War Stories of the Filthy Thirteen

I was in the Third Grade when I first laid eyes on this photo. I remember how uneasy it made me feel. The appearance of these Soldiers was frightening to me. They were the scariest Soldiers I had ever seen and decades later they remain so. I was just starting to learn about World War Two and was just beginning to grasp the different ways that we engaged the enemy. I learned who the guys in this picture are and what they did and I couldn’t imagine anything more frightening… or exciting. The Mohawks and the War Paint had the effect of making me actually be fearful of these guys. They are a fearsome sight. Like I said, they are the scariest Soldiers I’ve ever seen. The Germans were even more frightened of them.

They were called “The Filthy Thirteen”.

Hollywood introduced them to us as The Dirty Dozen.

They tell some pretty good stories.

In honored memory of all those who began the Great Crusade this Day in 1944…

History records their accomplishments. I’m thankful that someone made it a priority to record these stories that would otherwise be lost.