 These men on skis are soldiers in the United States Army they are members of a special military Organization which was until recently highly classified today for the first time their story will be told on the big picture United States Army presents the big picture An official report produced for the armed forces and the American people One of the great mountain chains of Europe the Alps stretch from the Gulf of Genoa to Vienna Rising between the plains of northern Italy and southern Germany the town of bad tolls lies in an Alpine valley near Germany's Swiss border here is the American Army's Flint concern the home of the 10th special forces group in Europe until recently a secret military force The 10th is one of three special forces groups located in Europe in the continental United States and in the Far East The primary mission of all special forces units is to train and organize guerrilla resistance in enemy occupied territories This mission of course extends to enemy held terrain where and when liberation movements develop The role of the men of a special forces group is unique and its members are uniquely trained and qualified to carry out their Hazardous and adventurous assignments every man is a volunteer who has passed rigorous testing Average special forces team is composed of two officers and 13 enlisted men Every member of the team is first trained in a particular specialty demolition expert communication specialist and the like Every member of the team is then cross-trained Should the demolition expert on a team be injured or captured every other member of the team could handle the missing man's Assignment actually a special forces team member combines all the attributes of an instructor a paratrooper light and heavy weapons expert and medical specialist Operating behind enemy lines in hostile territory communications play a vital part in the working life of a team communications must be maintained between the team and the partisan with whom they work and between the team and its Headquarters every team member is a trained radio or wireless operator Because the job calls for rugged men with great physical endurance Calisthenics are not only an important part of the initial training period, but a day-to-day year-round activity At least an hour a day is spent in muscle building Periodic physical fitness tests guarantee that the team members are always in top shape In no other branch of any of the United States military services is the standard of physical fitness higher than in special forces Because the teams are trained as experts in guerrilla warfare a thorough knowledge of judo is required of the men Among the groups at bad tolls a man's hand is as deadly a weapon as a rifle or hand grenade It takes a year to develop an adequately trained member of a special forces group Language training is also included Additional months are spent in achieving the razor sharpness required in all the skills essential to the general mission Although the study of underwater diving techniques is not a required part of the training program at bad tolls 100% of the men here have volunteered to add skin diving to their list of specialties Strong lungs are essential in mountain climbing cross-country skiing and any sort of airborne operation Practice with aqua lungs helps to develop lung power Underlying the entire special forces training program is the cardinal rule learn to operate in any and all physical environments In mountains in snow in the desert the jungle even underwater Opportunity is lost in putting the men under conditions of hardship and stress Practice in switching aqua lungs underwater helps to develop a sense of discipline under artificially severe conditions It also makes for calm nerves in times of crisis Operations in southern Germany mountain climbing skills are demanded of the tenth special forces group Muscles conditioned by rope climbing in the gymnasium are put into use here on a nearly vertical cliff face Team members must be as adept at descending mountains as they are at ascending Paratrooping mountain climbing skin divers the incidence of accidents in special forces groups is no greater than that throughout the army in general This is solid evidence of the high degree of skill attained by these guerrilla warfare specialists It takes two months to train a novice in snow techniques Additional months of practice are needed to make these men experts To develop endurance among the special forces teams 20 or 30 mile cross-country hikes on snowshoes a routine The ability to move fast through any kind of terrain is a prime requisite of the special forces soldier in future Operations his life may well depend on such versatility Every team member is taught the basics of first aid and emergency medical treatment more than that One member of the team is a medical specialist. His rating is far higher than that of the ordinary medic He is qualified to perform simple operations in the field such as an appendectomy The knowledge that his team possesses a field doctor is reassuring to the special forces soldier So far as possible each team is prepared to be completely self-sufficient while operating in enemy territory Are parachute rigging experts attached to the special forces group? Every team member is also taught to rig a chute but his unit be sent away from home base Each individual will be fully qualified to repack his own parachute Understanding of how his parachute works gives the jumper added confidence just before diving out of the plane into space Each man will be equipped with two shoots the emergency chute and the larger backpack t10 This is an improved model of the parachute worn by airborne troops in World War two It's larger canopy and improved design make for easier descent and the increased maneuverability Reduces the chances of mid-air collisions During field training missions the many and varied skills of the special forces teams are put to test a Typical mission involves three different groups from bad tolls the attack unit being briefed here Another group who will play the role of partisans and a third unit which will act as an aggressor force at this joint briefing The drop zone is described and important landmarks pin pointed your first lieutenant thorn will describe the mission in his own words At 0400 hours my team killer group wolfhound. We shoot it up and ready to board Our mission was to meet with an underground partisan band and to help them destroy a vital railroad bridge in aggressor hell territory The bridge was nestled in a narrow valley, which the Air Force hadn't been able to bomb Just getting to the bridge site is going to be tough enough Really make things interesting. We've been ordered to accomplish our mission within a limited time period The partisans had been told by radio to expect us to land shortly before dawn We were counting on their meeting us near the drop zone At 0500 we were nearing the drop zone from drop time We had only seven hours with a lot to do it the drop zone on time so far so good Partisans are right on the spot ready to give us a hand when we land with our supplies and equipment With us we've brought skis radios weapons demolitions and medical supplies for ourselves and the partisans Enemy forces no partisans are operating in this area. We can't waste time out in the open Mountains will give us the cover and concealment we need by ski We head for our first destination partisan headquarters a few kilometers up the mountainside For their headquarters the partisans have selected an abandoned woodcutters hut from the drop zone to here We haven't passed another building or another person The hot looks like a perfect jumping-off spot for our mission the partisan leader in the beret goes under the cover name of Eric As well as demolitions for our primary target the bridge we've brought along anti-personnel mines Because part of our job is teaching we give the guerrillas a brief course in how the mines operate All but two of killer group Wolfhound will be heading for a highway near the bridge They'll plant the mines there as a diversion while two of us with the partisans hit the key target It's 0700 hours when we're ready to leave the hut Five hours left to complete the mission and according to Eric who speaks English and German We've got nearly 20 kilometers of rugged country to cover in that time Eric also tells us that the bridge will probably be heavily guarded. We place our skis facing the way we've come Once we yet we want to get out of there fast. Time is now 1145 hours Cross-mountain hike took longer than either Eric or I figured now We have less than 15 minutes to line up our operation strike and be on our way bridge on the river Ammer a rail link Over which the aggressor forces have been moving the bulk of their men and supplies into this part of Bavaria Discussing the bridge structure and demolition capabilities with me Eric the partisan leader outlines the plan of attack to his men They'll split into two groups one for the guards the other to ready the m3 explosive charges and wiring one of the ticklish parts of our assignment If the rest of my team and the other partisans have done their job a large part of the aggressor's forces will be off on a wild goose chase But those aggressors remaining at the command post are still too close for comfort just up the hill beyond the bridge We can't make a sound until we actually blow the bridge Running short if we're going to meet the timetable laid out less than eight minutes They overtake us our mission will only be partly successful We've got to move fast and keep distance between them and us can't slow down This is when our endurance and training must pay off Eric can still see aggressor patrols in close pursuit How distance the aggressors they'll be forced to withdraw and so mission accomplished Successfully the team has a right to feel proud, but that doesn't mean they'll be resting on their laurels Flint concern at bottox climbing mountains or making practice jumps. It's a rugged exciting job And no soldier with 10th special forces would have it any other way and the American people Oriole Center Presented by the Department of the Army in cooperation with the state