Special Air Service

See also Australian Special Air Service Regiment and New Zealand Special Air Service

Special Air Service
Cap Badge of the Special Air Service
Active	July 22 1941-June 301946 and May 11947- Present
Country	United Kingdom
Branch	British Army
Type	Special Forces
Role	21 SAS - Close Target Reconnaissance 22 SAS - Counter-Revolutionary Warfare/Counter-Terrorism 23 SAS - Close Target Reconnaissance
Size	Three Regiments
Part of	UK Special Forces
Garrison/HQ	RHQ - Credenhill, Hereford 21st Regiment - London 22nd Regiment - Credenhill, Hereford 23rd Regiment - Birmingham
Motto	Who Dares Wins
Colours	Oxford and Cambridge blue
March	Quick: Marche du Regiment Parachutiste Belge Slow: Lili Marlene
Anniversaries	July 221941 November 171941 September 21 1941 May 11947
Commanders
Colonel-Commandant	General The Rt Hon Baron Guthrie GCB LVO VD OBE CDM ADC
Notable commanders	Colonel Sir David Stirling DSO, OBE Lieutenant Colonel Robert Blair Mayne DSO & Three Bars General Sir Peter de la Billière KCB, KBE, DSO, MC & Bar General Sir Michael Rose KCB, CBE, DSO, QGM
Insignia
Arm Badge	Parachute Badge with Wings SAS[1]

The Special Air Service Regiment (SAS) is the principal special forces unit of the British Army. It is a small and secretive institution. The SAS today serves as a model for similar units fielded by other countries. The SAS forms a significant part of the United Kingdom Special Forces. The other parts are: the Special Boat Service (SBS), the Special Reconnaissance Regiment (SRR), and the Special Forces Support Group (SFSG). The SAS can trace its existence back to 1941, when British Army volunteers conducted raids behind enemy lines in the North African Campaign of World War II. The Regiment's motto is "Who Dares Wins".

History

Main article: History of the SAS

Function

Current SAS roles are believed to include:^[2]

• Intelligence collection in the deep battlespace.
• Battlespace preparation by sabotage and offensive raiding in the medium and deep battlespace.
• Counter Terrorism operations inside United Kingdom territory in conjunction with police forces.
• Counter Terrorism operations outside UK territory.
• Training special forces of other nations.
• Counter Revolutionary Warfare activities in support of UK government Foreign Policy.
• Protection of senior British dignitaries and VIPs.

Command, control and organisation

The Special Air Service is under the Operational Control (OPCON) of Director Special Forces and is considered a strategic asset. However, OPCON may be delegated to Operational and Tactical commanders as required. The Special Air Service Regiment is a Corps of the British Army under the United Kingdom legal system which authorises the raising of military forces and comprises three battalion-sized units, one Regular and two reserve units in the Territorial Army (TA), each styled as 'regiments' in accordance with British Army practice; 22 SAS Regiment being the Regular unit, with 21 SAS Regiment (Artists Rifles) and 23 SAS Regiment as the TA reserve units, known together as the Special Air Service (Reserve) (SAS(R)). The Artists Rifles appellation comes from the amalgamation in 1947 with an unusual pre-existing TA Regiment originally raised from the artistic community at a time when the Rifle Volunteer movement was at its height. The Artists Rifles (Originally Artists' Rifles until the apostrophe was officially dropped from the full title as it was so often misused) were of such quality they were used as an officer-producing unit in both World Wars, although the 1st Battalion fought as part of the Royal Naval Division in the latter years of World War I. UK Special Forces are supported by a signal regiment, 18 (UKSF) Signal Regiment, which includes one TA squadron, 63 (SAS) Signal Squadron (Volunteers) and by the Joint Special Forces Air Wing, with 8 Flight Army Air Corps attached to 22 SAS. Each Regiment comprises a number of "Sabre" Squadrons with some supporting functions being undertaken within 22 SAS; Headquarters, Planning, and Intelligence Section, Operational Research Section, Counter Revolutionary Warfare Wing, and Training Wing. ('Sabre' Squadrons are so called to distinguish the operational squadrons from administrative or HQ squadrons.)

Each 'Sabre' Squadron of 22 SAS is divided into four 16-man Troops, each with different functional responsibilities (Air Troop, Boat Troop, Mobility Troop, and Mountain Troop). The CRW Wing is nominally made up of the personnel drawn from a single squadron, originally designated "Pagoda", which is relieved every 6 – 9 months. The squadron is split up into two combined troops, "Red" and "Blue", with each troop made up of an assault group and a sniper team. Though the counter-terrorist teams are based at RHQ in Hereford, a specialist eight-man team is based within the outer London region (4, south London border & 4, north London border/Hertfordshire). This team rapidly responds to any situation in London as required. 'L' Detachment, formerly 'R' Squadron, is a TA unit comprising former Regular soldiers and assigned to 22 SAS for the provision of casualty replacements. Optionally it also had its own role in the event of limited or general war. The three regiments have different roles:

• 21 SAS - Medium and deep battlespace Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition, and Reconnaissance (ISTAR) and offensive operations.
• 22 SAS - Medium and deep battlespace ISTAR and offensive operations, Counter Revolutionary Warfare (CRW), Counter-Terrorism (CT), close protection and defence diplomacy.
• 23 SAS - Medium and deep battlespace ISTAR and offensive operations.

Each TA Squadron includes attached regular personnel as Permanent Staff Instructors - a ruling established by the then Brigadier Peter de la Billière, as Director SAS, specifying that promotion within the Regiment for any officer or senior NCO would be predicated on experience with the SAS(R).. The SAS also provide Permanent Staff Instructors to the Honourable Artillery Company a non SF Territorial Army unit based in London. In the 1980s and 1990s the SAS provided the Commanding Officer and some directing staff for the NATO International Long Range Reconnaissance Patrol School (ILRRPS) ^[4] based at Weingarten and then Pfullendorf. The SAS were based at Hereford, Herefordshire in the west of England. Stirling Lines, named after Sir David Stirling(formerly Bradbury Lines), was initially the home base but in 1999 they moved to the former RAF station Credenhill. The Royal Signals also maintains 264 (SAS) Signal Squadron (renamed 18 (UKSF) Signal Regiment in early 2005) and one Territorial Army SAS Squadron; 63 (SAS) Signal Squadron (Volunteers) Thorney Island/Southampton/Portsmouth/Bournemouth/Chichester/London (L troop) and Hererord (R troop). Soldiers of this unit wear the SAS beret with the Royal Signals cap badge.

Troops

'Sabre' Squadrons in 22 SAS are organised as four specialised Troops, although personnel are broadly skilled in all areas following 'Selection' and 'Continuation' training. The specialised troop provide a focus for particular skillsets and personnel may move between Troops over the length of a career. 21 and 23 SAS do not so distinguish.

Air Troop

Air Troop personnel specialise in airborne insertion from fixed wing and rotary wing aircraft. Leaving the aircraft at high altitude personnel are capable of delivering personnel and equipment into the deep battlespace far beyond the forward edge of battle area in support of their ISTAR or offensive operations. Personnel are trained in three principal forms of parachute infiltration; Standard conventional military automatic or static line parachuting; High Altitude Low Opening (HALO), High Altitude High Opening (HAHO), both bearing significant risk to the operator. HALO insertions involve a long free fall followed by canopy opening at low level, about 2,000 feet (600 m), leaving the operator exposed to detection and fire for the minimum possible period. The aircraft must overfly in the vicinity of the Drop Zone to effect delivery, risking a compromise to the mission should it be detected. HAHO insertions allow the aircraft to deliver the operators from a significantly greater range from the Drop Zone, thus reducing risk of mission compromise. Operators leave the aircraft and immediately deploy a canopy which allows a long glide over great distance. Operators are provided with an oxygen supply to survive the depleted air at high altitude and warm clothing protects from cold. An altimeter is used to manage the canopy deployment and for navigation purposes. Equipment is carried in a reduced-drag harness (CSPEP -Container, straps, personal equipment, parachutist), initially between the legs, and later lowered on a cord prior to landing. The primary weapon may be carried under the arm, ready for immediate use on landing.

Boat Troop

Boat Troop personnel specialise in water-borne insertion techniques; diving and small boats. Personnel are trained in diving using Open and Closed Circuit breathing systems, learning skills in navigation, approaching the shore or vessels underway and the delivery of Limpet mines. Much of this training is undertaken with the Special Boat Service of the Royal Marines. Once proficient in diving, personnel learn methods of surface infiltration. One of the main forms of transportation is still the Klepper canoe. The first SAS folding boats were designed during World War II for use by Commandos, based on existing designs. The German Klepper has been in service since the 1960s. Other methods include the Gemini inflatable, used primarily for sending small groups of soldiers onto a shore undetected, and the fibreglass hulled Rigid Raider fast patrol boats which are larger carrying more personnel or cargo ashore. Entry to the water from rotary wing aircraft and by parachute drop; the helicopter hovers some 50 feet (15 m) above the water, personnel simply jumping out. Airborne entry to the water carries a significant risk to equipment with weapons and other equipment sealed using a dry bag. Deployment from submarines is taught. Submarine egress bears a high risk given the effect of pressure at depth (nitrogen narcosis and oxygen toxicity), the cold, and the risks inherent in the use of mechanical breathing aids while underwater.

Mobility Troop

Mobility Troop personnel specialise in vehicle insertion techniques, similar to those of the Long Range Desert Group of the Second World War. Vehicle insertions allow a more sustainable patrol in the medium to deep battlespace but create logistical and force protection challenges. Personnel are required to gain skills in vehicle maintenance across the range of vehicles used by the Regiment, particularly whilst on patrol with limited opportunity for combat support. Vehicles include the Land Rovers, Supacat HMT^[5], Honda 350 cc Quad Bike, and the Honda 250 cc motorbike. These vehicles can be variously configured with a range of weapon systems including; Browning 0.50 calibre machine gun, Mk 19 40 mm grenade launcher, twin or single L7A2 7.62 mm GPMG , and the Javelin anti-tank guided missile.

Mountain Troop

Mountain Troops personnel specialise in the conduct of operations at high altitude and in mountainous terrain, requiring advanced skills in climbing, ice climbing, skiing and cold weather survival. Training is conducted in deserts and mountain ranges around the world. Many training expeditions are organised. Some members of mountain troops have participated in major military ^[6] and civilian expeditions - sadly this has not been without loss^[7].

Security, Honours and Awards

While all military personnel are bound by the Official Secrets Act and undergo vetting, Special Forces personnel are required to undertake a higher level of clearance. On entry into the regiment personnel are required to limit dissemination of their employment. Anonymity is provided during service and personnel are not required to provide identifying details to police and authorities whilst co-operating. Effectives are entitled to a 24-hour 'warm down' period following offensive action within the United Kingdom, during which they are debriefed. Members are not obliged to provide information to civilian agencies during this period. Medals awarded to personnel, such as the Military Cross (MC), are publicised in the normal manner and officially and formally via The London Gazette however the individuals original parent Corps or Regiment, if they have such, is attributed as a matter of fact which sometimes provides security cover. The circumstances surrounding personnel killed in action are not routinely disseminated; should this be unavoidable the individual is also usually attributed to their parent Corps or Regiment where this applies. Not all decorations are gazetted. Those that are not gazetted are held as secure records by the Ministry of Defence. Information on un-gazetted decorations prior to a moving dateline, of about thirty years prior, are routinely transferred to the United Kingdom National Archives for public inspection, or are further held back from disclosure if any security considerations or other residual sensitivities are deemed to make this advisable. Currently, three officers have been recommended for the VC: two during World War II and one during the Falklands. Only one has been awarded; to Major Anders Frederick Emil Victor Schau Lassen, MC and 2 Bars, killed in Italy in 1944 when he was commanding a squadron of the Special Boat Service. His grave marker bears the badge of the Regiment because the SBS in which he served continued to wear this as their cap badge, and was considered part of the 'SAS family' even though it was a separate regiment, commanded by a Lieutenant Colonel and formed out of the Special Boat Squadron of 1 SAS. The only other high ranking SAS officer to be awarded a second MC is now retired living in Wilmington, North Carolina, USA. Following a number of high-profile book releases about the Regiment, candidates for selection are required to sign a non-disclosure agreement, in addition to their duties under the Official Secrets Act. Former members may not release details of their employment within the organisation without prior consent. Ex-members of the Regiment who wrote exposés prior to the introduction of the agreement have used pseudonyms, such as Andy McNab and Chris Ryan. Books in the genre include both non-fiction and fictional accounts based on the experiences of the author. The British Government has a standing policy of not discussing the SAS or its operations and makes few official announcements concerning their activities. When reports of military operations are given there is usually no mention of SAS, or other Special Forces, involvement. Since the inception of the British 'D' Notice system for the British Press during World War II any mention of the Special Air Service has been one of the cautionary or non-disclosure categories of reporting.

Selection and training

Main article: United Kingdom Special Forces Selection

At the formation of the Regiment personnel earned their place through service on operations. In 1952 Major John Woodhouse introduced what has come to be known as 'Selection' or the 'Selection Course'. Selection is reputed to be the most demanding military training course in the British Army with a reported pass rate of less than 10%. It is a test of strength, endurance, and resolve over the Brecon Beacons and Elan Valley in Wales, and in the jungle of Brunei, taking around 6 months to complete. Selection is held twice a year regardless of conditions. A candidate must be male and have been a regular member of the Armed Forces for at least three years. All soldiers who apply must have at least 39 months of military service remaining and to be eligible for selection the candidate must not exceed 32 years of age. A candidate who fails any stage of the selection is 'Returned to [his parent] Unit' (RTU'd). Candidates are allowed only two attempts at selection, after which they may never reapply. Many are not even allowed that. Like other sections of the British armed forces, the SAS accepts members from the Commonwealth and The Republic of Ireland, with notable representation from Fiji, the former Rhodesia, New Zealand and Australia. The Parachute Regiment is frequently the SAS's main recruiting area. The selection phase has three main sections:

• Physical endurance
• Combat
• Survival and evading capture.

The physical endurance phase is the phase in which most candidates will be eliminated due to the difficulty of the test. The SAS use the Brecon Beacons in Wales to carry out the test. Over the course of a month the runs and hikes get progressively longer, the weights carried increase and recovery times shorten. The final stage of this phase of selection is known as "Test Week" and culminates with "Endurance", a forty mile march across the Brecon Beacons, that must be completed in less than twenty hours with a load in excess of fifty-five pounds plus water, food and rifle.

Initial continuation training (4 weeks)

The combat phase is held in the jungle, normally in Brunei or Malaysia. This is where the successful candidates will learn to use weapons and tactics to outwit and outmanoeuvre enemy forces. The SAS, unlike most regiments, uses live ammunition on their combat phase. This is because they are trained to fight while considering friendly positions from the start, so that they can carry this straight on to the battlefield: 'You only get one chance'. If candidates have managed to pass through this combat phase then now they have to go through survival and escape and evasion training. In this phase candidates that are left from the hundreds that apply will undergo a survival phase in the jungle, in which they only have a small 'survival kit'. They must 'survive' for a week while evading a hunter force. This is a particularly hard phase because the hunter force is normally accustomed to the ground and are given rewards, such as increased leave, if they capture a candidate. After this week, the candidates must give themselves up at an agreed meeting point. They will then be taken back to the enemy HQ and interrogated. This interrogation phase will make or break their career as they must undergo physical and mental torture as well as aggressive interrogation. The SAS will accept roughly 2-7% of the soldiers who started selection. Personnel completing selection are placed on probation for 12 months and undergo specialist and continuation training appropriate to their employing Troop or more general training such as languages or first aid. This training will include mountain, jungle, desert, urban and counter-terrorism specialist courses.

Insignia

SAS returning from a 1943 patrol in North Africa with their twin-mounted Vickers K machine guns.

The SAS, like every other British regiment, has its own distinctive insignia.

• The sand-coloured beret. When the SAS was reformed in 1947 an attempt was made to match the original sand coloured cloth beret from those still in the possession of veterans. This proved impossible to do from existing approved cloth colour stocks held by the British authorities, so, as a compromise and with no authorisation for expenditure on a new colour dye the nearest acceptable colour was selected and approved by an all ranks committee of the Regimental Association. Personnel attached to the Regiment also wear this beret but with their own badges in accordance with usual British practice.
• Cap badge, a downward pointing flaming^[8] sword worked in cloth of a Crusader shield. Designed by Robert Charles 'Bob' Tait, then Corporal (subsequently Squadron Sergeant Major in both the wartime British Regiments and latterly an officer in the RAF Regiment), MM and Bar London Scottish, TA (died June 6 1975) with the motto Who Dares, Wins. It was finally approved by the first Commanding Officer, David Stirling, with the proposed wording 'Descend to Defend' or 'Strike and Destroy' disallowed, following the usual British Army practice of a competition to design a cap badge for the new unit held after the completion of Operation Crusader by the 8th Army. The sword depicted is King Arthur's Excalibur (references to it as the Sword of Damocles derive from an article originally published in Mars and Minerva, the Regimental Journal written by a highly respected veteran of both British Regiments and the post-war re-raised Regiment. He was subsequently proved to be incorrect, but the story was picked up by the media and still gets repeated.), worked in the light and dark blue colours of the original No. 11 SAS Battalion. This was converted to a Roman pattern gladius when the design was made up by the tailors in Cairo. This badge is now sometimes incorrectly termed the winged dagger due to subsequent wartime misattribution of its significance and the mistaken reference to it as this in the book of that name by Roy Farran who served in 2 SAS.
• SAS pattern parachute wings, designed by Lieutenant John Steel 'Jock' Lewes Welsh Guards(previously Tower Hamlet Rifles, TA),chief instructor of 'L' Detachment, SAS Brigade, based on the basic British Army design approved in 1940 but modified to reflect the Middle East origins of the new unit by the substitution of the stylised sacred Ibis wings of Isis of Egyptian iconography depicted in the décor of Shepheards Hotel in Cairo.
• Silver regimental collar badges (Otherwise known as collar pins or collar dogs).
• Royal blue stable belt, only worn by qualified personnel.
• Silver belt buckle with engraved regimental badge. The buckle is also used on the Royal Signals stable belt of SAS Signals Squadron personnel.

Battle honours

• Second World War:
  • North Africa, 1940-43;
  • Tobruk, 1941;
  • Benghazi Raid, 1942;
  • Sicily, 1943;
  • Landing in Sicily, 1943;
  • Termoli, 1943
  • Italy, 1943-45;
  • Valli di Comacchio, 1945;
  • Greece, 1944-45;
  • Adriatic, 1943;
  • Middle East, 1943-44;
  • Normandy and North-West Europe, 1944-45
• Malaya, 1951 (jungle warfare);
• Falkland Islands, 1982
• Western Iraq, 1991
• Afghanistan, 2001
• Western Iraq, 2003-present day

Note that these officially sanctioned honours, first published in 1957, are for actions by the original 'L' Detachment, both numbered World War II British SAS regiments as well as the Special Boat Service regiment and the present regiment. The World War II honours Benghazi Raid, 1942 and Middle East, 1943-1944 are unique to the regiment. The odd dating for North Africa, 1940-43 is due to the fact that this is an omnibus theatre honour for units serving between these dates.

Order of Precedence

The SAS is classed as an infantry regiment, and as such is shown in the infantry order of precedence. However, because of its role, it is listed 'next below' the other designations (foot guards, line infantry, rifles). The expression 'next below' is utilised in British official publications as a form of 'grace note' to avoid the connotations of first/last since, in spirit at least, no Regiment admits of the claim to being last and all are deemed equal in the scope of their service under the Crown in Parliament.

The current units are shown officially as 21st, 22nd and 23rd battalions of the Regiment but are styled 'Two-One', 'Two-Two' and 'Two-Three' and written, in short form, as 21 SAS, 22 SAS and 23 SAS. The number sequence derives from the 1944 re-formation of the regiments as a component, second-battalion, Regiment of the Army Air Corps which then consisted of three Regiments: The Glider Pilot Regiment (Only ever of three battalions), Parachute Regiment (Of many battalions, sequentially numbered from 1 upwards, with a separate sequence of numbers from 100 for battalions raised outside the United Kingdom) and SAS. 1 SAS was re-raised as 3 SAS, a decision subsequently rescinded by the War Office, giving 1st and 2nd battalions, Special Air Service Regiment, Army Air Corps. On re-formation it was appreciated that 3 SAS, 4 SAS and 5 SAS had been used to designate the French and Belgian regiments and that combining 1 and 2 as 'Twelve' or 'Twelfth' gave a hard-to-pronounce name and would automatically give the number 13 to the next raised unit so the identity proposed by the Regimental Association and actually adopted was 'Twenty-One', i.e., the numbers of the British units, reversed.

Alliances

•  Australia - Special Air Service Regiment^[9]
•  New Zealand - New Zealand Special Air Service^[10]

Other Special Forces inspired by the SAS

The Regiment has both participated in the formation of other national special forces formations, or served as an inspiration:

•  Australia - Extant - Australian Special Air Service Regiment.
•  New Zealand - Special Air Service of New Zealand.
•  Canada - Joint Task Force 2.
•  Rhodesia - 'C' Squadron 22 SAS was composed of Rhodesian troops. It formed the nucleus of the Rhodesian SAS Regiment after the end of the Malayan Emergency in 1953 , and subsequently the British SAS have never raised another 'C' Squadron within 22 SAS. The Rhodesian SAS disbanded in December 1980 after the country became Zimbabwe. (See SAS Rhodesia by Fourie, C., & Pittaway, J., published Dandy Agencies, Durban, South Africa, 2003.)
•  United States - Delta Force

Popular culture

Since the early 1980s, the SAS has built up an almost mythical reputation particularly after the 1980 hostage rescue at the Iranian Embassy siege in London, shown live on British television. A 1982 film Who Dares Wins (also known as "The Final Option") was loosly based on the seige. There have been a steady stream of book about the history of the SAS, including several from former members. Two particularly well known books were written under pseudonyms by former troopers who served together on the Bravo Two Zero mission in Iraq during the first Gulf War; Bravo Two Zero by Andy McNab, The One That Got Away by Chris Ryan. Both books have subsequently been criticised as highly embellished dramatisations; see Eye of the Storm: 25 Years in Action with the SAS by Peter Ratcliffe, and in particular The Real Bravo Two Zero by Michael Asher, which investigates and discredits the claims made by Andy McNab in detail. After a protracted legal battle a third member of the mission, "Kiwi Mark" published his version of events in Soldier Five, under the pseudonym Mike Coburn. Personnel now sign a non-disclosure agreement on entry to the Regiment.

See also

• 14 Intelligence Company
• List of SAS operations
• GROM

References

Files available to public scrutiny at The National Archives, Kew, United Kingdom [N]Statistics, life events and other data derived and calculated from officially published UK sources: Army List: Army Council Instructions: Army Orders; Middle East Forces Orders; Commonwealth War Graves Register; Prisoners of War of the United Kingdom and Commonwealth; Public Record Office (now The National Archives) conventionally published histories and digital records now available online.

External links

• A website dedicated to British elite units and special forces, including the renowned Special Air Service
• Video footage of the SAS in action at the Iranian Embassy Siege
• Information, photos, and videos on the most elite regiment in the world, The British Special Air Service.

Sources/Further Information

• Stirling's Men: the inside history of the SAS in World War Two by Gavin Mortimer(Cassell, 2004)
• The SAS by Philip Warner (1981 and 1982 editions). History of the regiment, commissioned by the Regimental Association
• Special Forces in the desert war, 1940-1943 Public Record Office War Histories 2001 [Derived from PRO (now TNA) files CAB 44/151 and 152 written by Brigadier H W Wynter, DSO (late Royal Artillery) for the Historical Section of the War Cabinet Office
• David Stirling: The authorised biography, by Spike Hoe
• Jock Lewes: Co-Founder of the SAS, by John Lewes
• The SAS - Savage Wars of Peace - 1947 to the Present, by Anthony Kemp (1994: Penguin Books)
• Ambush: The War Between The SAS and The IRA, by James Adams, Robin Morgan and Anthony Bambridge (Pan, London: 1988)
• The Originals, by Gordon Stevens, 2005. ("The secret history of the birth of the SAS in their own words")
• The Special Air Service, by James G. Shortt (1981: Osprey Men-at-Arms series 116)ISBN 0 85045 396 8
• British Special Forces 1945 to the present, by James G. Shortt (1981: Arms & Armour Press 1986)ISBN 0 85368 785 4
• Fighters over the desert, by Ring and Shores
• Snakes in the Eagles Nest: A RAND study
• Battle honours of the British Empire and Commonwealth land forces, 1662-1991 by Alexander Rodger
• The Phantom Major, by Virginia Cowles
• Files held for public inspection by the National Archives of the United Kingdom.