Editing First Special Service Force (section)

{{Short description|Joint U.S.-Canadian military unit in WWII}}
{{Distinguish|1st Special Service Brigade}}
{{Redirect2|Devil's Brigade|The Black Devils||Devil's Brigade (disambiguation)|and|Black Devil (disambiguation)}}

{{Use American English|date = March 2019}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2020}}
{{Infobox military unit
| unit_name                     = 1st Special Service Force
| image                         = File:1st Special Service Force SSI.svg
| caption                       = 1st Special Service Force [[shoulder patch]]
| dates                         = 9 July 1942 – 5 December 1944
| country                       = {{ubl | {{flagu|United States|1912}} | {{flag|Canada|1921}}}}
| allegiance                    = [[Allies of World War II|Allies (United Nations)]]
| branch                        = [[Army]]
| type                          = [[Commando]]
| role                          = [[Special operations]]
| size                          = 1,800
| command_structure             = 
| garrison                      = [[Fort William Henry Harrison]]
| garrison_label                = 
| nickname                      = The Devil's Brigade, The Black Devils
| patron                        = 
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| mascot                        = 
| equipment                     = See: [[#Training and equipment|Training and Equipment]]
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| anniversaries                 = 
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| battle_honours                = <!-- Commanders -->
| commander1                    = 
| commander1_label              = 
| commander2                    = 
| commander2_label              = 
| commander3                    = 
| commander3_label              = 
| notable_commanders            = [[Robert T. Frederick]]
<!-- Insignia -->| identification_symbol         = 
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}}
The '''1st Special Service Force''' '''(FSSF)''' was an elite joint American–Canadian [[commando]] unit in [[World War II]], formed by Lieutenant Colonel [[Robert T. Frederick]] of the Operations Division of the U.S. General Staff. During the Italian campaign of World War II, it was commanded by Frederick and attached to the [[United States Army North|United States Fifth Army]]. In August 1944, the Force was attached to [[1st Airborne Task Force]] (commanded by then Major General Frederick) for the campaign in southern France.

The unit was organized in 1942 and trained at [[Fort William Henry Harrison]] near [[Helena, Montana]], in the United States. The Force served in the [[Aleutian Islands]], fought in Italy and southern France, and was disbanded in December 1944.<ref>{{Cite web|title=www.canadiansoldiers.com|url=https://www.canadiansoldiers.com/organization/specialforces/1ssf.htm|access-date=2022-01-19|website=www.canadiansoldiers.com}}</ref>

The modern American and Canadian [[special operations forces]] trace their heritage to this unit. In 2013, the [[United States Congress]] passed a bill to award the 1st Special Service Force the [[Congressional Gold Medal]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://thestar.blogs.com/worlddaily/2013/07/devils-brigade-granted-top-us-honours.html|title=Devil's Brigade granted top U.S. honours - The World Daily|work=blogs.com}}</ref>