The taking of Monte la Difensa
Story by Sharon Adams
Lumberjacks, mountaineers, construction skywalkers, hard-rock miners, wilderness prospectors—only the hardiest men were sought for the First Special Service Force, a Canada-U.S. joint venture to deploy troops against the highest odds in the toughest terrain of the Second World War.
After a year, 1,400 hard-bitten commandos emerged from this rigorous training, 697 of them Canadian—the Devil’s Brigade. In early December 1943, they were tasked with capturing Monte la Difensa in Italy.
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