Devils Brigade

[Troy13]

I just saw a couple of episodes of the living history series Devils Brigade and wondered if anyone else did? It was fascinating. It was full of footage and interviews with FSSF vets. I saw it on KERA 13 here in Dallas so you might have to look for reruns of it in you local areas. Here is one link to it that I found Devils Brigade

 

Here is a description of the series and its episodes.

 

Relive the danger and excitement of the Brigade’s daring excursions in the new American Public Television-distributed series DEVIL’S BRIGADE, airing on public television nationwide beginning July 1, 2008. Follow along with a select band of special forces troops from the United States and Canada as they re-create one of the Brigade’s most famous missions—the nighttime conquest of a dangerous, German-controlled mountain in the middle of the Italy. The special brings two select groups of highly-skilled American and Canadian commandos together in Montana to train using the same methods and equipment as the Brigade did in the 1940s. Upon completion of their training, only those who pass are permitted to re-enact one of the key Brigade missions of the war: the dangerous capture of Monte la Difensa, defended by a battalion of real German soldiers.

 

Featuring gripping cinematography, interviews with original Brigade members and archival footage from the original unit, DEVIL’S BRIGADE is both a tribute to professional soldiers and an insightful look at the realities military men and women face.

 

Episode #101

 

Upon their arrival in Montana, the modern-day soldiers face the harsh training regimen of the original Devil’s Brigade. The physical demands and lessons in hand-to-hand combat as taught by a tough 60-year-old Canadian Army Commando are a rude awakening for some and a combat mission doesn’t go exactly as planned.

 

Episode #102

 

Devil’s Brigade training continues with rock climbing, weapons training and target practice in Montana. One soldier is injured and forced to leave while another faces his demons while an attempt to scale sheer cliffs. The soldiers then embark on another practice mission with a timed assault on a bridge.

 

Episode #103

 

Our team continues with hand-to-hand training and learns the history of booby traps and German mines. In high-altitude parachute training, the soldiers face the terrifying decision of whether or not to jump from a plane 11,000 feet above the ground. As their time in Montana comes to a close, the participants meet the real survivors — the FSSF veterans — and the soldiers’ final mission overseas is revealed.

 

Episode #104

 

Our team takes on the mission that made the Devil’s Brigade a legend. They must scale and capture an Italian mountain in the middle of the night where a battalion of real German soldiers awaits them. But the mountain itself is as much of an enemy as the Germans — the dangerous mission nearly kills one soldier as the group attempts the silent climb to the top while the vets recount the harrowing tale of the actual mission they experienced. At the conclusion of the exercise, soldiers on both sides discuss their experiences.

 

If you get a chance to see it, it is really interesting.

 

Troy