Information AboutAlamo Scouts |
| CATEGORIES ABOUT ALAMO SCOUTS | |
| special forces of the united states | |
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ORIGINS They were organized on Fergusson Island, New Guinea , on November 28 , 1943 . The purpose of the unit's existence was to conduct reconnaissance and raider work in the Southwest Pacific Theater. They were under direct and personal command of then Lt. General Walter Krueger , Commanding General of the Sixth U.S. Army. Kreuger sought to create an all voluneer elite unit consisting of small teams which could operate deep behind enemy lines. Their mission was to gather intelligence and reconnaissance for the Sixth U.S. Army. The unit was so named because of Kreuger's association with San Antonio, Texas and because of his admiration for the defenders of the Alamo. ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND LEGACY In its first two years of operation they were credited with the liberation of 197 Allied prisoners in New Guinea. In February of 1945 they provided tactical support for the Sixth Ranger Battallion during their raid of the Cabanatuan Prison Camp . They were also credited with the capture of 84 Japanese prisoners of war. The Alamo Scouts performed 106 known missions behing enemy lines in the Pacific, mainly in New Guinea and in the Philippines without losing a single man and thus having one of the finest records of any elite unit in World War II. They were disbanded at Kyoto , Japan , in November 1945. In 1988, the Alamo Scouts were individually awarded the ''Special Forces'' Shoulder Tab in recognition for their services in WWII and are included in the lineage of the current United States Special Forces. EXTERNAL LINKS |
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