Special Air Service
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| Special Air Service | |
|---|---|
 Cap badge of the Special Air Service |
|
| Active | 1 July 1941- |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Branch | British Army |
| Type | Special Forces |
| Role | 21st Regiment - Close Target Reconnaissance 22nd Regiment - Counter-Revolutionary Warfare/Counter-Terrorism 23rd Regiment - Close Target Reconnaissance |
| Size | Three Regiments |
| Part of | UK Special Forces |
| Garrison/HQ | London (21st Regiment) Credenhill (22nd Regiment) Wolverhampton (23rd Regiment) |
| Nickname | The Regiment |
| Motto | Who Dares Wins |
| Colours | Oxford and Cambridge blue |
| March | Quick: Marche du Regiment Parachutiste Belge Slow: Lili Marlene |
| Commanders | |
| Colonel of the Regiment |
General The Rt Hon Baron Guthrie GCB LVO VD OBE CDM ADC |
The Special Air Service Regiment (SAS) is the principal special forces unit of the British Army. A small and secretive institution, it attracts a disproportionate amount of media coverage. The SAS was formed in 1941 with British and French volunteers to conduct raids behind German lines against Rommel in North Africa, and today serves as a model for similar units fielded by other countries.[citation needed]
The SAS forms part of the United Kingdom Special Forces, alongside the Special Boat Service (SBS), Special Reconnaissance Regiment (SRR), and Special Forces Support Group (SFSG). The SAS is widely regarded as one of the finest and best-trained special forces units in the world.[citation needed]
Contents |
[edit] Function
Current SAS roles are believed to include:[1]
- Intelligence collection in the deep battlespace.
- Battlespace preparation by sabotage and offensive raiding in the medium and deep battlespace.
- Counter Terrorism operations inside United Kingdom territory in conjunction with police forces.[citation needed]
- Counter Terrorism operations outside UK territory.
- Training Special Forces of other nations which need the level of discipline and military awareness that the SAS have.
- Counter Revolutionary Warfare activities in support of UK government Foreign Policy.
- Protection of senior British dignitaries and VIPs.
[edit] History
[edit] 1941 – 1945
The SAS was founded by then Lieutenant David Stirling during World War II at Barton Aerodrome, Manchester. It was originally created to conduct raids and sabotage far behind enemy lines in the desert, and operated in conjunction with the existing Long Range Desert Group (LRDG). Stirling (formerly of No.8 Commando) looked for recruits with rugged individualism and initiative and recruited specialists from Layforce and other units. The name ‘Special Air Service’ was already in use as a deception.
Their first mission, parachuting behind enemy lines in support of General Sir Claude Auchinleck’s attack in November, 1941, was a disaster. Only 22 out of 62 troopers reached the rendezvous point (RVP). Stirling still managed to organise another assault against the German airfields at Aqedabia, Sirte and Agheila, this time transported by the LRDG. They destroyed 61 enemy aircraft without a single casualty. 1st SAS earned regimental status and Lieutenant Stirling's brother Bill began to organise a second regiment, 2 SAS.
During the desert war, the SAS performed many successful and daring long range insertion missions and destroyed aircraft and fuel depots. Their success contributed towards Hitler issuing his Kommandobefehl order to execute all captured Commandos. When the Germans stepped up security, the SAS switched to hit-and-run tactics. They used jeeps, which the Americans had sent over to North Africa, armed with Vickers K machine guns (although this feature was part of the SAS’s modifications of the vehicles) and used tracer ammunition and Lewes bombs to ignite fuel and aircraft. They took part in Operation Torch.
David Stirling — who was by that time referred to as the “Phantom Major” by the Nazis — was captured by the Italians in January 1943 and he spent the rest of the war as a prisoner of war in the supposedly impenetrable Colditz Castle. His brother Bill Stirling and Blair ‘Paddy’ Mayne took command of the SAS.
The SAS were used in the invasion of Italy. At the toe of Italy, they took the first prisoners of the campaign, before heading deeper into Italy. At one point, four groups were active deep behind enemy lines laying waste to airfields, attacking convoys and derailing trains. Towards the end of the campaign, Italian guerrillas and escaped Russian prisoners were enlisted into an ‘Allied SAS Battalion’, which struck at Kesselring’s main lines of communications. In 1945, Major Farran made one of the most effective raids of the war. His force raided the German Fifth Corps headquarters, burning the buildings to the ground and killing the General and some of his staff.
SAS men were inserted into France as 4-man teams before the Normandy Invasion to help maquisards of the French Resistance. In a reversal of their by now customary tactics, they often travelled during the day when Allied fighter bombers drove enemy traffic off the roads, and then ambushed enemy troops moving in convoy under the cover of darkness. In Operation Houndsworth, 144 SAS troopers parachuted with jeeps and supplies into Dijon, France. During and after D-Day they continued their raids against fuel depots, communications centres, and railways. They did suffer casualties — at one stage the Germans executed 24 SAS troopers and a United States Army Air Forces pilot. SAS units equipped with heavily-armed jeeps operated around Arnhem before Operation Market Garden to reconnoitre possible drop zones. At the end of the war, the SAS hunted down SS and Gestapo officers. By that time, the SAS had been expanded to five regiments, of which two were French and one Belgian.
[edit] 1946-1979
The War Office partially disbanded the SAS regiments after the war and the French and Belgians returned to their home countries. The British SAS was no longer a regular army unit but TA unit 21 SAS still existed. In April 1948, however, the Malayan Races Liberation Army began an insurrection which transformed into the Malayan Emergency. Two years later Brigadier Mike Calvert practically re-created the SAS as a commando unit reminiscent of jungle troops like Chindits. 21 SAS was redeployed from the Korean War and sent to Malaya. Many other members were recruited from the original SAS, other units, Rhodesia, and even army prisons. The intended unit name "Malay Scouts" was scrapped for the reborn SAS..
Training new recruits took time. They learned tracking skills from Iban soldiers from Borneo. They began to patrol in teams of 2 or 4 men. Less than sanitary conditions forced them to learn first aid. They also learned local languages and respect for the local customs and culture. Patrol periods in the jungle were progressively extended to three months. Soldiers unsuitable for jungle warfare were RTU'd. At that stage some troopers were armed with pump-action shotguns. They also earned the respect of some of the indigenes by helping them. By the end of 1955 there were 5 SAS squadrons in Malaya. They stayed in mopping up operations until the end of 1958.
Many other missions followed. The SAS fought anti-sultan rebels in Jebel Akhdar, Oman in 1958-1959. They fought Indonesian-supported "guerillas" during the Indonesia-Malaysia confrontation in Borneo, Brunei and Sarawak in 1963-1966. They also tried to pacify the situation in Aden in 1964-1967 before the withdrawal of British troops. They fought against another insurrection in Dhofar, Oman in 1970-1977. SAS troopers were involved, secretly, in the South Asia conflict in the early to mid 1970s.
Most of these deployments were unofficial. Membership, missions, and the whole existence of the SAS became a secret. The SAS's role was expanded to bodyguard (BG) training and Counter-Terrorism (CT) work. They also began to work in civilian clothes on missions unless they could use the uniforms of some other unit as a disguise. The British Secretary of State for Defence still does not discuss the SAS or its operations.
New Zealand SAS may have trained US Combat Tracker Teams during the Viet Nam war from 1965 - 1971. [[1]]
[edit] 1980-2001
- See also: Iranian Embassy Siege
On 30 April 1980, six Iranian terrorists took over the Iranian Embassy in Princes Gate, London. After six days of unsuccessful negotiations and one hostage's murder, Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher ordered an assault. At 19:26 on Monday 5 May, the SAS went in. More than thirty troopers entered the building, including some who went in across the now famous balcony filmed live by the BBC. A diversionary attack was staged and other troopers went in through the ground floor. One hostage was killed by the terrorists, but within minutes the terrorist threat had been eliminated, with five of the six having been killed and one captured. Of the original 26 hostages, 24 were safe. The operation was hailed as a great success and was to change the way the public viewed the regiment.
During the Falklands War of 1982, SAS teams worked alongside the SBS in many operations before the main force landings at San Carlos and after the landings ahead of the Forward Edge of Battle Area (FEBA). These included operations in South Georgia, guiding Harrier strike aircraft attacks on Stanley airport to destroy Argentine helicopters, and the destruction of eleven Pucará attack aircraft on Pebble Island, known as the Raid on Pebble Island. During the war, 22 SAS, under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel Mike Rose, were the only land unit that had their own satellite communications back to the UK.
In 1987 Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher ordered an SAS team into the high-security prison at Peterhead, Scotland. A rebellion by inmates had resulted in one of the prison officers being taken captive. The soldiers were armed with staves and entered the building by way of a skylight. After subduing the inmates with what was called a "hard arrest", which was violent but disciplined and in this case caused no injury, the SAS team freed the prison officer and the operation ended. Some time after the incident, the Prison Service relaxed its zero tolerance attitude to drug use in that prison.
In the Gulf War of 1991, the SAS's role was similar to their forerunners in World War II: they deployed deep into Iraqi territory to gather intelligence and destroy mobile Scud missile launchers. They did the job with anything from explosives to pneumatic drills. Perhaps the most famous mission of the war, known as Bravo Two Zero, was popularised by books written by two participants in the mission. Their accounts describe an eight-man SAS patrol cut off deep in Iraq during a scud-busting raid. Discovered by the Iraqis, they fought their way to the Syrian border over a distance of 120 miles, killing around 250 Iraqi soldiers along the way. Four members of the patrol were captured and tortured, and three were killed in action. Corporal Chris Ryan managed to escape across the border to Syria. The accounts written by the survivors have received some severe criticism from former members of the SAS.
Some troopers (officially former members of the Regiment) fought in the Vietnam War training US Combat Tracker Teams 1965-1971 [2] and helped the Mujahideen in Afghanistan during the Soviet invasion. There was also official SAS training of Mujahideen in Scotland in the 1980s, with particular emphasis on shooting down Soviet helicopters with American-made FIM-92 Stinger, man-portable Surface-to-Air-Missiles. Some ex-members have also become mercenaries or private military contractors.
In September 2000, members of D Squadron were tasked with the hostage rescue of six members of the Royal Irish Regiment and one Sierra Leonean Corporal in Sierra Leone. The operation was called Operation Barras. The soldiers had been taken hostage by the West Side Boys, led by Foday Kallay, and were held in the dense jungle in western Sierra Leone. Alongside the SAS, members of the SBS and A Company of 1st Battalion, the Parachute Regiment fought in the battle. Twelve British soldiers were wounded in the operation and one SAS Lance Corporal was killed. The operation was a success and many rebel leaders were captured; not long after, the West Side Boys had been all but defeated.
[edit] 2002-2006
After the 11 September 2001 attacks, the SAS were involved in operations in Afghanistan. Operation TRENT employed half the Regiment in a successful attack on an $85,000,000 opium storage plant in Helmand province, which doubled as an Al-Qaeda local command centre. SAS members also participated in the battle of Tora Bora with their American counterparts.
Roman Abramovich's luxury yacht Ecstasea (launched in 2004) is rumoured to have an ex-SAS crew.[citation needed]
On 30 January 2005, an RAF Hercules crashed near Baghdad after being shot down by rockets fired by guerillas, killing ten British servicemen. The plane had just dropped off fifty members of G Squadron north of Baghdad for an operation to combat the increased insurgency.
On 19 September 2005, two supposed SAS (now thought to be Special Reconnaissance Regiment) members were arrested in the city of Basra in Iraq. Iraqi police claimed the two were arrested trying to plant bombs dressed in civilian clothing and had shot at police officers. The arrests sparked clashes in which British armoured personnel carriers came under attack from petrol bombs. Later, official Iraqi sources said that British armoured personnel carriers knocked down a wall storming the city's jail and rescuing the soldiers. The British Ministry of Defence initially said that the men's release was negotiated and the armoured personnel carriers were merely trying to collect them. They later, however, claimed that the police had illegally handed the men over to Shi'a militia and it was from these that they had to be rescued.
On 23 March 2006 B Squadron, 22 SAS assisted in an operation to free British hostage Norman Kember from a town north of Baghdad in Iraq.
[edit] Northern Ireland
The Regiment was deployed to Northern Ireland from the early stages of what became known as 'The Troubles', starting in 1969, initially operating openly in uniform wearing the SAS sand-coloured beret with the winged dagger cap badge, before assuming a more covert posture and developing a counter-terrorism emphasis for operations.
Over the course of the Troubles the Regiment worked closely with the intelligence agencies, the Royal Ulster Constabulary, Special Branch and are reported to have operated jointly with the Special Boat Service with some personnel serving with 14 Intelligence Company on long term attachment. Personnel are likely to have had access to the military intelligence systems deployed to the province to inform their positioning of covert Observation Posts and ambush operations.
The use of a shoot-to-kill policy has created some controversy. For instance, on 10 July 1978, John Boyle, a sixteen-year-old Catholic, was exploring an old graveyard near his family's farm in County Antrim, when he discovered an arms cache. He told his father, who passed on the information to the RUC. The next morning Boyle decided to see if the guns had been removed and was shot dead by two SAS soldiers who had allegedly been waiting undercover.
The Troubles were an internal United Kingdom matter and employment of the British Army in the Province is Military Aid to the Civil Power, as such British military personnel were not permitted to cross the border with the Republic of Ireland, technically an invasion. Despite this legal obstacle to the conduct of the mission personnel did pursue suspects into Éire with a number being apprehended by the Irish police, although rarely charged with firearms offenses but returned to British authority.[citation needed] On one occasion, in March 1976, Seán MacKenna, an IRA commander, was abducted from his home in the Republic by the SAS and handed over to a British Army patrol once across the border.[citation needed]
The Regiment are reputed to claim that its reputation resulted in the IRA surrender in the Balcombe Street siege once the deployment of the SAS had been publicised.
Regiment personnel are reputed to have been involved in Operation Flavius in Gibraltar in which 3 IRA members, Seán Savage, Daniel McCann and Mairéad Farrell, were killed. The three had apparently been intending to detonate a bomb during a military parade with the team conducting the operation making the decision to engage.[citation needed]
[edit] Command, control and organisation
The Special Air Service is under the Operational Control of Director Special Forces and is considered a strategic asset. However, OPCON may be delegated to Operational and Tactical commanders as required.
The Regiment is formed from three Battalion sized formations, one regular and two Territorial Army reserve, title Regiments; 22 SAS Regiment being the regular formation with 21 SAS Regiment and 23 SAS Regiment as the TA formations known as the Special Air Service (Reserve) (SAS(R)).
UK Special Forces are supported by a signal regiment, 18 (UKSF) Signal Regiment, which includes one TA squadron, 63 (SAS) Signal Squadron (Volunteers)[citation needed] and by the Joint Special Forces Air Wing with 8 Flight Army Air Corps directly attached.
Each Regiment comprises a number of Sabre Squadrons with some supporting functions being undertaken within 22 SAS; Headquarters, Planning and Intelligence Section, Operational Research Section, Counter Revolutionary Warfare Wing, and Training Wing.
| 22nd SAS Regiment | 21st SAS Regiment (Artists) | 23rd SAS Regiment |
|---|---|---|
| HQ (Credenhill, near Hereford) | HQ (Regent's Park, London) | HQ (Kingstanding) |
| A Squadron | A Squadron (Regent's Park) | A Squadron (Invergowrie/Glasgow) |
| B Squadron | C Squadron (Basingstoke/Cambridge/Southampton) | B Squadron (Leeds) |
| D Squadron | E Squadron (Newport) | C Squadron (Newcastle/Manchester) |
| G Squadron1 |
Each Sabre Squadron is divided into four 16-man Troops with different functional responsibilities (Air Troop, Boat Troop, Mobility Troop, and Mountain Troop).
The CRW Wing is made up of one squadron, which rotates every 6 – 9 months. The squadron is split up into two combined troops, Red and Blue, with each troop made up of an assault group and a sniper team.
L Detachment, formerly R Squadron, is a TA formation comprising former regular troopers and assigned to 22 SAS for the provision of casualty replacements.[citation needed]
The three regiments have different roles:
- 21 Regiment - Medium and deep battlespace Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition, and Reconnaissance (ISTAR) and offensive operations. [citation needed]
- 22 Regiment - Medium and deep battlespace ISTAR and offensive operations, Counter Revolutionary Warfare (CRW), Counter-Terrorism (CT), close protection and defence diplomacy.
- 23 Regiment - Medium and deep battlespace ISTAR and offensive operations.[citation needed]
Each TA Squadron includes attached regular personnel - a ruling established by the then Brigadier Peter de la Billière, as Director SAS, specifying that promotion within the Regiment for any officer or senior NCO would be predicated on experience with the SAS(R).[citation needed]
The SAS is based at Hereford, Herefordshire in the west of England. Stirling Lines, named after David Stirling, was initially the home of the Regiment but in 1999 they moved to the former RAF Credenhill site.[citation needed]
1: G Squadron of 22 SAS is made up entirely of volunteers from the Household Division.
The Royal Signals also maintains 264 (SAS) Signal Squadron (renamed 18 (UKSF) Signal Regiment in early 2005) and one Territorial Army SAS Squadron; 63 (SAS) Signal Squadron (Volunteers) Thorney Island/Southampton/Portsmouth/Bournemouth/Chichester/London. Soldiers of this unit wear the SAS beret with the Royal Signals cap badge.
[edit] Troops
Sabre Squadrons are divided into four specialised Troops, although personnel are broadly skilled in all areas following Selection and continuation training. The specialised troop provide a focus for particular skillsets and personnel may move between Troops over the length of a career.
[edit] Air Troop
Air Troop personnel specialise in airborne insertion from fixed wing and rotary wing aircraft. Leaving the aircraft at high altitude personnel are capable of delivering personnel and equipment into the deep battlespace far beyond the forward edge of battle area in support of their ISTAR or offensive operations.
Personnel are trained in two principal forms of parachute infiltration; High Altitude Low Opening (HALO) and High Altitude High Opening (HAHO) both of which bear significant risk to the operator. HALO insertions involve a long free fall followed by canopy opening at low level, about 2000 feet, leaving the operator exposed to detection and fire for the minimum possible period. The aircraft must overfly in the vicinity of the Drop Zone to effect delivery, risking a compromise to the mission should it be detected. HAHO insertions allow the aircraft to deliver the operators from a significantly greater range from the Drop Zone, thus reducing risk of mission compromise. Operators leave the aircraft and immediately deploy a canopy which allows a long glide over great distance. Operators are provided with an oxygen supply to survive the depleted air at high altitude and warm clothing protects from cold. An altimeter is used to manage the canopy deployment and for navigation purposes.
Equipment is carried between the legs, being lowered on a cord just prior to landing. The primary weapon is carried under the arm, ready for immediate use on landing.
[edit] Boat Troop
Boat Troop personnel specialise in waterborne insertion techniques; diving and small boats.
Personnel are trained in diving using Open and Closed Circuit breathing systems, learning skills in navigation, approaching the shore or vessels underway and the delivery of Limpet mines. Much of this training is undertaken with the Special Boat Service at Royal Marines Poole.[citation needed]
Once proficient in diving, personnel learn methods of surface infiltration. One of the main forms of transportation is still the Klepper canoe. The first SAS folding canoes were designed during WWII for use by the SAS and Royal Marine Commandos, based on existing designs. The German Klepper has been in service since the 1960s. Other methods include the Gemini inflatable, used primarily for sending small groups of soldiers onto a shore undetected, and the fibreglass hulled Rigid Raider fast patrol boats which are larger carrying more personnel or cargo ashore.
Entry to the water from rotary wing aircraft and by parachute drop; the helicopter hovers some 50 feet above the water, personnel simply jumping out. Airborne entry to the water carries a significant risk to equipment with weapons and other equipment sealed using a dry bag.
Deployment from submarines is taught. Submarine egress bears a high risk given the effect of pressure at depth (nitrogen narcosis and oxygen toxicity), the cold, and the risks inherent in the use of mechanical breathing aids while underwater.
[edit] Mobility Troop
Mobility Troop personnel specialise in vehicle insertion techniques, reminiscent of the Long Range Desert Group of the Second World War.
Vehicle insertions allow a more sustainable patrol in the medium to deep battlespace but will create logistical and force protection challenges.
Personnel are required to gain skills in vehicle maintenance across the range of vehicles used by the Regiment, particularly whilst on patrol with limited opportunity for combat support. Vehicles which personnel must master include; the Land Rover 110, nicknamed the Pinky or Pink Panther due to the desert camouflage colour of the original LRDG,[citation needed] Land Rover 90, Light Strike Vehicle (LSV) a 2 seat dune buggy, Honda 350cc Quad Bike and the Honda 250cc motorbike. Conventional trucks are also used for logistic purposes.
These vehicles can be variously configured with a range of heavy weapon systems; Browning .50 calibre machine gun, Mk 19 40mm grenade launcher, twin or single L7A2 7.62mm GPMG , and the MILAN anti-tank guided missile.
Inter-vehicle communication on the move may be by flashing light or flags.[citation needed]
[edit] Mountain Troop
Mountain Troops personnel specialise in the conduct of operations at high altitude and in mountainous terrain, requiring advanced skills in climbing, ice climbing, skiing and cold weather survival. Training is conducted in deserts and mountain ranges around the world. Many training expeditions are organised and troopers in mountain troop have a reputation as being some of the best climbers in the world.[citation needed] Kenya is often used as a training ground for its hot climate and difficult terrain.[citation needed]
[edit] Security
All military personnel are bound by the Official Secrets Act and undergo some level of vetting, Special Forces personnel are required to undertake a higher level of clearance.[citation needed]
On entry into the regiment personnel are required to limit dissemination of their employment.[citation needed] Anonymity is provided during service and personnel are not required to provide identifying details to police and authorities whilst co-operating.[citation needed] Troopers are entitled to a 24-hour 'warm down' period following offensive action within the United Kingdom and are not required to provide evidence during this period.[citation needed]Medals awarded to personnel, such as the Military Cross (MC), are publicised in the normal manner however the individuals original parent Corps or Regiment is attributed. The circumstances surrounding personnel killed in action are not disseminated, should this be unavoidable the individual is attributed to the parent Corps or Regiment.[citation needed]
Following a number of high-profile book releases about the Regiment, candidates for selection are required to sign a non-disclosure agreement, in addition to their commitments to the Official Secrets Act[citation needed]. Former members may not release details of their employment within the organisation. Ex-members of the Regiment who wrote exposures prior to the introduction of the agreement have used pseudonyms, such as Andy McNab and Chris Ryan. Books in the genre include both non-fiction and fictional accounts based on the experiences of the author in the Regiment.
The British Government has a standing policy of not discussing the SAS or its operations and makes no official announcements concerning their activities. When reports of military operations are given there is no mention of SAS, or other Special Forces, involvement.
[edit] Selection and training
From the formation of the Regiment personnel earned their place through service on operations, in 1952 the Commanding Officer, Major John Woodhouse, introduced SAS Selection.
Selection is reputed to be the most demanding military training course in the British Army with a reported pass rate of less than 10%. It is a test of strength, endurance, and resolve over the Brecon Beacons and Elan Valley in Wales, and in the jungle of Brunei, taking around 6 months to complete.
Selection is held twice a year regardless of conditions. A candidate must be male and have been a regular member of the Armed Forces for at least three years or a member of 21 SAS or 23 SAS (which can be joined directly from civilian life) for at least 18 months. All soldiers who apply must have at least 39 months of military service remaining. A candidate who fails any stage of the selection is 'Returned to [his parent] Unit' (RTU'd). Candidates are allowed only two attempts at selection, after which they may never reapply. Many are not even allowed that.
Like other sections of the British armed forces, the SAS accepts members from the Commonwealth and The Republic of Ireland, with notable representation from Fiji, the former Rhodesia, New Zealand and Australia. The Parachute Regiment is the SAS's main recruiting area.
The selection phase can be broken down in to three main sections: 1) Physical endurance 2) Combat 3) Survival and evading capture
The physical endurance phase is the phase in which most candidates will be eliminated due to the difficulty of the test. The SAS use the Brecon Beacons in Wales to carry out the test. The candidates must under go a long distance hike, and a short distance, but timed, run. For the long distance test, the candidates will carry about 50-80lbs of weight including a rifle. The short distance run is usually 8 miles, but the candidates must complete this in an hour.
The combat phase is held in the jungle, normally in Africa or Asia. This is where the successful candidates will learn to use weapons and tactics to outwit and outmanouver enemy forces. The SAS, unlike most regiments, uses live ammunition on their combat phase. This is because they are trained to fight while considering friendly positions from the start, so that they can carry this straight on to the battlefield: 'You only get one chance'.
If candidates have managed to pass through this combat phase then now they have to go through survival and escape and evasion training. In this phase candidates that are left from the hundreds that apply will undergo a survival phase in the jungle, in which they only have a small 'survival kit'. They must 'survive' for a week while evading an enemy tracking party. This is a particularly hard phase because the tracking party is normally accustomed to the ground. After this week, the candidates must give themselves up at an agreed meeting point. They will then be taken back to the enemy HQ and interrogated. This interrogation phase will make or break their career as they must under go physical and mental torture as well as aggressive interrogation. The SAS will roughly accept 2-7% of the soldiers that started selection.
Personnel completing selection are placed on probation for 4 years and undergo specialist and continuation training appropriate to their employing Troop or more general training such as language. This training will include Jungle, Desert, Urban and Counter-terrorism specialist courses.
[edit] Insignia
The SAS, like every other British regiment, has its own distinctive unit insignia.
- Sand-coloured beret (sometimes called the beige beret). SAS personnel do not wear the peaked cap, although some historical photographs do show officers using it. Personnel attached to the Regiment also wear this beret.
- Cap badge, a downward pointing sword designed by SAS Corporal Bob Tait with the Who Dares, Wins motto, by British Army officer David Stirling, on a scroll. The sword depicted on the badge is King Arthur's sword (Excalibur) surrounded by flames, though this is commonly mistaken for a winged dagger.[2]
- SAS parachute wings.
- Silver regimental collar pins (collar dogs).
- Royal blue stable belt, only worn by qualified personnel.
- Silver belt buckle with engraved regimental badge. Personnel attached to the Regiment also wear this buckle.
[edit] Battle honours
- Second World War:
- North Africa, 1941-43;
- Tobruk, 1941;
- Benghazi Raid, 1942;
- Landing in Sicily, 1943;
- Termoli, Valli di Comacchio, Italy, 1943-45;
- Greece, 1944-45;
- Adriatic, Middle East, 1943-44;
- Normandie and North-West Europe 1944-45
- Falkland Islands, 1982
- Western Iraq, 1991
- Western Iraq, 2003
[edit] Order of Precedence
The SAS is classed as an infantry regiment, and as such is included in the infantry order of precedence. However, because of its unique role, it cannot be included alongside the units with traditional designators (foot guards, line infantry, rifles) and so is at the end.
| Preceded by: The Rifles |
Infantry Order of Precedence | Succeeded by: Last in Order of Precedence of the infantry |
[edit] The SAS in popular culture
Since the early 1980s, the SAS has built up an almost mythical reputation. The British media's obsession increased enormously following the 1980 hostage rescue at the Iranian Embassy siege in London, shown live on television.
Anything written about the Regiment should be treated with a very healthy dose of scepticism because of the sensitive nature of the work. There is alleged to be a common phenomenon, known as walting, of individuals claiming to have served with the Regiment, despite little or no connection with the SAS or the British Armed Forces.
John "Lofty" Wiseman, a veteran of the SAS, has written a book on surviving the outdoors, and it is one of the most comprehensive survival guides written. It is called The SAS Survival Guide. It has been reprinted, and is a useful resource for hikers and campers.
Following the siege, the film Who Dares Wins was released. One of the stars, Lewis Collins, was a member of the Territorial Army who had once tried out for 23 SAS but had been turned down for his high public profile.[3] The film was previewed by the Regiment and families.
A large number of fictional and non-fictional accounts of the Regiment have been published by former personnel, which critics claim are highly dramatised and very loosely based on actual events. Two very well known examples are books written under pseudonyms by two former troopers who served together on the Bravo Two Zero mission in Iraq during the first Gulf War; Bravo Two Zero by Andy McNab, The One That Got Away by Chris Ryan. Both of these books have subsequently been criticised as highly embellished dramatisations; see Eye of the Storm: 25 Years in Action with the SAS by Peter Ratcliffe. Personnel now sign a non-disclosure agreement on entry to the Regiment.
The SAS has also appeared in several books, films, video games, and television programmes. These have helped add to the drama and excitement surrounding this elite unit.
[edit] Alliances
[edit] Other Special Forces based on the SAS
The Regiment has both participated in the formation of other national special forces formations, or served as an inspiration:
- Australia - Extant - Australian Special Air Service Regiment.
- Belgium - Extant - Belgian Special Forces Group, closely modelled on the SAS and consisting of Land, Air and Boat sections. Comprises about 120 operational personnel distinguished by the maroon beret with the Long Range Reconnaissance Patrol insignia.[citation needed]
- Defunct - During WWII the 5th SAS squadron, from 1944 the 5th SAS Regiment, consisted of Belgian volunteers. Notable as the first Allied troops to enter Belgium and the first to cross the Siegfried line, into Germany. Traditions are currently continued by 1 PARA of the Paracommando Brigade.[citation needed]
- Canada - Extant - The Canadian Military's Joint Task Force 2 is closely modelled on the SAS. (Although it traces its lineage to the Canadian SAS Company created in 1946, its structure is unknown.)
- Defunct - An SAS Company was created in 1946 and disbanded in 1948.[3]
- Denmark - Frømandskorpset (Naval Special Forces) and Jægerkorpset (Army Special Forces).[citation needed]
- France - The 1er Régiment Parachutiste d'Infanterie de Marine (1er RPIMa:SAS), is the heir of the World War II French SAS units (French Squad, 1st BIA, 3rd and 4th SAS). Its official motto is "qui ose gagne", the French translation of "Who Dares Wins". The Regiment's operators are also nicknamed "les SAS français" (the French SAS). Recently, the Regiment created a Squadron (3rd Company) Patrouilles SAS or "PATSAS" (SAS Patrols), using heavily-armed jeeps for raids behind enemy lines (particularly with 22 SAS and the Australian SAS in Afghanistan).
- Germany - The German Army Special Forces unit, the KSK (Kommando Spezialkräfte), is also closely patterned on the SAS.
- Greece - Greek Special Forces, originate from the post-war Λ.Ο.Κ. (spelled L.O.K. from "Loxoi Oreinon Katadromon" - Mountain Raider Detachments) which were the post-WWII successor of the "Sacred Band" ("Ieros Loxos"). The "Sacred Band" was formed in 1942 in the Middle East from a group of dedicated volunteers, former officers and officer cadets who relinquished their rank and commission in order to fight as regular soldiers. Under their C.O. - Col. Christodoulos Tsigantes, they fought alongside the SAS and SBS in the Libyan desert and the Aegean as well as with General Leclerc's Free French in Tunisia. It is no coincidence that modern Greek Special Forces insignia, bears a distinct resemblance to their brethren SAS insignia, with a winged, upward pointing sword and underscribed motto "Ο ΤΟΛΜΩΝ ΝΙΚΑ" (essentially translation of "Who Dares Wins").
- Hong Kong - The Hong Kong Special Duties Unit is a part of the Hong Kong Police Force and was formed in 1973. SDU was modelled on the SAS and was trained by the SAS and SBS.
- Indonesia - Detasemen Bravo Paskhas TNI AU.
- Israel - The Sayeret Matkal, an elite unit of the IDF, is modelled on the SAS, and shares the same motto, "Who Dares Wins." Responsible for Operation Entebbe. Also Sayeret Shaldag.
- Italy - The Army's 9th Parachute Assault Regiment, and the Carabinieri's Gruppo di Intervento Speciale are partly based on the SAS.
- Japan - The National Police Agency's Special Assault Team received training from British SAS operators prior to its activation on 1 April 1996.
- Malaysia - The Malaysian VAT 69/UTK is a special forces of the Royal Malaysian Police Force based on by the SAS. VAT 69 modelled on and trained by the British SAS in 1969 for fighting the communist insurgency and Special Actions Unit (Unit Tindakan Khas) was based from the SAS and increased on by the United States SWAT after hostage incident by JRA Terrorist in August 1975. On 20 October 1997, VAT 69 and UTK merged and was then called Pasukan Gerakan Khas (Special Operations Force).
- Netherlands - The Korps Commandotroepen.
- New Zealand - Special Air Service of New Zealand.
- Norway - Forsvarets Spesialkommando (FSK).
- Pakistan - The SSG commandos are also partly based on the SAS.
- Philippines - The Philippine National Police's (PNP) Special Action Force was believed to have been based on the lines of the British SAS.
- Poland - GROM, partly based on the SAS.
- Rhodesia - C Squadron 22 SAS was composed of Rhodesian troops. It formed the nucleus of the Rhodesian SAS Regiment after the end of the Malayan Emergency in 1953, and subsequently the British SAS never raised another C Squadron. The Rhodesian SAS disbanded in December 1980 after the country became Zimbabwe. (See SAS Rhodesia by Fourie, C., & Pittaway, J., published Dandy Agencies, Durban, South Africa, 2003.)
- Sri Lanka - Special Task Force. The Special Task Force (STF) was formed in 1983 to operate as a Counter-Terrorist force in Sri Lanka, not as a military force but rather a highly-specialised police unit.
- Sweden - Särskilda Skyddsgruppen (Special Protection Group, SSG)
- United Arab Emirates - Police Special Unit
- United States - The US Army 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta (1st SFOD-D (A)), commonly referred to as Delta Force, was based on the SAS. Its founder, "Chargin'" Charlie Beckwith, having served on exchange with the SAS in the early 1960s, caught the "SAS bug" and, recognising a void in the US Army, devoted a large part of the remainder of his career to the raising and establishment of a US Special Forces unit modelled on the SAS. Operational Detachment-Delta is a late addition to the Special Forces, whose main purpose is to lead locally recruited troops in a manner pioneered by the Jedburghs teams of WW2, a joint British-American effort which worked with the French, Dutch and Belgian resistance.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ http://books.google.ca/books?vid=ISBN0879389400&id=Z9IOUDJaa_wC&pg=PA7&lpg=PA5&dq=Roles+of+the+Special+Air+Service&sig=ICXqybHqaym6lGAy0ty2Y_dCSHg
- ^ http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/1552242.stm
- ^ http://www.dnd.ca/somalia/vol1/v1c9e.htm
[edit] External links
[edit] Sources/Further Information
- The SAS - Savage Wars of Peace - 1947 to the Present, by Anthony Kemp (1994: Penguin Books)
- "Ambush: The War Between The SAS and The IRA", by James Adams, Robin Morgan and Anthony Bambridge (Pan, London: 1988)
