We Move Only Forward: Canada, The United States, and The First Special Service Force, 1942-1944

by James Wood

In the summer of 1942, six months after the American entry into the Second World War, the Canadian Army authorized the movement of nearly seven hundred soldiers to the United States for training as part of the First Special Service Force. From that summer until disbandment, Canadian and American soldiers served in a completely integrated military formation, a "North American" force that was without parallel in the history of either nation - even though the Force often proved a frustrating exercise in military cooperation.
From the Aleutian Islands to the wartorn hills of Italy, from the Anzio Beachhead to the liberation of Rome and the invasion of Southern France, the First Special Service Force distinguished itself in combat and is today remembered as a proudly shared inheritance of two North American nations.

We Move Only Forward presents the history of the Force from a Canadian perspective, focusing on the efforts taken in Ottawa, Washington and overseas to maintain a Canadian presence in the Force. This book traces the course of a complicated relationship between the First Special Service Force and those military bureaucracies. Set against a background of success in the field, difficulties arising from cooperation between unequal partners led to a gradual erosion of the unit's elite character, ending in December 1944, when the Force was disbanded and the Canadian element was quietly withdrawn.

240 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2007

About the author

James Wood grew up in Ipswich on the East Anglian coast and now lives and works in West London. A playwright by trade and a primary teacher by calling, his work has been staged across the capital, with productions at The Old Court Windsor, Libra Theatre, the Bread & Roses, and the Arches Lane Theatre at Battersea Power Station, where he was selected by Kibo Productions to present his play Prove It All Night! for a five-night run. His scripts - including Independence Day, Marin County, CLIFF, and The Wolves of St Matthew’s - blend character-driven storytelling with a keen sense of place and the lives shaped within it.

Reviews

[Christopher · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wood takes a critical look at the First Special Service Force. While he certainly describes the heroic exploits of the U.S. and Canadian soldiers, he laments the poor administrative support that plagued the Force once it was committed to combat. This was the Force's Achillies heel.

The lack of a practical replacement and training system that would keep the Force's special skills from attritting was absent and Wood lays the blame squarely on the Force's leader, Fredrick. While at this fair, Fredrick alone is not to blame. The Force was positioned for a special mission that never materialized. Then, it was thrust into combat with no way to mend after inevitable losses. When replacements arrived, the training was insufficient to bring them to the same level as their peers. In one case a group of Canadians was going to the Force without even a familiarization with the American weapons they would use. They were eventually given 60 hours of training to get them ready to meet the Force on the Anzio beachhead. An American example was similar; after the debacle of Cisterna, two Ranger Battalions were folded into the Force as replacements. The rangers and Forcemen both thought themselves the better and tension ensued.

Overall, this is a well-researched and different perspective on the First Special Service Force. It ties the strategic decisions happening in Ottawa, Washington, and London to the actions on training grounds and battlefields. A worthy and insightful read.