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JUNE 3, 2021 | The Jewish Home OCTOBER 29, 2015 | The Jewish Home
Forgotten Her es
Special Forces Units By Avi Heiligman
Members of Merrill’s Marauders
A U.S. flag on a destroyed bunker two days after Pointe du Hoc was captured by U.S. Army Rangers in World War II
S
ome of the most secretive units in the American military are the special forces. They came into being during the 20th century,
although there were some specialized units during earlier conflicts and in particular the Civil War. As technology and weapons advanced,
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Members of the First Special Service Force
the need for unconventional warfare units arose, and today these capabilities have grown so much that there is a special operations command in addition to specialized units that each branch of the military maintains. As many of the operations performed by special operation units are declassified, they don’t usually make frontpage news. Here are some of the lesser-known units from World War II that give a glimpse of the scope of missions of special forces operators. Several special forces units were formed during World War II, but it was the First Special Service Force to have the unique distinction of having soldiers from two countries. Both Americans and Canadians served with the force during its years of operations from 1942-1944. The idea behind the unit was to create a large unit capable of fighting in harsh winter conditions. Their first mission was to the inhospitable island of Kiska in the Aleutian Islands off the coast of Alaska. The Japanese had vacated the island without the Americans noticing, so the force didn’t see action there so they were sent to Italy. Known by the enemy as the Devil’s Brigade, they were very active in the mountainous regions of Italy in a campaign that saw them capture several key objectives. They were used to secure objectives like bridges behind enemy lines that would lead the way for the regular army. Later, they were
sent to southern France during Operation Dragoon and captured five ports. In December 1944, the First Special Service Force was disbanded, and the members were sent to other units. While the First Special Service Force was fighting the enemy in harsh winter conditions, another special forces unit was battling the Japanese in the unrelenting jungle conditions of Burma. About 3,000 American soldiers were selected and trained for the unit called the 5307 th Composite Unit (Provisional). The mission was codenamed Galahad, and the soldiers affectionately called themselves Merrill’s Marauders. In February 1944, 2,750 Marauders began a 1,000mile trek behind Japanese lines to begin operations in Burma. Kachin Scouts were attached to the units to lead them through the dense jungle. During the trek, the Marauders engaged the Japanese in several minor engagements and five larger battles. In most of the battles, the Allies were outnumbered but managed to inflict more casualties than they sustained themselves. Disease and battlefield casualties dwindled down their numbers to a third of their full strength, but that didn’t stop the Marauders from reaching their target. Myitkyina Airfield in Northern Burma was needed to land supply airplanes for units in China. The Kachin Scouts were Burmese
