2013 $5 - DEVIL'S BRIGADE - FINE SILVER COIN

Theme:
In the midst of the Second World War, Canada and the United States, created a unit that struck fear in its opponents by silently striking at their front lines, swiftly dislodging them from terrain considered impassable, and fighting with the ferocity of a force several times its size. The First Special Service Force (1942-1944) was the first elite special services combat force, forerunner to distinguished units such as Canada’s Joint-Task-Force 2, not to mention the United States’ Navy Seals, Delta Force, and Green Berets.
Description:
The First Special Service Force was the first and only time Canada and the U.S. joined military forces in this way. The two nations’ collaboration is highlighted by the stylized star and maple leaf, layered with the FSSF (First Special Service Force) shoulder patch that united them in joint missions. Every soldier of the FSSF wore this symbol on his left sleeve. The reverse also features the names of both nations while its arrowhead shape can be interpreted to symbolize the warrior spirit of the FSSF.

Special Features:

• A commemoration of the First Special Service Force from the Second World War—a unique source of military pride for Canada and the U.S. expertly crafted in 99.99% pure silver.
• This premium numismatic version is a replica of the recently released bullion design from the Royal Canadian Mint. This version is executed in a frosted finish on a proof background.
• This coin is perfect for anyone who has ever admired the physical and mental discipline and collaboration that human beings can achieve—and the incredible speed and precision with which military personnel can carry out a mission.

Product specifications:
Item number: 126711
UPC: 6-23932-05046-4
Face Value: 5 dollars
Mintage: 20,000
Composition: 99.99 % pure silver
Weight (g): 23.17
Diameter (mm): 36.07
Edge: Serrated
Finish: Proof
Artist: Ardell Bourgeois
Advertising date: July 3, 2013
Launch date: July 9, 2013

Packaging:
The coin is encapsulated and presented in a Royal Canadian Mint branded maroon clamshell case lined with flock and protected by a black sleeve.
Finished Packaging Size:
67 mm x 67 mm

Complete Certificate Text:
United against a common foe—
The First Special Service Force (1942-1944)
During the Second World War, Canada and the U.S. forged an elite combat unit from their respective forces to mount a cooperative offence against their common enemy. It was the first and only time that soldiers from the two nations would be seamlessly combined in this manner—training, equipment, uniform and all.

Of the 2,100 men, roughly 40% were from Canada; a land well-known for its rugged explorers, hunters and woodsmen who would be perfectly suited to the intense training and dangerous missions of the First Special Service Force (FSSF)—stealth airborne, mountain, ski, amphibious, demolition and hand-to-hand tactics carried out on difficult terrain in order to neutralize the enemy’s key positions and infrastructures.

The FSSF’s first deployment was to the Aleutian Islands of Alaska in August 1943, and by November, it was fighting its way north through the mountains of Italy, performing such death-defying acts as scaling up 90 m (300 ft) cliffs at night to seize the enemy-held summit of Monte la Difensa. Other missions included the defence of the Anzio beachhead where the men fought for 90 days conducting deadly nightly raids that soon inspired the nickname “Black Devils.” Heavy fighting and casualties during the breakout from Anzio (May) led to the advance on Rome and the capture of six Tiber bridges (June). In August, the FSSF carried out an amphibious assault in support of Operation DRAGOON in southern France before clearing the French coastline east towards Italy—its final major mission before being disbanded on December 5, 1944. The FSSF was operational for only two years, but it demonstrated the power of uniting national forces against a common foe with a level of skill, versatility and spirit that would reverberate among future elite forces like the US Army Special Forces and Canadian Special Operations Regiment in decades to follow.