Richard Kilblane, an author and veteran of the Army's Special Forces, dives into the captivating story of Jake McNiece and the infamous Filthy Thirteen, a WWII demolition unit. He shares tales of McNiece's rebellious spirit and unconventional leadership that stood out during his boot camp days. The podcast explores the group's daring missions before D-Day and the bonds formed under chaotic circumstances. Kilblane also highlights McNiece's journey from mischief-maker to a respected leader, illustrating the complexities of camaraderie and courage in wartime.
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The Tobacco Sneak
Jake McNiece, as high school football captain, solved a crucial game moment with an unorthodox tactic.
To create an opening, he called a quarterback sneak, distracting the opponent by spitting tobacco in his eye, leading to a touchdown.
insights INSIGHT
Why Airborne?
Jake McNiece volunteered for the paratroopers because he wanted to serve alongside trustworthy men in combat.
He believed paratroopers possessed a higher caliber of fighting spirit and offered a better chance of facing the enemy directly.
question_answer ANECDOTE
Boot Camp Shenanigans
Jake McNiece's boot camp experience was marked by both athletic excellence and disciplinary issues.
From stealing a train to blowing up stumps and getting into fights, his rebellious nature frequently clashed with military rules.
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Convoy Ambush Case Studies, Volume 2, Iraq and Afghanistan
Convoy Ambush Case Studies, Volume 2, Iraq and Afghanistan
Richard Killblane
The Filthy Thirteen
Richard Killblane
The Filthy Thirteen tells the story of a close-knit group of brawling soldiers known for their hard-drinking and uncompromising behavior. Led by Jake McNiece, this unit parachuted behind enemy lines on D-Day and played a crucial role in the Allied victory. The book provides an inside look at the exploits of these legendary paratroopers.
Convoy Ambush Case Studies, Volume 1, Vietnam and Korea
Convoy Ambush Case Studies, Volume 1, Vietnam and Korea
Richard Killblane
If you have any interest in World War II, then you've surely seen one of the most arresting photographs to come out of that conflict. In it, members of the 101st Airborne Division can be seen sporting mohawks and applying war paint to each other's faces right before they're set to parachute into Normandy. The idea for that pre-battle ritual came from Jake McNiece, part Choctaw Indian and the section sergeant of the Army's notorious "Filthy Thirteen" demolition unit, who had already proved himself a highly unorthodox leader long before the countdown to D-Day.
Today on the show, Richard Killblane shares the story of Jake McNiece and the Filthy Thirteen with us. Richard is the author of two books about the unit — The Filthy Thirteen and War Paint — and is himself a veteran of the Army's Special Forces who served at every level in the military from private soldier to company commander, and ended his career as the Command Historian for the U.S. Army Transportation Corps. Richard describes how you could already see the kind of hell-raising-but-effective leader McNiece would become during his youth in Oklahoma, and why McNiece chose to become a paratrooper. Richard then talks about all the trouble McNiece got into during boot camp, how he ended up leading a section of fellow renegades, and why his superior officers kept him around despite his pattern of engaging in deliberate disobedience. Richard then explains what was going on with the Filthy Thirteen's pre-Normandy Invasion mohawks and war paint, and what McNiece and his men did on D-Day and during the rest of the war. Richard explains why it was that McNiece got promoted, despite never changing his rebellious ways, and we end our conversation with his surprising transformation after the war.
The Art of Manliness 
