History of the SAS
Encyclopedia
The History of the British Army
's Special Air Service
or SAS regiment begins with its formation during the Western Desert Campaign
of the Second World War, and continues to the present day. It includes their early operations in North Africa, the Greek Islands, and the Invasion of Italy. They then returned to the United Kingdom and were formed into a brigade
with two British, two French and one Belgian regiment. The SAS Brigade then conducted operations in France, Italy again, the Low Countries
and finally into Germany.
After the war the SAS were disbanded only to be reformed as a Territorial Army regiment, which then led onto the formation of the regular army 22 SAS Regiment. The new regiment has taken part in most of the United Kingdoms small wars since then. However the Ministry of Defence
does not comment on special forces matters, therefore little verifiable information exists in the public domain on the regiments recent activities.
At first service in the SAS was considered an end to an officer's career progression, however in recent years SAS officers have risen to the highest ranks in the British Army. General Peter de la Billière
was the Commander-in-Chief
of the British forces in the 1990 Gulf War. General Michael Rose became commander of the United Nations Protection Force
in Bosnia in 1994. In 1997 General Charles Guthrie
became Chief of the Defence Staff
the head of the British Armed Forces. Lieutenant-General Cedric Delves
was the Commander of the Field Army and Deputy Commander in Chief NATO Regional Headquarters Allied Forces Northern Europe (RHQ AFNORTH) in 2002–2003.
The Special Air Service began life in July 1941 from an unorthodox idea and plan by a Lieutenant
in the Scots Guards
David Stirling
, who was serving with No. 8 (Guards) Commando
. His idea was for small teams of parachute trained soldiers to operate behind enemy lines to gain intelligence, destroy enemy aircraft and attack their supply and reinforcement routes. Following a meeting with Major-General Neil Ritchie
, the Deputy Chief of Staff, he was granted an appointment with the new C-in-C Middle East, General
Claude Auchinleck
. Auchinleck liked his plan and it was endorsed by the Army High Command. At that time there was a deception organisation already in the Middle East area, which wished to create a phantom Airborne Brigade to act as a threat to enemy planning of operations. This deception unit was known as K Detachment, Special Air Service Brigade and so Stirling's unit was called L Detachment SAS Brigade.
The force initially consisted of five officers and 60 other ranks
. Following extensive training at Kabrit camp, by the River Nile, L Detachment, SAS Brigade undertook its first operation. Operation Squatter was a parachute drop behind the enemy lines in support of Operation Crusader
, they would attack airfields at Gazala
and Timimi
on the night 16/17 November 1941. Unfortunately because of enemy resistance and adverse weather conditions the mission was a disaster, 22 men were killed or captured one third of the men employed. Allowed another chance they recruited men from the Layforce
Commando, which was in the process of disbanding. Their second mission was more successful, transported by the Long Range Desert Group
(LRDG), they attacked three airfields in Libya
destroying 60 aircraft without loss.
harbour with limited success but they did damage 15 aircraft at Al-Berka
. The June 1942 Crete airfield raids
at Heraklion, Kasteli
, Tympaki
and Maleme
significant damage was caused but of the attacking force at Heraklion only Major George Jellicoe
returned. In July 1942, Stirling commanded a joint SAS/LRDG patrol that carried out raids at Fuka and Mersa Matruh airfields destroying 30 aircraft.
September was a busy month for the SAS. They were renamed 1st SAS Regiment and consisted of four British squadrons, one Free French Squadron, one Greek Squadron
, and the Special Boat Section
(SBS).
Operations they took part in were: Operation Agreement
and the diversionary raid Operation Bigamy
. Bigamy led by Stirling and supported by the LRDG, were to attempt a large-scale raid on Benghazi
to destroy the harbour, storage facilities and attack the airfields at Benina
and Barce. However, they were discovered after a clash at a roadblock. With the element of surprise lost, Stirling decided not to go ahead with the attack and ordered a withdrawal.
Agreement was a joint operation by the SAS and the LRDG who had to seize an inlet at Mersa Sciausc for the main force to land by sea. The SAS successfully evaded enemy defences assisted by German speaking members of the Special Interrogation Group
and captured Mersa Sciausc. The main landing failed, being met by heavy machine gun fire forcing the landing force and the SAS/LRDG force to surrender. Operation Anglo
a raid on two airfields on the island of Rhodes
, from which only two men returned. Destroying three aircraft, a fuel dump and numerous buildings, the surviving SBS men had to hide in the countryside for four days before they could reach the waiting submarine.
area by a special anti-SAS unit set up by the Germans. He spent the rest of the war as a prisoner of war
, escaping numerous times before being moved to the supposedly 'escape proof' Colditz Castle
. He was replaced as commander 1st SAS by Paddy Mayne
. In April 1943, the 1st SAS was reorganised into the Special Raiding Squadron under the command of Mayne and the Special Boat Squadron
under the command of George Jellico
. The Special Boat Squadron operated in the Aegean
and the Balkans
for the remainder of the war and was disbanded in 1945.
The Special Raiding Squadron spearheaded the invasion of Sicily Operation Husky and played more of a commando role raiding the Italian coastline, from which they suffered heavy losses at Termoli
. After Sicily they went on to serve in Italy with the newly formed 2nd SAS, a unit which had been formed in Algeria in May 1943 by Stirling's older brother Lieutenant Colonel
Bill Stirling.
The 2nd SAS had already taken part in operations in support of the Allied landings in Sicily: Operation Narcissus
was a raid by 40 members of 2nd SAS on a lighthouse on the south east coast of Sicily. The team landed on 10 July with the mission of capturing the lighthouse and the surrounding high ground. Operation Chestnut
involved two teams of ten men each, parachuted into northern Sicily on the night of 12 July, to disrupt communications, transport and the enemy in general.
On mainland Italy they were involved in Operation Begonia
which was the airborne counterpart to the amphibious Operation Jonquil, from 2 to 6 October, 61 men were parachuted between Ancona
and Pescara
. The object was to locate escaped prisoners of war in the interior and muster them on beach locations for extraction. Begonia involved the interior parachute drop by 2nd SAS. Jonquil entailed four seaborne beach parties from 2nd SAS with the Free French SAS Squadron as protection. Operation Candytuft
was a raid by 2nd SAS on 27 October. Inserted by boat on Italy's east coast between Ancona and Pescara, they were to destroy rail road bridges and disrupt rear areas.
Near the end of the year the Special Raiding Squadron reverted to their former title 1st SAS and together with 2nd SAS were withdrawn from Italy and placed under command the 1st Airborne Division.
and F Squadron
which was responsible for signals and communications, the brigade commander was Brigadier
Roderick McLeod
. The brigade was ordered to swap their beige SAS berets for the maroon parachute beret and given shoulder titles for 1, 2, 3 and 4 SAS in the Airborne colours. The French and Belgian regiments also wore the Airborne Pegasus
arm badge. The brigade now entered a period of training for their participation in the Normandy Invasion. They were prevented from conducting operations until after the start of the invasion by 21st Army Group. Their task was then to stop German reinforcements reaching the front line, by being parachuted behind the lines to assist the French Resistance
.
In support of the invasion 144 men of 1st SAS took part in Operation Houndsworth
between June and September, in the area of Lyon
, Chalon-sur-Saône
, Dijon
, Le Creusot
and Paris. At the same time 56 Men of 1st SAS also took part in Operation Bulbasket
in the Poitiers
area. They did have some success before being betrayed. Surrounded by a large German force, they were forced to disperse; later it was discovered that 36 men were missing and that 32 of them had been captured and executed by the Germans.
In mid June 150 men of the French SAS and 3,000 members of the French resistance took part in Operation Dingson
. However they were forced to disperse after their camp was attacked by the Germans. The French SAS were also involved in Operation Cooney
, Operation Samwest
and Operation Lost
during the same period.
In August 91 men from the 1st SAS were involved in Operation Loyton
. The team had the misfortune to land in the Vosges
Mountains at a time when the Germans were preparing to defend the Belfort Gap
. As a result, the Germans harried the team. The team also suffered from poor weather that prevented aerial resupply. Eventually, they broke into smaller groups to return to their own lines. During the escape 31 men were captured and executed by the Germans.
Also in August men from 2nd SAS operated from forest bases in the Rennes
area in conjunction with the resistance. Air resupply was plentiful and the resistance cooperated, which resulted in carnage. The 2nd SAS operated from the Loire through the forests of Darney
to Belfort
in just under six weeks.
Near the end of the year men from 2nd SAS were parachuted into Italy, to work with the Italian resistance in Operation Tombola
here they remained until Italy was liberated.
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 the German main lines of communications.
took over command of the brigade.
The 3rd and 4th SAS were involved in Operation Amherst
in April, The operation began with the drop of 700 men on the night of the 7 April. The teams spread out to capture and protect key facilities from the Germans.
Still in Italy in Operation Tombola, Major Roy Farran
and 2nd SAS carried out a raid on a German Corps
headquarters in the Po Valley, which succeeded in killing the corps chief of staff.
The Second World War in Europe ended on 8 May by that time the SAS brigade had suffered 330 casualties, but had killed or wounded 7,733 and captured 23,000 of their enemies. Later the same month 1st and 2nd SAS were sent to Norway to disarm the 300,000 German garrison and 5th SAS were in Denmark and Germany on counter intelligence operations. The brigade was dismantled soon afterwards, in September the Belgian 5th SAS were handed over to the reformed Belgian Army
. On 1 October the 3rd and 4th French SAS were handed over to the French Army
and on 8 October the British 1st and 2nd SAS regiments were disbanded.
In 1950 they raised a squadron to fight in the Korean War
. After three months training, they were informed that the squadron would not, after all, be needed in Korea, and instead were sent to serve in the Malayan Emergency
. On arrival in Malaya they came under the command of the wartime SAS Brigade commander, Mike Calvert. They became B Squadron, Malayan Scouts (SAS),
the other units were A Squadron, which had been formed from 100 local volunteers mostly ex Second World War SAS and Chindits
and C Squadron formed from volunteers from Rhodesia
, the so called 'Happy Hundred'. By 1956 the Regiment had been enlarged to five squadrons with the addition of D Squadron and the Parachute Regiment Squadron After three years service the Rhodesians returned home and were replaced by a New Zealand squadron.
A squadron were based at Ipoh
while B and C squadrons were at Johore, during training they pioneered techniques of resupply by helicopter and also set up the "Hearts and Minds
" campaign to win over the locals with medical teams going from village to village treating the sick. With the aid of Iban
trackers from Borneo
they became experts at surviving in the jungle.
In 1951 the Malayan Scouts (SAS) had successfully recruited enough men to form a Regimental Headquarters, a headquarters squadron and four operational squadrons over 900 men. The regiment was tasked to seek, find, fix then destroy the terrorists and prevent their infiltration into protected areas. Their tactics would be long range patrols,ambush and tracking the terrorists to their bases. They trained and acquired skills in tree jumping, this involved parachuting into the thick jungle canopy and letting your parachute catch on the branches. Brought to a halt the parachutist then cut himself free and lowered himself to the ground by rope. Using inflatable boats for river patrolling, jungle fighting techniques, psychological warfare
and booby trapping terrorist supplies. Calvert was invalided back to the United Kingdom in 1951 and replaced by Lieutenant-Colonel John Sloane
.
In February 1951 54 men from B Squadron carried out the first parachute drop in the campaign in Operation Helsby, which was a major offensive in the River Perak–Belum valley, just south of the Thai border.
The need for a regular army SAS regiment had been recognised, the Malayan Scouts (SAS) were renamed 22 SAS Regiment and formally added to the army list in 1952. However B Squadron was disbanded leaving just A and D Squadrons in service
. The Malaya campaign was winding down, so they dispatched two squadrons from Malaya to assist in Oman. In January 1959 A Squadron defeated a large Guerrilla force on the Sabrina plateau. A victory that was kept from the public due to political and military sensitivities.
After Oman 22 SAS Regiment were recalled to the United Kingdom, the first time the regiment had served in there since their formation. They were initially barracked in Malvern
Worcestershire
before moving to Hereford
in 1960. Just prior to this the third SAS regiment was formed and like 21 SAS was part of the Territorial Army. 23 SAS Regiment was formed by the renaming of the Joint Reserve Reconnaissance Unit, which itself had succeeded MI.9 via a series of units (POW Rescue, Recovery and Interrogation Unit, Intelligence School 9 and the Joint Reserve POW Intelligence Organisation) Behind this change was the understanding that passive networks of escape lines had little place in the cold war world and henceforth personnel behind the lines would be rescued by specially trained units.
The regiment was sent to Borneo
for the Indonesia–Malaysia confrontation, where they adopted the tactics of patrolling up to 20 kilometres (12.4 mi) over the Indonesian border and used local tribesman for intelligence gathering. They at times lived in the indigenous tribes villages for five months gaining their trust. This involved showing respect for the Headman, giving gifts and providing medical treatment for the sick.
In December 1963, the SAS went onto the offensive, now under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel John Woodhouse they adopted a "shoot and scoot" policy to keep SAS casualties to a minimum. They were augmented by the adding to their strength of the Guards Independent Parachute Company and later the Gurkha Independent Parachute Company.In 1964 Operation Claret
was initiated, soldiers were selected from the infantry regiments in theatre, placed under SAS command and known as "Killer Groups". These groups would cross the border and penetrate up to 18 kilometres (11.2 mi) disrupting the Indonesian Army
build up, forcing them to move away from the border. The Borneo campaign cost the British 59 killed 123 wounded compared to the Indonesian 600 dead. In 1964 B Squadron was re-formed from a combination of former members still with the Regiment and new recruits.
The SAS returned to Oman in 1970, the Marxist controlled South Yemen government were supporting an insurgency in the Dhofar
region what became known as the Dhofar Rebellion
. Operating under the umbrella of a British Army Training Team (BATT), they recruited, trained and commanded the local Firquts. Firquts were local tribesmen and recently surrendered enemy soldiers. This new campaign ended shortly after the Battle of Mirbat
in 1972, when a small SAS force and Firquts defeated 250 Adoo guerrillas.
for just over a month. The SAS returned in 1972 when small numbers of men were involved in intelligence gathering. The first squadron fully committed to the Provence was in 1976 and by 1977 two squadrons were operating in Northern Ireland. These squadrons used well armed covert patrols in unmarked civilian cars. Within a year four terrorist had been killed or captured and another six forced to move south into the Republic
. Members of the SAS are also believed to have served in the 14 Intelligence Company
based in Northern Ireland.
The first operation attributed to the SAS was the arrest of Sean McKenna 12 March 1975. McKenna claims he was sleeping in a house just south of the Irish border when he was woken in the night by two armed men and forced across the border, while the SAS claimed he was found wandering in a field drunk.
Their second operation was on 15 April 1976 with the arrest and killing of Peter Cleary
. Cleary, an IRA staff officer, was detained by five in a field waiting for a helicopter to land. While four men guided the aircraft in Cleary started to struggle with his guard and seize his rifle was shot.
The SAS returned to Northern Ireland in force in 1976, operating throughout the province in January 1977 Seamus Harvey armed with a shotgun was killed on a SAS ambush. On 21 June six men from G Squadron, ambushed four IRA men planting a bomb at a government building, three were shot and killed their driver managed to escape. 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 Royal Ulster Constabulary
(RUC). The next morning Boyle decided to see if the guns had been removed and was shot dead by two SAS soldiers who had been waiting undercover. In 1976 Newsweek
also reported that eight SAS men had been arrested in the Republic of Ireland supposedly as a result of a navigational error. It was later revealed that they had been in pursuit of an Provisional Irish Republican Army unit.
On 2 May 1980 Captain Herbert Westmacott
, became the highest ranking member of the SAS to be killed in Northern Ireland.
He was in command of an eight man plain clothes SAS patrol that had been alerted by the Royal Ulster Constabulary
that an IRA gun team had taken over a house in Belfast
. A car carrying three SAS men went to the rear of the house, and another car carrying five SAS men went to the front of the house. As the SAS arrived at the front of the house the IRA unit opened fire with the a M60 machine gun
, hitting Captain Westmacott in the head and shoulder killing him instantly. The remaining SAS men at the front, returned fire but were forced to withdraw. One member of the IRA team was apprehended by the SAS at the rear of the house, preparing the unit's escape in a transit van, while the other three IRA members remained inside the house. More members of the security forces were deployed to the scene, and after a brief siege the remaining members of the IRA unit surrendered. After his death Westmacott was posthumously awarded the Military Cross
. for gallantry in Northern Ireland during the period 1 February 1980 to 30 April 1980.
On 4 December 1983, a SAS patrol, found two IRA gunmen who were both armed. One with an Armalite
rifle and the other a shotgun. They did not respond when challenged so the patrol opened fire, killing the two men. A third man escaped in a car was believed to have been wounded.
On 8 May 1987 the IRA suffered its worst single loss of men, when eight men were killed by the SAS while attempting to attack the Loughgall
police station. The SAS had been informed of the attack and 24 men waited in ambush positions around and inside the police station. They opened fire when the armed IRA unit approached the station with a 200 pounds (90.7 kg) bomb, its fuse lit, in the bucket of a hijacked JCB
digge
In the late 1980s the IRA started to move operations to the European mainland. Operation Flavius
in March 1988, was an SAS operation in Gibraltar
in which three PIRA volunteers, Seán Savage
, Daniel McCann
and Mairéad Farrell
, were killed. All three had conspired to detonate a car bomb where a military band assembled for the weekly changing of the guard at the governor's residence. In Germany, in 1989 the German security forces discovered a SAS unit operating there without the permission of the German government.
In 1991 three IRA men killed by the SAS, according to reports at the time they were on their way to kill an Ulster Defence Regiment
soldier, who lived in Coagh
, when they were ambushed. These three and another seven brought the total number of IRA men killed by the SAS in the 1990s to 11.
Edward Heath
asked the Ministry of Defence
to prepare for any possible terrorist attack similar to the 1972 Munich massacre
at the Munich
Olympic Games
and ordered that the SAS Counter Revolutionary Warfare (CRW) wing be established.
Once the wing had been established each squadron would in turn rotate through counter terrorist training. The training included live firing exercises, hostage rescue and siege breaking. It was reported that during CWR training each soldier would expend 100,000 pistol rounds and would return to the CWR role on average every 16 months. Their first deployment was during the Balcombe Street Siege
, where the Metropolitan Police
had trapped a PIRA unit. Hearing on the BBC
that the SAS were being deployed the PIRA men surrendered.
The first documented action by the CRW Wing was assisting the West German counter-terrorism group GSG 9
at Mogadishu
.
started at 11:30 on 30 April 1980 when a six-man team calling itself the 'Democratic Revolutionary Movement for the Liberation of Arabistan' (DRMLA), captured the embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Prince's Gate
, South Kensington
in central London
. When the group first stormed the building, 26 hostages were taken, but five were released over the following few days. On the sixth day of the siege the kidnappers killed a hostage. This marked an escalation of the situation and prompted Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher
's decision to proceed with the rescue operation. The order to deploy the SAS was given, and B Squadron the duty CRW squadron were alerted. When the first hostage was shot, the Metropolitan Police Commissioner, David McNee
passed a note signed by Thatcher to the Ministry of Defence, stating this was now a "military operation".
The rescue mission started at 19:23, 5 May when the SAS assault troops at the front gained access to the embassy's first floor balcony via the roof. Another team assembled on the ground floor terrace entered via the rear of the embassy. After forcing entry five of the six terrorists were killed. Unfortunately one of the hostages was also killed by the terrorists during the assault which lasted 11 minutes. The events were broadcast live on national television and soon rebroadcast around the world gaining fame and a reputation for the SAS, that prior to the assault few outside of the military special operations community even knew of the regiments existence.
Douglas Hurd
, dispatched the SAS to bring the riot to an end on 3 October. The CRW troops arrived by helicopter landed on the roof then abseiled into the prison proper. Armed only with pistols, batons and stun grenades they brought the riot to a swift closure.
and 21 July
. It was reported in the Times
that the SAS CRW played a role in the capture of three men suspected of taking part in the failed 21 July bomb attacks. Providing expertise in explosive entry techniques to back up raids by police firearms officers. It was also reported that plain clothes SAS teams were monitoring airports and main railway stations to identify any security weaknesses and they were using civilian helicopters and two small executive to move around the country.
started after the Argentina
occupation of the Falkland Islands
on 2 April 1982. Brigadier Peter de la Billiere
the Director Special Forces and Lieutenant-Colonel Michael Rose, the Commander of 22 SAS Regiment, petitioned for the regiment to be included in the task force. Without waiting for official approval D Squadron which was on standby for world wide operations, departed on the 5 April for Ascension Island
. They were followed by G Squadron on the 20 April. As both squadrons sailed south the plans were for D Squadron to support operations to retake South Georgia while G Squadron would be responsible for the Falkland Islands.
Operation Paraquet
was the code name for the first land to be liberated in the conflict. South Georgia an island to the south east of the Falkland Islands and one of the Falkland Islands Dependencies
.
In atrocious weather the SAS, SBS and Royal Marines
forced the Argentinian garrison to surrender. On the 22 April Westland Wessex
helicopters landed a SAS unit on the Fortuna Glacier
. This resulted in the loss of two of the helicopters, one on take off and one crashed into the glacier in almost zero visibility. The SAS unit were defeated by the weather and terrain and had to be evacuated after only managing to cover 500 metres (1,640.4 ft) in five hours.
The following night a SBS section succeeded in landing by helicopter and Boat Troop, D Squadron, SAS set out in five Gemini inflatable boats for the island. Two boats suffered engine failure with one crew being picked up by helicopter and the other crew got to shore. The next day 24 April a force of 75 SAS, SBS and Royal Marines advancing with naval gunfire support, reached Grytviken
and the forced the occupying Argentinians to surrender. The following day the garrison at Leith also surrendered.
between the 30 April and 2 May. The main landings were at San Carlos
on 21 May. To cover the landings D Squadron mounted a major diversionary raid at Goose Green and Darwin with fire support from . After D Squadron were returning from their raid they shot down a FMA IA 58 Pucará
with a shoulder-launched Stinger missile that had overflown their location. While the main landings were taking place a four man patrol from G Squadron had been carrying out a reconnaissance near Stanley
. They located an Argentinian helicopter dispersal area between Mount Kent
and Mount Estancia. Advising to attack at first light, the resulting attack by RAF Harrier GR3's from No. 1 Squadron RAF
destroyed one CH-47 Chinook
and the two Aérospatiale Puma
helicopters.
airstrip on West Falkland
. The force of 20 men from Mountain Troop, D Squadron, led by Captain John Hamilton
, destroyed six FMA IA 58 Pucarás, four T-34 Mentor
s and a Short SC.7 Skyvan
transport. The attack was supported by fire from . Under cover of mortar and small arms fire the SAS moved onto the airstrip and fixed explosive charges to the aircraft. Casualties were light one Argentinian was killed and two of the Squadron were wounded by shrapnel when a mine exploded.
helicopter crashed while cross-decking troops from to killing 22 men. Approaching Hermes it appeared to have an engine failure and crashed into the sea. Only nine men managed to scramble out of side door before the helicopter sank. They were the only survivors. Rescuers found bird feathers floating on the surface were the helicopter had impacted the water. It is thought that the Sea King was the victim of a bird strike. Of the 22 killed 18 were from the SAS, one from the Royal Signals and the Royal Air Force
pilot.
was the code name for the planned landing of B Squadron, SAS at the Argentinian airbase at Río Grande, Tierra del Fuego
. The initial plan was to crash land two C-130 Hercules carrying B Squadron onto the runway at Port Stanley to bring the conflict to a rapid conclusion. B Squadron arrived at Ascension Island
20 May the day after the fatal Sea King crash. They were just boarding the C-130s when word came that the operation had been cancelled.
After Mikado had been cancelled B Squadron were called upon to parachute into the South Atlantic to reinforce D Squadron. They were transported south by the two C-130s equipped with long range fuel tanks. Only one of the aircraft reached the jump point the other had to turn back with fuel problems. The parachutists were then transported to the Falkland Islands by .
when they were attacked by Argentine forces. Two of the patrol managed to get away but Hamilton and his signaller, Sergeant Fosenka, were pinned down. Hamilton was hit in the back by enemy fire and told Fosenka "you carry on, I'll cover your back" moments later Hamilton was killed. Sergeant Fosenka was later captured when he ran out of ammunition. The senior Argentine officer praised the heroism of Hamilton who was posthumously awarded the Military Cross
.
. Their objective was to set up a mortar and machine gun fire base to provide fire support, while the Boat Troop and six SBS men crossed Port William water in Rigid Raider
s to destroy the fuel tanks at Cortley Hill. As the assault team approached their target they came under machine gun fire, all their boats were hit and three men wounded forcing them to withdraw. At the same time the fire base came under an Argentinian artillery and infantry attack. They then had to call upon their own artillery to silence the Argentinian guns to enable D Squadron to withdraw. The raid did not destroy their intended target but Argentinian artillery continued to land on the SAS position for an hour after they had withdrawn and not on the attacking parachute battalion.
.jpg)
The Gulf War
started after the invasion of Kuwait
by Iraq
on 2 August 1990. The British Army response to the invasion was Operation Granby
, which included A, B and D squadrons 22 Special Air Service Regiment. Which was the largest SAS mobilisation since the Second World War. Initial plans were for the SAS to carry out their traditional raiding role behind the Iraqi lines, and operate ahead of the allied invasion, disrupting lines of communications. The SAS operating from Al Jawf, had since 20 January 1991, been working behind Iraqi lines hunting for Scud
missile launchers in the area south of the Amman
— Baghdad
highway. The patrols working on foot and in landrovers would at times carry out their own attacks, with MILAN
missiles on Scud launchers and also set up ambushes for Iraqi convoys,
On 22 January three eight man patrols from B Squadron were inserted behind the lines by a Chinook helicopter. Their mission was to locate Scud launchers and monitor the main supply route. One of the patrols Bravo Two Zero
had decided to patrol on foot. The patrol was found by an Iraqi unit and, unable to call for help because they had been issued the wrong radio frequencies, had to try and evade capture by themselves. The team under command of Andy McNab
suffered three dead and four captured; only one man, Chris Ryan
, managed to escape to Syria
. Ryan made SAS history with the "longest escape and evasion by an SAS trooper or any other soldier", covering 100 miles (160.9 km) more than SAS trooper Hugh Davidson (David) Sillito, had in the Sahara Desert in 1942. The other patrols Bravo One Zero and Bravo Three Zero had opted to use landrovers and take in more equipment returned intact to Saudi Arabia.
By the end of the war four SAS men had been killed and five captured.
in September 2000. When a combined SAS, SBS and men from 1st Battalion, Parachute Regiment carried out a hostage rescue operation Operation Barras
. The objective was to rescue 11 members of the Royal Irish Regiment that were being held by a militia group known as the West Side Boys
. The rescue team transported in three Chinook and one Lynx helicopter mounted a simultaneous two-pronged attack after reaching the militia positions. After a heavy fire fight, the hostages were released and flown back to the capital Freetown
.
One member of the SAS rescue team was killed during the operation.
. However there is evidence that they took part in later operations. General
Stanley McChrystal, the American commander of NATO forces in Iraq, has commented on A Squadron 22 SAS Regiment. That when part of Task Force Black and Task Force Knight (subcomponents of Task Force 145), carried out 175 combat missions during a six month tour of duty.
Also in 2006 members of the SAS were involved in the rescue of peace activists Norman Kember
, James Loney and Harmeet Singh Sooden
. The three men had been held hostage in Iraq for 118 days during the Christian Peacemaker hostage crisis.
, the SAS are known to have taken part in the Battle of Tora Bora
. Also for the first time it has been revealed that reserve soldiers from 21 and 23 SAS Regiments have been involved in active operations.
In June 2008 a Land Rover transporting Corporal Sarah Bryant and SAS reserve soldiers Corporal Sean Reeve and Lance Corporals Richard Larkin and Paul Stout hit a mine in Helmand province
, killing all four. In October Major
Sebastian Morley, their commander in Afghanistan, resigned over what he described as "gross negligence" on the part of the Ministry of Defence that contributed to the deaths of four British troops under his command. Morley stated that the MoD's failure to properly equip his troops with adequate equipment forced them to use lightly armoured Snatch Land Rovers to travel around Afghanistan.
According to the London Sunday Times, as of March 2010 the United Kingdom Special Forces have suffered 12 killed and 70 seriously injured in Afghanistan and seven killed and 30 seriously injured in Iraq.
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
's Special Air Service
Special Air Service
Special Air Service or SAS is a corps of the British Army constituted on 31 May 1950. They are part of the United Kingdom Special Forces and have served as a model for the special forces of many other countries all over the world...
or SAS regiment begins with its formation during the Western Desert Campaign
Western Desert Campaign
The Western Desert Campaign, also known as the Desert War, was the initial stage of the North African Campaign during the Second World War. The campaign was heavily influenced by the availability of supplies and transport. The ability of the Allied forces, operating from besieged Malta, to...
of the Second World War, and continues to the present day. It includes their early operations in North Africa, the Greek Islands, and the Invasion of Italy. They then returned to the United Kingdom and were formed into a brigade
Brigade
A brigade is a major tactical military formation that is typically composed of two to five battalions, plus supporting elements depending on the era and nationality of a given army and could be perceived as an enlarged/reinforced regiment...
with two British, two French and one Belgian regiment. The SAS Brigade then conducted operations in France, Italy again, the Low Countries
Low Countries
The Low Countries are the historical lands around the low-lying delta of the Rhine, Scheldt, and Meuse rivers, including the modern countries of Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg and parts of northern France and western Germany....
and finally into Germany.
After the war the SAS were disbanded only to be reformed as a Territorial Army regiment, which then led onto the formation of the regular army 22 SAS Regiment. The new regiment has taken part in most of the United Kingdoms small wars since then. However the Ministry of Defence
Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom)
The Ministry of Defence is the United Kingdom government department responsible for implementation of government defence policy and is the headquarters of the British Armed Forces....
does not comment on special forces matters, therefore little verifiable information exists in the public domain on the regiments recent activities.
At first service in the SAS was considered an end to an officer's career progression, however in recent years SAS officers have risen to the highest ranks in the British Army. General Peter de la Billière
Peter de la Billière
General Sir Peter Edgar de la Cour de la Billière, KCB, KBE, DSO, MC & Bar is a former British Army officer who was Director SAS during the Iranian Embassy Siege and Commander-in-Chief of the British forces in the 1990 Gulf War...
was the Commander-in-Chief
Commander-in-Chief
A commander-in-chief is the commander of a nation's military forces or significant element of those forces. In the latter case, the force element may be defined as those forces within a particular region or those forces which are associated by function. As a practical term it refers to the military...
of the British forces in the 1990 Gulf War. General Michael Rose became commander of the United Nations Protection Force
United Nations Protection Force
The United Nations Protection Force ', was the first United Nations peacekeeping force in Croatia and in Bosnia and Herzegovina during the Yugoslav wars. It existed between the beginning of UN involvement in February 1992, and its restructuring into other forces in March 1995...
in Bosnia in 1994. In 1997 General Charles Guthrie
Charles Guthrie, Baron Guthrie of Craigiebank
General Charles Ronald Llewelyn Guthrie, Baron Guthrie of Craigiebank, was Chief of the Defence Staff between 1997 and 2001 and Chief of the General Staff, the professional head of the British Army, between 1994 and 1997.-Army career:...
became Chief of the Defence Staff
Chief of the Defence Staff (United Kingdom)
The Chief of the Defence Staff is the professional head of the British Armed Forces, a senior official within the Ministry of Defence, and the most senior uniformed military adviser to the Secretary of State for Defence and the Prime Minister...
the head of the British Armed Forces. Lieutenant-General Cedric Delves
Cedric Delves
Lieutenant General Sir Cedric Norman George Delves KBE DSO is a former British Army general.-Military career:Educated at Woolverstone Hall School, Cedric Delves was commissioned into the Devonshire and Dorset Regiment in 1968...
was the Commander of the Field Army and Deputy Commander in Chief NATO Regional Headquarters Allied Forces Northern Europe (RHQ AFNORTH) in 2002–2003.
Second World War
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
in the Scots Guards
Scots Guards
The Scots Guards is a regiment of the Guards Division of the British Army, whose origins lie in the personal bodyguard of King Charles I of England and Scotland...
David Stirling
David Stirling
Colonel Sir Archibald David Stirling, DSO, DFC, OBE was a Scottish laird, mountaineer, World War II British Army officer, and the founder of the Special Air Service.-Life before the war:...
, who was serving with No. 8 (Guards) Commando
No. 8 (Guards) Commando
No. 8 Commando was a unit of the British Commandos and part of the British Army during the Second World War. The Commando was formed in June 1940 primarily from members of the Brigade of Guards. It was one of the units selected to be sent to the Middle East as part of Layforce...
. His idea was for small teams of parachute trained soldiers to operate behind enemy lines to gain intelligence, destroy enemy aircraft and attack their supply and reinforcement routes. Following a meeting with Major-General Neil Ritchie
Neil Ritchie
General Sir Neil Methuen Ritchie GBE, KCB, DSO, MC, KStJ was a senior British army officer during the Second World War.-Military career:...
, the Deputy Chief of Staff, he was granted an appointment with the new C-in-C Middle East, General
General
A general officer is an officer of high military rank, usually in the army, and in some nations, the air force. The term is widely used by many nations of the world, and when a country uses a different term, there is an equivalent title given....
Claude Auchinleck
Claude Auchinleck
Field Marshal Sir Claude John Eyre Auchinleck, GCB, GCIE, CSI, DSO, OBE , nicknamed "The Auk", was a British army commander during World War II. He was a career soldier who spent much of his military career in India, where he developed a love of the country and a lasting affinity for the soldiers...
. Auchinleck liked his plan and it was endorsed by the Army High Command. At that time there was a deception organisation already in the Middle East area, which wished to create a phantom Airborne Brigade to act as a threat to enemy planning of operations. This deception unit was known as K Detachment, Special Air Service Brigade and so Stirling's unit was called L Detachment SAS Brigade.
The force initially consisted of five officers and 60 other ranks
Other Ranks
Other Ranks in the British Army, Royal Marines and Royal Air Force are those personnel who are not commissioned officers. In the Royal Navy, these personnel are called ratings...
. Following extensive training at Kabrit camp, by the River Nile, L Detachment, SAS Brigade undertook its first operation. Operation Squatter was a parachute drop behind the enemy lines in support of Operation Crusader
Operation Crusader
Operation Crusader was a military operation by the British Eighth Army between 18 November–30 December 1941. The operation successfully relieved the 1941 Siege of Tobruk....
, they would attack airfields at Gazala
Gazala
Gazala, or Ain el Gazala , is a small Libyan village near the coast in the northeastern portion of the country. It is located west of Tobruk....
and Timimi
Timimi
Timimi, At Timimi or Tmimi, is a small village in Libya about 75 km east of Derna and 100 km west of Tobruk. It is on the eastern shores of the Libyan coastline of the Mediterranean Sea.-Geography:...
on the night 16/17 November 1941. Unfortunately because of enemy resistance and adverse weather conditions the mission was a disaster, 22 men were killed or captured one third of the men employed. Allowed another chance they recruited men from the Layforce
Layforce
Layforce was an ad hoc military formation of the British Army consisting of a number of commando units during the Second World War.Formed in February 1941 under the command of Colonel Robert Laycock, after whom the force was named, it consisted of approximately 2,000 men and served in the Middle...
Commando, which was in the process of disbanding. Their second mission was more successful, transported by the Long Range Desert Group
Long Range Desert Group
The Long Range Desert Group was a reconnaissance and raiding unit of the British Army during the Second World War. The commander of the German Afrika Corps, Field Marshal Erwin Rommel, admitted that the LRDG "caused us more damage than any other British unit of equal strength".Originally called...
(LRDG), they attacked three airfields in Libya
Libya
Libya is an African country in the Maghreb region of North Africa bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Sudan to the southeast, Chad and Niger to the south, and Algeria and Tunisia to the west....
destroying 60 aircraft without loss.
1942
Their first mission in 1942, was an attack on Bouerat. Transported by the LRDG, they caused severe damage to the harbour, petrol tanks and storage facilities. This was followed up in March by a raid on BenghaziBenghazi
Benghazi is the second largest city in Libya, the main city of the Cyrenaica region , and the former provisional capital of the National Transitional Council. The wider metropolitan area is also a district of Libya...
harbour with limited success but they did damage 15 aircraft at Al-Berka
Al-Berka
Al-Berka is a Basic People's Congress administrative division of Benghazi, Libya....
. The June 1942 Crete airfield raids
June 1942 Crete airfield raids
Operation Albumen was the name given to British Commando raids in June 1942, on German airfields in the Axis-occupied Greek island of Crete, to prevent them from being used for supporting the Afrika Korps in the Western Desert Campaign in World War II...
at Heraklion, Kasteli
Kasteli
Kastelli is a village and a former municipality in the Heraklion peripheral unit, Crete, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Minoa Pediada, of which it is a municipal unit...
, Tympaki
Tympaki Airport
Tympaki Airport is a military airport in Tympaki, Crete, Greece. It has also been used for car racing but it belongs to the Hellenic Air Force.The 138 Σ.Μ of H.A.F. operates at the airport. The airport also has a TACAN system for the aircraft.The airport used to have another runway but now it's...
and Maleme
Maleme Airport
Maleme Airport is an airport situated at Maleme, Crete. It has two runways & with no lights. The airport is closed for commercial aviation but it's used by Chania Aeroclub. The airport operated until 1959 as the main public airport of Chania. Today the use from the Hellenic Air Force is limited...
significant damage was caused but of the attacking force at Heraklion only Major George Jellicoe
George Jellicoe, 2nd Earl Jellicoe
George Patrick John Rushworth Jellicoe, 2nd Earl Jellicoe, KBE, DSO, MC, PC, FRS was a British politician and statesman, diplomat and businessman....
returned. In July 1942, Stirling commanded a joint SAS/LRDG patrol that carried out raids at Fuka and Mersa Matruh airfields destroying 30 aircraft.
September was a busy month for the SAS. They were renamed 1st SAS Regiment and consisted of four British squadrons, one Free French Squadron, one Greek Squadron
Sacred Band (World War II)
The Sacred band was a Greek special forces unit formed in 1942 in the Middle East, composed entirely of Greek officers and officer cadets under the command of Col. Christodoulos Tsigantes. It fought alongside the SAS in the Libyan desert and the Aegean, as well as with General Leclerc's Free...
, and the Special Boat Section
Special Boat Service
The Special Boat Service is the special forces unit of the British Royal Navy. Together with the Special Air Service, Special Reconnaissance Regiment and the Special Forces Support Group they form the United Kingdom Special Forces and come under joint control of the same Director Special...
(SBS).
Operations they took part in were: Operation Agreement
Operation Agreement
Operation Agreement consisted of a series of ground and amphibious operations carried out by British, Rhodesian and New Zealand forces on German and Italian-held Tobruk on 13 September 1942, during the Second World War. A Special Interrogation Group, fluent in German, also took part in missions...
and the diversionary raid Operation Bigamy
Operation Bigamy
Operation Bigamy was a raid during the Second World War by the Special Air Service in September 1942. Under the command of Lieutenant Colonel David Stirling and supported by the Long Range Desert Group. The force were to destroy the harbour and storage facilities at Benghazi and raid the airfield...
. Bigamy led by Stirling and supported by the LRDG, were to attempt a large-scale raid on Benghazi
Benghazi
Benghazi is the second largest city in Libya, the main city of the Cyrenaica region , and the former provisional capital of the National Transitional Council. The wider metropolitan area is also a district of Libya...
to destroy the harbour, storage facilities and attack the airfields at Benina
Benina
Benina is a Basic People's Congress administrative division of Benghazi, Libya.It contains the Benina International Airport....
and Barce. However, they were discovered after a clash at a roadblock. With the element of surprise lost, Stirling decided not to go ahead with the attack and ordered a withdrawal.
Agreement was a joint operation by the SAS and the LRDG who had to seize an inlet at Mersa Sciausc for the main force to land by sea. The SAS successfully evaded enemy defences assisted by German speaking members of the Special Interrogation Group
Special Interrogation Group
The Special Interrogation Group was a unit of the British Army during World War II. It was organized from German-speaking Jewish volunteers from the British Mandate of Palestine...
and captured Mersa Sciausc. The main landing failed, being met by heavy machine gun fire forcing the landing force and the SAS/LRDG force to surrender. Operation Anglo
Operation Anglo
Operation Anglo was a British Commando raid on the occupied island of Rhodes during the Second World War. The raid was carried out by eight men of the Special Boat Section assisted by four Greeks....
a raid on two airfields on the island of Rhodes
Rhodes
Rhodes is an island in Greece, located in the eastern Aegean Sea. It is the largest of the Dodecanese islands in terms of both land area and population, with a population of 117,007, and also the island group's historical capital. Administratively the island forms a separate municipality within...
, from which only two men returned. Destroying three aircraft, a fuel dump and numerous buildings, the surviving SBS men had to hide in the countryside for four days before they could reach the waiting submarine.
1943
David Stirling who was by that time sometimes referred to as the "Phantom Major" by the Germans, was captured in January 1943 in the GabèsGabès
Gabès , also spelt Cabès, Cabes, Kabes, Gabbs and Gaps, the ancient Tacape, is the capital city of the Gabès Governorate, a province of Tunisia. It lies on the coast of the Gulf of Gabès. With a population of 116,323 it is the 6th largest Tunisian city.-History:Strabo refers to Tacape as an...
area by a special anti-SAS unit set up by the Germans. He spent the rest of the war as a prisoner of war
Prisoner of war
A prisoner of war or enemy prisoner of war is a person, whether civilian or combatant, who is held in custody by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict...
, escaping numerous times before being moved to the supposedly 'escape proof' Colditz Castle
Colditz Castle
Colditz Castle is a Renaissance castle in the town of Colditz near Leipzig, Dresden, and Chemnitz in the state of Saxony in Germany. Used as a workhouse for the indigent and a mental institution for over 100 years, it gained international fame as a prisoner-of-war camp during World War II for...
. He was replaced as commander 1st SAS by Paddy Mayne
Paddy Mayne
Lieutenant Colonel Robert Blair "Paddy" Mayne DSO & Three Bars was a Northern Irish soldier, solicitor, Ireland rugby union international, amateur boxer, polar explorer and a founding member of the Special Air Service .-Early life and sporting achievements:Robert Blair "Paddy" Mayne was born in...
. In April 1943, the 1st SAS was reorganised into the Special Raiding Squadron under the command of Mayne and the Special Boat Squadron
Special Boat Service
The Special Boat Service is the special forces unit of the British Royal Navy. Together with the Special Air Service, Special Reconnaissance Regiment and the Special Forces Support Group they form the United Kingdom Special Forces and come under joint control of the same Director Special...
under the command of George Jellico
George Jellicoe, 2nd Earl Jellicoe
George Patrick John Rushworth Jellicoe, 2nd Earl Jellicoe, KBE, DSO, MC, PC, FRS was a British politician and statesman, diplomat and businessman....
. The Special Boat Squadron operated in the Aegean
Aegean Sea
The Aegean Sea[p] is an elongated embayment of the Mediterranean Sea located between the southern Balkan and Anatolian peninsulas, i.e., between the mainlands of Greece and Turkey. In the north, it is connected to the Marmara Sea and Black Sea by the Dardanelles and Bosporus...
and the Balkans
Balkans
The Balkans is a geopolitical and cultural region of southeastern Europe...
for the remainder of the war and was disbanded in 1945.
The Special Raiding Squadron spearheaded the invasion of Sicily Operation Husky and played more of a commando role raiding the Italian coastline, from which they suffered heavy losses at Termoli
Termoli
Termoli is a town and comune on the Adriatic coast of Italy, in the province of Campobasso, region of Molise. It has a population of around 32,000, having expanded quickly after World War II, and it is a local resort town known for its beaches and old fortifications...
. After Sicily they went on to serve in Italy with the newly formed 2nd SAS, a unit which had been formed in Algeria in May 1943 by Stirling's older brother Lieutenant Colonel
Lieutenant colonel
Lieutenant colonel is a rank of commissioned officer in the armies and most marine forces and some air forces of the world, typically ranking above a major and below a colonel. The rank of lieutenant colonel is often shortened to simply "colonel" in conversation and in unofficial correspondence...
Bill Stirling.
The 2nd SAS had already taken part in operations in support of the Allied landings in Sicily: Operation Narcissus
Operation Narcissus
During World War II, Operation Narcissus was a raid by forty members of the Special Air Service on a lighthouse on the southeast coast of Sicily. The team landed on 10 July 1943 with the mission of capturing the lighthouse and the surrounding high ground....
was a raid by 40 members of 2nd SAS on a lighthouse on the south east coast of Sicily. The team landed on 10 July with the mission of capturing the lighthouse and the surrounding high ground. Operation Chestnut
Operation Chestnut
During World War II, Operation Chestnut was a failed British raid by 2 Special Air Service, conducted in support of the Allied invasion of Sicily....
involved two teams of ten men each, parachuted into northern Sicily on the night of 12 July, to disrupt communications, transport and the enemy in general.
On mainland Italy they were involved in Operation Begonia
Operation Begonia
During World War II, Operation Begonia was the airborne counterpart to the amphibious Operation Jonquil, conducted by British SAS and Eighth Army Airborne between Ancona and Pescara, Italy, from 2 to 6 October, 1943. Total operational force comprised 61 men.The object was to locate escaped POWs in...
which was the airborne counterpart to the amphibious Operation Jonquil, from 2 to 6 October, 61 men were parachuted between Ancona
Ancona
Ancona is a city and a seaport in the Marche region, in central Italy, with a population of 101,909 . Ancona is the capital of the province of Ancona and of the region....
and Pescara
Pescara
Pescara is the capital city of the Province of Pescara, in the Abruzzo region of Italy. As of January 1, 2007 it was the most populated city within Abruzzo at 123,059 residents, 400,000 with the surrounding metropolitan area...
. The object was to locate escaped prisoners of war in the interior and muster them on beach locations for extraction. Begonia involved the interior parachute drop by 2nd SAS. Jonquil entailed four seaborne beach parties from 2nd SAS with the Free French SAS Squadron as protection. Operation Candytuft
Operation Candytuft
During World War II, Operation Candytuft was a British raid by 2nd Special Air Service launched on 27 October 1943.-Description:Inserted by boat on Italy’s east coast between Ancona and Pescara, the troopers were to destroy railway bridges and disrupt rear areas. The raid was conducted by No. 3...
was a raid by 2nd SAS on 27 October. Inserted by boat on Italy's east coast between Ancona and Pescara, they were to destroy rail road bridges and disrupt rear areas.
Near the end of the year the Special Raiding Squadron reverted to their former title 1st SAS and together with 2nd SAS were withdrawn from Italy and placed under command the 1st Airborne Division.
1944
In March 1944 the 1st and 2nd SAS Regiments returned to the United Kingdom and joined a newly formed SAS Brigade of the Army Air Corps. The other units in the Brigade were the French 3rd and 4th SAS, the Belgian 5th SAS5 SAS
The 5th Special Air Service or 5th SAS was an elite airborne unit during World War II, consisting entirely of Belgian volunteers. It saw action as part of the SAS Brigade in Normandy, Northern France, Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany. Initially trained in sabotage and intelligence gathering,...
and F Squadron
GHQ Liaison Regiment
GHQ Liaison Regiment was a special reconnaissance unit first formed in 1939 during the early stages of World War II and based at Pembroke Lodge, a Georgian house in Richmond Park, London.- History :...
which was responsible for signals and communications, the brigade commander was Brigadier
Brigadier
Brigadier is a senior military rank, the meaning of which is somewhat different in different military services. The brigadier rank is generally superior to the rank of colonel, and subordinate to major general....
Roderick McLeod
Roderick McLeod
Lieutenant General Sir Roderick William McLeod GBE KCB was a British Army General who achieved high office in the 1950s.-Military career:...
. The brigade was ordered to swap their beige SAS berets for the maroon parachute beret and given shoulder titles for 1, 2, 3 and 4 SAS in the Airborne colours. The French and Belgian regiments also wore the Airborne Pegasus
Pegasus
Pegasus is one of the best known fantastical as well as mythological creatures in Greek mythology. He is a winged divine horse, usually white in color. He was sired by Poseidon, in his role as horse-god, and foaled by the Gorgon Medusa. He was the brother of Chrysaor, born at a single birthing...
arm badge. The brigade now entered a period of training for their participation in the Normandy Invasion. They were prevented from conducting operations until after the start of the invasion by 21st Army Group. Their task was then to stop German reinforcements reaching the front line, by being parachuted behind the lines to assist the French Resistance
French Resistance
The French Resistance is the name used to denote the collection of French resistance movements that fought against the Nazi German occupation of France and against the collaborationist Vichy régime during World War II...
.
In support of the invasion 144 men of 1st SAS took part in Operation Houndsworth
Operation Houndsworth
Operation Houndsworth was the codename for a British Special Air Service operation during the Second World War. The operation carried out by 'A' Squadron, 1st Special Air Service between 6 June and 6 September 1944, was centred around Dijon in the Burgundy region of France...
between June and September, in the area of Lyon
Lyon
Lyon , is a city in east-central France in the Rhône-Alpes region, situated between Paris and Marseille. Lyon is located at from Paris, from Marseille, from Geneva, from Turin, and from Barcelona. The residents of the city are called Lyonnais....
, Chalon-sur-Saône
Chalon-sur-Saône
Chalon-sur-Saône is a commune in the Saône-et-Loire department in the region of Bourgogne in eastern France.It is a sub-prefecture of the department. It is the largest city in the department; however, the department capital is the smaller city of Mâcon....
, Dijon
Dijon
Dijon is a city in eastern France, the capital of the Côte-d'Or département and of the Burgundy region.Dijon is the historical capital of the region of Burgundy. Population : 151,576 within the city limits; 250,516 for the greater Dijon area....
, Le Creusot
Le Creusot
Le Creusot is a commune in the Saône-et-Loire department in the region of Bourgogne in eastern France.The inhabitants are known as Creusotins. Formerly a mining town, its economy is now dominated by metallurgical companies such as ArcelorMittal, Schneider Electric, and Alstom.Since the 1990s, the...
and Paris. At the same time 56 Men of 1st SAS also took part in Operation Bulbasket
Operation Bulbasket
Operation Bulbasket was an ill-fated operation by 'B' Squadron, 1st Special Air Service, behind German lines in German occupied France, between June and August 1944...
in the Poitiers
Poitiers
Poitiers is a city on the Clain river in west central France. It is a commune and the capital of the Vienne department and of the Poitou-Charentes region. The centre is picturesque and its streets are interesting for predominant remains of historical architecture, especially from the Romanesque...
area. They did have some success before being betrayed. Surrounded by a large German force, they were forced to disperse; later it was discovered that 36 men were missing and that 32 of them had been captured and executed by the Germans.
In mid June 150 men of the French SAS and 3,000 members of the French resistance took part in Operation Dingson
Operation Dingson
Operation Dingson was an operation in the Second World War, conducted by about 178 Free French paratroops of the 4th Special Air Service , commanded by Colonel Pierre-Louis Bourgoin, who jumped into German occupied France near Vannes, Morbihan, Southern Brittany, in Plumelec, on the night of 5...
. However they were forced to disperse after their camp was attacked by the Germans. The French SAS were also involved in Operation Cooney
Operation Cooney
On 7 June 1944, 297 Squadron took part in Operation Cooney by providing 2 of the 9 aircraft of 38 Group that were used to deploy elements of the 4th Free French Parachute Battalion or 2eme RCP also known as 4th SAS....
, Operation Samwest
Operation Samwest
During World War II, Operation Samwest was a large raid conducted by 116 Free French paratroops of the 4th Special Air Service Regiment. Their objective was to hinder movement of German troops from west Brittany to the Normandy beaches via ambush and sabotage attempts.The first phase of the...
and Operation Lost
Operation Lost
During World War II, Operation Lost was a reactive seven-man Special Air Service operation inserted into Brittany alongside Operation Dingson on 22-23 June 1944...
during the same period.
In August 91 men from the 1st SAS were involved in Operation Loyton
Operation Loyton
Operation Loyton was the codename given to an ill-fated Special Air Service mission in the Vosges department of France during the Second World War....
. The team had the misfortune to land in the Vosges
Vosges
Vosges is a French department, named after the local mountain range. It contains the hometown of Joan of Arc, Domrémy.-History:The Vosges department is one of the original 83 departments of France, created on February 9, 1790 during the French Revolution. It was made of territories that had been...
Mountains at a time when the Germans were preparing to defend the Belfort Gap
Belfort Gap
The Belfort Gap is a plateau located between the northern end of the Jura Mountains and the southernmost part of the Vosges mountains. Its altitude varies between 345 meters at its lowest and a little more than 400 meters in the area of the watershed between the catchment areas of the Rhine and...
. As a result, the Germans harried the team. The team also suffered from poor weather that prevented aerial resupply. Eventually, they broke into smaller groups to return to their own lines. During the escape 31 men were captured and executed by the Germans.
Also in August men from 2nd SAS operated from forest bases in the Rennes
Rennes
Rennes is a city in the east of Brittany in northwestern France. Rennes is the capital of the region of Brittany, as well as the Ille-et-Vilaine department.-History:...
area in conjunction with the resistance. Air resupply was plentiful and the resistance cooperated, which resulted in carnage. The 2nd SAS operated from the Loire through the forests of Darney
Darney
Darney is a commune in the Vosges department in Lorraine in northeastern France.It is located in the Vôge Plateau, around the location of the source of the river Saône. Darney is known for its forest of oak and beech trees.-History:...
to Belfort
Belfort
Belfort is a commune in the Territoire de Belfort department in Franche-Comté in northeastern France and is the prefecture of the department. It is located on the Savoureuse, on the strategically important natural route between the Rhine and the Rhône – the Belfort Gap or Burgundian Gate .-...
in just under six weeks.
Near the end of the year men from 2nd SAS were parachuted into Italy, to work with the Italian resistance in Operation Tombola
Operation Tombola
During World War II, Operation Tombola was a major Special Air Service raid on German rear areas in Italy.Fifty men parachuted on Cusna Mountain area between 4th and 24th March 1945, under command of Major Roy Farran...
here they remained until Italy was liberated.
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
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
prisoners were enlisted into an ‘Allied SAS Battalion’ which struck at the German main lines of communications.
1945
In March the former Chindit commander, Brigadier Mike CalvertMike Calvert
James Michael Calvert DSO and Bar was a British soldier involved in special operations in World War II. The degree to which he led very risky attacks in person led to his becoming widely known as "Mad Mike". Calvert was court-martialled and dismissed from the Army in 1952...
took over command of the brigade.
The 3rd and 4th SAS were involved in Operation Amherst
Operation Amherst
Operation Amherst was a Free French SAS attack designed to capture intact Dutch canals, bridges and airfields during world war II.-The battle:...
in April, The operation began with the drop of 700 men on the night of the 7 April. The teams spread out to capture and protect key facilities from the Germans.
Still in Italy in Operation Tombola, Major Roy Farran
Roy Farran
Major Roy Alexander Farran DSO, MC & Two Bars was a British-Canadian soldier, politician, farmer, author and journalist...
and 2nd SAS carried out a raid on a German Corps
Corps
A corps is either a large formation, or an administrative grouping of troops within an armed force with a common function such as Artillery or Signals representing an arm of service...
headquarters in the Po Valley, which succeeded in killing the corps chief of staff.
The Second World War in Europe ended on 8 May by that time the SAS brigade had suffered 330 casualties, but had killed or wounded 7,733 and captured 23,000 of their enemies. Later the same month 1st and 2nd SAS were sent to Norway to disarm the 300,000 German garrison and 5th SAS were in Denmark and Germany on counter intelligence operations. The brigade was dismantled soon afterwards, in September the Belgian 5th SAS were handed over to the reformed Belgian Army
Belgian Army
The Land Component is organised using the concept of capacities, whereby units are gathered together according to their function and material. Within this framework, there are five capacities: the command capacity, the combat capacity, the support capacity, the services capacity and the training...
. On 1 October the 3rd and 4th French SAS were handed over to the French Army
French Army
The French Army, officially the Armée de Terre , is the land-based and largest component of the French Armed Forces.As of 2010, the army employs 123,100 regulars, 18,350 part-time reservists and 7,700 Legionnaires. All soldiers are professionals, following the suspension of conscription, voted in...
and on 8 October the British 1st and 2nd SAS regiments were disbanded.
Malaya
At the end of the war the British Government could see no need for a SAS type regiment, however in 1946 it was decided that there was a need for a long term deep penetration commando or SAS unit. A new SAS regiment was raised as part of the Territorial Army. The title chosen for the new regiment was 21st SAS Regiment (V) and the regiment chosen to take on the SAS mantle was the Artists Rifles. The new 21 SAS Regiment came into existence on 1 January 1947 and took over the Artists Rifles headquarters at Dukes Road, Euston.In 1950 they raised a squadron to fight in the Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
. After three months training, they were informed that the squadron would not, after all, be needed in Korea, and instead were sent to serve in the Malayan Emergency
Malayan Emergency
The Malayan Emergency was a guerrilla war fought between Commonwealth armed forces and the Malayan National Liberation Army , the military arm of the Malayan Communist Party, from 1948 to 1960....
. On arrival in Malaya they came under the command of the wartime SAS Brigade commander, Mike Calvert. They became B Squadron, Malayan Scouts (SAS),
the other units were A Squadron, which had been formed from 100 local volunteers mostly ex Second World War SAS and Chindits
Chindits
The Chindits were a British India "Special Force" that served in Burma and India in 1943 and 1944 during the Burma Campaign in World War II. They were formed into long range penetration groups trained to operate deep behind Japanese lines...
and C Squadron formed from volunteers from Rhodesia
Rhodesia
Rhodesia , officially the Republic of Rhodesia from 1970, was an unrecognised state located in southern Africa that existed between 1965 and 1979 following its Unilateral Declaration of Independence from the United Kingdom on 11 November 1965...
, the so called 'Happy Hundred'. By 1956 the Regiment had been enlarged to five squadrons with the addition of D Squadron and the Parachute Regiment Squadron After three years service the Rhodesians returned home and were replaced by a New Zealand squadron.
A squadron were based at Ipoh
Ipoh
Ipoh is the capital city of Perak state, Malaysia. It is approximately 200 km north of Kuala Lumpur on the North-South Expressway....
while B and C squadrons were at Johore, during training they pioneered techniques of resupply by helicopter and also set up the "Hearts and Minds
Hearts and Minds
Hearts and Minds may refer to:* A biblical quotation; see the Wikisource link-Film:* Hearts and Minds , a 1974 documentary film about the Vietnam War-Television:...
" campaign to win over the locals with medical teams going from village to village treating the sick. With the aid of Iban
Iban people
The Ibans are a branch of the Dayak peoples of Borneo. In Malaysia, most Ibans are located in Sarawak, a small portion in Sabah and some in west Malaysia. They were formerly known during the colonial period by the British as Sea Dayaks. Ibans were renowned for practising headhunting and...
trackers from Borneo
Borneo
Borneo is the third largest island in the world and is located north of Java Island, Indonesia, at the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia....
they became experts at surviving in the jungle.
In 1951 the Malayan Scouts (SAS) had successfully recruited enough men to form a Regimental Headquarters, a headquarters squadron and four operational squadrons over 900 men. The regiment was tasked to seek, find, fix then destroy the terrorists and prevent their infiltration into protected areas. Their tactics would be long range patrols,ambush and tracking the terrorists to their bases. They trained and acquired skills in tree jumping, this involved parachuting into the thick jungle canopy and letting your parachute catch on the branches. Brought to a halt the parachutist then cut himself free and lowered himself to the ground by rope. Using inflatable boats for river patrolling, jungle fighting techniques, psychological warfare
Psychological warfare
Psychological warfare , or the basic aspects of modern psychological operations , have been known by many other names or terms, including Psy Ops, Political Warfare, “Hearts and Minds,” and Propaganda...
and booby trapping terrorist supplies. Calvert was invalided back to the United Kingdom in 1951 and replaced by Lieutenant-Colonel John Sloane
John Sloane
John Sloane was a U.S. Representative from Ohio and later the Treasurer of the United States.Born in York, Pennsylvania, Sloane moved to Ohio in early youth.He completed preparatory studies....
.
In February 1951 54 men from B Squadron carried out the first parachute drop in the campaign in Operation Helsby, which was a major offensive in the River Perak–Belum valley, just south of the Thai border.
The need for a regular army SAS regiment had been recognised, the Malayan Scouts (SAS) were renamed 22 SAS Regiment and formally added to the army list in 1952. However B Squadron was disbanded leaving just A and D Squadrons in service
Oman and Borneo
In 1958 the SAS got a new commander Lieutenant-Colonel Anthony Deane-DrummondAnthony Deane-Drummond
Major General Anthony John Deane–Drummond CB, DSO, MC & Bar is a retired officer of the Royal Signals in the British Army, whose career was mostly spent with airborne forces....
. The Malaya campaign was winding down, so they dispatched two squadrons from Malaya to assist in Oman. In January 1959 A Squadron defeated a large Guerrilla force on the Sabrina plateau. A victory that was kept from the public due to political and military sensitivities.
After Oman 22 SAS Regiment were recalled to the United Kingdom, the first time the regiment had served in there since their formation. They were initially barracked in Malvern
Malvern, Worcestershire
Malvern is a town and civil parish in Worcestershire, England, governed by Malvern Town Council. As of the 2001 census it has a population of 28,749, and includes the historical settlement and commercial centre of Great Malvern on the steep eastern flank of the Malvern Hills, and the former...
Worcestershire
Worcestershire
Worcestershire is a non-metropolitan county, established in antiquity, located in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes it is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three counties that comprise the "Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire" NUTS 2 region...
before moving to Hereford
Hereford
Hereford is a cathedral city, civil parish and county town of Herefordshire, England. It lies on the River Wye, approximately east of the border with Wales, southwest of Worcester, and northwest of Gloucester...
in 1960. Just prior to this the third SAS regiment was formed and like 21 SAS was part of the Territorial Army. 23 SAS Regiment was formed by the renaming of the Joint Reserve Reconnaissance Unit, which itself had succeeded MI.9 via a series of units (POW Rescue, Recovery and Interrogation Unit, Intelligence School 9 and the Joint Reserve POW Intelligence Organisation) Behind this change was the understanding that passive networks of escape lines had little place in the cold war world and henceforth personnel behind the lines would be rescued by specially trained units.
The regiment was sent to Borneo
Borneo
Borneo is the third largest island in the world and is located north of Java Island, Indonesia, at the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia....
for the Indonesia–Malaysia confrontation, where they adopted the tactics of patrolling up to 20 kilometres (12.4 mi) over the Indonesian border and used local tribesman for intelligence gathering. They at times lived in the indigenous tribes villages for five months gaining their trust. This involved showing respect for the Headman, giving gifts and providing medical treatment for the sick.
Operation Claret
Claret was the code name given to operations conducted from about July 1964 until July 1966 from East Malaysia across the border in Indonesian Kalimantan during the Indonesia-Malaysia confrontation. They were instigated by the Director of Borneo Operations Major General Walter Walker with the...
was initiated, soldiers were selected from the infantry regiments in theatre, placed under SAS command and known as "Killer Groups". These groups would cross the border and penetrate up to 18 kilometres (11.2 mi) disrupting the Indonesian Army
Indonesian Army
The Indonesian Army , the land component of the Indonesian Armed Forces, has an estimated strength of 328,517 regular personnel. The force's history began in 1945 when the Tentara Keamanan Rakyat "Civil Security Forces" served as paramilitary and police.Since the nation's independence struggle,...
build up, forcing them to move away from the border. The Borneo campaign cost the British 59 killed 123 wounded compared to the Indonesian 600 dead. In 1964 B Squadron was re-formed from a combination of former members still with the Regiment and new recruits.
The SAS returned to Oman in 1970, the Marxist controlled South Yemen government were supporting an insurgency in the Dhofar
Dhofar
The Dhofar region lies in Southern Oman, on the eastern border with Yemen. Its mountainous area covers and has a population of 215,960 as of the 2003 census. The largest town in the region is Salalah. Historically, it was the chief source of frankincense in the world. However, its frankincense...
region what became known as the Dhofar Rebellion
Dhofar Rebellion
The Dhofar Rebellion was launched in the province of Dhofar against the Sultanate of Muscat and Oman, which had British support, from 1962 to 1976. It ended with the defeat of the rebels, but the state of Oman had to be radically reformed and modernised to cope with the campaign.-Background:In...
. Operating under the umbrella of a British Army Training Team (BATT), they recruited, trained and commanded the local Firquts. Firquts were local tribesmen and recently surrendered enemy soldiers. This new campaign ended shortly after the Battle of Mirbat
Battle of Mirbat
The Battle of Mirbat took place on 19 July 1972 during the Dhofar Rebellion in Oman, which was supported by Communist guerrillas from South Yemen...
in 1972, when a small SAS force and Firquts defeated 250 Adoo guerrillas.
Northern Ireland
In 1969 D Squadron, 22 SAS deployed to Northern IrelandNorthern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
for just over a month. The SAS returned in 1972 when small numbers of men were involved in intelligence gathering. The first squadron fully committed to the Provence was in 1976 and by 1977 two squadrons were operating in Northern Ireland. These squadrons used well armed covert patrols in unmarked civilian cars. Within a year four terrorist had been killed or captured and another six forced to move south into the Republic
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
. Members of the SAS are also believed to have served in the 14 Intelligence Company
14 Intelligence Company
14 Field Security and Intelligence Company is alleged to have been an element of the British Army Intelligence Corps which operated in Northern Ireland from the 1970s onwards. The unit conducted undercover surveillance operations against suspected members of Irish republican and loyalist...
based in Northern Ireland.
The first operation attributed to the SAS was the arrest of Sean McKenna 12 March 1975. McKenna claims he was sleeping in a house just south of the Irish border when he was woken in the night by two armed men and forced across the border, while the SAS claimed he was found wandering in a field drunk.
Their second operation was on 15 April 1976 with the arrest and killing of Peter Cleary
Peter Cleary
Peter Joseph Cleary was a Northern Ireland republican and a leading member of the 1st Battalion of the Provisional Irish Republican Army 's South Armagh Brigade. He held the rank of Staff Officer and served as the unit's treasurer...
. Cleary, an IRA staff officer, was detained by five in a field waiting for a helicopter to land. While four men guided the aircraft in Cleary started to struggle with his guard and seize his rifle was shot.
The SAS returned to Northern Ireland in force in 1976, operating throughout the province in January 1977 Seamus Harvey armed with a shotgun was killed on a SAS ambush. On 21 June six men from G Squadron, ambushed four IRA men planting a bomb at a government building, three were shot and killed their driver managed to escape. On 10 July 1978, John Boyle, a sixteen-year-old Catholic, was exploring an old graveyard near his family's farm in County Antrim
County Antrim
County Antrim is one of six counties that form Northern Ireland, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland. Adjoined to the north-east shore of Lough Neagh, the county covers an area of 2,844 km², with a population of approximately 616,000...
, when he discovered an arms cache
Cache
In computer engineering, a cache is a component that transparently stores data so that future requests for that data can be served faster. The data that is stored within a cache might be values that have been computed earlier or duplicates of original values that are stored elsewhere...
. He told his father, who passed on the information to the Royal Ulster Constabulary
Royal Ulster Constabulary
The Royal Ulster Constabulary was the name of the police force in Northern Ireland from 1922 to 2000. Following the awarding of the George Cross in 2000, it was subsequently known as the Royal Ulster Constabulary GC. It was founded on 1 June 1922 out of the Royal Irish Constabulary...
(RUC). The next morning Boyle decided to see if the guns had been removed and was shot dead by two SAS soldiers who had been waiting undercover. In 1976 Newsweek
Newsweek
Newsweek is an American weekly news magazine published in New York City. It is distributed throughout the United States and internationally. It is the second-largest news weekly magazine in the U.S., having trailed Time in circulation and advertising revenue for most of its existence...
also reported that eight SAS men had been arrested in the Republic of Ireland supposedly as a result of a navigational error. It was later revealed that they had been in pursuit of an Provisional Irish Republican Army unit.
On 2 May 1980 Captain Herbert Westmacott
Herbert Westmacott
Captain Herbert Richard Westmacott MC was a Special Air Service officer who became the first person to be awarded a posthumous Military Cross...
, became the highest ranking member of the SAS to be killed in Northern Ireland.
He was in command of an eight man plain clothes SAS patrol that had been alerted by the Royal Ulster Constabulary
Royal Ulster Constabulary
The Royal Ulster Constabulary was the name of the police force in Northern Ireland from 1922 to 2000. Following the awarding of the George Cross in 2000, it was subsequently known as the Royal Ulster Constabulary GC. It was founded on 1 June 1922 out of the Royal Irish Constabulary...
that an IRA gun team had taken over a house in Belfast
Belfast
Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...
. A car carrying three SAS men went to the rear of the house, and another car carrying five SAS men went to the front of the house. As the SAS arrived at the front of the house the IRA unit opened fire with the a M60 machine gun
M60 machine gun
The M60 is a family of American general-purpose machine guns firing 7.62×51mm NATO cartridges from a disintegrating belt of M13 links...
, hitting Captain Westmacott in the head and shoulder killing him instantly. The remaining SAS men at the front, returned fire but were forced to withdraw. One member of the IRA team was apprehended by the SAS at the rear of the house, preparing the unit's escape in a transit van, while the other three IRA members remained inside the house. More members of the security forces were deployed to the scene, and after a brief siege the remaining members of the IRA unit surrendered. After his death Westmacott was posthumously awarded the Military Cross
Military Cross
The Military Cross is the third-level military decoration awarded to officers and other ranks of the British Armed Forces; and formerly also to officers of other Commonwealth countries....
. for gallantry in Northern Ireland during the period 1 February 1980 to 30 April 1980.
On 4 December 1983, a SAS patrol, found two IRA gunmen who were both armed. One with an Armalite
ArmaLite
ArmaLite is the name of a small arms engineering facility founded in the early 1950s, and once associated with the Fairchild Engine and Airplane Corporation. ArmaLite was formally incorporated as a subdivision of Fairchild on October 1, 1954...
rifle and the other a shotgun. They did not respond when challenged so the patrol opened fire, killing the two men. A third man escaped in a car was believed to have been wounded.
On 8 May 1987 the IRA suffered its worst single loss of men, when eight men were killed by the SAS while attempting to attack the Loughgall
Loughgall
Loughgall is a small village and townland in County Armagh, Northern Ireland. In the 2001 Census it had a population of 285 people.Loughgall was named after a small nearby loch. The village is at the heart of the apple-growing industry and is surrounded by orchards. Along the village's main street...
police station. The SAS had been informed of the attack and 24 men waited in ambush positions around and inside the police station. They opened fire when the armed IRA unit approached the station with a 200 pounds (90.7 kg) bomb, its fuse lit, in the bucket of a hijacked JCB
J. C. Bamford
JCB is a global construction, demolition and agricultural equipment company headquartered in Rocester, United Kingdom. It is the world's third-largest construction equipment manufacturer. It produces over 300 types of machines, including diggers , excavators, tractors and diesel engines...
digge
In the late 1980s the IRA started to move operations to the European mainland. Operation Flavius
Operation Flavius
Operation Flavius was the name given to an operation by a Special Air Service team in Gibraltar on 6 March 1988 tasked to prevent a Provisional Irish Republican Army bomb attack...
in March 1988, was an SAS operation in Gibraltar
Gibraltar
Gibraltar is a British overseas territory located on the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula at the entrance of the Mediterranean. A peninsula with an area of , it has a northern border with Andalusia, Spain. The Rock of Gibraltar is the major landmark of the region...
in which three PIRA volunteers, Seán Savage
Seán Savage
Seán Savage was a volunteer of the Provisional IRA who was shot and killed by British Army Special Air Service soldiers in Operation Flavius.-Early life:...
, Daniel McCann
Daniel McCann
Daniel "Danny" McCann was a volunteer in the Provisional Irish Republican Army who was killed by British Army Special Air Service soldiers in Operation Flavius.-Background:...
and Mairéad Farrell
Mairéad Farrell
Mairéad Farrell was an Irish volunteer of the Provisional Irish Republican Army . She was killed by SAS soldiers during Operation Flavius, a British Army operation to prevent a bombing in Gibraltar.-Early life:...
, were killed. All three had conspired to detonate a car bomb where a military band assembled for the weekly changing of the guard at the governor's residence. In Germany, in 1989 the German security forces discovered a SAS unit operating there without the permission of the German government.
In 1991 three IRA men killed by the SAS, according to reports at the time they were on their way to kill an Ulster Defence Regiment
Ulster Defence Regiment
The Ulster Defence Regiment was an infantry regiment of the British Army which became operational in 1970, formed on similar lines to other British reserve forces but with the operational role of defence of life or property in Northern Ireland against armed attack or sabotage...
soldier, who lived in Coagh
Coagh
Coagh is a small village in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland, situated five miles east of Cookstown. Part of the village also extends into County Londonderry. It had a population of 545 people in the 2001 Census...
, when they were ambushed. These three and another seven brought the total number of IRA men killed by the SAS in the 1990s to 11.
Counter terrorist wing
In 1975 the Prime Minister of the United KingdomPrime Minister of the United Kingdom
The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the Head of Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom. The Prime Minister and Cabinet are collectively accountable for their policies and actions to the Sovereign, to Parliament, to their political party and...
Edward Heath
Edward Heath
Sir Edward Richard George "Ted" Heath, KG, MBE, PC was a British Conservative politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and as Leader of the Conservative Party ....
asked the Ministry of Defence
Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom)
The Ministry of Defence is the United Kingdom government department responsible for implementation of government defence policy and is the headquarters of the British Armed Forces....
to prepare for any possible terrorist attack similar to the 1972 Munich massacre
Munich massacre
The Munich massacre is an informal name for events that occurred during the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, Bavaria in southern West Germany, when members of the Israeli Olympic team were taken hostage and eventually killed by the Palestinian group Black September. Members of Black September...
at the Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
Olympic Games
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
and ordered that the SAS Counter Revolutionary Warfare (CRW) wing be established.
Once the wing had been established each squadron would in turn rotate through counter terrorist training. The training included live firing exercises, hostage rescue and siege breaking. It was reported that during CWR training each soldier would expend 100,000 pistol rounds and would return to the CWR role on average every 16 months. Their first deployment was during the Balcombe Street Siege
Balcombe Street Siege
The Balcombe Street Siege was an incident involving members of the Provisional Irish Republican Army and the Metropolitan Police Service of London, England lasting from 6 December to 12 December 1975. The siege ended with the surrender of the four IRA volunteers and the release of their two hostages...
, where the Metropolitan Police
Metropolitan police
Metropolitan Police is a generic title for the municipal police force for a major metropolitan area, and it may be part of the official title of the force...
had trapped a PIRA unit. Hearing on the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
that the SAS were being deployed the PIRA men surrendered.
The first documented action by the CRW Wing was assisting the West German counter-terrorism group GSG 9
GSG 9
The GSG 9 der Bundespolizei , is the elite counter-terrorism and special operations unit of the German Federal Police.-History and name:...
at Mogadishu
Lufthansa Flight 181
Lufthansa Flight 181 was a Lufthansa Boeing 737-230 Adv aircraft named Landshut that was hijacked on October 13, 1977 by four members of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine...
.
Iranian Embassy siege
The Iranian Embassy SiegeIranian Embassy Siege
The Iranian Embassy siege took place from 30 April to 5 May 1980, after a group of six armed men stormed the Iranian embassy in South Kensington, London. The gunmen took 26 people hostage—mostly embassy staff, but several visitors and a police officer, who had been guarding the embassy, were also...
started at 11:30 on 30 April 1980 when a six-man team calling itself the 'Democratic Revolutionary Movement for the Liberation of Arabistan' (DRMLA), captured the embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Prince's Gate
Prince's Gate
Prince's Gate may be:* Princes' Gate, a monumental gate at Exhibition Place, Toronto, Canada* Princes Gate, a street in South Kensington, London, England...
, South Kensington
South Kensington
South Kensington is a district in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in London. It is a built-up area located 2.4 miles west south-west of Charing Cross....
in central London
Central London
Central London is the innermost part of London, England. There is no official or commonly accepted definition of its area, but its characteristics are understood to include a high density built environment, high land values, an elevated daytime population and a concentration of regionally,...
. When the group first stormed the building, 26 hostages were taken, but five were released over the following few days. On the sixth day of the siege the kidnappers killed a hostage. This marked an escalation of the situation and prompted Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher, was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990...
's decision to proceed with the rescue operation. The order to deploy the SAS was given, and B Squadron the duty CRW squadron were alerted. When the first hostage was shot, the Metropolitan Police Commissioner, David McNee
David McNee
Sir David Blackstock McNee, QPM was Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police from 1977 to 1982 and Chief Constable of the City of Glasgow Police from 1971 to 1977.-Early life:...
passed a note signed by Thatcher to the Ministry of Defence, stating this was now a "military operation".
The rescue mission started at 19:23, 5 May when the SAS assault troops at the front gained access to the embassy's first floor balcony via the roof. Another team assembled on the ground floor terrace entered via the rear of the embassy. After forcing entry five of the six terrorists were killed. Unfortunately one of the hostages was also killed by the terrorists during the assault which lasted 11 minutes. The events were broadcast live on national television and soon rebroadcast around the world gaining fame and a reputation for the SAS, that prior to the assault few outside of the military special operations community even knew of the regiments existence.
Peterhead prison
On 28 September 1987 a riot in D wing Peterhead Prison resulted in prisoners taking over the building and taking a prison officer, 56 year old Jackie Stuart, hostage. The rioters were serving life in prison for violent crimes. It was thought that they had nothing to lose and would not hesitate to make good on their threats to kill their hostage, whom they had now taken up to the rafters of the Scottish prison. When negotiations broke down, the then Home SecretaryHome Secretary
The Secretary of State for the Home Department, commonly known as the Home Secretary, is the minister in charge of the Home Office of the United Kingdom, and one of the country's four Great Offices of State...
Douglas Hurd
Douglas Hurd
Douglas Richard Hurd, Baron Hurd of Westwell, CH, CBE, PC , is a British Conservative politician and novelist, who served in the governments of Margaret Thatcher and John Major between 1979 and his retirement in 1995....
, dispatched the SAS to bring the riot to an end on 3 October. The CRW troops arrived by helicopter landed on the roof then abseiled into the prison proper. Armed only with pistols, batons and stun grenades they brought the riot to a swift closure.
London bombings
In 2005 London was the target of two attacks on the 7 July7 July 2005 London bombings
The 7 July 2005 London bombings were a series of co-ordinated suicide attacks in the United Kingdom, targeting civilians using London's public transport system during the morning rush hour....
and 21 July
21 July 2005 London bombings
On 21 July 2005, four attempted bomb attacks disrupted part of London's public transport system two weeks after the 7 July 2005 London bombings. The explosions occurred around midday at Shepherd's Bush, Warren Street and Oval stations on London Underground, and on a bus in Shoreditch...
. It was reported in the Times
Times
The Times is a UK daily newspaper, the original English language newspaper titled "Times". Times may also refer to:In newspapers:*The Times , went defunct in 2005*The Times *The Times of Northwest Indiana...
that the SAS CRW played a role in the capture of three men suspected of taking part in the failed 21 July bomb attacks. Providing expertise in explosive entry techniques to back up raids by police firearms officers. It was also reported that plain clothes SAS teams were monitoring airports and main railway stations to identify any security weaknesses and they were using civilian helicopters and two small executive to move around the country.
Falklands War
The Falklands WarFalklands War
The Falklands War , also called the Falklands Conflict or Falklands Crisis, was fought in 1982 between Argentina and the United Kingdom over the disputed Falkland Islands and South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands...
started after the Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
occupation of the Falkland Islands
Occupation of the Falkland Islands
The Military Administration of the Falklands, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands was the short-lived, Argentine-controlled government of a long disputed group of islands in the South Atlantic which had been governed by the United Kingdom since the 1833 re-establishment of British rule ...
on 2 April 1982. Brigadier Peter de la Billiere
Peter de la Billière
General Sir Peter Edgar de la Cour de la Billière, KCB, KBE, DSO, MC & Bar is a former British Army officer who was Director SAS during the Iranian Embassy Siege and Commander-in-Chief of the British forces in the 1990 Gulf War...
the Director Special Forces and Lieutenant-Colonel Michael Rose, the Commander of 22 SAS Regiment, petitioned for the regiment to be included in the task force. Without waiting for official approval D Squadron which was on standby for world wide operations, departed on the 5 April for Ascension Island
Ascension Island
Ascension Island is an isolated volcanic island in the equatorial waters of the South Atlantic Ocean, around from the coast of Africa and from the coast of South America, which is roughly midway between the horn of South America and Africa...
. They were followed by G Squadron on the 20 April. As both squadrons sailed south the plans were for D Squadron to support operations to retake South Georgia while G Squadron would be responsible for the Falkland Islands.
South Georgia
Operation Paraquet
Operation Paraquet was the code name for the British military operation to recapture the Island of South Georgia from Argentine military control in April 1982 at the start of the Falklands War...
was the code name for the first land to be liberated in the conflict. South Georgia an island to the south east of the Falkland Islands and one of the Falkland Islands Dependencies
Falkland Islands Dependencies
Falkland Islands Dependencies was the constitutional arrangement for administering the British territories in Sub-Antarctica and Antarctica from 1843 until 1985.-Background:...
.
In atrocious weather the SAS, SBS and Royal Marines
Royal Marines
The Corps of Her Majesty's Royal Marines, commonly just referred to as the Royal Marines , are the marine corps and amphibious infantry of the United Kingdom and, along with the Royal Navy and Royal Fleet Auxiliary, form the Naval Service...
forced the Argentinian garrison to surrender. On the 22 April Westland Wessex
Westland Wessex
The Westland Wessex is a British turbine-powered version of the Sikorsky S-58 "Choctaw", developed under license by Westland Aircraft , initially for the Royal Navy, and later for the Royal Air Force...
helicopters landed a SAS unit on the Fortuna Glacier
Fortuna Glacier
Fortuna Glacier is a tidewater glacier at the mouth of Cumberland Bay on the island of South Georgia. It flows in a northeast direction to its terminus just west of Cape Best, with an eastern distributary almost reaching the west side of Fortuna Bay, on the north coast of South Georgia. Named in...
. This resulted in the loss of two of the helicopters, one on take off and one crashed into the glacier in almost zero visibility. The SAS unit were defeated by the weather and terrain and had to be evacuated after only managing to cover 500 metres (1,640.4 ft) in five hours.
The following night a SBS section succeeded in landing by helicopter and Boat Troop, D Squadron, SAS set out in five Gemini inflatable boats for the island. Two boats suffered engine failure with one crew being picked up by helicopter and the other crew got to shore. The next day 24 April a force of 75 SAS, SBS and Royal Marines advancing with naval gunfire support, reached Grytviken
Grytviken
Grytviken is the principal settlement in the British territory of South Georgia in the South Atlantic. It was so named in 1902 by the Swedish surveyor Johan Gunnar Andersson who found old English try pots used to render seal oil at the site. It is the best harbour on the island, consisting of a...
and the forced the occupying Argentinians to surrender. The following day the garrison at Leith also surrendered.
Main landings
Prior to the landing eight reconnaissance patrols from G Squadron had been landed on East FalklandEast Falkland
East Falkland the largest of the Falkland Islands in the South Atlantic, has an area of and a coastline long. Most of the population of the Falklands live in East Falkland, almost all of them living in the northern half of the island...
between the 30 April and 2 May. The main landings were at San Carlos
Operation Sutton
During the 1982 Falklands War, Operation Sutton was the British landings on the shores of San Carlos Water, at Ajax Bay and Port San Carlos, near the San Carlos on East Falkland. During the night 3 Commando Brigade along with attached units of the Parachute Regiment were landed from the liner SS...
on 21 May. To cover the landings D Squadron mounted a major diversionary raid at Goose Green and Darwin with fire support from . After D Squadron were returning from their raid they shot down a FMA IA 58 Pucará
FMA IA 58 Pucará
The FMA IA 58 Pucará is an Argentine ground-attack and counter-insurgency aircraft. It is a low-wing two-turboprop-engined all-metal monoplane with retractable landing gear, manufactured by the Fábrica Militar de Aviones.-Development:...
with a shoulder-launched Stinger missile that had overflown their location. While the main landings were taking place a four man patrol from G Squadron had been carrying out a reconnaissance near Stanley
Stanley
Stanley may refer to:- Australia :* Stanley, Tasmania* Stanley, Victoria* County of Stanley, Queensland- Canada :* Stanley, British Columbia* Stanley, New Brunswick* Port Stanley, Ontario- Falkland Islands :...
. They located an Argentinian helicopter dispersal area between Mount Kent
Mount Kent
Mount Kent is a mountain on East Falkland, Falkland Islands, It is north of Mount Challenger and saw action in the Falklands War during the Battle of Mount Harriet - some of the area still being mined....
and Mount Estancia. Advising to attack at first light, the resulting attack by RAF Harrier GR3's from No. 1 Squadron RAF
No. 1 Squadron RAF
No. 1 Squadron is a squadron of the Royal Air Force. It operated the Harrier GR9 from RAF Cottesmore until 28 January 2011.The squadron motto is In omnibus princeps , appropriate for the RAF's oldest squadron and one that has been involved in almost every major British military operation since...
destroyed one CH-47 Chinook
CH-47 Chinook
The Boeing CH-47 Chinook is an American twin-engine, tandem rotor heavy-lift helicopter. Its top speed of 170 knots is faster than contemporary utility and attack helicopters of the 1960s...
and the two Aérospatiale Puma
Aérospatiale Puma
The Aérospatiale SA 330 Puma is a four-bladed, twin-engined medium transport/utility helicopter. The Puma was originally manufactured by Sud Aviation of France.-Development:...
helicopters.
Pebble Island
Over the night 14/15 May D Squadron SAS carried out the raid on Pebble IslandRaid on Pebble Island
The Raid on Pebble Island took place on 14-15 May 1982 during the Falklands War. Pebble Island is part of the Falkland Islands.-Background:Immediately after the Argentines had seized the Falkland Islands they established a small airbase on Pebble Island using the local airstrip on which were based...
airstrip on West Falkland
West Falkland
West Falkland is the second largest of the Falkland Islands in the South Atlantic. It is a hilly island, separated from East Falkland by Falkland Sound. Its area is and its coastline is long. Including the adjacent small islands the land area is .-Population:The island has fewer than 200...
. The force of 20 men from Mountain Troop, D Squadron, led by Captain John Hamilton
Gavin Hamilton (British Army officer)
Captain Gavin John Hamilton MC was the Officer Commanding 19 Troop, D Squadron, 22 Special Air Service during the Falklands War in 1982. He was killed whilst behind enemy lines on West Falkland on 10 June 1982...
, destroyed six FMA IA 58 Pucarás, four T-34 Mentor
T-34 Mentor
The Beechcraft T-34 Mentor is a propeller-driven, single-engined, military trainer aircraft derived from the Beechcraft Model 35 Bonanza. The earlier versions of the T-34, dating from around the late 1940s to the 1950s, were piston-engined. These were eventually succeeded by the upgraded T-34C...
s and a Short SC.7 Skyvan
Short SC.7 Skyvan
-See also:-References:NotesBibliography* Jackson, A.J. British Civil Aircraft since 1919 . London: Putnam, 1974. ISBN 0-370-10014-X.-External links:****...
transport. The attack was supported by fire from . Under cover of mortar and small arms fire the SAS moved onto the airstrip and fixed explosive charges to the aircraft. Casualties were light one Argentinian was killed and two of the Squadron were wounded by shrapnel when a mine exploded.
Sea King Crash
On 19 May, the SAS suffered its worst losses since the Second World War. When a Westland Sea KingWestland Sea King
The Westland WS-61 Sea King is a British licence-built version of the American Sikorsky S-61 helicopter of the same name, built by Westland Helicopters. The aircraft differs considerably from the American version, with Rolls-Royce Gnome engines , British made anti-submarine warfare systems and a...
helicopter crashed while cross-decking troops from to killing 22 men. Approaching Hermes it appeared to have an engine failure and crashed into the sea. Only nine men managed to scramble out of side door before the helicopter sank. They were the only survivors. Rescuers found bird feathers floating on the surface were the helicopter had impacted the water. It is thought that the Sea King was the victim of a bird strike. Of the 22 killed 18 were from the SAS, one from the Royal Signals and the Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
pilot.
Operation Mikado
Operation MikadoOperation Mikado
Operation Mikado was the code name of a military plan by the United Kingdom to use Special Air Service troops to attack the home base of Argentina's five Etendard strike fighters at Río Grande, Tierra del Fuego during the 1982 Falklands War....
was the code name for the planned landing of B Squadron, SAS at the Argentinian airbase at Río Grande, Tierra del Fuego
Río Grande, Tierra del Fuego
-External links:* * * *...
. The initial plan was to crash land two C-130 Hercules carrying B Squadron onto the runway at Port Stanley to bring the conflict to a rapid conclusion. B Squadron arrived at Ascension Island
Ascension Island
Ascension Island is an isolated volcanic island in the equatorial waters of the South Atlantic Ocean, around from the coast of Africa and from the coast of South America, which is roughly midway between the horn of South America and Africa...
20 May the day after the fatal Sea King crash. They were just boarding the C-130s when word came that the operation had been cancelled.
West Falkland
Mountain Troop, D Squadron SAS deployed onto West Falkland to observe the two Argentine garrisons. One of the patrols was commanded by Captain John Hamilton who had commanded the raid on Pebble Island. On the 10 June Hamilton and patrol were in an observation point near Port HowardPort Howard
Port Howard is the largest settlement on West Falkland . it is in the east of the island, on an inlet of Falkland Sound...
when they were attacked by Argentine forces. Two of the patrol managed to get away but Hamilton and his signaller, Sergeant Fosenka, were pinned down. Hamilton was hit in the back by enemy fire and told Fosenka "you carry on, I'll cover your back" moments later Hamilton was killed. Sergeant Fosenka was later captured when he ran out of ammunition. The senior Argentine officer praised the heroism of Hamilton who was posthumously awarded the Military Cross
Military Cross
The Military Cross is the third-level military decoration awarded to officers and other ranks of the British Armed Forces; and formerly also to officers of other Commonwealth countries....
.
Wireless Ridge
The last major action for the SAS was a raid was on East Falkland on the night of 14 June. This involved a diversionary raid by D Squadron against Stanley, while 2nd Battalion, Parachute Regiment assaulted Wireless RidgeBattle of Wireless Ridge
The Battle of Wireless Ridge was an engagement of the Falklands War which took place on the night of 13 June and 14 June 1982, between British and Argentine forces during the advance towards the Argentine-occupied capital of the Falklands Stanley. Wireless Ridge was one of seven strategic hills...
. Their objective was to set up a mortar and machine gun fire base to provide fire support, while the Boat Troop and six SBS men crossed Port William water in Rigid Raider
Rigid Raider
The Rigid Raider is a series of fast patrol/assault boat made by RTK Marine, a subsidiary of Halmatic . They are in service with many armed forces, including the Royal Marines, the SBS and Royal Engineers...
s to destroy the fuel tanks at Cortley Hill. As the assault team approached their target they came under machine gun fire, all their boats were hit and three men wounded forcing them to withdraw. At the same time the fire base came under an Argentinian artillery and infantry attack. They then had to call upon their own artillery to silence the Argentinian guns to enable D Squadron to withdraw. The raid did not destroy their intended target but Argentinian artillery continued to land on the SAS position for an hour after they had withdrawn and not on the attacking parachute battalion.
Gulf War
Gulf War
The Persian Gulf War , commonly referred to as simply the Gulf War, was a war waged by a U.N.-authorized coalition force from 34 nations led by the United States, against Iraq in response to Iraq's invasion and annexation of Kuwait.The war is also known under other names, such as the First Gulf...
started after the invasion of Kuwait
Kuwait
The State of Kuwait is a sovereign Arab state situated in the north-east of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the south at Khafji, and Iraq to the north at Basra. It lies on the north-western shore of the Persian Gulf. The name Kuwait is derived from the...
by Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
on 2 August 1990. The British Army response to the invasion was Operation Granby
Operation Granby
Operation Granby was the name given to the British military operations during the Gulf War. 53,462 troops were deployed during the conflict. The total cost of operations was £2.434 billion of which at least £2.049 billion was paid for by other nations such as Kuwait and Saudi Arabia; £200...
, which included A, B and D squadrons 22 Special Air Service Regiment. Which was the largest SAS mobilisation since the Second World War. Initial plans were for the SAS to carry out their traditional raiding role behind the Iraqi lines, and operate ahead of the allied invasion, disrupting lines of communications. The SAS operating from Al Jawf, had since 20 January 1991, been working behind Iraqi lines hunting for Scud
Scud
Scud is a series of tactical ballistic missiles developed by the Soviet Union during the Cold War, and exported widely to other countries. The term comes from the NATO reporting name SS-1 Scud which was attached to the missile by Western intelligence agencies...
missile launchers in the area south of the Amman
Amman
Amman is the capital of Jordan. It is the country's political, cultural and commercial centre and one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. The Greater Amman area has a population of 2,842,629 as of 2010. The population of Amman is expected to jump from 2.8 million to almost...
— Baghdad
Baghdad
Baghdad is the capital of Iraq, as well as the coterminous Baghdad Governorate. The population of Baghdad in 2011 is approximately 7,216,040...
highway. The patrols working on foot and in landrovers would at times carry out their own attacks, with MILAN
MILAN
MILAN " is French and German for "kite bird") is a European anti-tank guided missile. Design of the MILAN started in 1962. It was ready for trials in 1971, and was accepted for service in 1972. It is a wire guided SACLOS missile, which means the sight of the launch unit has to be aimed at the...
missiles on Scud launchers and also set up ambushes for Iraqi convoys,
On 22 January three eight man patrols from B Squadron were inserted behind the lines by a Chinook helicopter. Their mission was to locate Scud launchers and monitor the main supply route. One of the patrols Bravo Two Zero
Bravo Two Zero
Bravo Two Zero was the call sign of an eight-man British Army SAS patrol, deployed into Iraq during the First Gulf War in January 1991. According to one patrol member's account, the patrol were given the task of "gathering intelligence;.....
had decided to patrol on foot. The patrol was found by an Iraqi unit and, unable to call for help because they had been issued the wrong radio frequencies, had to try and evade capture by themselves. The team under command of Andy McNab
Andy McNab
Sergeant ‘Andy McNab’ DCM MM is the pseudonym of an English novelist and former SAS operative and soldier.McNab came into public prominence in 1993, when he published his account of the failed Special Air Service patrol, Bravo Two Zero for which he was awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal in...
suffered three dead and four captured; only one man, Chris Ryan
Chris Ryan
Sergeant ‘Chris Ryan’ MM is the pseudonym of a former British Special Forces operative and soldier turned novelist...
, managed to escape to Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
. Ryan made SAS history with the "longest escape and evasion by an SAS trooper or any other soldier", covering 100 miles (160.9 km) more than SAS trooper Hugh Davidson (David) Sillito, had in the Sahara Desert in 1942. The other patrols Bravo One Zero and Bravo Three Zero had opted to use landrovers and take in more equipment returned intact to Saudi Arabia.
By the end of the war four SAS men had been killed and five captured.
Sierra Leone
The SAS were operational in Sierra LeoneSierra Leone
Sierra Leone , officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Guinea to the north and east, Liberia to the southeast, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west and southwest. Sierra Leone covers a total area of and has an estimated population between 5.4 and 6.4...
in September 2000. When a combined SAS, SBS and men from 1st Battalion, Parachute Regiment carried out a hostage rescue operation Operation Barras
Operation Barras
Operation Barras was the name given to a hostage rescue operation by the British Special Air Service, Special Boat Service, and Parachute Regiment in Sierra Leone on 10 September 2000...
. The objective was to rescue 11 members of the Royal Irish Regiment that were being held by a militia group known as the West Side Boys
West Side Boys
The West Side Boys aka West Side Niggaz or West Side Junglers, were an armed group in Sierra Leone, sometimes described as a splinter faction of the Armed Forces Revolutionary Council....
. The rescue team transported in three Chinook and one Lynx helicopter mounted a simultaneous two-pronged attack after reaching the militia positions. After a heavy fire fight, the hostages were released and flown back to the capital Freetown
Freetown
Freetown is the capital and largest city of Sierra Leone, a country in West Africa. It is a major port city on the Atlantic Ocean located in the Western Area of the country, and had a city proper population of 772,873 at the 2004 census. The city is the economic, financial, and cultural center of...
.
One member of the SAS rescue team was killed during the operation.
Iraq War
At present there has been no confirmation that the SAS took any part in the 2003 invasion of Iraq2003 invasion of Iraq
The 2003 invasion of Iraq , was the start of the conflict known as the Iraq War, or Operation Iraqi Freedom, in which a combined force of troops from the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and Poland invaded Iraq and toppled the regime of Saddam Hussein in 21 days of major combat operations...
. However there is evidence that they took part in later operations. General
General
A general officer is an officer of high military rank, usually in the army, and in some nations, the air force. The term is widely used by many nations of the world, and when a country uses a different term, there is an equivalent title given....
Stanley McChrystal, the American commander of NATO forces in Iraq, has commented on A Squadron 22 SAS Regiment. That when part of Task Force Black and Task Force Knight (subcomponents of Task Force 145), carried out 175 combat missions during a six month tour of duty.
Also in 2006 members of the SAS were involved in the rescue of peace activists Norman Kember
Norman Kember
Norman Frank Kember is an Emeritus Professor of biophysics at Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry and a Christian pacifist active in campaigning on issues of war and peace. As a Baptist, a long-standing member of the Baptist Peace Fellowship and the Fellowship of Reconciliation...
, James Loney and Harmeet Singh Sooden
Harmeet Singh Sooden
Harmeet Singh Sooden is a Canadian and New Zealand citizen who volunteered for Christian Peacemaker Teams in Iraq. From November 26, 2005, he was held captive in Iraq with three others and threatened with execution until being freed by multinational forces in an operation on March 23, 2006.Sooden...
. The three men had been held hostage in Iraq for 118 days during the Christian Peacemaker hostage crisis.
Afghanistan
Since operations against the Taliban began in AfghanistanWar in Afghanistan (2001–present)
The War in Afghanistan began on October 7, 2001, as the armed forces of the United States of America, the United Kingdom, Australia, and the Afghan United Front launched Operation Enduring Freedom...
, the SAS are known to have taken part in the Battle of Tora Bora
Battle of Tora Bora
The Battle of Tora Bora was a military engagement that took place in Afghanistan in December 2001, during the opening stages of the war in that country launched following the 9/11 attacks on the United States. The U.S...
. Also for the first time it has been revealed that reserve soldiers from 21 and 23 SAS Regiments have been involved in active operations.
In June 2008 a Land Rover transporting Corporal Sarah Bryant and SAS reserve soldiers Corporal Sean Reeve and Lance Corporals Richard Larkin and Paul Stout hit a mine in Helmand province
Helmand Province
Helmand is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan. It is in the southwest of the country. Its capital is Lashkar Gah. The Helmand River flows through the mainly desert region, providing water for irrigation....
, killing all four. In October Major
Major
Major is a rank of commissioned officer, with corresponding ranks existing in almost every military in the world.When used unhyphenated, in conjunction with no other indicator of rank, the term refers to the rank just senior to that of an Army captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...
Sebastian Morley, their commander in Afghanistan, resigned over what he described as "gross negligence" on the part of the Ministry of Defence that contributed to the deaths of four British troops under his command. Morley stated that the MoD's failure to properly equip his troops with adequate equipment forced them to use lightly armoured Snatch Land Rovers to travel around Afghanistan.
According to the London Sunday Times, as of March 2010 the United Kingdom Special Forces have suffered 12 killed and 70 seriously injured in Afghanistan and seven killed and 30 seriously injured in Iraq.