Movie |
Italy | Commando
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The Devil's Brigade actually existed; its formal military designation was the First Special Service Force (FSSF), and alternatively known as the "Black Devils". It was indeed a joint American-Canadian unit, was comprised of three regiments of two battalions each, and was envisioned for difficult, cold-weather, mountain-warfare missions. The members were known as "Forcemen". Initially earmarked for Northern Europe, the FSSF was first sent to the Pacific, then to the Italian campaign, before finishing its service in southern France in 1944. During World War II, the brigade suffered casualty rates of 39%. Upon disbandment in 1944, each nations' Forcemen were incorporated into their national armies. Veterans of the Devil's Brigade have been meeting each year since 1945, in Montana, at the former training facility depicted in the movie, although in the movie, filming took place in Utah, as a stand-in for Montana.
When O'Neill arrives, the regiment patch on his shoulder reads PPCLI. This stands for the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry, a real regiment, named for Princess Patricia of Connaught. It originated in Ottawa, Ontario, in August 1914, later based in the area of Edmonton, Alberta, and continues as an active unit as of 2015. The "Patricia's" celebrated their 100th anniversary in 2014.
On the 30-mile hike, Maj. Bricker (Vince Edwards) tells the US troops, "Alright now--look alive! I know this is route step, but shape up!". "Route step" is a marching maneuver where troops don't have to keep cadence (stay in step) but should keep distance, interval, and alignment. This is similar to "At ease, march" but you are allowed to talk. Route step is primarily used when marching over bridges that may or may not be safe. Marching in cadence could create sympathetic vibrations in the bridge that could cause a collapse.
Robert T. Frederick, the commander of the Devil's Brigade, had a mustache in real life, but William Holden, who reportedly did not like his image on film with a mustache, refused to grow or wear a false one, so the film's Frederick is clean-lipped. Just one year later, Holden did agree to wear a mustache (a false one) in The Wild Bunch (1969) after several arguments with Sam Peckinpah.
The First Special Service Force is considered to be the predecessor to the US Army Special Forces (aka The Green Berets).
"Maj. Alan Crown: [after the Canadians finished singing a mocking version of 'Yankee Doodle'] Corporal Peacock, your stripes are not a licence to behave like an ass. There will be no more insulting or derogatory remarks about the Yanks, is that clear? Cpl. Wilfrid Peacock: Yes, sir. Cpl. Wilfrid Peacock: [addressing the Canadians] There will be no more insulting or derogatory remarks about the Yanks. Pvt. Hugh MacDonald: Oh, would ordinary insults be acceptable, sir?"
"Pvt. Billy 'Bronc' Guthrie: [referring to Henri] One of them's a frog, boys. Why don't you say something, froggy! Pvt. Henri Laurent: Merde. Pvt. Rockwell 'Rocky' Rockman: What the hell does that mean? Cpl. Wilfrid Peacock: [to Rocky] To most people, it's an insult. But to you, I'd say it's a compliment."
