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Read an issue on 19 Sep 1999 in Lethbridge, Alberta and find what was happening, who was there, and other important and exciting news from the times. You can also check out other issues in The Lethbridge Herald.
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Lethbridge Herald, The (Newspaper) - September 19, 1999, Lethbridge, Alberta
Sunday september 19. 1999 the sunday Herald b3 a weekly look at Southern Alberta s living his or Devil s brigade Jack Knight looks Back proudly on the time he spent with this elite group of fighting men by Garry Allison Lethbridge Herald saturday a portion of Highway fro Coutts to Lethbridge was named the first special ser vice Force memorial Highway in honour of a very elite group of fighting men. They were an elite Force to be sure. Lack Knight bom in Lethbridge and raised in Woolford was one of volunteers from cats for the Canadian contingent of the first special service Force. Of those volunteers 250 were deemed eligible to write the exams to get in and 72 of them passed. The 72 were sent to Ottawa for Security checks and Only 6f were left to move to the training base at Helena Mon Tana. Only 18 completed training. We were the first Ever special service Force and the special forces of the Canadian army have now assumed our Battle says Knight now 80 years of age. Today s equivalent of the first special service Force which went on to be known As the Devil s brigade would be the United states Green berets. The combined elite Canadian and american unit numbered 769 canadians at the Start of the second world War. The numbers course As the War progressed and replacements came and went for the wounded and dead. Tie lowest number was 485, right after the Anzio beachhead. The first special service Force was the concept of general George Marshall and sir win Ston Churchill and was created equally of volunteers from the american and Canadian armies. Their training began july at fort Harrison West of Helena. The men concentrated on Raider and commando tactics survival training Mountain climbing skiing weapons training hand to hand combat and fought mock Battles in the Montana mountains. They Learned amphibious combat in Virginia and fought mock Battles in the cold of Vermont. Their Battle credits include some of the most Well known Battles of the War including the aleutians aug. 15-19, 1343 Naples Foggia sept. 9 to Jan. Rome Arno Jan. 2 to sept. 9, 1944 Southern France aug. 15 to sept. And the Rhineland sept. 15, 1944 to March by july 1943 the Force was mobilized ship Ping out of san Francisco to Amchitka in the Aleutian Chain of islands off Alaska. They went ashore on Kiska to eliminate the japanese invader on aug. 15, 1943. On aug. 18 it was determined All the japanese troops had been evacuated under the cover of fog Only hours before our first Landing in the late night aug. Says Knight. It was a big letdown for Many of our people but if the japanese had held fast and fought hard Many of our people would have died in the aleutians who lived to die in Italy and the next 85 Days took them around the world into the ranks of the fifth army in Italy. Knight says in Italy there was always one More Moun Tain and then one Day they were sent to Anzio a beachhead which lasted 123 Days. Those were Days of major he says. The next major operation was the invasion of Southern France to Liber ate the French Herald photo by Garry Alison Rifg in prance Vas in service of his country at left Jack Knight poses with his medals. Above he is seen decades earlier at the training base in Helena Montana. One year to the hour after they fought in the aleutians Italy and France and in 251 Days of combat suffered casualties captured More than prisoners and won five . Campaign stars and eight Canad an Battle honours. The Force never failed a says Knight his voice breaking with emotion. Dur ing All the time in combat the first special ser vice Force never gave up a foot of ground. We worked we sweated we prayed we cried we advanced out of danger and we Lucky ones know that sweat saved blood. I had a million dollars Worth of experiences but 1 would t give Yon a dime for another one. I joined in july 1942 and finished up in South Ern France dec., 1944.1 was in it right from when the Force was formed. You know at the end we All lined up on Parade and they ordered the canadians to fall out. Fellows fell out that i thought were Ameri cans and other stood pal that i thought were canadians. Over the course of time it did t make any difference if you were Canadian or american we came together As a Knight was among the few remaining Canad an and american members of the first special service Force on hand saturday at milk River for the dedication of plaques renaming the Coutts to Lethbridge portion of the newly twinned Highway 4 to the first special service Force memorial Highway. No shame in being scared remembers Knight combat is a frightening experience. I m sure in combat i was the scared est Man they had Over there 1 Don t think i could be any More frightened and still be alive to talk about says staff sgt. Jack Knight a recipient of the United states Silver Star for valour in Battle with the first special service Force known As the Devil s brigade. That does t sound very Noble i know but that s How it another Southern Alberta Silver Star Winner was Doug Peterson of Cardston and Ross Orr of Montreal won the american congressional medal of honour that country s highest award. Knight who was among the first 200 with he Force awarded his wings As a paratrooper remembers War As hell As a place where the pack mules would break Down and die and the men would pick up their loads and carry on. Knight was officially wounded twice though he was hit on other occasions. The first time was a real Surprise. I suffered a slight wound on the top of my he says with a smile As he runs his hand through his while hair. A German was just playing with a machine gun firing across the Cliffs and hit me. He had no idea we were even there. They put on a Bandage thai went Down to my eyebrows and the next Day when they took the Bandage off to examine the wound they replaced it with two band aids. I received a lot of sympathy for the Bandage but not the band another wound resulted from a nearby explosion when shrapnel hit his left leg. It happened during the breakout on the Anzio Beach head and the Man right next to Knight was Hurt much worse. Knight was Light and the blast hurled him through the air. His heavy compan Ion took the Brunt of the blast. "1 was picked up with the Shell burst and thrown and he was hit with All the Knight says. In 1951 doctors took out seven pieces of shrapnel from that burst and in 1981 the last piece was taken out. But i still have enough pieces of shrapnel left in me to set off Airport one of Knight s friends in the special service Force was Stan Waters who went on to become Canada s first elected senator. Knight says Waters had some pointed feelings about War including the fact sweat saved blood. In other words work hard to be prepared and you won t get shot. Waters also Felt a key to War was to Advance out of danger. Knight remembers Many buddies from the brigade including Steve Wright who started out in Lethbridge in 1941 and was killed sept. 13, 1944. He also remembers when Doug Pererson was awarded his Silver Star in London along with Tommy Price the most decorated native Soldier of the War. As Well there were others like Roy cuff a cup detective out of Lethbridge and Jim Peebles and Bob Rowntree both of Lethbridge. Rowntree and i Peebles were working for purity Dairy owned by the Fabbi family when the War broke says Knight. And believe it or not i ran into mrs. Fabbi during the fighting in Rome. I ducked into a doorway for Protection and this woman was standing there. She asked where i was from and when i said , she just dissolved into tears. We talked for a while and she said it was extremely important i Tell Peebles and Rowntree she was alive and in the brigade was always receiving reinforce ments and in France were supported by what they called the hot Cliborn regiment four or five women and an older Man who supported tie soldiers at outposts. They knew the county Brand trails the Back ways and were Able to get us through places we did t know anything says Knight. They knew their country they were the free French Knight has seen the movie Devil s brigade starring William Horien and Cliff Robertson but does t think much of its authenticity. How Ever the scene with the brigade scaling the Cliff Walls at night to come in behind the enemy was very authentic he says. Thai was filmed in Utah and there Are a lot of Southern Alberta kids in that film As he says. Knight says the rations were reasonably Good As they existed for 14 months on hash meat and vegetable hash meat and vegetable Stew and weiners and Beans. You had one for breakfast a different one for had gone the Mutton route at Helena during train ing so the Field rations looked Good. They d use a Small tin of Sand soaked in gasoline As a Cook stove letting the rations heat up and Hen Cool a bit so the fat floated to the lop. When it cooled off we d flick the fat off and Knight says. The rations weren t Tough. What was Tough was seeing our people Para Chute the rations to us and watch them Drift away behind German the Devil s brigade was in some Tough Bat Les from the aleutians to the Anzio Beach head which lasted 123 Days and the liberation of France for which they received the French liberation medal. I was involved in numerous landings in the aleutians North Africa Southern Italy the March into Rome and the French inlays. Canadians in Southern France were among the first troops to hit the Beach about 400 of us. We went in at 20 minutes to 11, the night before and marked the beaches for the main who s the Best you can help us answer these questions As the Lethbridge Herald looks Back on a Century of sports in Southern Alberta. Mail your submissions to a Century of sports the Lethbridge Herald 504 7 St. S. Lethbridge a t1j 3z7. Or fax them to 629-9355. Submissions can also be emailed to Dave Sulz for More information about the project Call Dave Sulz at 328-4411, ext. 320 during office hours or 328-4418 in which were Southern Alberta s greatest sports teams of the past Century who were the greatest athletes team up with us As we celebrate 100 years of sports in the South with a special millennium edition to be published later this year. Send us your choices for Southern Alberta s greatest team As Well As greatest male and female athletes of the past Century and Tell us what made them great
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