Editing First Special Service Force (section)

===Project Plough===
In March 1942 Pyke proposed Project Plough to [[Louis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma|Lord Louis Mountbatten]], Chief of Combined Operations Headquarters. Pyke suggested that Allied commandos be parachuted into the Norwegian mountains to establish a covert base on the [[Jostedalsbreen]], a large [[glacier]] plateau in German-occupied Norway, for guerrilla actions against the German army of occupation. Equipped with Pyke's proposed snow vehicle, they would attack strategic targets, such as 14 important hydroelectric power plants. Pyke persuaded Mountbatten that such a force would be virtually invulnerable in its glacier strongholds and would tie down large numbers of German troops trying to dislodge it.<ref name=perutz>{{cite book | last = Perutz | first = Max F. | author-link = Max Perutz | title = I Wish I'd Made You Angry Earlier: Essays on Science, Scientists, and Humanity | publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] | year = 2002 | pages = 86–87 |isbn=978-0-19-859027-9 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GkODMkCWndQC}}</ref>

However, given the demands upon both Combined Operations and British industry, Britain instead offered Plough to the United States at the Chequers Conference of March 1942. General [[George Marshall]], [[Chief of Staff of the United States Army]], accepted Plough. In April 1942, since no suitable vehicle existed, the US government asked automobile manufacturers to look into such a design. With input from an international team that included Canadian inventor [[George Klein (inventor)|George J. Klein]],<ref>{{Cite book |last=Eggleston |first=Wilfred |title=Scientists at War |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=1950 |isbn=978-1014267153 |edition=first |location=London/Toronto/New York |publication-date=1950 |pages=99 |language=English}}</ref> [[Studebaker]] subsequently created the T-15 cargo carrier, which later became the [[M29 Weasel]].<ref name=werner/>

In May 1942, Plough was reviewed by Major [[Robert T. Frederick]], a young officer in the Operations Division of the U.S. General Staff. Frederick predicted Plough would be a military fiasco. Firstly, he argued that Plough called for unrealistic objectives with the number of troops allocated. Similarly, he argued that the small, elite unit would be outnumbered and overwhelmed trying to hold a captured area.<ref name="autogenerated1">{{cite book|last=Kemp|first=Ted|title=A Commemorative History: First Special Service Force|year=1995|publisher=Taylor Publishing|location=Dallas|page=1}}</ref> Furthermore, Frederick concluded that there was no definite way to evacuate the troops after a mission. Withdrawal would require significant troop lift and covering fighter support. All vehicles and equipment would have to be abandoned. Finally, Plough had called for troops to be parachuted on their targets, which Frederick said was impossible at the moment because there were no planes to fly the men into Norway. Additionally, significant aircraft would be necessary to drop the Weasels and resupply the force. Ultimately, he concluded that a small unit of elite men would not do enough damage to justify the risk of putting them into battle.<ref name="nadler31">{{cite book|last=Nadler|first=John|title=A Perfect Hell|year=2005|publisher=Anchor Canada|location=Canada|page=31}}</ref> He instead proposed a series of strategic bombings to achieve the plan's objectives.<ref name="autogenerated1"/>

Generals Marshall and [[Dwight D. Eisenhower|Eisenhower]] had already discussed Plough with the British high command and were unwilling to give up a chance to open an American front in Europe. It was believed that Plough offered the possibility of defeating the Germans, and the Americans wanted Allied efforts to shift to the Pacific Theater. The sooner the Germans were defeated, it was argued, the sooner this would become a reality.<ref name="nadler31"/>

The first officer picked to lead the unit, Lieutenant Colonel [[Howard R. Johnson]], did not get along well with Pyke. Johnson was transferred after arguing with Mountbatten and Eisenhower about the feasibility of the plan.<ref>{{cite book|last=Nadler|first=John|title=A Perfect Hell|year=2005|publisher=Anchor Canada|location=Canada|page=33}}</ref> (Johnson went on to form and command the [[501st Infantry Regiment (United States)|501st Parachute Infantry Regiment]].) He was replaced by Frederick, following a suggestion by Mountbatten, which was approved by Eisenhower. Frederick was given the task of creating a fighting unit for Plough and was promoted to colonel to command it. By July 1942 Frederick had eased Pyke out of the picture.

The First Special Service Force (FSSF) was activated on 9 July 1942 as a joint Canadian-U.S. force of three small regiments and a service battalion, directly answerable to the joint Chiefs of Staff. US Army [[Fort William Henry Harrison]] in [[Helena, Montana]], was chosen as the primary training location, due to its flat terrain for [[Airborne forces|airborne]] training and its close proximity to mountains for ski and winter training.<ref name=werner/>

Frederick had very high priority in obtaining equipment and training areas. Originally, due to its winter warfare mission, it had been intended that the FSSF should be equally made up of American, Canadian, and Norwegian troops. However, a lack of suitable Norwegians saw this changed to half American and half Canadian.<ref name=adelman>{{cite book | last = Adelman | first = Robert H. |author2=George Walton | title = The Devil's Brigade | publisher=[[United States Naval Institute#Publications and products|Naval Institute Press]] | year = 2004 | isbn = 1-59114-004-8}}</ref>