The Force

The Force recounts the formation and combat service of the First Special Service Force, a joint American-Canadian unit originally trained for winter warfare and parachute operations. Recruits drawn from outdoor and physically demanding occupations were assembled in Montana, where intense training created an unusually cohesive formation despite conflicting national systems and expectations.

After its original mission was cancelled, the unit entered combat in Italy in 1943. David centres the narrative on the night assault up the cliffs of Monte la Difensa, a German position blocking the Allied advance through the Winter Line. The victory came at severe cost but established the unit’s reputation and influenced later special forces. Personal records connect elite training and tactical innovation to the fear, injury and loss experienced by individual Forcemen.