.00.0000-00.00.1944 Brig.-Gen. Robert T. Frederick
00.00.1944-00.12.1944 Lt.-Col. Edwin A. Walker

Executive Officer (XO)
00.00.0000-00.00.0000 Lt.-Col. John G. McQueen *

Force Staff
00.00.0000-00.00.0000 Lt.-Col. Kenneth G. Wickham S-1
00.00.0000-00.00.0000 Lt.-Col. Robert D. Burhans S-2
00.00.0000-00.00.0000 Lt.-Col. O.J. Baldwin S-4
00.00.0000-00.00.0000 Maj. L.D. Besecker Force Surgeon

Commanding Officers (CO's) attached units
00.00.0000-00.00.0000 (KIA) Lt.-Col. Alfred C. Marshall CO 1st Regiment
00.00.0000-00.00.0000 Lt.-Col. D.D. Williamson * CO 2nd Regiment
00.00.0000-00.00.0000 Lt.-Col. William Mahoney CO 3rd Regiment
00.00.0000-00.00.0000 Lt.-Col. Gerard Rodehaver CO Service Battalion

Force troops Top

1st Regiment
1st Battalion 00.00.0000-00.00.0000
CO: Lt.-Col. R.W. Becket 00.00.0000-00.00.0000
2nd Battalion 00.00.0000-00.00.0000
CO: Lt.-Col. J.F.R. Akehurst * 00.00.0000-00.00.0000

2nd Regiment
1st Battalion 00.00.0000-00.00.0000
CO: Lt.-Col. Thomas C. MacWilliam * 00.00.0000-00.00.0000 (KIA)
2nd Battalion 00.00.0000-00.00.0000
CO: Lt.-Col. Robert L. Moore 00.00.0000-00.00.0000

3rd Regiment
1st Battalion 00.00.0000-00.00.0000
CO: Lt.-Col. Thomas P. Gilday * 00.00.0000-00.00.0000
2nd Battalion 00.00.0000-00.00.0000
CO: Lt.-Col. John G. Bourne * 00.00.0000-00.00.0000

Sources & links: online bibliography prepared by Alastair Neely
  Robert D. Burhans, The First Special Service Force : a war history of the North Americans, 1942-44 (Washington, D.C.: Infantry Journal Press, 1947)
  Robert H. Adleman and George Walton, The Devil's Brigade (Philadelphia: Chilton Books, 1966)
  Ross, Robert Todd, The Supercommandos, First Special Service Force, 1942-1944 : an illustrated history (Atglen, PA : Schiffer Publishing Ltd., 2000)
  Springer, Joseph, The Black Devil Brigade : the true story of the First Special Service Force (Pacifica Military History, 2001)
  David W. Hogan, Jr., U.S. Army Special Operations in World War II (Washington, DC : Department of the Army, 1992) [full-text online]
  First Special Service Force Living History Group [website]
  Hell's Commandos, by Flint Whitlock [article]
Site design & initiative: Hans Houterman
Site created by: Jeroen Koppes
Information provided by: Ron Villegas
Last update: 16.07.2006 - CSS