This is Monte La Difensa in Italy.
A 963 meter former volcano
that dominates the approach to Rome.
This is where the First Special
Service Force made its name.
The Force was created in August of
1942 during the Second World War.
It was a joint Canadian-American
Special Operations Forces
organization designed for commando
operations. In 1943, while
the allies were gaining ground
and pushing back the Germans,
the Force was deployed to
the Mediterranean theatre.
On arrival to Italy, the
Force was attached to 2nd
corps 5th army, which in
November of 1943 was stalled
at the gateway to the Liri Valley.
German defences on
Monte La Difensa and surrounding
peaks blocked their
access to Rome. 2nd Corps
had already tried multiple
assaults up the southern slope:
They were all unsuccessful.
The Force was now given the task of taking the Mountain.
Their approach would be different.
Well, they were going to try and go around
behind the German lines and up the cliff.
You just couldn’t get up the front way.
At the start when we got
out of the trucks it was mud. And it
was pouring rain. But in the long run
that was good because they couldn’t
see us at night in the rain.
And we finally got out of the ruts where the
trucks and that had been and little
better ground and we just kept marching.
And it stopped raining.
You really didn’t get any perspective of what
you were doing until the night after
when you started up on the cliffs. It
just didn’t give you anything at all.
"The difficulty of the climb
with combat loads was compounded
by the dark night and the wet,
treacherous terrain.
Scrambling in the dark up the rocky trail
with every foot and handhold
doubtful demanded superhuman
effort by men loaded with
weapons, ammunition, radios and litters.
To our ears, every rock
displaced clattered downhill
with sound magnified a thousand
times and raised the
question in our minds,
'did the enemy hear this?,
a not very comforting thought." Major Ed Thomas
When we started to go up we
had… they say it was a 900
gun artillery barrage that
lasted for four hours.
The noise allowed the boys
in the lead to get the
ropes up and we got on those
without being found out.
Music
Having just recreated the climb
here on La Difensa, we are truly
in awe of the accomplishment
of the veterans on that day.
Using top of the line equipment,
during the day, in optimal
conditions, we can only imagine
what it was like for them.
In imminent presence of the enemy, in
darkness, the fear of the unknown...
We are truly in awe of
their accomplishment
that day, and we can only hope
to honour that as we move
forward with our history and
we will endeavour to do that.
Music
Once the Forcemen reached the top of the cliff,
the battle was only half over.
They now had to advance
over 300 meters over this
terrain to attack the German
positions from the rear.
"Suddenly the sound of rocks
falling, a German voice
challenging our two scouts.
All hell broke loose!
5th Section dove behind a small ridge
of rocks immediately in front of them.
6th Section sprawled to the left in a more
exposed position.
German machine gun fire was withering,
hitting the rocks in front of us and
spraying shale all around
us." Don Mackinnon
It didn't take them long to get switched
around (laughs).
They were a good outfit
the Hermann Goering boys.
Some of these German soldiers were
good and they were a good lot.
So it was a tough fight
while it lasted, once they got it,
and got out of the saucer, and contrary
to what some other people think, yes
there were prisoners taken. Reflecting
on that afterwards is a thing.
My God if you hadn't had proper training in that
what would have happened and that was
the main thing, without proper training,
you'd be lost. That's the whole point
and that's why Special Forces are special,
because they are properly trained.
The complexities of close combat in mountain
terrain such as this, really does speak
to the strength of special operations forces.
This kind of terrain is non-conducive to
conventional type tactics: That’s where the
First Special Service Force demonstrated their
strength in taking La Difensa. The lessons
learned here on this mountain are extent even
today and where used extensively by the
Canadian Special Operations Regiment in its
pre-deployment mountain training for Afghanistan.
That warrior spirit, that mental and
physical toughness demonstrated by those
Forcemen of the First Special Service Force in
La Difensa are the foundation for our ethos
of the Canadian Special Operations Regiment.
Music
On top of Mount La Difensa, it’s
important to reflect not only
on the battle itself, but of
the lifelong bonds that were
formed between Forcemen of two great nations.
Whether part of
this battle or not, the courage
and tenacity that were shown on
this mountaintop created friendships
that would last a lifetime,
cross borders and transcend generations.
In fact, the
memories and friendships formed
on this mountaintop have done
more to sustain the legend of the
force than the battle itself.
After the battle Colonel Frederick’s
immediate superior praised: I am fully
cognizant of the stubbornness of the enemy
and the difficulties of weather and
terrain encountered in the seizure of
Mount Difensa and Hill 907 and of the
bravery, fortitude and resourcefulness
with which your command overcame them.
The Force captured the summit
on 3 December 1943.
However, it took a full 6 days to clear the
entire feature.
In the process,they suffered 23% casualties.
With the Canadian and American
blood shed on this mountain,
the Force became a legend.