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NOTICE
The time has come! Eight years ago the Prairie Winds Caches were published for "Best of the Bad" Mega, and 2 cache owner groups have been maintaining them. It is time to archive the series, but we would like more people to receive a Prairie Winds coin first.
NOTE: All the Prairie Winds caches will be archived as of the 8th of September, 2020.
The new requirement is: You must have logged, as found, at least 20 Prairie Winds caches to earn a Prairie Winds geocoin. Once you qualify (before September 8, 2020), contact cache owner at lthbridge@gmail.com to receive a coin.
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This is a multi cache with the clues to the second and final phase located at the coordinates given on this page. You must be south bound on Highway 4 to access this clue.The Devils' Brigade
The First Special Service Force was formed 9th July 1942 as a joint Canadian – U.S. force consisting of three small regiments and a service battalion. Fort William Henry Harrison in Helena, Montana was chosen as the primary training location.
In October of 1943 the Force was deployed to Italy. It earned its reputation almost immediately as a skilled and unique fighting unit. British and American troops suffered many casualties trying to take the strategic enemy defensive position on a mountain top called Camino Ridge, so it was given to the Special Service Force. On a cold winter night in November, the force scaled the cliffs on the north face of the mountain with ropes. The surprised Germans were soon overrun.
In January the force was moved to the beachhead at Anzio. It was here that the Germans began calling the First Special Services Force the “Devils’ Brigade". A diary found on a dead German contained a passage that said, “The black devils are all around us every time we come into line”. The reference to “black” was likely due to the fact that the Special Services soldiers would darken their faces with black shoe polish for their night operations.
They also had another trademark that they debut at Anzio. During night patrols soldiers would carry stickers depicting the unit patch with the slogan written in German: “Das dicke Ende kommt noch,” which is said to translate to “The Worst is yet to come”. They would place these stickers on German corpses and fortifications. It was also at Anzio that the Special Services Force fought for 99 days without relief.
In August of 1944 the force was redeployed to take part in the invasion of southern France and in December disbanded. In carrying out its operations, this 1800 man unit accounted for some 12,000 German casualties, captured some 7,000 prisoners and sustained an attrition rate of over 600%.
It was from this pioneering Special Forces unit that evolved modern day special forces such as the American Green Berets and Delta Force; and the Canadian JTF2 and CSOR. In 2001, Canada’s JTF2 and Delta Force united to conduct special assignments during the invasion of Afghanistan.
Wartime Decorations:
A large number of the Devils’ Brigade members were honored for their acts of valor, including Tommy Prince, Canada’s most decorated aboriginal soldier. In 2010, Richard Barber received the French Legion of Honor from Nicolas Sarkozy.
Memorial:
In 1999, Alberta Highway 4 from Lethbridge, and Interstate 15 to Helena Montana was renamed the “First Special Service Force Memorial Highway”. This section of highway was chosen because it was the route taken by Canadian volunteers in 1942 to join their American counterparts for training at Fort Harrison.
Their exploits have also been topics of Hollywood movies and documentaries;
The 1968 film The Devils’ Brigade starred William Holden, Cliff Robertson and Vince Edwards was based on the forces taking of Camino Ridge.
Quentin Tarantino’s film “Inglorious Bastards” features a character called “Aldo the Apache” played by Brad Pitt. On his uniform he wears the Special Services Force crossed arrow collar insignia and red arrowhead shoulder patch.
Tommy Prince:
On February 10, 2010 It was announced that Canadian Actor, Adam Beach, will portray the Canadian war hero in an upcoming movie about his life. According to Bay Film Studios, the movie will be a "true account of Canada's most highly decorated First Nations soldier." Beach, 37, said he is honored to portray Prince, calling him a positive role model for all First Nations.
Since his passing, a number of honors have been bestowed in his name. Some of them are:
• Sgt. Tommy Prince Street – Winnipeg, Manitoba;
• Sgt Tommy Prince School – Scanterbury, Manitoba;
• The "Tommy Prince Barracks" at Canadian Forces Base, Petawawa, Ontario;
• The "Tommy Prince Drill Hall" at the Land Force Western Area Training Centre in Wainwright, Alberta;
• Government of Canada "Sergeant Tommy Prince Army Training Initiative" for aboriginal recruiting;
• The "Tommy Prince Award": An Assembly of First Nations scholarship;
• The "Tommy Prince Scholarship" at Sault College, Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario;
• 553 Sgt. Tommy Prince PPCLI Cadet Corps, Winnipeg, Manitoba;
• Tommy Prince Road in the Valor Park/Victoria Cross Park - a mixed-use development of Currie Barracks in Calgary, Alberta (2010)
Information source: Wikipedia
If anyone is interested in learning more about the "Devil's Brigade," there is a wonderful museum located at Ft Harrison, just outside of Helena, MT.