The Filthy Thirteen were a sub-unit of the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, of the 101st Airborne Division, of the US army. The unit was specially selected to exterminate enemy targets behind enemy lines. Most of the unit lost their lives in a mission to destroy a bridge during the Normandy Invasion of Europe in 1944.

The members of the unit were: John Agnew, Roland R. Baribeau, Robert S. Cone, James F. Green, John Hale, James E. Leech, Jake McNiece, Lt. Charles Mellen, Joseph Oleskiewicz, Frank Palys, Herb Pierce, Charles Plaudo, George Radeka, Andrew Rasmussen, Brincely Stroup, Clarence Ware, and Jack Womer. Of their activities, John Agnew said, “"We weren’t murderers or anything, we just didn’t do everything we were supposed to do in some ways and did a whole lot more than they wanted us to do in other ways. We were always in trouble.”

You can be sure that these men would be able to guide themselves through difficult foreign terrain in complete darkness, without the guide of any led gu10 bulbs!