Special Service Force

The Special Service Force is a designation used by a World War II Canadian-American formation, and also used by a Canadian Army formation from 1977 to 1995.

Motto - OSONS (We Dare)

In 1942 a highly specialized joint Canadian-American force was created to undertake special operations in Europe. In order that 500 "all ranks" could be recruited without undue publicity being directed towards their future role, the 2nd Canadian Parachute battalion was raised at the same time as the 1st, coming into order on 10 July 1942. On 25 May 1943 it became the 1st Canadian Special Force Battalion, with its officers and men distributed with the Americans throughout the multi-national unit.

The 1st Special Service Force was trained in Helena, Montana before being deployed in the Aleutian Islands in 1943, where it had valuable training experience. By November it had gone into action in Italy, where it distinguished itself in the successful assaults on Monte Le Difensa and Monte La Remetanea. It also fought at Anzio and in the drive to Rome, where it was the first Allied formation to enter the city. The 1st Special Service Force then advanced as far as the Tiber before being deployed for the invasion of Southern France, where it spearheaded the landing force. After seeing action on the Franco-Italian border, the joint force was disbanded and the Canadian element was separated. It, too, was disbanded in December 1944, having fought well, earning ten battle honours and been given the nickname "the Devil's Brigade".

In 1977, 2 Combat Group combined with the Canadian Airborne Regiment to form the Special Service Force, a formation of the Canadian Army. This latter-day Special Service Force represented a compromise between the general-purpose combat capabilities of a normal brigade and the strategic and tactical flexibility that derived from the lighter and more mobile capabilities of the Canadian Airborne Regiment. The Force was a brigade-sized command with strength of 3,500, created to provide a small, highly mobile, general-purpose force that could be inserted quickly into any national or international theatre of operations. To this end each unit in the Force had a parachute sub-unit that would be used to support the Airborne Regiment. The 8th Canadian Hussars Armoured Regiment had 2 squadrons, "A" and "B," equipped with Cougar 6 wheeled armoured vehicles, and "D" Squadron, an armoured reconnaissance Squadron equipped with Lynx vehicles. In 1987, the 8th Canadian Hussars deployed to Canadian Forces Base Lahr in the former West Germany, while the Royal Canadian Dragoons replaced them in the Special Service Force at Petawawa after redeploying from Lahr. The 2nd Regiment, Royal Canadian Horse Artillery, had a parachute battery (E Battery) with 105 mm L5 Pack Howitzers and 2 Combat Engineer Regiment provided an Airborne Engineer Troop. Command and supporting elements of SSF Headquarters and Signals were Airborne, as were a platoon provided from 2 Field Ambulance and a Tactical Air Movements Section from 2 Service Battalion. In keeping with the Total Force concept that evolved in the late 1980s a number of combat arms units of the Army Reserve were assigned operational taskings to provide subordinate units in order to augment the Special Service Force when required. These sub-units were trained and kept at a high state of readiness and were provided by units from the Central Militia Area (later re-designated as Land Forces Central Area and now known as the 4th Canadian Division). Including the Parachute Company of the Queen's Own Rifles, elements of the 2nd Field Engineer Regiment, and a composite battery of the Royal Canadian Artillery, among others. Though ultimately the Special Service Force's readiness and deployability were never tested as a formation, its units and soldiers served in operations both at home and around the world. They served in Cyprus, Somalia, the former Yugoslavia, Rwanda, Namibia and internally at the protests in Ipperwash and southeastern Ontario.

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