EVE

WW FORD
THE

THE DEFINITIVE
COMPANION TO THE
WORLD'S CRACK REGIMENT

Britain's Special Air Service

(SAS)

is

the

most famous special forces unit in the

world. The SAS Encyclopedia is a definitive
and unique account of every aspect of this
world-famous formation. It lists the battles

and campaigns, weapons and equipment,

training, tactics, and every single operation
that SAS soldiers have taken part in up to
the present day. With the aid of hundreds of
colour and black and white photographs,
the majority taken by SAS soldiers on
campaign, The SAS Encyclopedia provides
a stunning illustrative record of

all

the

SAS's wars. The exciting photographs are

complemented by a highly researched text
that recounts all the Regiment's history in
full, and which also provides their political
and strategic backgrounds, as well as
detailed maps that show precisely where the
action took place. Read of the birth of the
SAS in the North African desert in World
War II; the subsequent actions in
Northwest Europe in the months after the
D-Day landings; the wars fought in the
humid, snake-infested jungles of Malaya
and Borneo in the 1950s and 1960s; the
behind-the-lines actions during the
Falklands War; and the counter-terrorist
campaign in Northern Ireland. Coming
right up to date, The SAS Encyclopedia also
includes the Scud-busting exploits of the
Regiment during the 1991 Gulf War, the
ongoing fight against terrorism and the
clandestine anti-drug war that the SAS is
currently waging around the world. The
campaign chapters also include boxes that
feature biographical details on the SAS
soldiers who took part,
while other boxes contain exciting firsthand accounts of the fighting.

commanders and

But The SAS Encyclopedia ismuchmore

than a detailed record of the SAS's wars. It
also examines the special operational
tactics used by SAS soldiers, fighting skills
that have guaranteed success time and time
again for SAS soldiers in battle, often
against incredible odds, and have ensured

men who wear the Winged Dagger

badge remain the best there is. The SAS

that the

continued on back flap

$29.95

Digitized by the Internet Archive

in

2011

http://www.archive.org/details/sasencyclopediaOOcraw

THE SAS
ENCYCLOPEDIA

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THE SAS
ENCYCLOPEDIA
STEVE

CRAWFORD

First

published in the United States in 1998 by Lewis International, Inc.

Copyright
This book

is

No

Brown Packaging Books Limited 1996

copyright under the Berne Convention.

reproduction without permission.

All rights reserved.

The
of

this

right of Brown Packaging

work

has

Books Ltd

been asserted by them

to

be identified

in accordance

as

authors

with the Copyright,

Designs and Patents Act, 1988.

Lewis International, Inc.

2201 N.W. 102 Place, #1

Miami,
Tel:

Fl

33172

USA

305-436-7984 / 800-259-5962

Fax: 305-436-7985 / 800-664-5095

ISBN 0-9666771-0-2
Editorial and design:

Brown Packaging Books Limited

Bradley's Close,

74-77 White Lion

Printed and

Extracts taken

'SAS:

in the

London, Nl 9PF

Czech Republic

London 1994),
London 1983),
Operation Oman' by Tony Jeapes (William Kimber, Northampton 1983),
'Immediate Action' by Andy McNab (Bantam Press, London 1995)
from 'Looking

The Jungle

'SAS:

bound

Street,

for Trouble'

Frontier'

by Peter de

la Billiere

by Peter Dickens (Arms

To Honey

(HarperCollins,

& Armour

Press,

Contents
THE SAS ART OF WAR

THESASATWAR
World War

II

North Africa
Sicily

and

12

Italy

Northwest Europe

16

Malaya 1950-60
The Malayan Scouts

20
20
24

22 SAS

is

Formed

Weapons Skills

116

Every Bullet Counts

116

Force Multipliers

122

The Four-Man Patrol

126

The Fundamental Unit

126

Patrol Skills

130

Behind the Lines

The Jebel Akhdar

Borneo
Back to the Far East
The Jungle Campaign
Cross-Border Raids

Aden 1964-67

28
36
36
38
42
46

134

Intelligence Gathering

134

Fighting Patrols

140

144

Counter-Insurgency

Malaya and Borneo

144

Oman

150

South

Hostage-Rescue

154

The Munich Legacy

Oman
The

1970-76
'Five Fronts'

Campaign

Operation 'Jaguar'

The Battle of Mirbat

The

SAS

Victorious

Northern Ireland
Early Operations

South Armagh
The Loughall Ambush

Counter- Terrorism
Rescue at Mogadishu
Princes Gate

The Falklands
Retaking South Georgia
Intelligence Gathering

Battling through to Stanley

The Gulf

War

64
64
66
70
74

Patrols

Fighting Patrols

The 21st Century

Training in the 'Killing

154

House'

Hostile Environments

160

164
164

Jungle

Mountains

168

Snow and Ice

170

Deserts

172

Insertion Techniques

174

Over Land

174

By Water
ByAir

178
180

74

78

86
86
90
96

98
98

False Start

Road Watch

52
52
56
58
62

Sabotage

184

Targets

184

Types of Explosive

Booby

Traps

188
192

Combat Survival

194

Polar Begions

194

Mountains

196

Desert Regions

102

Tropical

106

Survival at

112

and Mines

Begions

Sea

198

200
202

ARSENAL OF AN ELITE
Small Arms
Rifles and Assault Rifles
Machine Guns
Submachine Guns
Handguns
Sniper Rifles

Combat Shotguns
Support Weapons
Anti-Tank Weapons

204
206
212
216
220
222
223
224

Surface- To-A ir Missiles

224
228
229

& Explosives

230

Mortars

Grenades

Communications
Vehicles
Light Vehicles
Trucks

Ships and Boats

Hostage-Rescue Kit
Clothing

Support Equipment
Aircraft
Fixed-wing Aircraft
Helicopters

Clothing

Appendices
Appendix I: SAS Organisation
Appendix II: Badges and Insignia
Appendix III: Selection and Training
Appendix IV: SAS Operations:
World War II to the present

Index

234
238

238
242

244
250

250
256
260

260
266

270
274

274
275
276
278

285

AT

WAR

WORLD WAR

II

North Africa
The

SAS was

though

it

the brainchild of a

had a

For some

time

Dunkirk

after the

in the

rally

940, the

was quite natu-

preoccupied with the defence of the

British

against

Isles

German

invasion.

Lieutenant David

officer,

its

Service Battalion. This was partly to difunit

the

ferentiate

commandos of
battalions, but

the

Germans

from the seaborne

the other special service

was

also

aimed

at

confusing

into believing that Britain

However, one far-thinking officer, Lieutenant-Colonel Dudley Clarke, managed

had

to persuade his superiors to consider set-

was carried out by

Company of 11
SAS Battalion in February 1941, when it

ting

up

special forces units to undertake

upon the enemy The

idea was passed on to Prime Minister
Winston Churchill, and approval to raise
such units was quickly granted. Over the
next few months several Special Service
lightning strikes

Commandos, were raised.

end of November 1940 all

Battalions, or

By the
members of

No

Commando

parachute trained, and

rename

this

unit

No

it

had been

was decided to
1 1

Special

Air

larger

parachute

actually existed. The

than

capability

operational drop

first

attacked

and

Stirling,

subsequent behind-the-lines actions

on the outcome of the North African campaign.

significant impact

evacuation of

summer of

British military hierarchy

young Scots Guards

got off to a shaky start at the end of 194 1,

an

Tragino in

aqueduct

over

River

the

Battalion

became

Parachute

A 2nd

Brigade was also formed

Parachute
India from

in

and Gurkha

British, Indian

battalions.

consignment of parachutes destined

for

brigade would later be put to good

this

young

use in Egypt by a daring

who had managed

officer

to persuade his superi-

under

ors to create a special raiding unit

command. This

his

Stirling, the

Italy.

the nucleus of the 1st

Brigade.

was David

officer

founder of the SAS.

Lieutenant David Stirling had been

RAIDS IN NORTH AFRICA

The para-commando concept had

commissioned into the Scots Guards and

hardly

then, in June 1940, volunteered for

No

8 and

Germans invaded Crete

1941,

Commando. Later that

1 1 Commandos, plus a

causing the British high

to re-

as

had

chance to prove

itself

before the

in May
command

evaluate the potential of large airborne

units.

The

following September,

1 1

SAS

year

Nos

7,

small unit

known

the Special Boat Section, were assem-

bled into a brigade under Lieutenant-

Colonel Laycock for operations

Africa.

Known

been used for

as

Layforce,

in

North

should have

it

coastal raiding

and harass-

ing operations, but a shortage of naval

severely curtailed

craft

Somewhat

effectiveness.

its

bored, Stirling persuaded Lay-

cock to allow him to experiment with

parachuting as an alternative method of
delivery however, a heavy landing

aged

his spine

and put him

dam-

in hospital for

two months.
As he lay in bed, Stirling set his mind
to expanding his ideas on airborne and
commando operations. At that time comthe best part of

mando
units

operational

thinking called

men

of anything up to 200

to

for

be

used for each operation. Getting them to

the

target

caused

problems, and

at

proportion of the

Left:

all

of

sorts

the landing

logistical

site a large

commando had

Parachute training at the SAS's

to

be

first

base, at Kabrit near the Suez Canal, in

mid-1941, in preparation for the

first

mission.

WORLD WAR

NORTH AFRICA

used just to secure the beachhead. Stirling

believed that smaller units inserted deep

behind enemy

would be able to
damage on

lines

disproportionately high

inflict

He

soft targets.

concluded that the best

solution was for the assault unit to para-

chute in for surprise, being collected after

the attack by a second unit dispatched

overland with wheeled transport.

On

from hospital

his release

in July

1941, Stirling took his written plan to

Command

Middle East
attempted

Headquarters and

deliver

to

Com-

the

to

it

mander-in-Chief, General

Claude

Sir

Not

Auchinleck, but was refused entry.

one

up

to give

he slipped over the

easily,

perimeter fence and hobbled into the

office

Ritchie was so impressed

Staff.

he presented them

Stirling's ideas that

Soon

to Auchinleck.

promoted
a

new

into, the

of Major-General Neil Ritchie, the

Chief of
by

barging

eventually

building,

to captain

unit of

Stirling

was

and ordered to

raise

after

men and

60

six officers.

Once the basics of parachute drills had

been mastered on the improvised training
towers, the detachment was trucked to
Cairo to jump from RAF Bristol Bombay
transport aircraft.

struck
craft

when

On

the

first

jump.

Two

DETACHMENT, SAS BRIGADE

Stirling's new unit was given the name L
Detachment of the Special Air Service
Brigade. Within a week he had recruited
all his men, mostly from No 8 (Guards)
Commando, and assembled them near
Kabrit in the Suez Canal Zone.

When

the

men

recce, they
raid

after

mounted

their

against a large

New

new

on L Detachment's

Due

the region,

all

light the

camp stood

of proper

facilities in

had to be carried

training

out in-house with improvised equipment.

Emphasis was placed on desert navigation,

familiarity

with

all

types

including

German and

movement

at night,

physical fitness.

and

of weapons,

Italian

models,

high degree of

As the only parachuting

schools were in England or India,

tial

tise

all

ini-

drop training was improvised. To praclandings, Stirling's

men would jump

backwards off moving trucks. However,

a result

of the unacceptably high

ankle injuries, a proper

jump

patrol for transport

back to Kabrit.

That night the region was

by the

hit

worst storms in three decades, and

all

SAS were blown

carrying the

aircraft

rate

trainer

constructed from scaffolding towers.

off

mission, against five frontline Axis airfields.

The

their target airfields,

course, but the drops

men,

entire detachment, but for five

and

David

all

subsequently

Stirling

The founder of the SAS was born in 191

he had studied architecture

at

5.

rather restless spirit in his youth,

still

loved the outdoor

with the idea of being an

particularly mountaineering. After dabbling

in

Cambridge, but

1939 he was in the Rockies brushing up on

ing

skills

for a climb

ticipation in a

on Mount

number of

his

artist,

life,

when

mountaineer-

Everest. His par-

ineffectual large-scale

North African coast convinced him

that small-scale units would be more effective. He
managed to convince his superiors that SAS troops
on

raids

the

should be used
gets

strategically: to attack priority tar-

deep behind enemy

behind the

front.

ability to enlist

men
'Jock'

such

as

lines

Another of

men of

and not immediately

Stirling's gifts

talent into the

'Paddy' Mayne,

Lewes. With

men

Reg

despite Stirling's capture in January

of

died in

Honours

of that

year.

his

unit,

Seekings and
thrived

1943. Stirling

1990. being knighted in the

list

was

new

like these the unit

as

was

the

went ahead anyway.

None of the patrols were able to find

war broke out

pitch.

to the lack

up again. First man out of

the aircraft was Stirling himself.
By November 1941 the unit was ready.
On the 16th, after weeks of planning, the
detachment launched its first operational

operational

first

tented

After destroying as

aircraft

tents.

Zealand camp

By

a short distance away.

next morning

first

airfields.

Long Range Desert Group (LRDG)

and

lined

quick briefing and

men

RAF

The

SAS

groups of 12

new

arrived at their

camp, they found only a few old

That night,

nated target

many

in

(19 miles) from their desig-

morning

training immediately

the

30km

SAS

their targets in 1941-42.

be dropped

to

about

and from

to

on the ground as possible,

each group would rendezvous with a

killed

resolved the problem and next

L

was

air-

troopers,

Duffy and Warburton, were

ceased.

Group (LRDG). The LRDG transported

teams

day tragedy

attachment rings in the

broke during

Above: Trucks of the Long Range Desert

New

Year

SAS

THE

attempted

LRDG

make

to

morning through
left

way

their

to

rendezvous. After marching

all

which

incessant rain,

the desert awash,

the searing sun,

the

afternoon under

all

which came out

Lewes's patrol and half of

'Paddy' Mayne's patrol reached the ren-

dezvous.

David
62

The only

officers

and

men who

returned.

The

complete

failure.

Although

first

set out,

Of the

only 22

mission had been a

had been a diswas determined not to give

this first raid

aster, Stirling

up.

others to arrive were

and one of his men.

Stirling

Even on the way back

in the

LRDG

were analysing their

performance and discussing what lessons
could be learned. Rather than parachuttrucks, the survivors

ing into action in future,

that delivery into the area

the

LRDG,

was more

When

no parent

unit,

so

Stirling

it

him

command

was just the

that despite the

still

fine detail

had

a future

which needed

all

in

North Africa in 1941-43

Axis airfields behind the

lines,

plus the ports of Benghazi and Bouerat.

Sirte

After the briefest of rest periods, the re-

mains of

Stirling's

where the

patrol base.

flown

of Jalo deep behind enemy

to the oasis
lines,

command were

LRDG

From

here,

had established

one of the

on 8 December
Mayne would

minefields and heavy defences encountered

near

patrol

was not able to mount

the

Sirte

Italian

road convoy instead.

less

well defended and planted

Fraser

two

would

lead their

different targets.

men

in attacks

on

For four days, the

LRDG

transported Stirling's and Mayne's

patrols

across

the open and uncharted

were about 80km

(50 miles) south of the town of Sirte. A
recce team in one vehicle then went
desert, until at last they

ahead to observe the

airfield,

but

and more
After
that the

when

second

active airfield nearby atTamit.

some
two

the other of

discussion

was decided

one of four men and

would each attempt to

patrols,
five,

it

pilots'

aircraft,

parked

Mayne and
be much

lead a raid against an Italian Air Force

charges on

attack,

its

but placed charges on trucks in

men found Tamit

A few days later, 'Jock' Lewes and Bill

Stirling's

airfield,

his

base.

took

airfields. Stirling

and Mayne took Tamit. Due to

1941, Stirling and 'Paddy'

back to

Commander-in-Chief), he

SAS targets

included

attack

FIRST SUCCESSES

they got closer they discovered

answered

Above:

a little tuning.

be suc-

Cairo (L Detachment had

in

directly to the

likely to

Stirling reported

Auchinleck

10

was decided

of operation by

followed by an overland hike

to the target,
cessful.

it

to persuade

high losses his

after the

storm, and then through the evening by

starlight, 'Jock'

managed

WAR

AT

airfield to

all

of their

and then attacked the

mess with grenades and machine

guns while

aircraft

exploded

in the

back-

ground. Before the enemy had collected

its

senses, the

patrol

was heading back

into the desert. Shortly after the SAS's

return

RAF

to

the

operational

base

at Jalo,

reconnaissance aircraft confirmed

that the

Tamit

destruction

raid

of 24

had resulted
aircraft.

patrols

had even greater

out no

less

than 37 aircraft

in

the

The other

success, taking
at

Agedabia.

The explosive charges used on these

raids, known as Lewes bombs, had been

WORLD WAR
invented by 'Jock' Lewes and were specif-

designed to hole

ically

aircraft

ignite the fuel they contained.

recruiting

They con-

soldiers, as well

of 500g (l.llb) of plastic explosive

rolled in a mixture of thermite filling
from incendiary bombs and old engine

Time

were pushed into each charge

separately,

to prepare

the

and detonators, carried

pencils

it

became standard

use device subsequently

on

issue

The

SAS

all

operations.

success of theTamit

confirmed beyond

raids

and Agedabia

all

doubt

on

days other attacks were launched

airfields,

badly,

with 'Paddy'

Mayne accounting for

Once again the trucks of

aircraft.

LRDG

the

the

Tamit once again suffering

same

27 more

that

sound. Within

were

theories

Stirling's

drive

gathered

50 Free French troops and

Greek Sacred Squadron. Over the
next six months countless raids were

mounted against enemy airfields, fuel

dumps and port installations, all with
great success.

were used for

transport, but

SAS JEEP MISSIONS

At the beginning of July 1942

SAS desert operations.

The patrols now had
rain transport to take

manoeuvrable than the

now

Lewes, by
Stirling,

was

Messerschmitt.

just as

killed

by

famous as
a cannon

it

was

an

were

Jeeps

now

airfield

than

of enemy troops to operate

dispersal

and they returned

new

in for a

They returned to Jalo

week of January 1942, suitably

refreshed and with plenty of

Their

while

to their Kabrit base to

ventures.

in the first

mission in

first

possible to drive right through

reply.

This Jeep-strafing

new

ideas.

design

exploded. Before the

enemy had

collect-

ed their senses, Stirling raced through the

area,

his

vehicle

shooting up

undamaged aircraft. Seeing his actions the

crews of two other vehicles followed him,
with

all

guns blazing. As the

so successful, this

results

method of

were

attack was

in preference to

ever possible,

as

it

sneak attacks

when-

had an even more

demoralising effect on the enemy.

No

Axis soldier or airman

now

felt

no matter how
far behind the front line he was stationed.
In October 1942, L Detachment was formally renamed 1st SAS Regiment, but
even before this the SAS name was feared
by the Italians and Germans across the
deserts of North Africa. So great was the
impact that this small band of men had on
Axis morale that special units were set up
specifically to track and capture patrols
after raids. These hunter units on the
whole had little success, but in January
1943 they did manage to catch David
Stirling himself. He was to end up in
Colditz Castle after making several daring
safe

from attack

at night,

escape attempts.
'Paddy' Mayne,
Stirling since the

of

his

closest

who had

served under

beginning and was one

friends,

took

over

the

Regiment and continued in the same

style. A second SAS regiment was also in
the process of being formed at this time
under the command of LieutenantColonel William Stirling, David Stirling's
brother. The 2nd SAS Regiment became
fully operational in May 1943, but by this
stage in the war the Desert Campaign was
over. However, the SAS was required for
the Allied invasion of

Below:

Sicily.

SAS soldiers mounted on

Jeeps behind enemy

July 1941 on their

Willys

lines in North Africa in

way to

Sidi Haneish.

phase was to be

this

and

against shipping

trucks, so

when, during a raid on

Bagoush airfield on 7 July 1942, only half
of the 40 Lewes bombs placed on aircraft

weeks 21 members of
L Detachment had destroyed over 100
Axis aircraft, which was more than the
RAF could claim in several months. As a
result that sector of the desert was too full
In just a couple of

plan

LRDG

technique came about more by accident

EARLY 1942

used

and more

faster

or installation, shooting up and

enemy could
IN

also

all-ter-

further afield.

grenading everything in sight before the

shell in the attack.

OPERATIONS

batch of

own

their

them

caught in the open by

American Willys Jeeps became available

and Stirling snapped them up. Vickers 'K'
machine guns, pintle-mounted heavy calibre Brownings, and racks for copious
petrol and water jerrycans were all added
to the vehicles to make them suitable for

The

'Jock'

British

the

unfortunately one returning patrol was

David

more

for use just before reaching

This light but efficient multi-

airfield.

L Detachment. His subsequent

wings then

sisted

oil.

enlarge

NORTH AFRICA

II

dumps

fuel

in the

Italian-controlled port of Bouerat.

Once
transport,

again the

with

all

LRDG

patrol

ly riding right into the

provided the

members actualtown on one of

the trucks. Charges were laid in ware-

houses and on numerous

bowsers

full fuel

team withdrew
without having alerted any of the sentries. As they drove quickly away the dock
in the port area before the

side

erupted in flames.

Stirling

had

now been promoted to

new rank,

the rank of major, and with his

and

his

tion

connections, was able to requisi-

more and

better

equipment

SAS. In addition to being given

rank,

Stirling

was

also

for the

higher

empowered

to

11

SAS

THE

and

Sicily
The conclusion of the war in North Africa
continued existence.

end of the North African cam-

paign saw the

It

had

lost its leader,

SAS

in

David

one was sure whether

it

some

campaigns

when he

Palestine

in

who

behind enemy
German uniforms and dri-

ving captured vehicles to spread disorder

behind the

and gather

lines

was formed into

Headquarters tended to leave him alone.

early raids in

free

hand

more or

enemy

territory.

and put

a separate unit

of Major the Earl

of the early SAS

took part in many of the

North

Africa.

The SBS was

shipped off to Athlit in Palestine to pre-

work in the eastern MediterThe Greek and French squadrons

reduced in numbers,

Regiment (390 men),

that

of

No

11

the leading figures in the

a

The

1st

their respective national

Allies.

SAS Regiment had

fighter,

had

killed

also

and

three troops,

been

Germans

and captured many others.

The regiment was

formed into
renamed the Special

therefore

also

Mayne

hall

Commando, Mayne was one of the

of fame, 'Paddy' Blair Mayne had

took part in the SAS's

operation. Though

it

1942 he took part

in

behind enemy

enemy
Sicily

lines,

airfields at

Sidi Haneish.

and

member

L Detachment. A
end of 1941 Mayne, by

fearless leader, at the

a captain,

recruits to

first

was

a failure,

many

leading

first

throughout

fearsome temper. During a period of

SAS

units against

Tamit, Bagoush, Fuka and

He commanded

SAS through

Italy as a lieutenant-colonel,

end of the war bravery

He was

1955 aged

them

despised

warriors,

many

who

for being desk-

wrote about war

but had never experienced

BBC

the

disliked

a par-

journalists in

it.

He

espe-

correspondent

Richard Dimbleby, and while he was

drunk decided
beat

him

up.

hunt him down and

to

He

searched the bars and

hotels of Cairo but

found

his

prey.

was arrested before he

He knocked

out

the

Provost Marshal and six military policebefore being locked up for the night.

in battle

had

HQ

Raiding Forces and were kept on

tight leash.

A second SAS

regiment - 2

SAS

had been formed by Stirling's brother

Bill, but many of its men were very green.
Despite its inexperience, both 2 SAS
and the

SRS were committed

invasion

Operation 'Husky'.
Stirling

but

were

many SAS

now

to

the

codenamed
Both Mayne and Bill

of

Sicily,

lieutenant-colonels,

veterans were not happy

and

with the way they were to be used in the

invasion. Though parties

the

won him

killed in a car crash in Ireland

40.

He

had taken

Africa, he

By

an incredible four Distinguished Service

Orders.

North

ticular dislike to the

Allied

successful raids

then in northwest Europe in 1944-45.

in

Stirling's

skills.

PREPARATIONS FOR SICILY

The SRS and SBS were grouped under the

rugby international and boxer before the war. Originally

now

was

he

battlefield

Mayne was a
not an administrator. And he had

leave in

cially

B Squadron had

as

received a mauling from the

SAS

to

However, he did not have David

men

of
One
been

the

influence or political

Cairo.

Another problem was manpower. In

SAS had totalled nearly
700 men. This consisted of the 1st SAS

'Paddy'

man

absolutely fearless, and with his fiery tem-

bound

formations fighting for the

men) and

who was
wear SAS

wild Irishman

On

uniform.

ranean.

were returned to

the French squad-

Mayne was

probably the bravest

pare for

protect the SAS's interests.

ron (94 men), the Greek squadron (114),

was

unit

'Paddy' Mayne.

therefore a logical choice to lead the SAS.

recruits, Jellicoe

January 1943 the

250-strong

the

1943, the Special Boat Squadron (SBS)

command
George Jellicoe. One

However,

lead

to

perament and natural leadership he was

an inspiration to those around him, and

reorganised. In

under the

less

man cho-

Raiding Squadron (SRS).The

sen

mid-March

SAS was

with Stirling gone there was no one to

the Special Boat Squadron (55

intelligence.

After Stirling's capture the whole of

the

to develop as a strategic unit that

operated inside

lat-

to infiltrate

none of his officers knew what to do.

Another problem was the loss of
Stirling's influence. During the war in
North Africa he had met both Churchill
and Montgomery. He was able to see the
most important people and convince
them of his views. As a result Middle East

SAS had

The

could speak German. They

lines dressed in

disappeared from the scene

This meant the

1943 created a

of 12 Jewish immigrants to

were trained

dis-

his plans

of the SAS to himself, and

for the future

so

and no

would be

banded. Stirling had always kept

number of doubts about the SAS's

some wondered if its only use was in
Sicily and Italy were to show the SAS's worth.

in

the Special Interrogation Group.

ter consisted

turmoil.

Stirling,

Italy

creator had been captured and

Its

the desert. However, the

The

WAR

AT

from 2 SAS were

dropped by parachute behind
enemy lines, the SRS, under the command of British XIII Corps, was to be
used as shock infantry. The men were to
to

be

be landed bv boat and attack targets near

12

WORLD WAR
the beaches. If

David

Stirling

was

still

in

command

he would no doubt have had

something

to say

about

this.

But he was

AND ITALY

SICILY

II

in

prisoner-of-war camp.

men were

Mayne's

transported to the

Sicilian coast in the ship

Their target was an

Monarch.

Lister

Italian

shore batten-

on top of Capo Murro di Porco.

150mm guns could do great damage

Its

to

the invasion fleet lying offshore, so they

had to be knocked out.

The SRS landed on

the night of 9 July

1943. and within hours had captured the

guns and 500

Italian soldiers.

walked around the

ply

hand, issuing orders. Another

was discovered, and

ten.'

SRS

The

tured.

Mayne

sim-

battlefield, pistol in

enemy

that too

was cap-

marched

then

bat-

into

Syracuse to link up with the 5th Division.

The

Lister

Monarch then steamed into the

harbour and the

her.

As

SAS

was

part in the invasion

there was

soldiers re -boarded

they were concerned their

far as

more work

over.

However,

be done.

to

THE CAPTURE OF AUGUSTA

Mayne and his officers were ordered
take the port of Augusta,

On

by enemy troops.

to

which was held

12 July the

SRS

steamed into the harbour and stormed

of enemy

ashore. In the face

fire

the

SAS

onto the beach and into the

soldiers raced

town. There were several

firefights

with

enemy snipers before the port was cleared.

The enemy was not finished, however:
were

there

named

'Chestnut' and "Narcissus'. Opera-

tion 'Narcissus' involved 40

SAS

soldiers

Squadron led by Major Sandy

Scratchley The men were landed by land-

of

Above: Soldiers of 2

SAS photographed after

their bruising action at Termoli in

1943.

The officer

is

October

Major Sandy Scratchley.

ing craft on the southeast coast of the

rushed forward and stormed into

island with orders to seize a lighthouse,

lighthouse,

where the

parties searched for the

an

enemy

On

Allies suspected there

might be

search was

artillery battery

10 July 1943. the

men

scrambled

futile.

at

the ready.

enemy

the

Other

guns.

The

Both the lighthouse and

the surrounding area were deserted.

ashore and then clambered up the rock

below the lighthouse. Tension was

high as they edged closer to the top of the
cliff no one made a noise.When the first
few men reached the top of the cliff they

back

face

weapons

frustrated

down

Squadron made

its

wax-

the cliff face and then board-

craft. At least there

had been no deaths among the would-be

ed the waiting landing

mountaineers.

hostile troops in the hills

still

surrounding the town.

Sporadic fighting continued into the

SAS

evening. Then the

have

party.

soldiers decided to

piano was found and

dragged out into the

street,

dozens of bottles of wine.

and drunken dancing.

a great sing-song

with enemy gunfire

With
war

along with

Then followed

around.

all

the capture of Augusta the SRS's

in Sicily

was

over.

The SAS men had

fought well, and Mayne's leadership had

been inspiring (he

won

second

DSO for

his actions).
Bill Stirling's

SAS

did less well on

two operations code-

Sicily,

taking part in

Right:

2 SAS behind German lines

1944.

in Italy in

Note the Union Jack on the ground - a

precaution against strafing by Allied

aircraft.

13

SAS

THE

WAR

AT

SAS

Of all the

Left:

1943, the airborne

TYRRHENIAN SEA

was

'Chestnut'

operations on Sicily in

drop of Operation

the least successful.

gratulated themselves.

There wasn't much

rime tor back-slapping, though, the invasion of Italy was about to begin.

The

and American invasion of

British

the Italian mainland in early September

1943 opened up

new

SAS.

tions for the

theatre

SRS

conducted by the

of opera-

operation was

Its first

and was code-

named 'Baytown'. Mayne's men were

tasked with disrupting German communications in southern Italy. The high

KEY
1

-^

SAS

operations

SAS

airborne

command hoped
CAPO MURRO
Dl PORCO

operations

would

interfere

advance (British and American forces had

SAS amphibious

crossed the

operations

The
50

of Messina from

straits

on 3 September

Roads
km

this

with enemy attempts to stop the Allied

Sicily

1943).

SRS was
men seized

objective for the

first

port of Bagnara. Mayne's

the
the

port on 3 September, though not before

30

miles

the Royal

wrong

Navy had dropped them

Meeting only

place.

tance, the soldiers quickly took

members of 2
on Sicily. Opera'Chestnut' involved two teams being

Farther north, other

SAS were
tion

also landing

dropped by parachute
island to cut

in the north

of the

enemy communications.
by Captain Pinckney

'Pink' party, led

was ordered to sever roads and telephone

on the northeast coast of the island.

addition, the SAS soldiers were told to

lines

In

destroy the Catania-Messina railway line.

by Captain Bridgeman-

'Brig' party, led

Evans, was to attack

enemy convoys and

enemy headquarters near Enna.

an

Both

parties

night of 1 2 July,
straight

away

the containers packed

with the radios and equipment for 'Pink'

party were smashed to pieces

on

landing.

This wrecked the radios and other gear.

In addition,

men
the

it

was very windy and the

themselves were scattered

Sicilian

countryside.

those dropped
tional

it

was

For

their

all

over

most of

first

opera-

jump, and they had trouble finding

'Brig' party fared

men were dropped

and had

even worse. The

too near

to fight their

SAS

enemy outway out of

trouble as soon as they had landed. Several

14

tions, the

fleeing

As

SAS

from

soldiers

were

like fugitives

their pursuers.

Pinckney struggled to

Captain

gather his men, he saw that he

have to abandon the mission.

ment drop scheduled

would

A reinforce-

for the night

of 13

July failed to materialise because the

soldiers

on

ground could not contact

the

were learned

lessons

missions.

The

killed

and 17

with

Allied

Reggio.

from

hills.

troops

was

It

fire

The SRS lost five

wounded before linking up

the surrounding

from

advancing

of things to

foretaste

somewhat bloody

nose,

Mayne's troops were pulled back to

Sicily

come. With
for a

much-needed

rest.

SAS

the pilots of the transport planes.

OPERATION SPEEDWELL
Bill Stirling's 2

for future

reasons for the failure of

much

ing a

unit's five

SAS, meanwhile, was hav-

better time of

it.

After

all

the

squadrons took part in the cap-

been

'Narcissus'

ture of Taranto (which should have

find: there

allotted to regular troops), Stirling's regi-

and 'Chestnut' are not hard to

were no rehearsals, the men
were inexperienced and the plans had
been changed several times, confusing
everyone concerned.
Despite these setbacks, overall the

had performed well

in

Mayne's SRS. As well

Sicily,

as his

tioned above, several of his

lantry

awards. Harry

Wiseman won

their comrades.

posts,

heavy mortar and machine gun

The

were dropped on the

and both got into trouble

First,

itself.

Evans, but he escaped almost immediately.

enemy communica-

resis-

Bagnara

However, they then came under

were captured, including BridgemanFar from destroying

in the

light

Sergeant

Sillito

medal men-

men

got gal-

Poat and Johnny

Military

and

SAS

especially

six

Crosses

other

and

men won

Military Medas.
Bill

Stirling intensified training for

SAS, while 'Paddy' Mayne's veterans con-

ment undertook Operation

'Speedwell'.

SAS-type operation,
and showed what small parties could do if
inserted deep behind enemy lines and left
This was

classic

to operate for long periods.

Two seven-man parties were dropped

by parachute on the night of 7 September
into the Genoa/Spezia area of northeast
Italy

with orders to destroy the railway

lines that

were taking enemy reinforce-

ments

the front farther south. After

landing

to

the

two groups

split

up into

smaller units and began hitting targets.

WORLD WAR
Very soon railway

enemy

SICILY

AND ITALY

were cut and

lines

trains derailed.

October 1943 witnessed

SAS

II

number of

were

operations, but again the results

mixed.

Stirling

Bill

was determined to

keep the SAS operating along the

lines his

brother David had envisaged: operating

deep inside enemy

command, however,

The high

territory.

not have

did

the

same enthusiasm for what they regarded

as a bunch of glorified bandits roaming
around

unchecked.

Italy

THE FAILURE OF JONQUIL

An example

of the type

muddled

ot

how

thinking that surrounded

SAS

the

should be used was Operation Jonquil'

of October

beginning

the

1943.

at

Squadron, 2 SAS, was detailed to land by

between Ancona and Pescara

sea

Adriatic coast to act

Italy's

on

guides for

as

the large numbers of Allied prisoners of

war (POWs) who had been released as a
result

of Italy's surrender.

A number of small

were

fishing vessels

assembled for the operation and were

landed

Termoli. However,

at

moved back

POWs

to

started to

finally

The mission was

made worse by the

on.

SAS had not been allowed

the planning of

After

with two

its

the

first

fact that 2

SRS, along

support units,

Eighth Army's

breach the Termoli Line.

assault

had

complete

it.

rest in Sicily,

Commandos and

the

to take part in

was ordered to take Termoli

aiding

man-

POWs

aged to get to the beaches, the

disaster,

be

to

Meanwhile, the
gather on he beaches to
Bari.

be evacuated. When the SAS

moved

German

meant they had

counterattack

as a

way of

attempt

to

The amphibious

took place on 3 October, and

at

went well. The town was soon

and around midday forward

things

cleared

detachments of the Lancashire

and 2 SAS
to be true

it

badly shaken. Termoli was

their last action in Italy: they

were

Fusiliers

sent back to Britain to prepare for the

forthcoming Allied invasion of France.

It all

Germans counterattacked
ing in the Allied units.
attrition

be

seemed too good

was. On 5 October the

arrived.

SRS had been

to

in force, driv-

grim

began, in which the

battle

SRS

of

suf-

many casualties.
The arrival of a detachment of Royal
Irish
Rangers and some Canadian

fered

Sherman tanks saved the day and pushed

the Germans back, but the men of the

Above: During the

(1943-45), the

SAS campaign

and Pescara was cut on many occasions.

Only

carry

able leadership of

Bill Stirling's 2 SAS remained to

on the fight.
Farther up the coast, after the SRS had
been mauled at Termoli, four parties from
2 SAS were put ashore by torpedo boat to
cut the railway line between Ancona and
Pescara. Under the codenames 'Candytuft' and 'Saxifrage', the men were landed
on 27 October. The weather was abvsmal

in Italy

railway line between Ancona

it

but under the

Major Roy Farran the

rained continuously

railway line was cut in a

number of places

and the coast road mined.

Greater successes would

SAS

in Italy

small
lines.

parties

And

come

for 2

during the next 18 months

Italy

operated

as

behind enemy

proved that the

SAS could

operate in any theatre of war.

15

SAS

THE

WAR

AT

Northwest Europe
The

SAS campaign
enemy lines,

By

January

944. the

ed back to being

gether with

SAS

in

revert-

and, to-

SAS, was placed under

command of

SRS had
1

Low

Germany in

Countries and

was one of the most

were carried out behind
causing thousands of enemy casualties and widespread disruption.
France, the

in

spectacular periods

1944-45

the Regiment's history. Dozens of operations

maroon of airborne

forces,

many

but

old

troopers and officers ignored the directive,

including 'Paddy' Mayne.

It

directed that 'airborne' wings be

was

also

worn on

1st

Airborne Division to

UK

to prepare for the inva-

the right shoulder, but those

sion of France. In

March they were joined

by two French Parachute Regiments, 2

had earned the privilege of wearing SAS

'combat' wings on the left breast after

RCP and 3 RCP, who became 3

three

return to the

SAS

respectively, plus

SAS and

an independent

Para-Commando Squadron,
which later became 5 SAS. The last part of
Belgian

the jigsaw was the clandestine intelligence

and

signals

unit

known

as

Phantom

Squadron, which joined what was

the

Special

Squadron.

Now

Air Service

GHQ

Brigade

now
as

Liaison Regiment.

2000 men

strong,

the

France in support of the forthcoming

At

D-

William
Stirling resigned his command as he
believed that the SAS was no longer
being used in its proper role. Even the by
now traditional beige SAS beret was
ordered to be discarded in favour of the
invasion.

this

stage

jumps

in

Eventually, after

much

the

early-

wear them.

procrastination

by the high command, which did not

know how

employ such an
minor role was
found for the SAS, though half of the
brigade was held back as a conventional
really

only a few

SAS

D-Day

troops were individually

deployed in France, but on and just

D-Day
SAS

this

after

operations in France

On

fell

into

the one hand,

groups provided small-scale

Army

enemy

lines

landings (6 June 1 944) were ordered

do everything they could to stop

to

German

reinforcements

reaching

tactical

was the dropping of SAS teams

ations

deep behind enemy

lines

establish

to

up with the Resistance and

disrupt enemy movements.

bases, link

SAS

soldiers

were

called

upon

to

work

with the Resistance and Special Opera-

(SOE) people, who were

on the ground gathering informaThere were to be problems with

tions Executive

already
tion.

both organisations. Operations in France

carried out by the

SAS and SOE were

SAS

under

sup-

guarded

its

several

the

latter

SAS soldiers as being

command, and also jealously

tended to regard the

Group. This entailed cutting

the

beachhead. The second category of oper-

two

port to General Bernard Montgomery's

21st

Day

supposed to be coordinated, but the

changed.

broad categories.

movement

and locations of German forces. In addition, SAS teams immediately after the D-

to

unconventional unit,

parachute-trained reserve. Prior to

SAS

Brigade was retrained for operations in

Day

operational

desert campaign, continued to

men who

viding intelligence about the

its

missions. Nevertheless, after

months of comparative

SAS was

inactivity

glad to be back in business.

of communication and pro-

THE MAQUIS
The problems

that

the

SAS had were

nothing compared to those of working

with the French Resistance. The

latter

called Maquis, after a Corsican

were

word

meaning 'bush'. Following D-Day the

SAS worked closely with the Maquis. But
the latter were split between the supporters of General de Gaulle's Free French
and the communists. As a result, many
groups hoarded weapons for use against
each other after the war. The Maquis were
motivated, and had excellent local knowl-

which was put

edge,

teams planning

was poor and

good use by SAS

but their security

their ranks contained trai-

The SAS soon

tors.

to

raids,

learned that

it

was

better to operate separately.

Left:

Jeep

converted

to

a waiting

RAF bomber drops a Willys

SAS team on the ground in

central France in August 1944.

16

WORLD WAR

II:

NORTHWEST EUROPE
SAS Jeeps

Left:

in

northwest Europe

in 1945.

Note the armour plate shields and the

proof glass

to

protect

bullet-

crew members.

part of the mission was the discovery of

RAF

fuel trains in sidings at Chatellerault.

ground-attack

aircraft

were called

radio and the trains destroyed.

The

they carried had been meant for

division heading for

of

loss

fuel

panzer

Normandy, and

tanks.

Jeeps were parachuted in to give

Squadron

the

delayed deploy-

this fuel severely

ment of those

by

in

limited degree of mobility,

but by the beginning of July 1944 their

base had been compromised.

The Ger-

mans surrounded the area and attacked in

force, killing some troopers, though 17
escaped. However, 33 members of the

SAS were captured alive, and after torture

and interrogation by the Gestapo all were
executed. During the desert campaign.
Hitler had decreed that any

two weeks

D-Day, the
entire A Squadron of 1 SAS was parachuted into hilly country around Dijon
to blow up railway lines and organise the
In the

first

Maquis into raiding

'Houndsworth',

this

after

parries.

German

troops

last

tie

down hun-

who

might oth-

two months and would

dreds of

Codenamed

operation was to

To the south, also on D-Day, two officers from B Squadron of 1 SAS dropped
near Vienna to contact the local Maquis.
Five days later, four patrols from the same
squadron were dropped in the area to
attack specific targets before finking up
with the Maquis. The

Allied advance out of Normandy In addi-

Bordeaux

cers

two

places

and

fine,

Commando

however, the
over

Rommel

members of
as

they posed

and

had generally disregarded

called

Order.

In

German Army had

his offithis

so-

France,
to turn

prisoners to the Gestapo,

all

showed no mercy

who

to the SAS.

From D-Day onwards,

was derailed on the Saumur to

train

tion to nearly

such a danger, but

strategic railway line

into Poitiers was cut in

erwise have been committed against the

SAS should be executed

the

paign

but the most successful

rollered

the Allied camEurope steamway through France and the

northwestern

in
its

50 troopers, the squadron

had nine armed and armoured Jeeps

and two anti-tank guns. The kill tally for
also

the

was

operation

derailed,
lines cut

six

re-supply

70 trucks destroyed, over 20

and

in excess

rail

of 200 German

soldiers killed or seriously

Anders Lassen

trains

wounded.

Anders

Lassen was a Danish

member of the SAS and

the Special Boat

and a soldier of quite extraordinary
bravery. Originally in the Danish Navy, he had joined the British Army in

Squadron (SBS)

in

World War

II,

940 and then volunteered for the Commandos.

was assigned to the Small Scale Raiding Force,
and in May 1943 transferred to the Middle East as
a member of D Squadron, 1 SAS. which then
1

He

THE FRENCH SAS REGIMENTS

Meanwhile,
(French)

in Brittany

160

SAS parachuted

in

men from 4
on D-Day

under the codename 'Dingson' to

set

up

major operating base and to help organise

the local Maquis (three battalions were
eventually equipped).
three

18-man

patrols

The

following day

from the same regi-

ment were dropped to cut rail lines serving the port of St Malo and the German
reserves stationed in that area. Having
successfully

completed

their

tasks,

the

three patrols then joined the rest of the

regiment

at

the

main operating

became

part

of the SBS.

He

quickly gained a repu-

and took part in many

SBS operations in the Aegean in 1943-44. In April
1945. Major Lassen was fighting around Lake

tation for being a fighter,

Comacchio in northern Italy. He single-handedly

took on three German pillboxes, and succeeded in
knocking two of them out before he was cut
down. He then covered the withdrawal of his men
before dying.

He

was 25 years old. For

his

courage

he was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross.

base.

17

SAS

THE

WAR

AT

HOLLAND

GOBBO

FABIAN

UNITED KINGDOM

Meuse

BELGIUM

LONDON
,

Southampton.

.
Calais
,

Portsmoutn

S^

CAL,BAN

GERMAN

~^-(

Lie 9 e

BRUSSELS Namur

BERGBANG

Boulogne

Mons

I- ^>

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WORLD WAR

NORTHWEST EUROPE

II

BALTIC
SEA

KEY
larkswood

SAS

^
^

SAS

operations

airborne
operations

ii^

SAS

NORTH
SEA

jeep drives

km

50
30

miles

<=><=*

c=o

Wilhelmshaven*

Hamburg
Liineburg.

Oldenburg

Hanover

Zwolle
c

Enschede)

KEYSTONE

Osnabruk

,-

X*

Arnhem

NijmegenV^X'

,,*

Munster
Above: An

GERMANY

-^wesei

SAS soldier searches a German

civilian after the war's

end during the

Regiment's attempts to find those responsible

Above:

SAS Jeep

operations in Germany in

which

entailed gathering intelligence for

1945 were large-scale affairs. 'Archway', for

the advancing Canadian 4th

example, involved 75 vehicles.

Division

Low

Countries, until the Allies found

themselves knocking on Germany's front

door.

Throughout the advance, the SAS

was always
resistance

in

the vanguard, organising

behind the German front

and attacking

lines

Crossing into

months of 1945,

Germany in the early

the SAS undertook a

number of reconnaissance

Two

lines

of communication.

squadrons from

operations.

and 2 SAS took

part in a reconnaissance mission east of

the River

Rhine

at

Operation 'Archway'.

as

moved

it

into

Armoured
northwest

Germany. The Belgians, together with 1

SAS, took part in the Canadian assault on
Wilhelmshaven. 1 SAS had a hard time of
it during its approach, its 40 Jeeps being
constantly ambushed by German parties
in a series of hit-and-run actions. Though
the SAS men inflicted some damage on
the enemy, they too had received casualties and were rather discomfited.
In general

SAS

moths of the war

operations in the final

Europe were ill-conceived. SAS teams were restricted mainly

in

Wesel codenamed

to the reconnaissance duties for regular

The

formations. As such, they operated near or

Belgians of 5

SAS mounted Operation 'Larkswood',

just

beyond the

front line,

and were sub-

jected to ambushes. This attritional type

Left:

Prior to

D-Day the SAS Brigade

mount many

numbered 2500 men, enough

to

operations in France and the

Low Countries.

of warfare was not the

had envisaged for

role

his unit,

David

Stirling

but he was a

prisoner and the war was drawing to a

for the

murder of its men during the

close.

In

fairness,

as

territory shrank, there

the

room

behind the

for

SAS

conflict.

German-occupied
was physically not

parties

to

roam

far

lines.

Another problem was the population.

and the Low Countries SAS
teams had found the locals to be largely
friendly and sympathetic to their cause. In
Germany this was not the case, and the
In France

general hostility of the population served

to aggravate the SAS's problems.

Despite

all

the problems, by the spring

of 1945 the SAS had

fulfiled its role and

Europe was virtually over. All
SAS units were back in Britain by the end
of May 1945. The SAS Brigade was officially disbanded in October 1945, though
in 1947 a Territorial Army SAS Regiment
was formed. For all intents and purposes,

the

war

in

however, the regular Special Air Service

was

just another

of those wartime units

which had been consigned

to history.

19

MALAYA 1 950-60
The Malayan Scouts
The Malayan 'Emergency', which began

in

June

North Africa and northwest Europe, but

For

much of World War

II,

the British

colonies on the Malay peninsula were

occupied by Japan. In an

effort to dislodge

the Japanese invaders, Britain had

armed

and supported the Malayan People's AntiJapanese

wing of

Army (MPAJA),
the

Communist

military

this

was

The MPAJA hid

secret caches, later to

to result in the

role. It

was

a challenge the

its

weapons

in

be unearthed and

Regiment rose
minority

to.

community, tended

Indian

to

favour the Malaysian Federation of States

route advocated in 1948 by the British. The

used against the British.

After the war, most of the educated populace of Malaya

wanted independence from

Britain, but the

two main ethnic groups had

how

reformation vf the

a far cry from the deserts of

who

were of

totally

opposed

other 40 per cent, however,

mainly Chinese stock, were

of any Federation which could

to the idea

country

be dominated by the majority Malays, many

but in the immediate

should proceed. Those of Malay stock, some

of them preferring the Chinese Communist

policy backfired disas-

49 per cent of the population, plus the

ideology instead.

mainly Chinese Malayan

Party,

post-war years

the

trously.

it

was

1948,

Special Air Service and the expansion of its wartime

different

ideas

about

their

In June 1948 the Malayan Races Lib-

Army (MRLA), which was

eration

essen-

Malayan Communist Party

wing of the
(MCP), com-

menced

to try to oust

the post-war military

tially

a violent

campaign

the British.

The

first

targets

MRLA

of the

British rubber planters

and

were

their families

living in relatively isolated areas. The

cam-

paign started on 16 June with the murder

of three rubber

estate

managers

in the

Sungei Siput area in the northern Perak

province,

which bordered Siam (modern-

day Thailand). That evening

State

of

Emergency was declared in the district,

and within two days this was extended to
cover the entire country. What became

known

as

the Malayan 'Emergency' was

to last 12 years in

all,

and would lead

to

the rebirth of the regular SAS.

The

guerrillas, or

communist

terrorists

(CTs), in Malaya were led by their World

War

II

commander Chin

been awarded the

World War

II

OBE

Peng,

who

by Britain

Victory Honours

had

in the

List for

the part he played in the defeat of Japan.

Using

had

tried

helped

Japanese,

Left: In

and tested procedures which

in the downfall of the

Chin Peng's men operated from

fencing

mask with an

Malayan Scouts

air

rifle,

recruit practises jungle

warfare techniques atJohore in mid-1950.

20

MALAYA 1950-60

MALAYAN SCOUTS

THE

bases at the edge of the dense jungle,

'Mad Mike' Calvert

which covered more than two-thirds of

the peninsula.

they were

From

these hidden bases,

on

known

out

during the Malayan Crisis.

World War II after a series of
He joined the Royal Engineers in 1933, and

six years later

CTs were

half a million Chinese-race squatters,

SAS

in

was

in Military Intelligence

Research.

He

helped to organise guerrilla units to fight

of a German invasion.

in the event

more than

the support of

for his exploits

joined the

strong, even at

the height of the campaign, the

able to rely

well
first

adventures in the Far East.

when war broke

for them.

Though only 7-8000

is

However, he

the

and the Malays

British rubber planters

who worked

Mike Calvert

operate unchal-

at first able to

lenged, striking fear amongst both

He was

then posted to Burma, and there met

who

Orde Wingate. Together they

raised the

provided the bulk of the CTs' recruits and

Chindits, troops trained to fight behind

food. These largely uneducated Chinese

Japanese

had been displaced from the towns by the

Japanese during the war, and had taken to

the Chindits' 77th Indian Infantry Brigade

squatting in small

on low-quality

communal

won the DSO and US Silver Star.

He returned to Europe, and was given
command of the SAS Brigade in March
1945. His ideas on how to combat the

agricultural land reclaimed

Malay

To

villages.

Communist Terrorists

these squatters,

communism

the Chinese brand of

and had

settlements

from the jungle, or on the edges of established

By 944 he commanded

lines.

repre-

particularly

winning

in Malaya,

'hearts

sented their only real hope for a prosper-

led to the formation of the

ous future.

Scouts in

950, and

to the reformation

its

and minds',

Malayan

success was to lead

of 22 SAS

in 1952.

MIKE CALVERT'S PROPOSALS

Over the next two years, the CTs murdered nearly 500 policemen and soldiers
plus

more than 850

civilians, for the loss

jungle fighters should be raised to take

the

war

to the

communists on

their

own

Known
this

new

of about 1100 of their own. Everything

ground. The General Staff quickly accept-

recruits

was not going the

ed both proposals, which formed the

the

as

the

British

terrorists'

of the so-called 'Briggs Plan' (Lieutenant-

Army had

General

also

resolving

1000

captured

by no means were the

the

situation.

1950, a former wartime

Mike

basis

Malayan Police Force and the

guerrillas. That said,

British

way, though,

SAS

So,

in

brigadier,

Calvert, was asked to analyse the

Harold

was the
Director of Operations), and 'Mad Mike'
himself was tasked with raising the specialised

Sir

jungle unit.

initially as the

from

Far

Malayan Scouts,

unit was free to poach suitable

all

East.

Army

units stationed in

Individuals

with jungle

experience were actively sought.

few

Briggs

Below: A group of Malayan Scouts take a

breather while on operation. All officers for
the unit

were selected by Calvert personally.

sit-

on all aspects of
war and how it could be won.
'Mad Mike' Calvert, had fought with
Orde Wingate's legendary Chindits, who

uation and write a report

the

had campaigned deep behind enemy

against the Japanese in

Burma,

eminently qualified to find

the

problem. After

extensive research,
ally in

lines

so he

was

a solution to

several

much of it

months of
spent actu-

the jungle assessing-the current

sit-

uation, he submitted detailed proposals to

the

Commander-in-Chief Far

East

Land

Forces, General Sir

John Harding.
Calvert came to two main conclusions. He recommended, firstly, that vulnerable

natives

clutches of the

ing

many

moved into
them out of the

should be

protected villages to keep

CTs,

who

to provide

had been forc-

food and

shelter;

and, secondly, that a specialist force of

21

SAS

THE

WAR

AT

ieft: 77e

KEY

during

S4S launched many operations

Cameron Highlands and

the

jungle

its

Belum

the

in

Valley

war in Malaya.

SAS bases
km

160

SAS veterans were

SAS (Artists), a

21

recruited. In addition,
Territorial

Army

unit

100

miles

which was preparing some of its number

for service in Korea, would also later provide men, and the Rhodesians offered a
company-sized unit of volunteers.

The prime

candidates, however, were

former members of Force 136 and

men

from Ferret Force. The men of Force 136

had trained and led units of the MPAJA
during World War II, so they were able to
bring

mer

wealth of knowledge of their fortactics.

allies'

on the

Ferret Force,

other hand, was a highly skilled band of

volunteer British, Gurkha or Malay sol-

and some policemen,

diers

who

acted

as

scouts for the regular infantry battalions

chasing the CTs. All of these

expert

at

men were

operating and fighting in the

oppressive conditions of the jungle.

THE SCOUTS' FIRST ACTIONS

On formation, the
operational
Initial

Malayan Scouts had an

of just

strength

100 men.

training took place at the Jungle

Warfare School in the southern province

of Johore, but almost immediately they

were deployed nearly 500km (310 miles)
northwest to Perak province to act

ward

air

raids

and

controllers for RJ\.F

to

ambush

fleeing

as for-

bombing

CTs. Due to

their reputation for indiscipline

and

their

lack of cohesive training prior to opera-

deployment, many of the original

members of what was known as A
tional

Squadron would eventually find themHowever, their

selves 'returned to unit'.

initial

9
*

-V

&

to

Up
the
-j

s&\

^^,
T^tft

<

^o

Ry^j ^jflpW^^*

Perak province, to the west of

'.**"

i
**

Police,

patrols

accompanied
officers, pen-

by Chinese-speaking liaison
etrated deep into the jungle to

.-

22

in

Cameron Highlands, 12-man

of Scouts and Malay

->

afl

1
*

i?

successes proved Calvert's basic idea

be sound.

establish

communication bases. From these bases,

four-man teams could cover large areas of
jungle and lay ambushes along CT

-_-^

Left:

A group

November

of Scouts in the Ipoh area in

1950.

One patrol spent 103 days

enemy units.

the jungle searching for

in

MALAYA

19

THE MALAYAN SCOUTS

0-60:

of
one of the

patrol sported a sweat stained kerchief

yellow parachute

new boys

asked

silk.

if this

When

was

a typical British

dress tradition, the curt rebuke

him. Allegedly the

shocked

re;

to stop us shooting each other." In the

close confines

who

shoots

of jungle warfare, the man

the wearing of a

first lives

neck scarf instandy identified

Rough and ready the
men of A Squadron may have been, and
on occasion the squadron had a reputation for being a bit of an undisciplined
rabble, but at that time they were prob-

yellow

friend from foe.

ably the best Caucasian jungle soldiers in

service anywhere.

on

learned

taught to every

By

the

To

this

SAS

soldier.

second half of 1951. the

Malayan Scouts (SAS),

:.ow

expanded

day. the skills

these long jungle patrols are

formally
to three

as the

fiill

squadrons and a

battalion headquarters. Their

raids into the jungle to

in the

Many

Cameron

.ere veterans

of the Europea:

campaign and had trained together in a

bases from where patrols hunted the enemy.

conventional manner for some time, so

much more

approach
patrol

and re-supply routes.

this phase of the war

during

One
lasted

of previously

rbim

the local

tribespeople. For

many of them

their

encounter with Euro-

close

first

::.::-.

r.::

r-:'":.-r

often happens

men.

:r.

::::^

.-.::

when

i:>e^>r.

In

;>

first

They

role tor a longer period

March 1951. a

assist

the jungle and to defend the

being built to protect the

of

con-

this time.

back to the

better.

UK

Calvert was invalided

to recover

Far East Volunteer Unit,

Colonel John Sloane. nicknamed "Tod" by

Squadrons

Dusun

at

as the

at their

Tua. Raised

Nations service in Korea, the

new

in

squad-

ron had an established complement of

gle

who came from a traditional

background and who had
in Korea. He had no prior experience of
special operations, but was widely considthe SAS.

infantry

helped clear up eye infections

and skin disorders, which affected many
of the natives. Slowly and patiendy. the

but they were the cream of Rhodesia's

ered to be a superb tactical

youth, and for every successful applicant

The new commanding

up trusting relationships
the process that was to become known
'winning hearts and minds*.

in
as

eompletely

at least

Soon

new

to military service,

more had been

10

rejected.

after they arrived at their

jungle

camp, the keen young Rhodesians met

some of

the

men of A Squadron

return-

EXPANSION OF THE SCOUTS

ing from a long operational jungle patrol.

due course a second squadron of

Malayan Scouts was formed, primarily
from the TA and reserve volunteers from

With

In

the

AS. Unlike

Squadron, the

men of

new B Squadron were more

tional

in

their approach

tradi-

to soldiering.

from malaria,

dysentery and other unpleasantnesses he

what most thought would be United

penicillin

soldiers built

forts

SLOANE TAKES OVER FROM CALVERT

Around

100 men. All but 10 of the volunteers

Simple administrations such

new

villagers.

as

cines.

to

the police in patrolling the edges of

had picked up during several years ofjunand hostile-territory soldiering.

Command was passed to Lieutenant-

camp

Rhodesia
for

as a

third squadron joined

men of A and B

the

base

the

meet
brought medi-

natives

the British

new

sequence unit discipline was

hostile jungle, the Scouts

established contact with

also

to areas

which thev
were used

uso able to train in Johore province

for their

time than their predecessors, and

a record-breaking 103 days.

In addition to staking a

disciplined.

task at

best suited. Instead, they

Highlands. In this area the Scouts set up

they were

main

time was not the deep penetration

this

Above: Malayan Scouts

formation

known, had been

their long hair, beards, threadbare

clothing

and shredded canvas jungle

boots, the

Scouts looked

bunch of tramps than

more

but appearances can be deceptive.

his neck, everv

like

elite fighting

member of the

men.

Round

returning

officer.

officer,

who

had previously been second-in-command

of the much respected Argyll and Sutherland

Highlanders, detested

indiscipline

and soon set about reorganising attitudes.

His appointment came like a breath of
fresh air to most of his command, with
the exception of the wild men
Squadron. One result of his appointment
was that many good officers and men
who had put their name on the transfer
list

decided to stav with the

SA N
23

SAS

THE

SAS

22
In 1952,

warfare

22

SAS was

way SAS

Under

Lieutenant-Colonel

Sloane's

wheat was sorted

from the chaff, and a period of retraining
and reorganisation was begun. By the end
ot 95 the Malayan Scouts title had been
dropped, and the command was renamed
leadership

the

22 Regiment, Special Air Service, or just

plain

22 SAS. The regimental base was

now more
side

located at

centrally

Besi near Kuala

Sungei

Lumpur, on the western

of the peninsula.

SAS squadrons

returned to jungle operations with

geance.

One of their

more

soldiers

importantly,

first

ven-

major missions

developed

became experts

its

'hearts

CT

escape

Although the drop zone was theoretically in a small clearing, all but four of
the troopers actually landed in the

route.

30m

branches of trees some

(98ft) high,

but miraculously there were no casualties.

a combined force of two
more SAS squadrons, Gurkhas, Royal

Meanwhile,

Marines and Malay Police, hacked their

way

cross-country to join them. In due

CTs were

put to

the valley, and at long

participating

in

the

which Calvert had

last

type

flight

the

from

SAS was

of operation

originally envisaged.

was an airborne and overland operation

into a virtually inaccessible valley near the

Thai border to clear

Despite

their

it

initial

of communists.
opposition,

unarmed Malay tribesmen

in the vaUey

had been coerced into supplying the

with food and

shelter,

and

the

now

CTs
100-

strong group of Chinese terrorists controlled the area.

One
ers,

SAS

troop-

some Rhodesians,

para-

squadron of nearly 60

including

chuted into the Belum Valley to protect

NEW JUNGLE TACTICS

Although

Belum

this particular

operation in the

Valley was not spectacularly suc-

numbers of CTs
it did show that
the basic procedures and tactics were
sound. However, the fact that so many
men had become caught up in the trees
did cause some concern, and so it was
decided that a method of self-rescue had
cessful,

were

to

and no

its

jungle

and minds' ideas.

In this

at counter-insurgency warfare.

the locals and block off a

course the

In February 1952, the

Formed

is

formed. During the next eight years the Regiment perfected

and, perhaps

skills

WAR

AT

large

killed or captured,

be developed. After

much

considera-

problem

tion, the simple 'solution' to the

was to

issue

each

man with

50m

(164ft)

length of knotted rope and a supply of

The rope would be carried

on the chest above the reserve
parachute, and could be tied to a tree
branch and then used to descend the tree.
To prove the concept, the second-incommand, Major Freddie Templar, plus
two other officers would each make at
least two drops onto the jungle canopy.
On the chosen day, Major Templar
exited the Dakota transport aircraft first
and landed cleanly in the trees. He was
followed out by Major Peter Walls, who
was later to become Rhodesia's top soldier, but he stumbled in the doorway after
hitting his head. Behind him Lieutenant
Johnny Cooper, who had been one of
David Stirling's original L Detachment
volunteers and the driver of the 'Blitz
pain-killers.

coiled

Buggy', gave him

line as Walls fell

upper

and

left

his

own arm

have his

helping push, only to

caught up in the

static

out the door. Cooper's

arm was broken

in three places

helmet was ripped off

but incredibly he

made

head,

his

a safe if painful

landing in the tree tops. His problems

were

far

trapped

from

60m

he was

over, though, as

(200ft)

up

in the air

with

only one usable arm. Fortunately Roger

Levett, his troop sergeant, quickly located

him and

the medical officer scaled the

tree twice to effect a rescue.

ery Freddie Brunton, the

MBE. A few months

ed the

For

his

MO, was
later,

brav-

awardalmost

Cooper was promoted to

and returned to 22 SAS as motor

fully recovered,

captain

transport officer.
In spite of Cooper's accident, the tech-

nique

known

as 'tree

proven for operational

was

now

able

to

jumping' had been

use.

insert

The Regiment
patrols

as

and

Left: Members of 22 SAS and regular British

Army personnel before Operation 'Helsby' in

the

24

Belum

Valley in February 1952.

MALAYA 1950-60

SAS

FORMED

IS

where required to cut off fleeing CTs or

to assist police and infantry- under attack.
addition

In

operations

military

to

against the terrorists, the British

had

also

been slowly converting the natives away

from communism. They started by issuing
identity cards to everyone over the age of

and then used the Emergency Powers

food distribution and other aid

12,

to restrict

to card holders only. Safe settlements, pro-

tected primarily by the local police

and

backed up by company-sized infantry

units,
ter

were then

set

up

to give the squat-

population somewhere decent to

way

In this

the communists,

to take rather than give,

who

live.

tended

were alienated

and access to food and accommodation

was denied them.

At

first

SAS

small

patrols

were used

to

provide security to the police posts in the

7

but

safe settlements,

ly

as

the situation slow-

normalised the troopers were trans-

ferred to the

deep penetration duties to

which they were best suited. The tribespeople who were the original occupants
of the Malay peninsula had been pushed
farther inland by successive waves of
invaders and settlers. These tribespeople
were now being picked on by the CTs,
who were desperate for food. So the SAS

lifted

to

primitive

Living

market.

among

some of

tribespeople,

these

whom

had been cannibals only a few years

before, was no easy feat for white

SAS

Europeans, but the

as best as

troopers adapted

they could. Slowly, the 'hearts

Above: Operation Termite'

July 1954. Three

in

SAS squadrons were dropped into Perak to

wrest control of the area from the guerrillas.

The Rhodesians of

deployed to Malaya for

and minds' campaign turned the proud

which

tribes into staunch allies.

eventually their

Squadron were
a

tour of duty

on two years, but

government called them

lasted for nigh

was dispatched deep into the jungle both

to gain their trust

and to protect them.

'Tree
EARLY FOUR-MAN PATROLS
By March 1953 the 10 Sikorsky

heli-

copters of 848 Naval Air Squadron were

being

used

patrols

deep

deliver

to

and re-supply

in the jungle. Small troops

of

SAS

personnel, usually numbering 12-16

men, were flown deep into the interior by
helicopter to establish contact with the

mainly nomadic Sakai and

Semam

tribes.

Each SAS troop was sub-divided into

men, who

four teams of three or four

lived

primitive

in

conditions alongside

months at
a time. One man in each team was a
trained medic, and the first aid which he
administered helped cement the bond
the tribespeople for

between
also

and

soldiers

up

and

to three

natives. The troopers

helped to build protected settlements

lay

quality

on
of

fresh

fife.

water to improve the

Even landing

strips

were

carved out of the jungle to allow aid to be

This was an

SAS

Jumping'

parachute technique used by the Regiment in Malaya.

Because Communist Terrorist (CT) camps were often located deep in the

them on foot was time-consuming. However, because the

grow their own food, and therefore had to clear patches of
the jungle nearby, these camps could be easily spotted from the air. Two
members of the SAS, Johnny Cooper and Alistair MacGregor, believed men
could be dropped by parachute onto the jungle canopy, from where they

jungle, reaching
guerrillas

had

to

could lower themselves to the floor

jump

by ropes. The

first

took place

February 1954. The

in

operational

54 men who were dropped suffered

few casualties, and the technique
was judged a success. However,
subsequent operations revealed

'tree

jumping' to be fraught with hazards.

During Operation 'Sword'

in

January 1954, for example, three

SAS

soldiers died after

smashing

into trees. 'Tree jumping' was

abandoned soon

after.

delivered in bulk and produce to be air-

25

SAS

THE

WAR

AT

Left:

The rivers that cut through the Malay

means

jungle provided a more speedy

on

travel than

foot,

of

though more dangerous.

Zealand SAS Squadron was deployed, but

they did not inherit the
ignation. After the

was placed

this title

tion

as

mark

Squadron des-

Malayan 'Emergency',
suspended anima-

in

of

respect

who had been

Rhodesians,

to

the

held in such

high esteem despite their relatively short

Regiment. To this day a

Squadron has never been resurrected

service with the

by the Regiment

in

honour of

comrades. Formed in 1954

their old

as part

of the

Commonwealth Strategic Reserve, the

New Zealand SAS (NZSAS) only selected

men

of high physical and mental stam-

mid-1955

In

ina.

company-sized

independent squadron was formed specif-

Malaya and after six

and jungle training, it

ically for service in

months

specialist

was deployed operationally

in the

border

provinces of Perak and Kelantan.

NEW ZEALAND SAS

THE
The

well-trained

and adaptable

Kiwis

quickly blended in with the personnel of

the established squadrons,

ed the

new

skills

brought with them.

home. To replace them, a new squadron

commanded by Johnny Cooper was hurriedly recruited from available camp personnel, including clerks and drivers, plus
an intake of new recruits. In his memoirs,
Cooper refers to his new command as C
Squadron, though other sources contradict this. Only 80 strong, including just 15
experienced men, the new squadron was
tasked with penetrating the Pahang
mountains and establishing
tlement to protect the local

a fortified settribes.

conducted offensive

CTs.

and Corporal Bancroft were

As well as clearing an area of jungle to build what became Fort Brooke,

alongside the Sungei Brok River, they
also built a helicopter landing ground and
patrol.

26

killed in an

their attackers

with

loss

using a typical

SAS-style counterattack.

When
cobbled
ly

emerged from the jungle

at

The

to

eventual-

During
out

half their original strength. Diseases

achieved

their toll

caught from ratsjun-

on nearly 40 men, who had

be helicoptered back to

civilisation,

to

but

ad hoc formation had successfully

completed
ment's

its

task.

Much

to the

embarrassment, Cooper's

Regi-

men

became Fleet Street heroes.

To replace the Rhodesians and bring
22 SAS back up to strength, a New

last

required

for

long-range

small, tight-knit

patrols.

two-year tour, they carried

many 13-week
in

and extreme fatigue had taken

by

their

missions

as leptospirosis

Zealand squadron's training

skills

down

such

the

New

interdiction

the begin-

their ranks

had been deliberately concentrated on the

hurriedly

ning of February 1954, they were

Among

interior tribes.

specialist

men from the

together new squadron
the

appreciat-

were a fair number of Maoris, who had

been experienced hunters and trackers
before joining the army, and their skills
were much in demand. The Maoris also
soon established a close empathy with the

ambush, but the other troopers drove off

gle fevers

THE ESTABLISHMENT OF FORT BROOKE

In October 1953 Johnny Cooper led his
men into virgin jungle at the start of what
was to become a 122-day operational

the

against

patrols

On one such patrol, Trooper Wilkins

who

and methods which they

the

search-and-destroy

remotest of

high success

rate. It

areas,

was

and
their

operation in the southwest, however,

which gained them the most fame.

For weeks they trailed a group of over
30 CTs around the hilly province of
Negri Sembilan, eventually killing or
capturing almost the whole band. The
final patrol tally

was eight dead

terrorists,

two wounded and 19 captured. By the

end of their 24-month operational tour,
the NZSAS Squadron had lost only two

MALAYA 1950-60
Dropping supplies

Right:

RAF

the ground.

Valettas

On

men.

its

the squadron

SAS

IS

FORMED

SAS patrols on

to

and B everleys

for sustaining patrols.

were invaluable
of

return to

New

Zealand

was disbanded, but was to

be reactivated in 1959, though

never

it

returned to Malaya.

in

Another British squadron was formed

1955 from members of the Parachute

Known

Regiment.

rather unimaginative-

Parachute Regiment Squadron,

ly as the

men formed

these

who.

ing unit

a fully cohesive fight-

the Kiwis, required

like

on

jungle training

Malaya, but

arrival in

had the advantage of being already

fully

parachute trained.

SAS JUNGLE WEAPONS IN MALAYA

The effective combat strength of 22 SAS
was now almost 600 officers and men. To

whom

the Regi-

ment supported, however, the

difference

men was

sometimes

and the violence went on, albeit at a

much lower intensity, with the State of

soap or

major defeat of communist terby a conventionally structured

army. Not only were the town-dwelling
Malays and Chinese, plus the nomadic
tribespeople, firmly on the British side,

toothpaste as the smell carried for miles,

even most of the Chinese squatters had

troops and police were by then well in

but their weapons were kept spodess. In

turned against the

the conventional troops

between

officers

and

difficult to ascertain.

operations, for

SAS men never used

example,

memoirs,

his

On

Squadron veteran Lofty

how

Large describes

rifles

were stripped

and cleaned thoroughly every night.

woodwork was

the

oiled with linseed

taken
oil.

off,

'All

cleaned and

The weapons were

more than an arm's length from us

until they were handed back to the
armoury after an operation.'
never

the

first

rorism

Full

terrorists.

independence within the British

Commonwealth was

granted to Malaya

on 31 August 1957, but the British Army

stayed on to help the Malaysians for three
more years. However, the communists
would not give up until the bitter end

Emergency continuing

until

31

July

1960. For the SAS, however, the job was

nearly

control.

over by

SAS

England, but
find

its skills

mid-1958,

as

Malayan

soldiers started to return to

D Squadron was soon to

needed in another theatre.

Below: SAS soldiers search

Terrorists in Tregganu.

for

Communist

On average

it

1800 man-hours of patrolling for one

took
kill.

Shotguns and Patchet carbines were

weapons for jungle fighting,

where engagements often happened at
the favoured

point-blank
spent weeks

range.

Frequently

on end searching

patrols

the jungle

without finding any trace of their quarry,

but

when

they did strike lucky the en-

counter was usually over in seconds.

man who
shooting
Sergeant

was

actively

they

CT

When

caught up

finally

leader

Ah

Tuck,

he had been diligently tracking,

came

face to face at only

Turnbull killed
before

practised.

Bob Turnbull

with the notorious

whom

The

fired first invariably lived, so hip

the

latter

weapon, much

20m

(66ft).

the

draw

Ah Tuck on
could

less fire

By about 1956

even

raise

his

it.

the British

were win-

ning the war against the CTs. in what was

27

THEJEBELAKHDAR
The Jebel Akhdar operation is a masterful example of how adaptable SAS soldiers can be. A
and D Squadrons were plucked from the humid jungles of Malaysia and immediately went into
action in the mountainous region of northern Oman, where they achieved a great victory.

In

Malaya the

men

of the SAS had

proved themselves to be superb jungle

but the barren desert uplands of

fighters,

Northern

Oman

would show

just

how

Oman. Then
equation:

By

new

factor entered the

more

the 1950s the discovery of

and more

oil

with the Sultan of Muscat in 1789, giving

Company commercial

tankers have to pass (the country across

the

Sultan,

Said

East

rights in

India

bin Taimur.

a treaty

exchange for the protection of

Royal Navy. Both

the

from the

The

of friendship

treaty:

Oman

benefited

sides

was

a seafaring

the

straits is Iran,

which

sympathetic to Western

now

in the 1950s
interests,

nation which had interests in East Africa,

anti-Western regime, thus making

Zanzibar, Socotra and Baluchistan, but

bly important that

its

was

but

is

hands of an extreme Islamic,

in the

Scouts, recruited in

the Saudis.

one of the richest regions of the world.

Oman's position suddenly made it very
important to the British, and the West in
general. Northern Oman overlooks the
Straits of Hormuz, through which oil

had signed

Oman

Oman

it

dou-

has rulers that

what

is

the United Arab Emirates and led by

British officers,

Oman in the 1950s was a desperately

poor country, being ruled over by a
despotic

now

huge desert peninsula into

turning

British

treaty obligations to the Sultan. The

its

under the Arabian sands was

adaptable the ordinary trooper was.

this

our

Trucial

oil.

armed
towns

were brought

The

in to expel

Sultan then sent in his

forces to garrison the

few small

in the region.

REBELLION IN NORTHERN OMAN

In 1957, however, an open rebellion was
mounted by the Imam Ghalib bin Ali of

Oman

and his brother, Talib, along with

Suleiman Bin Hamyar, whose

Sheikh

northern Jebel Akhdar

tribe inhabited the

region.

by

The

Sultan's troops

a well-organised

were attacked

enemy armed with

The presence of the Royal Navy did

much to make the seas safe for trade,

invaded parts of Abu Dhabi and Muscat,

modern weapons and land-mines, and

they were all but wiped out. The Sultan,
somewhat alarmed, immediately request-

which were rich

in oilfields. Britain, ever

ed military help from Britain, invoking

which the Omanis were

eager to avoid having to take military

the mutual assistance treaty between the

commercial concerns were threatened by

the multitude of pirates

who

sailed the

seas.

By

grateful for.

the twentieth century the pirates

are kindly disposed to the West).

1952 neighbouring Saudi Arabia

In

action,

at

first

had gone, but the British were more than

when

happy

rebellion in

built

had been
up with the numerous rulers of
to maintain the ties that

ment

the

felt it

advised negotiation, but

Saudis started to organise a

Oman,

had no

the British govern-

alternative but to

hon-

two

countries.

troop of Hussars with Ferret

armoured cars was drafted in from Aden
and two infantry companies were flown
down from Bahrain. The Trucial Oman
Scouts were also redeployed to help drive
|

back the

rebels.

RAF jets

bouring

states

provided top cover and

based in neigh-

ground support. In next to no time the

out-gunned rebels withdrew to the near
inaccessible plateau of the Jebel Akhdar.
This bleak, sun-bleached granite outcrop
sheer from the desert sands to a

rose

height of several thousand metres, very

much
name

like

Ayers

translates as

other than for

spring rains,

Rock

in Australia.

a brief

when

few weeks

Left:

after the

profusion of desert

plants live their short lives,

entirely devoid

The

'Green Mountain', but

it

is

almost

of vegetation.

far cry from the jungles of Malaya.

terrain of the

The

Jebel Akhdar meant that the

SAS had to battle the rebels and geography.

28

THE JEBEL AKHDAR

de

Right: Captain Peter

la Billiere (left) is

appraised of the tactical situation on the

jebel by

Major Johnny Watts, December

Peter de

with

tain

then a young cap-

la Billiere,

1958.

Squadron, describes

the

geography of the Jebel Akhdar thus: 'The

plateau

measured some 20 miles by

formed

and

phenomenal

protected

fortress,

steepness of

its

sides

10,

natural

by the precipitous
and by the fact that

was no road leading to the top.

Only half a dozen paths, negotiable by
men and donkeys, wound their way up
wadis, or dry valleys, so steep and narrow
there

each could be effectively guarded by

that

detachment.

a small

men with

On

any track half

machine gun
could keep a company at bay and inflict
severe casualties. Even without opposidozen

tion,

rifles

sheer

the

and

physical

of

difficulties

climbing seven or eight thousand feet in

-

vers high temperatures

would have been

formidable: other units trying to patrol

the

mountain had

lost several casualties to

more to heat-stroke. Small

no foreigner had conquered

good marksmen with older but wellmaintained rifles. They had plentiful supplies of ammunition for most of their

so

weapons, and knew the area

prospect

like the

backs

of their hands. To complicate matters fur-

Akhdar plateau had reput-

sniper fire but

ther, the Jebel

wonder

edly never been successfully assailed in

that

the top of the jebel since the Persians in

the previous millennium

the tenth century."

by de

THE TACTICAL SITUATION

With the rebels confined
ground and the

much

Sultan's

of

Army and

remained

Air

along

high

the

to

Forces

pretty-

the British

small

number

Force

loan

officers

with

some

specialists,

as medics and signallers and an

armoured car troop. During 1958, land

such

mines

laid

many of

RAF

by rebels damaged or destroyed

the British

mentioned

armoured

cars,

and

tion

(a

small-scale

affair

preferable to a large-scale,

was

infinitely

and expensive,

commitment). In mid-November 1958,

therefore, D Squadron was dispatched
from Malaya to help clear the rebels from
the Jebel Akhdar.

of four troops
small

The squadron

consisted

and 19) plus

Each troop had

(16, 17, 18

headquarters.

fighting strength of about 10 or 12

a
a

men

rather than the 16 they should have had.

edly

They were armed with the Belgian

7.62mm FN rifle [predecessor to the Self

hand

Loading Rifle (SLR)] and a few light

machine guns.
But the fighting would be very different to that experienced by the men in

aircraft overflying

the jebel repeat-

came under heavy machine gun fire.

As the Sultan's forces were unable to take
on the rebels in their mountain hideouts,
the British would clearly have to lend a
campaign to a successBut to do what?
Though only numbering around 200
properly trained soldiers, backed up by
about 500 hill tribesmen, the rebel force
to bring the

(ful conclusion.

was not going to be a pushover.

The

sol-

were armed with 0.5in machine

guns and 81mm mortars, in addition to
diers

modern

rifles,

and the tribesmen were

all

Malaya.

The

jebel required a

operational and survival

skills.

new set of
The rock of

the Jebel Akhdar is hard and metallic,

which makes silent movement very difficult, the more so because initially the SAS
soldiers wore nail-shod boots that gener-

ated a lot of noise.

deep-sided

traverse.

SAS

rations

Living off the land

soldiers

is

impossible,

were faced with the

of having to

earn'

all

their

and equipment on their backs. In

addition, the weather was quite severe:

alternating
at

between sub-zero conditions

night to scorching heat during the day.

above).

The British government decided that

the SAS was the unit to resolve the situa-

command, most of

in

troops were withdrawn.

la Billiere

(as

hours of hard climbing and descending to

The

ravines,

plateau

is

cut by

which took many

D SQUADRON'S ACCLIMATISATION
As soon as they arrived, the men of D
Squadron began a short acclimatisation
regime to make the changeover from jungle

to

mountain operations

possible.

corporal

records the procedure:

in

the

'We

set

soon

as

as

squadron

up

a series

of hard marches with bergens, weapons

and ammunition, and at the end of each

march there was more and more range
work, more and more open work, as
opposed to work which we'd always done
in jungle, and longer marksmanship, well
over the 25 or 30yds which we had previously engaged in.'
Soon after their arrival in theatre, and
really before they had even had the
chance to acclimatise properly, they were
pressed into action.
feat

was to put

The

men on

squadron's

first

top of the seem-

mere 4km (2.5

from the rebel stronghold of
Aquabat al Dhafar in the northwest.
Desperately short of manpower, the
squadron was split into two units. To the
north, 16 and 17 Troops attempted an
ingly unassailable jebel a

miles)

29

SAS

THE

AT

WAR
The geographic feature codenamed

Left:

Sabrina, which

SAS soldiers,

Rory Walker, seized

down
than

led by Captain

mid-November

in

1958.

to collect their packs, leaving less

men

dozen

plateau.

It

of 16 Troop on the

took 17 Troop

where

the village

dumped,

collect

a full

2000m

night to descend the

had been

their stores

all

their kit

day and

(6566ft) to

and

supplies,

then re-ascend the Persian Steps route.

During that first day, the men of 16 Troop

laid up and watched for signs of enemy
activity,

then sent out recce patrols in the

afternoon.

late

No rebels were spotted and 1 6 Troop

bedded down for some much-needed
sleep, though naturally a sentry was posted at all times. Shortly after midnight, the
trooper on 'stag' noticed some movement
and woke his mates. Out in the darkness,
four villagers with donkeys were breaking
curfew to use an old and uncharted trading route over the jebel. Fortunately for

them, the SAS asked questions before

The villagers were so gratebeen spared their lives that

they not only showed the SAS their
opening

approach from the rear of the enemy

The second

position.

formation, consist-

ing of 18 and 19 Troops,

made

its

way

in

from the south.

The

clash

first

place in the

enemy

had not manned them,

route, but even offered to work for them

by transporting water, supplies and
ammunition. On the second morning, 17
Troop arrived with their kit to relieve 16
Troop, who headed off back down the

no ordinary solmake the climb in

was one of these troopers and he remem-

(improvised

sangars

rocks), the rebels

on the assumption

with the rebels took

the jebel,

when

darkness.

SAS

They

walls

of

that

dier -could possibly

shadow of

did not appreciate that

troopers were not ordinary soldiers!

the

enemy

tunately Corporal

in

daylight.

Duke

had earned the Military Medal

was

who

in Malaya,

it

took

night'.

all

Walker, decided to consolidate the posi-

Now

firmly

established

would be

albeit

only in

a small area, the

by

at least

the north the

managed

to

men of 16 and
the

scale

17

plateau

tion

on the grounds

that they

second time (Walker's most famous

exploit was to take place in the Indo-

nesian

capital, Jakarta,

mob

when

stone-

times tried to avoid contact.

ers

manning

was

it,

throwing

by an ancient route known

the Persian

Embassy following Sarawak and Sabah's

give

Supposedly thousands of years old,

decision to join the Malaysian Federation

attack. Just before

narrow, stepped track had reputedly

a

few men

to

hold back an entire

army of Persians hundreds of years

before.

Despite the route being well covered by

Walker marched up and down

in front

of the building playing the bagpipes).

As the ascent had been made

order, the

men from

An

Jebel,

SAS put
at all

observa-

tion post, with a sergeant and five troop-

local guide,

rioted outside the British

on the

out patrols to locate the enemy, but

unopposed, with the help of a

as

troopers

SKIRMISHES WITH THE REBELS

command, Captain Roderic 'Red Rory'

one rebel in
From then on, most patrols were

From

30

climb and

of schedule, the officer in

unlikely to pull off the stunt quite so eas-

this

of water, led by friendly Arab handlers.

well ahead

ily a

allowed

of

FOOTHOLD ON THE JEBEL

carried out in darkness to avoid the dan-

Steps.

'hell

The ascending

Having reached the top undetected and

ger of lone snipers hiding in the rocks.

Troops

was one

bers that

a sniper in this encounter,

killed

but the patrol killed

return.

Unfor-

Swindells,

Steps to collect their packs. 'Lofty' Large

were accompanied by about half a dozen

donkeys laden with supplies and jerrycans

joint patrol from 18 and 19 Troops closed

with

fire.

to have

ful

(6566ft) forward

OP

set

up some 2000m

of the main location to

warning of any enemy

dusk on the first day the
was attacked by 30-40 well disciadvance

plined rebels, but the

SAS men managed

wound four more
The attack petered

in belt

to kill five

and

fatally

Troop went back

with their

FN

rifles.

THE

JEBEL AKHDAR

Above: The remains of the village ofSaiq on

the Jebel Akhdar. The inhabitants of the jebel

were

in

ASqn

a wretched state by January 1959.

out and the patrol withdrew under cover

of darkness

as

Next morning

planned.

patrol returned to the

OP

MH

the better part of valour.

km

ASqn

DSqn

less 4
Troop

patrols.

troop

comman-

V.

'We got

to the top

and we

found positions that the enemy had obviously occupied, so

we

decided to get into

their positions rather than

Right:

new

position

on

PERSIAN

OMAN

GULF

AE

>

MUSCAT
Awab
MWa

Wadi Suwaiq

To Nizwa.

Jebel Akhdar

Nizwa

OMAN
Salalah

By using deception and raw courage,

were totally outwitted during the

the rebels

SAUDI
ARABIA

A and D Sqns

the skyline the

SAS's final assault on 26-27 January 1959.

Muti Ridge

{"

ot our

spot a

Saiq

TRUCIAL
STATES

Kamah

make new ones

own. because we knew enough

about them to realise that they would

Wadi Sumail

Wadi Kamah

RAF
Sharaijah

der wrote of his experiences during one

reconnaissance:

miles

(one troop)

supply

TanufSlab

This early period was fraught with

attacks

Rebel escape

Aquabat al Dhafar

the rebels had decided that discretion was

SAS

SAS

the

expecting to

have to fight to retake the position, but

danger for

KEY

ARABIAN
SEA
Mirbat

31

SAS

THE

WAR

AT

amazing in their reactions plus their

knowledge of the local ground. They
were born for it and their reactions were
fast. We were under attack from their
mortars. We were under attack from their

LMGs

and from individual tribesmen,

who were

spoiling for a fight. But,

all

with the help of my machine gun and the

RAF who
without

we

arrived,

extracted ourselves

loss.'

Having now establishecTtheir presence

on the jebel, the SAS decided to set up a
more easily defended patrol base on an
area of dominating higher ground which
they called Cassino. After their bad experience in trying to take

on the six-man
assault on this

OP, the rebels ruled out an

and better defended

larger

position.

Instead they resorted to relatively ineffec-

Above: With victory

in sight, 16 Troop,

They were

hyperactive and their reactions

Squadron, 22 SAS, poses for the camera just

were

perfect,

before the final push onto the jebel.

from

all

same

we would

was our

At
about 0639 hours the sun came up and
we fried and fried and fried. We had two
extremes. At night it was cold enough on
top of the mountain to freeze the water
as

if

it

area.

very

thin

trousers

and jacket and

standard-issue

didn't take sleeping bags

recognisance

all

pullover.

on

We

24-hour

they did was slow you

The SAS

some

sort
at

soon learned to

soldiers

of movement because

me, obviously thinking

Our

them and we were on a slightly higher

ridge about two or three hundred yards
early

[the

We

climbed up that night;

morning came and

major

in

weapon

that the ideal

was behind the

for

Oman

was the

0.3in Browning, where you had the range

you didn't have with the LMG [light
machine gun], but, like all machine guns,
it

mortar which could out-

rounds

more than two or

as

three

a day.

'We

set the

cave and then,

gun up overlooking the

first

men came

thing in the morning,

cave and were about to

to the entrance
start

of the

leading the

donkeys out, whereupon, three rounds

rapid from the Carl Gustav
in the

BRITISH ARMY AND 0MANI SUPPORT

To provide fire support to the lightly
armed troopers, about 20 men from the
Lifeguards, along with some signallers,
medics and

REME

went

straight

middle and whoosh, they blew the

fair number of them to

Once again, within a minute and a
we were all under attack. They were

were sent to

fitters,

The Lifeguards brought machine

guns from some of their scout cars which
Cassino.

had been disabled by the American mines

given to the rebels by the Saudis.

an

later,

Omani regiment

little

joined them to secure

the camp, while the

out on

company from an

infantry

SAS

troopers were

patrol.

STORMING SABRINA
The forward enemy defensive
jebel was a well-guarded

of attention

attracts a lot

but then he decided, having had his

32

had persuaded John Watts

command of D Squadron]

several

on his shoulder in the sling position, that

something wasn't quite right here, so he
took it off, whereupon I shot him. My
mate alongside me shot him as well and
we just blew him away. Within 30 seconds
we were under fire from numerous places.

several in

troop was designed to cover

was one of them. So we shouted down,

rifle

rocket into the [rebel] cave

fact.

Browning.

he shouted up

81mm

had an

range the smaller-calibre weapons of the

respect the guerrillas, as a

established night picquets.

spotted

positions, plus late

they seldom fired

above them.

1400 hours I had

another three men with me in my patrol
and we were looking down and covering
an area when, lo and behold, I saw this
Arab start making his way up. He got to
within 300yds of us when he must have

on the SAS

SAS, ammunition must have been low

down, and anyway, we didn't intend to

sleep, not knowing whether they had
'Around about

attacks

afternoon mortar attacks. Although they

Further along the ridge, the other half of

rocket or Carl Gustav [rocket launcher]

we had were

long-range mass sniping and machine

gun

our troop was trapped.'

OG

as

we

[olive-green]

us.

well equipped

and we weren't

then

are today. All

started shooting

and concentrating on

machine gunner from D Squadron remembers: 'As de

la Billiere's troop had done the recce, they
would do the nearest bit and put a 66mm

bottle,
as

and they

areas

tual

line

on the
had a

cliff which

25m-(80ft-) wide re-entrant giving access

to

the

fortified

endowed
by the
ed

twin peaks nicknamed

name

Sabrina (the

derived from a well

television presenter

British.

About 50

in a cave system,

access route to the

defended

main

major

of the jebel. Nonetheless,

cave in and a

this

despite the size of the task,

half,

SAS

target.

this

rebel positions in

pieces.

sector

of the time)

rebels, well locat-

it

was the next

JEBEL AKHDAR

THE
With 17 Troop making
attack. 16 Troop

diversionary

flank

out.

set

Christmas Eve 1958, to climb the

and

As the Lifeguards and

down covering fire and a

from the

Omanis

cliffs

the forward defensive posi-

assault

tions

on

laid

rear.

mortar barrage, the troopers scaled near

impregnable

inflicted

many

fighting,

virtual

In

caves.

their

to attack the rebels in

cliffs

casualties in

took

but

they

darkness

hand-to-hand

none

themselves.

However, some of the

rebels

tenacious fighters and

was decided that

it

had been

ered to have been a success, but

now

strength
if

the

it

was

more than one underSAS Squadron would be needed

clear

that

was

operation

wrapped

to

be

quickly

Headquarters. Within 10 days

Squad-

now commanded by Major Johnny

Cooper,

from

arrived

Malaya.

They

more than one SAS squadron would be

deployed immediately and acclimatised

if the jebel was to be cleared.

To the south, the second group from
18 and 19 Troops had managed to push
their way up about 1000m (3280ft) to a

from jungle tepidity to the clear Arabian

air on the job. Two weeks later a full
attack on the Jebel was mounted by the

required

southern group located

this

tion

being used

to

guard

a posi-

main

the

SAS

used by the Regiment. By the end of the

1950s the courses were

who were

wear the Winged

combined squadrons.

J0HNW00DH0USE

sionary attack

the

The

SAS's ability to transfer from one ter-

seeming ease

SAS

first

mounted an elaborate diveron Sabrina.They also con-

fided in their

main

Arab donkey handlers that

would come from Tanuf

24 hours

Now

explains the ruse:

of clearing the cave was given

is

the father of the

mod-

ern SAS, he was one of the original

mem-

regarded

as

the

to

attack

southwest and,

the

January

rebel

command. De la Billiere
'On the evening of 25

Deane-Drummond

the leading [donkey]

Peter

Major Dare Newell he

briefing.

march through occupied territory

to get them into the only position from
which it was possible to attack the cave.
At dawn, as the rebels emerged into the
sunlight, the troopers opened up with
rifles. Bren guns and anti-armour missiles.
Although the attack killed and
wounded a good many of the enemy, the
survivors held ranks and returned fire.
route

From

their

sangars, every

rebel

set

about reorgan-

long-duration
insisted

on the

operations.

on

Woodhouse

highest levels of profes-

sionalism, discipline

and physical

fitness.

expected, within

information was passed on

bers of the Malayan Scouts. Together with

ising the Scouts to fight in the jungle

as

this

to the

mand Operation 'Desert Sabre' in the

1991 Gulf War. Under cover of darkness,
de la Billiere led his men on a 10-hour

owes much

to

in the

task

Regiment could
Akhdar oper-

ation. The Special Air Service

Regiment was producing, and the man

responsible for this was John Woodhouse.

young Captain (now General Sir)

de la Billiere. who would later com-

to

tackle jobs such as the Jebel

testimony to the calibre of recruits the

The

soldiers,

Dagger badge. The

courses ensured that the

cave, which was also being used to store

weapons and ammunition, would have to
later if the Jebel

out those

SAS

and ensuring that only the best got

rain type to another with

was to be captured.

sifting

unsuitable to be

approach the Jebel Akhdar. This deep

be taken out sooner or

the basis of the

Selection and Continuation

John Woodhouse.
Meanwhile, on the Jebel Akhdar, in an
attempt to draw as many rebels as possible
away from the highest peaks commanding
the jebel and the villages in their shadows,

plateau above the village of Tanufi Patrols

from

came up with formed

current

up.

On New Year's Day 1959, the Commanding Officer of 22 SAS Regiment,

Lieutenant-Colonel Tony Deane-Drummond, arrived in Muscat with an
advanced party to set up a Combined
ron,

summer of 1952, he returned to

organise SAS recruitment
procedures. The course he subsequently
In the

England to

He opened by
which

information

gave four of

handlers a special

he

saying that the

was

about

to

divulge was top secret, and that they were

not to pass
death.

He

it

to

anyone

else,

on pain of

then told them that although

within

range opened up on the exposed troopers,

and they had to withdraw under

However,

ground-attack

fire.

over-

aircraft

head strafed the cave with rockets and

from high ground behind them

trooper was

able

to

lone

cover their with-

drawal with a 0.3in Browning medium

machine gun. No major British casualties
were suffered and the attack was consid-

Right:

One

of the

played a part

donkey handlers who

in the

SAS

deception plan

during the Jebel Akhdar operation.

33

SAS

THE

WAR

AT

on Sabrina, but the rest of

Squadron descended to low ground,
where trucks were waiting to take them
to Tanuf by road. Meanwhile, D Squadron
stayed behind

Johnny Cooper

Tohnny Cooper was one of the 'Originals' of L Detachment in North Africa.

He took part in many SAS missions in the desert, before being sent to
officer training school in 1943. By D-Day he was a troop commander in

also

Squadron,

SAS, takin g part

in

Operation 'Houndsworth' and the crossing

of the Rhine. After World War

flB

9fc <

Army

in

command
He saw

22 SAS, and went on to

\f
"

KT

B^PnC^^I
^^^M

^l

A,

and

much

Squadrons.

service, including the

storming of the Jebel Akhdar.

Cooper then served with

Omani Northern

j^J^^^^^^H

f&S'd

JSk
m\

Frontier

nine-hour,

Regiment.

of the Muscat

He became

involved

with the SAS again in 1963,

Yemen

ed operations in the area to the south of

going up that way. (Our knowledge of the

Sabrina.

local intelligence system suggested to us

to maintain or

and so

SAS

the

also

belt order

was

man

carried

and pack.

five

20-round

magazines, 100 rounds in a bandolier,

250-round box of 0.3in machine gun
ammunition, eight hand grenades, six
white phosphorus grenades, four riflelaunched grenades and two 3.5in anti-

ployed to the Tanuf Slab area and mount-

We

ascent in

more than

all

Tanuf, and the donkey-trains would be

They

each

track,

typical trooper's load

armour

The men of

full

little

rifle

to aid royalist rebels. In

spells in the

mountain goat

addition to

when

was to be made up the Wadi Kamah,

the real assault was to be launched from

of the jebel in very short order

(8200ft)

an incredible amount of ammunition, in

feint

the top

2500m

command

he had three

would reach

left

convince the rebels that the

darkness along what was

before finishing his career in 1966.

that this information

again a single troop was

LOGISTICS OF THE ATTACK

Although they were about to embark on

the

he led a secret mission into the

11

Once

but

stiffer resis-

Regiment beginning in 1960,

before becoming second-in-

Yemen

Jn

much

By

time a lieutenant-colonel,

this

a diversionary attack,

main push was coming from the western

sector, but the bulk of the squadron had
assembled back at Tanuf by late afternoon.
That evening the combined force of six
SAS troops was trucked round to the village of Kamah to begin the main attack.

1951 and was

posted to Malaya. There he joined

mLp

tance.

in the area to

II

he was demobbed, but rejoined the

regular

launched

they came up against

Squadron then rede-

took the opportunity

change weapons and

kit at

headquarters near Tanuf.

scales

44.5kg (981b) and belt order

weighed another 10kg (221b), making a

total of 55kg (1201b) plus rifle!
D Squadron was first off the start line,
but A Squadron was right behind them. It
could have given the game away if the

SAS had attempted

it

pack tipped the

rockets. This

at

to reconnoitre their

A SQUADRON'S ATTACK

proposed route in advance, so instead they

account of our phoney plan reached the

This major increase in military activity in

used long-range surveillance and photo

rebels within six hours.)'

the area also helped convince the rebels

reconnaissance

proved.

To

learnt later that an accurate

give

and to allow

Squadron

a bit

Squadron to

operational environment, the

of

a break,

train in

new

an

arrivals

took over positions and patrol duties

at

that

coming

dusk on the

although for one particularly precarious

in this sector. After

acclimatised

arrival

to

in

The morning after their

northern Oman, Cooper's men

there-

northern

assault

27kg

(601b)

diversion

plan.

packs to climb the

2000m

to the Persian Steps,

(6560ft) ascent

which they reached

troops

start

fine

near Cassino for the

on Sabrina as part of the

At 0300 hours, three

commenced

mountain by

them from the right

machine guns.
light both peaks were cleared

fourth troop covered

sleeping bags

flank with

set off to
first

time.

The were met

la Billiere,

the sangars

Cooper on
34

they

By

climb the Persian Steps for the

Captain de
to

air,

at

who

the top by

guided them

on Cassino and briefed

the current situation.

first

of the

their ascent

different routes, while the

before sundown. After a night in their

in the chill desert

now

Squadron moved forward

Cassino.

fore set off carrying their

and, despite an intensive firelight followed

by

fierce

Fortunately

the route proved to be just climbable,

evening of 25 January 1959, the

the

techniques.

expected big push would be

the

hand-to-hand combat, only one

trooper had to be evacuated with

wound. As

traverse

men

safety. Just

also

by

had to be roped together for

before the final

had to descend

this stage

5m

summit they

(50ft) cliff,

but

the prospect of finally reach-

ing the top spurred the

men

on.

Squadron the ascent was relatively uneventful, though just as hard, as

de la Billiere makes clear: 'Away we went,
For

climbing hard, not up any of the wadis,

but straight up the face of the slab above
us,

our

known

first

as

objective

Pyramid.

Two

being

feature

troopers ranged

a bullet

ahead to warn of any enemy and make

Troop

sure that the bulk of the squadron did not

part of the deception 4

JEBEL AKHDAR

THE
waste time by going up blind

carrying very heavy

all

The

knew we would have

night,

- some
- and we

loads

bergens weighed 40kg (901b)

to keep climbing

without any chance of

restorative brew.

rest, still less a

was very hot, and

air

alleys.

or so was the most daunting. We were

first

proper

At

we poured

all

first

across

machine gun

enough

vince them to give up the

Imam
with

hastily seized

con-

fight.

The

some camels and

number of followers

to

fled

in the direc-

tion of Saudi Arabia.

of the

Two members of 1 6 Troop found

gun crew asleep in a cave nearby and
silenced them permanently. At daylight
other isolated machine gun positions
opened up on D Squadron as they neared
the summit, but nobody was hit. RAF
ground support aircraft were called up to
help suppress some enemy gunfire, but on
the whole the SAS assault was pretty

jebelis themselves. Peter

wrecked, their

in ruins,

For the

loss

strength squadrons of the SAS, supported

loyal

members of

programme of

the Sultan's Forces, had taken the suppos-

panied by

impregnable Jebel Akhdar

than 10 weeks.

officer

in

less

had the SAS been so successful?

Johnny Cooper was in no doubt as to the
reasons for the triumph: 'It had to be
done quickly. If you'd sent in a battalion

would have cost a lot of

money. Here you were sending only a
it

was an SAS job because we

ability to carry

pack-mule loads

A SQUADRON'S PROGRESS
Unfortunately the men of A Squadron,
who were still climbing as daylight broke,

and we were all very fit.'

London was not slow to offer its gratitude; after all, it had not only been saved a

did not get off as lightly as their col-

lot

leagues.

single long-range shot

from

of

money

but also political face (very

important not long

after the

Deane-Drummond had

Suez deba-

survival
itself to

notice,
diers.

Rory

the

command
sive,

over,

as

The

lieutenant with

With

forces hands, the

SAS

about addressing the problems of the

contained excellent sol-

it

This had gone

long way to dispel

all

this

a quiet

excitement, the

period

men

after the

this

meant

lengthy training courses, in driving, para-

chuting and physical

SAS was needed

Regiment had

By

the time

Borneo

in 1963,

fitness.

in
a

pool

of highly

trained soldiers ready and fully prepared

to undertake

la Billiere.

the jebel safely in British and

Omani government
set

that

any mission. By now

SAS was an

elite, a

professionals

and

Army's

unit that was

full

the

of

key part of the British

arsenal.

the major offen-

the battle was

and the SAS had

won

all

but

it.

had brought the SAS onto

and within striking distance of

assault

the plateau
the

perceived

they too fled

(a

Squadron), Watts and de

had proved

It

the world at a moment's

in

Jebel Akhdar. For the

the

Walker, Tony Jeapes

Akhdar

continued

formation that could deploy

Ironically, after

the operation, as well as his overall leader-

while Military Crosses went to

and

Regiment faced

been awarded
ship,

the

highest professional mould.

it. Troopers W. Carter and

Bembridge died as a result of their
wounds and a third trooper was injured.
Other than this incident, there were no
other serious SAS casualties on the
assault. Later that morning, a re-supply
parachute drop convinced the few
remaining rebels on this part of the jebel
that an airborne invasion was taking
place and they melted away. Behind them
they left all their heavy weapons and
masses of incriminating documents. As
the word got back to the main body, who
had rushed off to counter what their

of

had ensured

poor reputation of the Malayan

Scouts, (see the previous chapter), and had
shown that the SAS was now cast in the

A.

for his planning

all

the

and detonated

DSO

flag-marches, trekking

of the Regiment.
be

anywhere

cle).

For the

carried out a

importantly, the Jebel

operation

sniper hit a grenade in a trooper's pack

deservedly

in caves.

SAS

a couple of donkeys and an

from one of the native regiments.'

More

Why

had the

the

over the jebel in half-troops, each accom-

edly

It

was

unfilled,

left

next three weeks the

the

small gang.

la Billiere

and the people themselves had

climb.

much unopposed.

fields

been living miserably

of just three men, two under-

by the Lifeguards and

of infantry

de

one of those who had this task: 'The

inhabitants of the plateau were in a
wretched state: their villages had been
ancient falaj, or water-conduit, system was

THE SAS VICTORIOUS

one unmanned but loaded

in a nest near the top

taking place, and that was

the

sweat.'

As the climb continued the scouts did

come

was

that a full-scale airborne operation

main

rebel

base

at

Saiq.

At

that

moment dozens of supply containers

began to float down to earth, dropped
from RAF aircraft. The rebels believed
Right: Lieutenant-Colonel

Anthony Deane-

Drummond with captured rebel weapons on

plateau of the Jebel Akhdar, February 1959.

35

BORNE0
Back
When

to the Far East

President Sukarno of Indonesia threatened the formation of the British-sponsored

Federation of Malaysia, the government

island of Borneo.

The

Among

end of the Malayan and Omani

campaigns brought lean times for the

SAS,
its

as

the British

NATO
As

Army

commitment

concentrated on

of the post-Suez reorganiArmy, 22 Regiment SAS was

formahy integrated into the Order of
Battle, which assured its future once
a result

sation of the

more, but
cuts

did not escape the defence

it

unscathed. At

the

height

of the

Malayan 'Emergency', the Regiment

consisted of a Headquarters Squadron and
four

Sabre

or fighting squadrons.

in

London organised a

the units dispatched

squadrons.

The Rhodesian C Squadron

had, of course, returned

The

at

first

with

left

squadrons. However,

when most

UK

at

B Squadron was

war, the Headquarters

Squadron was reduced to

it

establishment,

small core

operational

the end of 1959,

disbanded. As both

some experienced

A and
full

officers

Major Johnny Coophad served the SAS

of two decades, was

who

the best part

to the

instead.

Others

also offered their

services elsewhere.

On

their

northern

from Malaya and

SAS had

return

Oman

1959, the

in

been temporarily based at Merebrook

Camp in Malvern, which had been a
World War II hospital camp. After reorganisation in 1960, the Regimental
Headquarters and the two surviving
squadrons moved to Bradbury Lines in
Hereford, which was to be the SAS's

home

to return reluctantly to their

for example,

be sent

mander

was

most troopers from B were

transferred, but

were forced

for

three
at

Squadrons were operating below

er,

at

so

personnel had returned to the

original regiments.

in

not

home,

the end of their operational tours,

due course only two sabre

squadrons be included in the peacetime
British Army Order of Battle.

When

military force to

the SAS, Britain's jungle warfare experts.

supported by personnel from the Sabre

Sandys Report of 1957, however, pro-

posed that

was

out of the picture, thus the Regiment was

Germany.

in

1963-66

to

for the next three decades.

Soon after the move, D Squadron went

Kenya on a three-month training exerAlthough well versed

cise.

in operating

procedures for Far East jungle and high-

offered a boring desk job in Whitehall,

altitude desert environments, the

but opted to join the Northern Frontier

ment

Regiment

in

Oman

as a

company com-

as a

whole had

the African

little

theatre.

Squadron spent

Regi-

experience of

To remedy

this,

of time

a great deal

learning different techniques required for

patrolling

and tracking

in the African

jun-

on the slopes of Mount

Kenya. Even today, Kenya is a key training
area for the Regiment because of its wide
range of terrain and climatic conditions.
the bush and

gle,

THE FIRST HOSTAGE-RESCUE DRILLS

keeping abreast with the changing

In

world order, the Regiment

itself

numerous new

skills.

taught

also

During

that

intensive training period in Kenya, the

first 'killing

ly

house' was constructed, main-

of sandbags, to allow troopers to prac-

tise

room

techniques.

clearing

and hostage-rescue
year, each of

The foDowing

the four troops in

each of the 'Sabre'

Squadrons received training

Left:

to

An SAS detachment being

its

in the

allotted

briefed prior

being sent on a long-range patrol

Sarawak
36

in

winter of 1963-64.

in

BORNEO 1963-66

ACK TO THE FAR EAST

Members of Freefall Troop

(now called Air Troop) became proficient
in combat sky-diving. Boat Troop learned
speciality.

aspects

all

of boatmanship and clearance

Rover Troop

diving.

renamed

(later

Mobility Troop) specialised in long-range

patrols, and Mountain Troop
became expert climbers and abseilers.

vehicle

For

of

a short

period in 1961. the services

Squadron were put to good use

in

persuading Saudi troops occupying the

Oman

Baraimi Oasis on the borders of

and the Trucial

States that

it

go home. However, despite

was time to
the various

all

Regiment

Europe
it was
the humid jungles of Borneo which were
to provide the next major challenge.
skills

learned by the

in

and Africa during the early 1960s,

HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
The island of Borneo lies on the equator
midway between the Chinese mainland
and Australia, with the Malay peninsula to
the northeast and Indonesia to the south,

Most of Indo-

southeast and southwest.

nesia

had formerly been under Dutch

rule,

and the southern part of Borneo,

known

as

Kalimantan, became part of an

independent

Indonesia

northern parts of the

The

1949.

in

Sarawak.

island.

and Brunei, however, remained

Sabah

Commonwealth,

part of the British

as

did

neighbouring Malaya.
In

the

approval.

1960s,

early

Malaya

Commonwealth

with

suggested
territories

British

that

the

of Brunei.

Sabah. Sarawak and Singapore join her in

a

new

Malaysian Federation.

nesians,

the

had expansionist

region, specifically their

leader. President
set

who

however,

designs in

The Indo-

Sukarno, objected and

about trying to destabilise northern

Borneo. As the Sultan of Brunei

ferred to retain his

also pre-

independence from

weak

to try to exploit this

all

Sukarno decided

ot his larger neighbours.

link in the

At

this

rime Lieutenant-Colonel John

the

commander of 22

SAS. and he had foreseen that the

Regiment might have to conduct another
it

campaign
might be

in the Far East.

the next in line if the

ceeded in Vietnam

He

thought

which would be
communists suc-

in Thailand,

(this

"domino theory", a doctrine that

among Western military and

was part of the

Above: An

SAS

soldier sends a

Morse

was popular

message back

to

political analysts in the 1960s). In fact, the

kampong near

the border with Kalimantan.

headquarters from a native

immediate threat came from Sukarno. Far

from being
Doctor'

as

Mad

communist. 'The

he was known, dreamed of

emulating the Japanese in World War

attempting

unite

to

the

II

whole

by

of

Southeast Asia under his leadership. If the

rest

of region did not share

well,

no

He

matter.

muscle to back up

He had

Malaysian Federation chain.

Woodhouse was

so-called

already

paganda campaign
threats

dream,

his ambitions.

embarked upon

pro-

in the region, issuing

and orders against the Malaysians

to close the British bases

When

his

had the military

on

their land.

they refused that served only to

make Sukarno more determined to fulfil

his ambitions. The revolt that broke out in
Brunei in December 1962 was a strictly
local affair, but

it

was backed bv Sukarno

in the belief that

it

could further

his aims.

However, it also furthered the aims of

John Woodhouse.
Unfortunately for Sukarno,
ations

on the

island

the interest of the

the SAS.

who

his

machin-

of Borneo aroused

commanding

officer

of

petitioned the Ministry of

Defence in London to be allowed to send

some of his men to the island. He argued
that not only would it brush up 22 SAS's
jungle skills, but that the Regiment could
use long-range Morse communications
on the new radios it had just been issued
with. In this way London could be kept
of developments as they happened. London was interested - the SAS
abreast

was on

its

way.

37

SAS

THE

WAR

AT

The Jungle Campaign

The

SAS

first

wanted

unit to arrive in

to

Borneo was A Squadron

in early 1963.

much more

Lieutenant-Colonel John Woodhouse, had other,

On

December

North

(NKNA)

launched

Sultan of Brunei,

calling

itself

against

revolt

Indonesia'.

help from Britain. Inside a

week

and flown

troops, shipped

On

policy

the high

20 January

1963,

As regional

British

major

the

from Singapore, had taken care of most of

morning of 12 April

the

sortie in the

The
a

first

west of Sarawak.

town of
manned only by
of policemen more used to

police post in the border

Tebedu was

and interna-

politicians

tional mediators

in

On

1963, the Indonesians launched their

of confrontation with Malaya.

state

command

officer,

the time.

to

hostile

Indonesian Foreign Minister announced a

the

instantly requested

and Gurkha

pursuing

forces

the

Army

National

who

first

effective ideas.

and neo-imperialist

of neo-colonialist

1962, an Indonesian-

group
Kalimantan

backed

At

use the Regiment as a kind of mobile reserve, but the commanding

handful

a soft target,

frightening off smugglers and keeping the

attempted to find a solu-

tion to the problem, bands of Indonesian

peace

did take

'volunteers' infiltrated the border regions

Around 30

nearly six

of Brunei, Sabah and Sarawak to prepare

attack

last

months in total to mop up the

of the rebels. Thanks to the rapid and

for a

campaign of attacks on police posts

and to carry out sabotage missions.
Although supposedly these 'volunteers'

back, but one was killed and two were

the

trouble-makers, though

it

timely British intervention, the Brunei

was

affair

not

the

Indonesians expected.

them

which the

success
It

did,

were

however, give

the excuse they were looking for to

decry the Federation

as

fR-i
^H

the 'accomplices

I1

fJ!

1Mb ^ U
4

^s

all

>

^Bh9e

'>

~-w

WmW'

ITTT

'

**?

**

'

&&:

-tvhh
JEft&ft

"'4

A'j

;\

'

<

14

THE SAS ARRIVE ON BORNEO

By the time of the Tebedu attack,

:*V

--

;'-.,

of the previous
rebellion

SAS

December

year,

the

after

Territories

as

British

Brunei

new comBorneo
up under

Forces

(BFBT) had been

set

Major General Walter Walker. LieutenantColonel Woodhouse, who now comopportunities

which

ment would

offer

the

campaigned for

spotted the

Borneo deployRegiment, and

this.

Within days of BFBT being formed,

Woodhouse and his signaller arrived at
Walker's headquarters to demonstrate
their brand new Morse radio sets, which

lA

'^

'.

-**
38

the

presence

its

late

manded 22 SAS, immediately

though

had been put down,

mand known

actively

NKNA.

left

claiming

leaflets

was not widely known. In

|H

ii
1

were from the

tionally in the region,

-A.

i-.

that they

had

that the attackers

1
fiT-f"

all

behind were propaganda

already had a squadron deployed opera-

the Indonesians, or

the Brits called them, looted the

as

town market before fleeing to safety over

the border. The British responded by dis-

at

imtsSBEk

::A\^*&.
urn hit 1 ^kf
"

f>

Indos

--,"^

';

'

'it
v.-

dawn

officers tried to fight

wounded. Afterwards

though

scene, but

^
ft

*^

all

gunned, the police

=i

"*'*-

fl

^k3B^^ ^V9r

soldiers.

patching a troop of Royal Marines to the

Vt*S

~ Bm< "^'W ilTI

-

%
f

soldiers,

trained

fighting

'volunteers' launched a

on the post, taking the occupants

completely by surprise. Hopelessly out-

many were

irregulars,

Army

was denied by their government

this

,,<1

EjjSsiJ,

Kalimantan

clearly Indonesian

than

'

were the only method of communica-

-..-..

tions that could be relied

?1

Left:

,*'

An SAS trooper

upon

for jungle

with an Iban tracker on

patrol in Borneo. The Ibans, skilled in

1

warfare and tracking, were a great asset.

ORNEO 1963-66: THE JUNGLE CAMPAIGN

J^/Sandakan

BAH
Pensiangan

Ba Kelalan

areo'

SOUTH CHINA SEA

''Lona

A W A "L-^/'

V abakan^
._vTawau

VN !

"""

THE GAP

Ban

Nan,akOT

Bawan

(
Long Jawi

^ttwm*k.2*QD\)i

KALIMANTAN

^~-v

Stafc?

Song

1st Div. Xif

--\

Poeri

_
miles

100

km

160

Kapala Pasang

operations.

the general

accept

the

Even without the new radios,

would have been happy to
offer

of an SAS squadron

The men of
less

Squadron numbered

than 100, including headquarters and

logistic

support personnel, so they were

Above: Only by spreading

could the Regiment hope

itself very thinly

to

cover the whole

of the border with Indonesian Kalimantan.

his command. He had previously

commanded the Gurkhas in Malaya and

going to be stretched very thin indeed

along the border. However, there were no

monitoring tor Indonesian cross-border

was an admirer of the jungle exploits of

roads through the jungle and very few-

movement was not

under

SAS during

the

days after

the 'Emergency'. Three

Woodhouse's

visit,

Squadron

deployed back to the equatorial jungle.

The border

across

Borneo between

Indonesian Kalimantan in the south and

the

Malay

Sarawak

of Sabah

provinces

and

established tracks, so the job

impossible

as

it

might

was not

as

at first appear. With

help of local tribesmen, vast areas

the

tion

who

just never seen

understood the jungle and

tions.

When

signs

its

limita-

of Indonesian military

Brunei was theo-

from

direct infiltration

were located, even if the tracks

couple of days old, overland
progress in the jungle was so slow that the

by Sarawak, but the intervening jungle

was dense enough to hide a dozen invad-

enemy could not have gone far. Reinforcements, called up on the SAS's Morse

in the

north stretched over near-

1500km (930

retically shielded

ing armies.

The only way

that the British

transceivers,

could quickly be brought in

by helicopter to

would be to set up a sort of

early warning line along the
length of the border. This was where the
SAS would prove its worth.

of the

defensive

the

SAS

first

many white men

had

before, so

to gain their confidence.

activity

were

could intercept advancing or retreating

attackers

The rest of the native populawas not exactly unfriendly, they had

tively easy.

could be supervised by a four-man team

miles).

ly

to be too difficult.
Malay was widely spoken by both natives
and troopers, so communication was rela-

set

up an ambush ahead

infiltrators.

The

majority of Borneo jungle tribes-

men were on
British, so

whole

SAS TACTICS ALONG THE BORDER

Split into patrol

the border to establish contact with the

locals.

Frequently

single

0km

responsible for

der, so the eyes

and

patrols

(six miles)

ears

'hearts

and

gaining their cooperation in

Malava

reallv

minds' lessons

bore

were

of bor-

of the tribesmen

were invaluable to them. This

friendly to the

the

teams of four men, the

troopers spread out along the length of

is

where the

learned

in

fruit.

39

SAS

THE

WAR

AT

With his Armalite assault

Left:

within reach, an

always

rifle

SAS soldier deep

in the

Borneo jungle prepares a welcome

'brew'.

other tribesmen and inform them of the

threat from the south. These 'bad men
from over the mountains', who would
come with their guns one day soon, were

no

would eat
young women and
bring bad luck on the kampong, but the
British Army would protect the villagers
friends of the vrllagers.They

their food, take their

if

SAS for help. Of course

some kampong headmen who

they asked the

there were

did not believe these white outsiders, but

the troopers had the perfect sales pitch. If
the

headman would just get some of his

to make a small clearing in the junwarriors would arrive from the skies

men
gle,

As the tribesmen
chopped down the trees, the patrol called
up a helicopter-borne company of Gurkhas who were waiting on standby and
they duly arrived on cue. The villagers
were impressed by the show.
to protect their friends.

FIRST

CONTACTS WITH THE INDOS'

When

the Indonesians

major

raid

mounted

that first

Sarawak to attack the

into

police post at Tebedu,

Squadron was

already living in the kampongs. In this

instance the

SAS was not

in the position

to block the retreat, but this

would soon

One two-man SAS team

change.

in

remote location was instructed by radio

to

dig in

news of the Tebedu

as

attack broke.

Their typical reply was, 'What, both of us?'

By mid-May

the

men of A Squadron

Each team located the largest village, or

kampong, on its patch and set up a hide

skills

from

from where they could monitor

comings and goings. When they were sat-

time, as mutual trust built up, the patrol

lage

locations

would move out of

During this first of three tours, the troopers from D Squadron continued the
'hearts and minds' campaign begun by

near

it

the Indonesians did not have a

isfied that

presence in the area, they then introduced

themselves to the village
paid their respects. At

and

rituals

oured

alienating

accepted

from their

times the customs

of the tribesmen were honavoid

to

troopers

all

headman and

them. The

food and hospitality

but always retreated to

hosts,

their hides afterwards.

ing cheap trinkets

Rather than bring-

as gifts for

the natives,

SAS repaid their hosts' hospitality with

manpower and medical aid. One man in
the

each patrol was

40

trained

medic and

his

were put

to

good use

minor ailments and

to the

in clearing

dressing

its

wounds. In

hide and

edge of the kampong to

work among

the

stages, the troopers

erers not fighters,

natives.

and

In

move

the

in

and

live

early

were intelligence gathand when not out and

about they would help the

their crops

up

villagers

daily chores.

It

with

was usual

had been relieved by their colleagues

Squadron,

who

on

took over the

one-for-one

vil-

basis.

their predecessors, spreading out to bring

more border
little

What
among

villagers into the fold.

support the Indonesians had

the tribes was

fast

evaporating.

thing from three to five months, by the

However, the SAS was stretched to the

limit, for there was no way that the 60 or

end of which time they looked more

so troopers in the field at any

for a patrol to live

on

their patch for any-

like

natives than soldiers, but for their height.

could provide even

With their base firmly established in

the kampong, members of the team
would move further afield to contact

every

kampong

in Malaya, there

men

one time

token presence

in

near the border. Unlike

were too many

tribes-

even to consider moving them into

ORNEO 1963-66: THE JUNGLE CAMPAIGN

Right:

An SAS trooper on a

village

walkway.

The Regiment's good relations with the

locals helped achieve ultimate victory.

fortified settlements, so a

means of

self-

protection needed to be found for them.

The immediate answer to this problem

seemed to be to train some of the young
men, all volunteers, in the use of firearms
and defensive

The

tactics.

British

Army

supplied these eager

young tribesmen with

This

tion.

rifles

and ammuni-

self-defence

native

force

became known as the Border Scouts.

After three weeks of training, they returned to their

home

regions, to be led

by

Gurkha teams posted with them.

small

The Border Scouts were

ideal as trackers

and information

but three weeks

carriers,

of basic training was insufficient to turn

former head-hunter into

a soldier

capable

of defeating highly trained regulars.

DEFEAT AT LONG JAWI

One

such formation was

platoon-sized

grouping of 21 Border Scouts, three police

Gurkhas manning

radio operators and six

garrison post at the village of Longjawi in

50km

central Sarawak, at least

from the border.

On

some 200, Indonesians, mostly

and the

regular sol-

without warning.

diers, attacked the post

All but three

(30 miles)

28 September 1963

of the garrison were

village

killed

was looted before being

Due

razed to the ground.

to

poor atmo-

spheric conditions, the lack of radio

com-

munications from the post did not unduly

worry

Four

headquarters.

days

later,

though, the two surviving Gurkhas and

Border Scouts and Cross-Border Scouts

lone Border Scout walked out of the jun-

Ambush

gle to raise the alarm.

parties

of

Gurkhas were immediately helicoptered

out to the border to cut

off"

by the SAS, and many of the

plotted

The Border Scouts were irregular forces raised and trained by the SAS.
They were

escape routes

Walker,

as part

created by the Director of Operations Borneo, Major-General

of an

effort to establish a defensive intelligence

They were

network along

Indonesians were killed before they could

the border with Indonesian Kalimantan.

reach the sanctuary of Kalimantan.

indigenous tribes of the region. The

Borneo was now clearly escalating rapidly, and it became clear

that more SAS troops were needed on the
ground. During the last quarter of the
year, the Indonesians launched a number

of

Jawi in September 1963. Afterwards their role was changed to purely

of

4<>-strong unit raised by the

The

conflict in

raids

selection

along the border. At Hereford,

was stepped-up

the re-formation of

became operational

in

to

intelligence gathering. In addition,

SAS

patrols to facilitate contacts

in preparation for

Iban Dyaks,

were

responsible for

and administration. But they could not hope

regular troops, and a detachment was wiped out by Indonesians
training, discipline

Squadron, which

January

SAS men were

recruited from the

its

role

was

to

aspects

all

to stand
at

one or two Scouts were often added

with

active along the border in western

to

The Cross-Border Scouts was

summer of 1964. Recruited from

locals.

SAS in the
mount operations

up

Long

into Kalimantan. Thereafter they

Sarawak and around Bemban.

964.

41

SAS

THE

WAR

AT

Cross-Border Raids
pre-empt the build-up of Indonesian forces

To

in

SAS decided

Kalimantan, the

series of top-secret cross-border raids into Indonesian territory.

Operations, the

late

December

1963, an Indonesian

Inforce of over 100 men, with

us

of

at least

20

nucle-

regulars, penetrated

well into Sabah to attack the village of

Kalabakan.The half-company garrison of

Army

first

one was mounted

was, at the

least,

At
Sukarno announced
these operations.

in

June

and

later

called

talks

situation.

to finish the job.

ders

lost eight

killed or captured.

After

the

Kalabakan

incident,

war

British decided to take the

enemy
the

instead of waiting for

first

him

move. In January 1964,

Indonesians was detected

to the

to

make

fled,

leaving their

equipment behind. The

concrete

Indonesian

By

fortified settlements.

Communist

the

as

Organisation, a

Chinese group based largely in Sarawak,

had been fronting the Indonesian effort).

From March 1964 onwards

army

units,

conventional

rather than irregulars

launched
British

and

with

series

of

first

all

forces

were estab-

along the border in

Each settlement was

communication with its neighbours, and artillery support was mutually
available. With infantry units now more
accustomed to jungle patrolling, the SAS
was primarily engaged on covert crossin direct

border operations.

CommonTHE FIRST CROSS-BORDER RAIDS

wealth forces.

The

campaign, British

this stage in the

and Commonwealth

(formerly guerrilla groups such

Clandestine

on Malay,

weapons and
now had

pretences and their

lished in strength

attacks

attack.

all

army openly took over the operation

the

British

evidence that the

they dropped

support,

Seven of the enemy were killed and the

remainder

fire,

the

the Gurkhas beat

the Indonesians broke their cease-

regular

a small patrol

of British infantry moved in to

When

military

re-appraised

of

a force

camped on

Sabah-Sarawak border, and

the

meantime Sukarno's
fully

few days
the Indonesians attacked again a few

comman-

men, including their

commanding officer. Nineteen more
were wounded in the battle. Once again
the Gurkhas were brought in to cut off
the Indonesians' escape, and by the end of
January all but six of the attackers were
and

force

them back once more,

though they needed to call on artillery
support and helicopter-launched missiles

before Indonesia pulled out, but in the

attack

Indonesian

frontier.

kilometres further along the border, but

only lasted for a few weeks

Malay Regiment was caught

completely off-guard in the midnight
the Royal

40-strong

the

back over the

fled

for negotiations.

The

before

point President

a ceasefire

mount a

'Claret'

1964.

lending support to

this

to

Codenamed

major attack by an Indo-

nesian regular

army

unit took place

on 7

March 1964, when Gurkhas were fired

upon near the border in southwest
Sarawak. They lost two of their number

Now

that there

were two squadrons,

and D, operational

manpower was

in

Borneo,

available to

sufficient

launch covert

probes over the border into Kalimantan.

At

first

the four-man

SAS

patrols,

some-

times accompanied by a local guide, only

slipped a
territory

few hundred metres into enemy

as the lie of the land was

unknown.

In these days before satellite

mapping, the central area of Kalimantan

was

uncharted by the Malays or

virtually

British,

nesian

and the

scantily

maps of the

detailed Indo-

of course,

area were,

not available to the SAS.

Just in case the patrol

mised, normal British

worn and

standard-issue

Rifles (SLRs)
British

were

command

lost soldiers rather

trators.

was compro-

Army uniform was

Slowly but

Self-Loading

carried. This

way

the

could claim they were

than clandestine
surely, the

SAS

infil-

charted

mapped
which could

the land south of the border and

the approach routes

out

all

Left:

An SAS four-man patrol test-fires

weapons prior to a covert

into

42

'Claret'

Kalimantan in the autumn of

its

Operation

1964.

ORNEO 1963-66

CROSS-BORDER RAIDS

be of use to any Indonesian units intent

on

crossing the border.

when

Later,

the situation deteriorated

much deepwere mounted and the SAS

of open warfare,

to the point

er patrols

reverted to using

such

as

On

rifles.

lite

man

its

specialist

weapons,

pump-action shotguns and Armaregular operations a four-

would

patrol

armed with

of

consist

a lead

scout

shotgun, followed by the

commander and then

the radio operator,

a Bren gunner
up the rear. The General
Purpose Machine Gun (GPMG) was by

both with Armalites, with

bringing

now

widespread

in

Bren

the

with

service

the

Borneo, but the SAS retained

British in

as

was lighter to carry on

it

long-range patrols.

The SAS now had two

undertake.

First,

specific tasks to

long-range patrols con-

of the most experienced

sisting entirely

troopers deployed well behind the lines to

undertake in-depth reconnaissance mis-

Second,

sions.

slightly

experienced

less

and resting troopers were used

guides

survival

bottles,

Because

The deep-penetration

manpower,

recce patrols were tasked with finding the

three hard

Indonesian lines of communication and

than a

supply,

locating

their jungle

bases

and

and ammunition

kit

being carried on the

by conven-

for cross-border operations

tional foot soldiers.

as

belt.

of the shortage of
troopers

skilled

returning

weeks behind the

week

lines

less

and build up

to recuperate

their reserves before the next mission.

By

THE NATURE OF JUNGLE WARFARE

To

find the

SAS deep-recce

all

of their tracking

these bases could well

1

ambush sites. As
be 20-30km (12-

8 miles) from the border, and in a totally

hostile jungle

environment occupied by

possibly unfriendly tribesmen, this

was no

easy task.

enemy, the troopers had to use

skills.

In the dank,

the

border, but

some of the

arose,

ards,

were

all

potential haz-

not to mention the skilled jungle

soldiers

of the Indonesian Army. Patrols

usually

lasted

around three weeks, and

way of supplies

everything needed in the

and rations had to be carried,

across the

As the
loads

as

re-supply

border was out of the question.

patrols moved deeper and deeper,

were reduced to a minimum to

allow them to strike

encountered, then

fast

retire

at

any enemy

quickly before

taking casualties. Eventually each trooper

carried

no more than

dehydrated rations in

15kg

his pack,

(331b)

of

with water

attack

Indonesians on the Sarawak side of the

dark jungle the snakes, insects and even

plants

should

patrols

the

when

targets

troopers

British

casualties

to

mum,

especially

as

copter casevac was

question,

Much

all

to the

of opportunity

responded. To keep

an absolute minicross-border
clearly

heli-

out of the

engagements had to be brief.

annoyance of the troopers.it

from on high that all

encounters must be limited to 'shoot and
scoot' actions. However, when the SAS

was

decreed

shot they usually took out a lot

more

tar-

gets before scooting than ordinary sol-

would have.
The main weapon of

Both

A and B Squadrons undertook

cross-border raids in the second half of 1964.

from

had

end of a three-patrol tour, SAS men

looked worse than prisoners released
from a dungeon at the end of a 10-year
sentence with only bread and water to
survive on. They were usually flown back
to Hereford to recuperate for a few weeks
before being put back on the treadmill.
It was not initially intended that the

reconnoitring suitable

Above: One of the Tip Toe Boys' on a Claret'

job.

Gurkhas,

who

nowhere

strike

to

respected the

the

SAS on

cross-border raids was stealth. Even the

skills

down

their

enemy,

of the light-footed

As stories of their ghost-like

ambushes on skilled Indonesian jungle
troopers.

throughout the

spread

soldiers
forces,

SAS

named

the 'Tip Toe Boys'.

British

covert operators were nick-

CLARET OPERATIONS

IN FULL

SWING

war to the
Malay peninsula, the Indonesians mounted an airborne assault on Johore province
at the beginning of September 1964. This
was backed up by infiltration from the sea
on the west coast. All of the invaders were
quickly captured, however, so Sukarno
In an attempt to spread the

turned

his attentions

back to Borneo.
by British

Full cross-border operations

SAS troopers,
June 1964. Due to the

infantry units, guided by

commenced

in

political sensitivity
a

of putting

soldiers into

country which technically was not

war with

Britain, these missions

top secret for

diers

themselves had a fearful

reputation for materialising silently out of

long time.

'Claret' Operations, these

at

remained

Known

attacks

as

could

have proved to be very diplomatically

43

SAS

THE

WAR

AT

Left:

An SAS trooper

with captured

Indonesians after an ambush. The Indos'

were accorded great respect by the SAS.

on

the scene.

positioned

at

Claymore mines would be

each end of the line and

when all of the patrol

The hail of lethal ballmowed down most of

fired electronically

was

in the frame.

bearings usually

opened

the party, and the troopers then

up with

rifles

and machine guns

to finish

SAS forces had

away into the jungle, usually
before any survivors had the chance to
work out what had hit them.
the job. Minutes later the

melted

PROTECTING SABAH AND SARAWAK

The Claymore could also be used as
sleeping

mine, hidden

w ell-used
r

of

However, because of

out.

their success

couple of anti-armour rockets and

of

GPMG

dawn

fire at

even the Indonesians kept quiet for fear

first

of loss of face.

been compromised.

At

first

a hail

or dusk were the

signs they got that their positions

had

km

border,

give

to

across the

(three miles)

wire or remote pressure switch.

troops

chance of getting any

much

casualties

better

out over-

The Gurkhas were

ambush-

ing Indonesian patrols aiming to

The

cross

camps

farther

transport in the jungle was often boat, and

attacks,

permission was granted for troops

up

penetrate

to

to

escape

British

20km

(12

miles)

Each

raid

had to

against definite targets.

the

the

north.

SAS soon

suitable

ambush

larger groups

Commanding,

ground

Major-General

Walter

more than one operation

could be undertaken at any one time. The
four-man SAS reconnaissance patrols
were not strictly classified as being
'Claret' Operations,
ally

carried

on

Most of

however, so they usu-

regardless.

the early 'Claret' raids were

located the regular Indo-

nesian water transit routes. After planning

be authorised by the General Officer

Walker, and no

fastest

sites,

they would lead in

of Gurkhas,

who went

until the next boatloads

appeared.

to

of troops

Few of the enemy would swim

out of the killing zone once the

alive

kit which
became available around this time was the
American Claymore mine. Weighing just
a few kilos, this highly effective weapon

quickly gained favour with the SAS.

had stipulated that only infantry with

consisted basically of several hundred ball

least

one

full

their guides

bearings

enemy lines. Usually

were SAS troopers taking a

charge encased in

from deep-recce
Typically the Gurkha raids would

well-earned
duties.

be directed

break

at

Indonesian base camps,

where the enemy troops thought they

were well out of harm's way. Usually a
44

embedded

jungle tour under their belt

could go behind

in

steel. It

an

explosive

could be

gered either electronically or by

wire, and was lethal over a

SAS

It

wide

trig-

trip

arc. If

an

recce patrol located a regularly used

track,

they

would

position

alongside and overlooking

ground

until the

next

it

enemy

themselves

laid

being mounted

SAS

to guide in

at

any one time.

Occasionally Indonesian troops would

bounce the SAS

their

territory,

all

it

was

despite

the

patrol instead

after

troopers taking every possible precaution.

Usually the
gle have the

fighting

men who

fire first in

skills

of the SAS could often turn

some

troopers were

injured and a small

inevitably

the jun-

upper hand, but the superior

the tables. However,

number

one is believed to have been

captured alive and unfortunately to have
later been tortured to death.
killed;

Military

Indonesian

incursions

into

Sabah and Sarawak were severely curtailed

the

during the

first

last

quarter of 1964 and

quarter of the following year as a

direct result of the 'Claret' Operations.

Every successful attack by the SAS and

the Gurkhas forced the Indonesian

Army

back their operating bases further

from the border. Despite this, though, as
to pull

they were well armed and equipped, they

then go to

were

came

raids

patrol

with devastating

it,

course

the infantry and for only one 'Claret' raid

were

Gurkhas opened fire.

One of the new pieces of

carried out by Gurkhas, as General Walker

at

Of

It

next

the

until

mines and
by the SAS could also
friendly forces, so this was

consequences.

method of

into

to

patrol to pass tripped

another reason for the

also adept at

land. Later, as the Indonesians pulled their

back

would then hibernate

have killed

GURKHAS AND CLAYMORES

few metres back from a

end

track or sited to cover the

booby-traps

the Claret raids were limited in

range to 5

single

log bridge, could be rigged with a

trip

embarrassing to the British had news got

by the SAS.

soldier

still

able to launch the occasional

on kampongs and army

posts.

The

ORNEO 1963-66: CROSS-BORDER RAIDS

next

major Indonesian

occur in

late

In the

was to

attack

extreme west of Sarawak, the

under-manned
company base at the village of Plaman
Mapu. At dawn on the morning of the
2

British

27th,

had an

Para

large

Indonesian

Army

force

attacked the base, supported by mortars

and anti-armour
busters.

They

missiles

easily

etrated into Kalimantan to

part of

April 1965.

used

as

bunker

breached the outer

00 enemy

only four men.

writing was

on

From
the

Sukarno. After one

the best

kill

soldiers for the loss

this

wall

on

point
for

towards

soldiers in

March 1966 ended with the loss of 37

men, the Indonesian General Staff
removed much of the President's authority

and began negotiations with Malaysia.

defences, but after

A peace

close

11

men. Two of the 10 paratrooper

died of their wounds.

THE CAMPAIGN IN RETROSPECT

The development and expansion of the
SAS also continued. During the Borneo
troubles the Regiment trained the Guards

more than an hour of

combat they were routed, mainly as
a result of the company sergeant major
picking up a machine gun and rallying his

The

attack

casualties

on Plaman Mapu proved

the final straw for the British, and the

general

staff"

now

authorised overt cross-

treaty

ranks of this Guards formation and from

volunteers from 2 Para.

Without the

the

President

final invasion

Brunei by about 50 Indonesian

of

was subsequendy signed on

August 1966.

SAS

(Pathfinder)

Company of

the Parachute Brigade to undertake

could so

The

ing.

easily

And

have had

me

SAS

700 infantry

as

as

with

sting.'

Once

achieved spectacular

battalions

pen-

of "hearts

surveillance,

early

again the

SAS had

results.

SASBelow:

SAS soldiers

the

Army

as valuable to

warning, stay behind, and eyes and ears

British

being

and minds", border

checks before a patrol

Gurkha and

end-

Agreement

in the role

before the end of the

several

early

between Malaysia and Indonesia has since

brought over three decades of peace to
this region of the world. As Walker himself said of the Regiment: 'I regard 70

Army. Over the next few months,

in

a different

signing of the 1966

type

raids.

of the

their

and minds' campaign and the later

deep-recce patrols, the Confrontation

border operations against the Indonesian

cross-border

service

'hearts

troopers of the

Independent

sterling

Borneo, especially

in

1966,

Borneo campaign,
Company 22 SAS was formed from the

carry out their final

in

Sarawak. By 1965

SAS had destroyed Indonesian

ambitions.

45

ADEN
SAS was committed to

The

1964-67

the conflict in

Aden

in April 1964. It

fought two distinct kinds of

war: against the tribesmen of the mountainous region of Radfan, and against terrorists
operating

in

the 1950s and early 1960s,

In

now

the port of Aden

what

is

the country of Yemen was divided

between the independent North Yemen

and a British Protectorate based around

had

itself.

But political mistakes made the SAS'sjob very hard.

a large

base there, and Britain also

acquired large

tracts

of the hinterland

around the port. In 1937, Aden became

British

had done

little

for the inhabitants

of the region, and had never encouraged

run-up to British withdrawal from the region, a federation of

Protectorates

the

any loyalty towards the Crown. They had

been content to buy off local warlords
and rulers with guns, ammunition and
money. When pan-Arab and communist
ideologies arose, the inhabitants of the

Federation of South Arabia (FSA) under

hinterland quickly began to desert their

the 18 western tribal areas and three larg-

the auspices of the British government.

nominal British

Another 10, together with the colony of

Aden, had joined by the end of 1963. The
small states had agreed to federate on the
understanding that the British would stay

THE OPENING OF HOSTILITIES

The Radfan area of Dhala, to the north of

the port of

attempt to

Aden

the south. In an

in

precarious political

stabilise a

situation in the

er eastern

proposed, but

the south was

in

territories

never really got off the

it

ground because of the politicians. Egypt,

which at the time was pro-Soviet and
anti-British, while being at the same time
being strongly pan-Arab under its charismatic leader, Nasser, then aided a coup in
North Yemen and assisted the Yemenis
and anti-British tribesmen
torates to destabilise

in the Protec-

Aden.

In truth the British had

help themselves in their

done

affairs

little

to

with the

Aden,

inhabitants of the region around

and when they found themselves in an

armed struggle they displayed the sort of
political

weakness

that

made

defeat

almost inevitable.

Aden had been

1839.

since

For

British possession

the

maritime

British

Empire it was an important port. The

opening of the Suez Canal had shortened
communications between Britain and her
colonies in the Far East and Australia, but
she still needed coaling stations around
the globe so that her steam ships could

These stations were located along

main sea routes from Britain. Aden

refuel.

the

was

in

an ideal position, being

Red

entrance to the

Appreciating

annexed Aden
it

from

Right:

India.

in

its

46

the

importance, Britain

1839 and administered

By 1900

the Royal

Navy

An SAS machine gunner on a mountainwatch for the enemy

top observation post keeps

in the

at

Sea.

Radfan Mountains

in mid-1964.

crown

colony, and in February 1959 six

of the emirates, sultanates and various

'states'

of the Western and Eastern Aden

came together

until after full

to

form

independence, scheduled

The theory was

reality

main

British staging post

populated by the Queteibi

fearsome reputation,

for before 1968.

but the

the

rulers.

diplomat's dream,

was very

different.

The

ly extracted 'tolls'

caravans

who

from

travelling

had

all

of Aden,

hill

tribe

is

of

traditional-

travellers

and

on the main road

ADEN

4-67

through Thumier to Dhala town. With

and weapons from

the help of finance

Yemen and

Egypt, these tribesmen

set

about closing the road and harassing federal troops in the area.

By

security situation in the

Radfan had dete-

1963, the

late

riorated to such an extent that the British

had to do something.

Operation 'Nut-

1964,

In January

cracker', involving

Federal Regular

two

of the

battalions

Army (FRA)

supported

by British helicopters and ground-attack

aircraft,

in a

FRA
area

penetrated deep into the Radfan

show of

strength. Unfortunately, the

was soon needed elsewhere, and the

was allowed to

back into rebel

slip

control. Throughout the

months of Febru-

and March 1964, the

rebels reoccupied

ary
all

of the high ground and recommenced

on the Dhala road

attacks

ond operation

to clear the

such an

to

mount

extent that the British had to

a sec-

Radfan.

grounds the men's wives and families

Above: Trucks and Land Rovers transporting

were told they had gone on exercise to

members

Salisbury Plain.

contained Captain Edwards' ill-fated patrol.

On

RADFORCE
As

at

no

the time there was

mation

available

suitable for-

the region, a Joint

in

Reaction Force, to be

known

as

Rad-

arrival

in

north

the

to

Aden,

100km

immediately headed
small

desert

miles)

town

Thumier, where they established

of

their

by the resident infantry battalion of the

Aden

of the huge difference in temperature

had to be cobbled together from

Royal Marines and garrison troops. The

core of this scratch brigade was provided

East Anglian

Regiment from

from the Federal

and

garrison, local soldiers

Regular Army, 45

the

Commando

RM

one company from 3 Parachute Battalion,

who were flown in from Bahrain. In support they had an armoured car squadron
(4

Royal Tank Regiment),

of

a battery

pack howitzers (Royal Horse Artillery)

and two

squadrons

ground-attack

RAF

of

Hunter

second five-month jungle tour in

Borneo, but they had been scheduled to

re-train in desert warfare in the Protectorates that

their

May. As luck would have

commanding

officer

was

in

it,

Aden

conducting the usual pre-exercise recce

as

Brigadier Hargroves was assembling his

task

force.

The squadron commander

offered the assistance of his

brigadier,

who

mid-April

Aden

accepted

England

squadron mounted
foothills

and Thumier,
its

first

the

patrol in the

of the Radfan that evening.

OPERATIONS FROM THUMIER

Within two weeks of its arrival, A
Squadron was earmarked to spearhead the
main operation to expel the rebels from

The basic plan of this operaoccupy the two highest peaks

to the northeast of Thumier, which dominated the enemy re-supply routes from
the border to the north. The company of
paratroopers would drop onto the southern objective, which was codenamed Cap
Badge, and the Royal Marines would
'yomp' 10km (six miles) east from the
Dhala Road to take Rice Bowl, the more
the Radfan.

aircraft.

Back at Hereford, meanwhile, the men

of A Squadron were recuperating from
their

base.

between

it

on

men

the spot.

By

Squadron had flown into

for acclimatisation, but

on

tion was to

northerly objective.

to the

security

the

As the paras only had one company in

country and no pathfinders were

available,

3 Troop

of

in April 1964.

The force

Squadron
(60

Being less than 50km (30 miles)

from the North Yemeni border, Thumier
was right in the lion's den and in the
shadow of the Radfan Mountains. In spite

force,

Rad force

of

Squadron was

given the job of marking the drop zone

(DZ)

nine-man

for the paras. This

left

Thumier on

to

march overnight

patrol

the evening of 29 April

the

to

DZ, where

they would go to ground to watch the

area before guiding in the paras the fol-

lowing night. Although

was not

a task

this

scouting role

which the SAS was

usually

on to undertake for the paras, it was

one which every trooper who had served
called

with

an

SAS

freefall

troop

was well

trained to carry out.

There are conflicting reports on how 3

Troop reached its start line on the 29th.
One published account says they were
deposited by helicopter under cover of an
artillery barrage, but this seems very
unlikely. Other reports state that the men
travelled up the Wadi Rabwa inside
Saladin armoured cars and slipped away
under cover of darkness when the going
became too tough for the vehicles. Bearing in mind that the entire area was awash

gunmen who

fired on anymoved, the armoured car

option seems the more plausible.
Captain Robin Edwards, who had
only just joined the SAS from an infantry
regiment, but who was well regarded by
his men, commanded 3 Troop. Despite

with rebel
thing

that

having contracted polio

Training, the

young

after

officer

Selection

had fought off

47

SAS

THE

WAR

AT

the

last

few kilometres to the objective,

was unlikely that they would find

hiding places before sunrise. However,

there were a couple of rock sangars

high ground in the immediate

it

suitable
as

on

vicinity,

which would hide the troop from prying

eyes during the day,

ground

it

made

And from

there.

Drop Zone and

sense to go to

these sangars the

surrounding area

the

could be kept under discreet observation.

If

went well they could depart

all

at

dusk

the next evening, rested and, Edwards

hoped, with

DZ

and the

his signaller fully

recovered

marked.

THE PATROL IS COMPROMISED

At dawn the troopers discovered
their hiding place

metre from

was only about

small hamlet.

that

a kilo-

As the sun

armed tribesmen climbed the high

ground to mount pickets, though fortunately none came near the sangar. All
went well for the first five hours or so of
rose,

Above: Early morning

in the Radian, 1X5. An

SAS patrol prepares for another day's work in

the disease and brought himself back to

the stifling heat after a freezing night.

was no mean

full

operational fitness inside a year,

feat.

of two four-

for this operation consisted

man

Yemen

patrols,

each of which was led by a

sergeant with a corporal and

under him. All but the

The Yemen was the scene of a

covert mission involving
soldiers. In

Yemen's

SAS

two troopers

signaller,

Warburton, were veterans of

Trooper

one

at least

Borneo tour of duty.

ruler.

Imam Mohammed

by Colonel Abdullah

by

coup led

Sallal,

who

march about
objective under
to

cover of darkness on the night of the

29th.

Had

the route been free from rebel

from the Egyptians. The British and

French were alarmed at this spread
of Arab nationalism in the Gulf, and

forces

as

intelligence reports suggested,

thus decided to send a secret unit to

started out, though,

North Yemen. The

ed by

SAS

veteran

party,

command-

Johnny Cooper

and including three SAS

soldiers,

arrived in June 1963, and linked

with

had

royalist forces

fled into the

up

near Sana (Badr

mountains and

organised an army). Cooper's

men

trained the royalists, supplied

them

with weapons and confirmed that

Sallal's

regime

support.

relied

on Egyptian

Cooper spent the next

Yemen, training

three years in
royalists

and organising supply drops.

would have posed no problem

experienced troopers. As soon

it

became

to the

they

as

clear that

were alive with riflemen, so

had to be slow and careful.
Before long, Trooper Warburton began to
the

hills

progress

lag

behind because of severe stomach

cramps, and the

distribute

his

rest

kit

group so

was put

inhabit

much

that the

file

on

As

To

may be

who

meagre

difficult to

liv-

grow,

the sparsest of vegetation. Unfor-

in the

set.

middle of the
be kept on

he slowed

nearly

The

split

three hours before

Captain Edwards decided that

his

down

into two.

first

at

rent rate of progress, even if they

light,

the cur-

made

it

goatherds.

wadi close to

its

their position, the

troopers pressed themselves into the rocks

and held

their

breath.

Behind them a
move and

goatherd kept stragglers on the

held a distant conversation with a

making her way up from

was inevitable

that

woman

the village.

sooner or

later

goatherd would discover them and,

tried to silence him, his female

ion was

bound

When
raised

themselves,

come with

herd of goats slowly nibbled

way up

him

that an eye could

About

them they provide

ing. Arable crops

of the patrol had to

progress, but eventually

so

later.

are barren places, but to the tribes

among

including the 20kg (441b) radio

ailing soldier

century

Two

'Bravo

strike

Europeans, the deserts of Arabia and Asia

tunately, goats

Republic and started

this

which would

Zero' over a quarter of

vive

THE EDWARDS PATROL

The plan was for 3 Troop
12km (7.5 miles) to their

then proclaimed the Yemen Arab

to receive aid

had the same bad

daylight, then the troop

luck

but far-ranging mountain goats can sur-

September 1962, North

al-Badr, was toppled

48

which

His hand-picked team

if they

compan-

to see.

the expected alarm was finally

by the goatherd,
out, but

woman's

It

the

a single

not before

cries alerted every

his

shot took

and the

tribesman in

the village. In this region possession of a

was regarded as the first sign of adulthood, so every male villager was both
armed and fully capable of using his
rifle

weapon. In the first disorganised couple

of minutes, the highly trained troopers
shot down a good number of the advan-

ADEN 1964-67

v.*-* : v

cing horde, but soon the tribesmen went

to

ground

The

lessons learnt

banditry

and

from generations of

inter-tribal strife

the sangars. The

first

were not

await nightfall.

on the tribesmen. Slowly and carefully

fire positions on a low
ridge overlooking the sangars, from
where they could snipe at the soldiers.
However. Edwards had anticipated their
actions and as the first shots rang out, he
called down an air strike from a pair of
RAF Hunters circling high overhead. As
cannon fire raked the ridge, the tribesmen

approaching and the

their base,

quickly retreated to the shelter of the

diers

The pinned-down

enemy

later

using

it

to

monitor British

bodies which they inadvertently ex-

diers'

posed.

About an hour before sunset one

of the corporals was

but

as the

hit

twice in the leg,

enemy were using home-made

bullets in refilled cartridge cases,

he suf-

wounds. At about the

same time, another trooper suffered a
fered only flesh

flesh

wound

across his shoulders.

in pain, neither

Further
called

man was

deadly

down by

accurate

signaller

Though

incapacitated.
air

strikes,

Warburton, kept

their hiding place in the rocks in a classic

leap-frog

movement. The

less

tactically

proficient tribesmen, meanwhile, contin-

ued

on the

to fire

sangars and Captain

For the next three or four hours the

seven survivors, two of them wounded,

to explore the position after the

had

SAS

sol-

The group was

first

split

into

team,

Edwards, prepared to

two teams

as

to

they with-

carefully

picked

their

way

back

markers

realised

that

they

two
were

being followed and went to ground, leaving the other five to continue walking

it

his

secondary

radio had been destroyed. Reluctantly

that his

base at Thumier. At one stage the

was discov-

by several rounds and

was decided

and

slowly

commanded by

leave,

ered that Trooper Warburton had been

killed

Edwards' body.

through the rocky terrain towards their

retreated.

body had

it

to be left

commanddown covering

uninterrupted.

men

When

four trailing tribes-

reached the hidden back-markers,

one of whom was the wounded corporal,

they were dispatched in a hail of bullets.

behind. With the second team,

When,

ed by

of tribesmen almost caught up with the

a sergeant, laying

in the rocks behind the

Edwards and three others attempted to escape. Within the first few metres,
though, the captain was hit by several
shots and crumpled to the ground,
whereupon most of the tribesmen turned
fire

from positions

sangars,

on him

the attackers at bay until the sun started to

their rifles

drop over the jebel, but just before the

The

other three

faded the rebels tried to rush one of

then

laid

light

move away from

the second group to

as

who

any eager enemy

drew. As the

sol-

SAS patrol fighting Egyptian-backed rebels.

chose

a surprise for

troopers,

any part of the

the Habilayn airstrip drops off supplies to an

delayed artillery strike was also ordered

light hours.

fire at

Above: A Belvedere helicopter operating from

allow for mutual support

continued to

Vi

dumped.

channels, and the packs were

however, had no escape route during day-

For the next few hours the tribesmen

prepared

prevent the

to

JC^S r w >* v " vr =tt r ^ &

fast

The main

withdrawal.

was smashed

set

men

his

to

returning to

aircraft

Edwards and

staggered

radio

withdrew

With darkness now

they crawled to

for

point-blank

at

range, and the others wisely

lost

rocks below.

attackers to reach the

down

position were cut

to appraise the situation.

Q*

down

to ensure his death.

made

it

into cover and

suppressive

fire to

allow

a short

troopers, the

while

later,

another group

same two back-markers car-

ried out an identical and equally successful

ambush.

About seven hours

after

evacuating the

sangars and without a radio to contact

troopers

reached

Dhala

base,

the

Road

then went to ground until dawn,

fearful that

the

nervous friendly troops might

open up on them

in the dark. Just after

49

THE

SAS

WAR

AT

took place in

ally

hostile operational

environment. In the early days duties normally consisted of deep recces to gather

long periods

or

intelligence

spent

in

on observation, but in the

closing stages of the campaign the em-

desert hides

switched

phasis

urban

to

intelligence

gathering and covert operations.

In July 1964, Britain agreed to grant

independence

From

was

it

Protectorates
still

would be

military bases
State.

the

to

1968, though

this

by

intended that

retained in

Aden

point onwards, two of the

opposing nationalist organisations

three

launched concerted campaigns to prove

their superiority

and

fitness to rule after

independence, mainly against the British

but also against each other.

National

controlled

The

Soviet-

Liberation

Front

(NLF) was the most active through 1964

and 1965, but the Egyptian-backed Front
for the Liberation of South Yemen

(FLOSY)

resorted to widespread terror-

ism in 1966 (President Nasser of Egypt

had seen

his

result in the

support for adjoining Yemen

Yemen Arab Republic being

proclaimed in September 1962; he hoped

to establish another

SAS soldiers in the Radian. The procewas lor small teams to watch lor the

was called

Above:

that night's parachute drop

dure

jump
in blind. Subsequently it took the combined might of Radforce over a month to

enemy Irom high observation posts.

off,

even though 3 Para volunteered to

Arab

nationalist state

and so provided

to the south,

FLOSY

with weapons, training and camps). From

late

February 1966,

Government

new Wilson
announced com-

in Britain

withdrawal,

plete

when
the

the

power

struggle
|

dawn they

flagged

down

passing

which picked up the two

wounded men. The other five marched
back into camp behind it. The wounded
armoured

corporal

car,

who had

detected

and then

ambushed the tribesmen following the

survivors was later deservedly awarded the

Military Medal.

POLITICAL EMBARRASSMENT
While 9 Troop had been lying-up in the
sangars on the morning of the 30th, a task
force of East Anglians and armoured cars
from 4 RTR had launched a diversionary
raid up the Wadi Rabwa, but they met
with stiffer resistance than had been
expected. At this stage it was realised both
that the intelligence available
ly

was woeful-

inadequate and that the Radfan tribes-

men were much

tougher adversaries than

had been

thought. As the

at first

SAS had
DZ,

not been able to reach and mark the

50

clear the region

between

of rebels.

Although 9 Troop had not achieved its

task, partly through bad luck but mainly
because of one man's incapacity slowing it
down, the patrol fought gallantly and its
members lived up to the traditions of the
SAS. The bodies of Captain Edwards and
Trooper Warburton were later recovered,
but the rebels had cut off their heads and
displayed them publicly on poles in the
Yemen. Regrettably, the first that their

knew of the deaths was through

media coverage of this incident, at a time
when they still thought their loved ones
families

were

just

on

exercise

on

Salisbury Plain.

Until the final British withdrawal from

Aden,

all

three operational

SAS squadrons

served short periods in the Protectorates

between

their

operational

Borneo. Seldom more than

tours

in

few weeks

FLOSY

and

NLF

caused anti-

British violence to escalate rapidly.

violence was directed at easy targets,

this

such

as

the families of servicemen.

KEENI MEENI'

WORK

The maze of narrow alleyways of the

Crater district of Aden town was every bit
hostile

as

streets

of

to

the

Belfast

British

Army

would become

Gunmen and
terrorists, who knew

years

ing

Often

later.

as

the

few

grenade-throwthe area like the

backs of their hands, used the twisting

passageways for hit-and-run ambushes or

as

escape routes. British Intelligence used

many

informers, but plainclothes agents

and army officers working the district

were wide open to attack, as Europeans
stood out like a sore thumb. To take the
war to the terrorists, the SAS was called in

long, these periods were ostensibly desert

to

warfare training exercises, but they gener-

and

set

up covert intelligence-gathering

anti-terrorist squads.

ADEN 1964-67

Above:

When watching SAS teams in

moun-

the

niques

and

of conducting

experience

request air and artillery strikes against them.

the

Regiment

in

good

Known

in

the

Regiment
operations

as

'keeni

involved

troopers with suitable facial features dress-

970s changed

much of its work.

was not much reward for three
years of fighting, and the war in Aden was
the emphasis of

But

come back and haunt

Britain. The

new

to try

and de-stabilise neighbouring Oman,

which Britain was obligated to by treaty.

stead as the inter-

national terrorism of the

meeni' jobs, these

to

regime in Aden immediately began

urban clandestine missions were to stand

would

tains spotted rebel tribesmen, they

In

Oman, however,

ferent

the

SAS was

and would ensure

freer hand,

it

to have a

very dif-

outcome.

ing appropriately and passing themselves

off as Arabs (see box). This
ficult as

it

were deeply tanned

in

was not

as dif-

after years

of working

open and many spoke passable

most of the troopers were of

the

Arabic. As

sinewy build, even those with

fair

hair

could make themselves look Arabic by

growing beards and dyeing

they had long straight noses.

By
much

their hair if

During the Aden

conflict the Yemenis infiltrated killer squads into the port

where they then assassinated local politicians who were
friendly towards the British administration. In response, the SAS became
involved in urban counter-insurgency in an effort to stop them in what was

of Aden

itself,

called 'keeni meeni'

work,

the undulating, sinuous

end of December 1967, after

fudging and needless loss
of British lives, the Protectorates were
abandoned to the Marxist NLF, who

was used to describe

after the Swahili phrase that

movement of a

snake in long grass. In early 1966,

of A Squadron established

the

Major Peter de

political

school to teach accurate handgun shooting techniques.

established

the

pro-Soviet

People's

Democratic Republic of Yemen (which

was neither democratic nor for the people).

'Keeni Meeni'

sounds because most troopers

For the SAS, however, the lessons

learned

in

close-quarter

group of his

la

Billiere

men who

of the port disguised

squadron

at that

close-quarter battle

He

then chose

could go into the Crater and Sheikh

in native

Arab

dress.

The

Fijians

time proved particularly adept

dark skin colour was similar to that of the

at this

locals.

unit operated from Ballycastle House, a block of

military- district

who

Othman

served in the

kind of work,

The 20-strong
flats in

a
districts

the

as their

'Keeni Meeni'

Khormaksai

of the port.

combat tech51

OMAN 1970-76
1

The
In 1970, the Sultan

rebels,

and

in

'Five Fronts
of

short peaceful interlude between

The
withdrawal
Aden
the

end of
November 1967 and the deployment of
troops on the streets of Ulster in August
1

at

969 was one of the very

Army

the British

rare occasions

Queen Victoria's

since before

reign

when

been engaged

has not

campaign somewhere or other in the

world. With nowhere left abroad to train

on

combat conditions, the

attention to more mun-

'on-the-job' in

SAS turned

its

dane exercises in support of the British

Army
when

of the Rhine (BAOR), though

opportunities

work outside
the Regiment

to

Europe arose,
snapped them up.
As the Regiment had played a major
part in clearing up the Jebel Akhdar in
Oman a few years previously, its credit
was good with the Sultan, Said bin Taimur, who was only too happy to have
them train in his backyard. Never ones to
miss out on new challenges, the SAS
Intelligence Cell at Hereford (nicknamed
western

the 'Kremlin') constantly kept themselves

well

abreast

of

worldwide, and

loomed

The

men on hand

narrows

Straits

Oman

to

in 1969,

assist.

Persian (or Arabian) Gulf, through

which most of
ed,

potential trouble

again in northern

they had

developments

political

when

of

the region's oil

considerably

Hormuz

is

export-

through

the

before reaching the

Gulf of Oman and thence the Indian

Ocean. To the south of the Straits is the

Musandum
partly to

Peninsula,

Oman

Right:

which belongs

and partly to the United

Arab Emirates, known

at that

time

Under SAS guard, supplies

transport in Dhofar, southern Oman.

52

as

the

for civil

aid projects are off-loaded from an

in

deep

trouble. His country

despair he turned to his British

political sensitivities,

from

Oman was

RAF

Campaign

allies.

The

was about

British

sent the SAS, a unit that could do the job

Trucial States. To the Iraqis,
safe passage

of their

the

to

Straits

growth,

sustain

made

it

Musandum,

so

who

relied

secret and

on

exports through
their

economic

sense to befriend the

independent

fiercely

oil

in

in

hill

tribesmen of the

1969 they

infiltrated

military personnel into the area to train

DEPLOYMENT

At the request of the British-officered

Sultan's Armed Forces, a reinforced Boat
Troop from the SAS squadron training in
Oman at the time went ashore by inflatables as a

communist

in

small numbers.

but inland one of the

Reddy, was
failed to

killed

show of

first

(High Altitude,

Low Opening)

ment by

operational

HALO
deploy-

the Regiment.

For the previous

five years,

Egypt and

force in the area.

The

against the Sultan

among

Dhofar Province

in the southwest.

much

job was made

Iraqis'

fleeing

from the Boat

cessful in that the troop

moving

in

from

contact and took prisoners,

easier

hill tribes

by the

of

Their

Sultan's

people, despite the vast wealth being generated from oil in the region.

The ageing

monarch saw

its

the country and

mere
were

Troop. The operation was reasonably suc-

the

almost complete lack of interest in his

the interior with the intention of cutting

made

parachute
believed to

is

have been the

his private property,

the sea

his

open. This action

squadron's Air Troop then parachuted into

off any

freefallers, 'Rip'

when

the Soviets had also been fomenting revolt

the natives.

FIRST

to fall to

government, ever aware of

chattels.

its

riches as

population

as

Medical care and education

virtually

members of

and

non-existent,

except for

the extended royal family. In

the Sultan's view, the people of his back-

ward nation were not ready

for

Western

OMAN 1970-76

FIVE

FRONTS' CAMPAIGN

ways, so foreigners were brought in to run

the oilfields

The
a

and the economy.

was ruled with

native population

rod of iron, and the Sultan had to grant

his

personal permission for any changes in

lifestyle,

no matter how

small.

No

politi-

opposition was allowed and dissenters

cal

were flogged or imprisoned. If their

crime against the monarchy was regarded
they were executed

as serious,

without

friends of offenders

and

as traitors

of appeal. Family and

right

were

also punished,

was not unusual for the Sultan to

it

have the life-sustaining water supply to

home

traitor's

village cut off or destroyed

as a reprisal.

Clearly Britain could not allow an ally

when

to continue in this fashion, so

the

Wali (Sheikh) of Dhofar and the Sultan's

mount

western-educated heir decided to

coup, the

a peaceful

government promised

new
its

Conservative

support.

On

23

July 1970, the Wali confronted the Sultan

in his private
fle

apartments and, after a scuf-

which both men were injured by

in

man

the Sultan's pistol, the old

favour of his

agreed to

and prove that the actions of the government are more benevolent and tangible than the vague promises made by

life

Above:

SAS

with firqat troops near Salalah

The

in Dhofar.

the 'hearts

Prince

those trying to exploit the masses. If the

Taimur was banished to

London, and lived out the two remaining

peasant farmer and his family are happy

new young
drafted

broken than an SAS team flew out to

and feel secure, the 'freedom fighter' will soon lose support.
The SAS strategy in Oman was based
on the 'Five Fronts' Campaign. This was
devised by the commander of 22 SAS,
Lieutenant-Colonel Johnny Watts, and
entailed the Regiment waging war on
five 'fronts': the establishment of an intel-

Oman

to act as

ligence

known

Sultan.

Educated

up of an informathe locals had reli-

abdicate

Qaboos

in

years of his
that

son,

(Said bin

in great luxury;

life

when anyone mentioned

said

it is

the coup,

he burst out laughing).

STOPPING THE ROT

No sooner had

at

Sandhurst,

the

news of the abdication

bodyguards for the

in

England and trained

Sultan

Qaboos favoured

change and the introduction

human

the only

way of keeping

together.

Coincidentally

sessions,

how

it

was

kingdom

his

only

few-

one of their think-tank

senior SAS officers had studied
at

the situation in the region could be

stabilised.

to

of basic

rights, realising full well that

months before

new

They now had

the opportunity

put their plans into operation and,

with their

ensure this

is

to

way

to

improve their quality of

be
dropped by the RAF over rebel areas.
These leaflets promised that the new
regime would help make fife more bearleaflets

and offered

able for the hill tribes,

to

per-

sonal amnesty from the Sultan for any

rebel fighter

The

who

rebels,

(the

changed

or

adoo

Arabic

sides.

as

word

they

were

meaning

'enemy'), consisted of the Dhofar Liber-

Omani

for

government's

civil

aid pro-

gramme, and to counter the enemy's

Radio Aden; a medical officer backed up
by SAS medics; a veterinary officer to
treat the locals' animals; and raising
Dhofari units to fight for the Sultan.

The

plan

was primarily

whereby the SAS would

in the five tasks,

plan

be on the

propaganda

the

and minds' campaign.

To bring lasting stability to any region,
first

SAS

Sultan took power, the

out

ation Front (DLF) and the People's Front

selves.

easiest

integral part of

and trulhful information concerning

leaving

of authority. The

the setting

were an

able

Borneo, the SAS proposed another 'hearts

side

cell;

tion cell to ensure that

based on the experiences of Malaya and

the local populace must

lot

firqats

and minds' campaign.

them

Watts

train the

catalyst,

Omanis

with the ultimate aim of

to

knew

do everything themthat the success

of the

depended upon the Omani government wanting to improve the lot of the
Dhofaris, otherwise it would be stillborn.
Fortunately, Sultan Qaboos was very
different from his father. Soon after the

the

Liberation

of the

Arabian Gulf (PFLOAG).

the

DLF

The

Occupied
fighters

of

were Dhofaris and

essentially

The PFLOAG, on

the other

traditional.

communist group which was

based in neighbouring Yemen. It had an
abundance of Russian- and Chinesesupplied weapons and money, and it suggested a merger with the DLF. The latter
hand, was

was

at first reluctant,

resources were

but the

PFLOAG's

too good to

resist, and
soon the DLF had been dominated.
However, the Moslems in the ranks of the
rebels were soon alienated by the radical-

ism of the

PFLOAG, and

they were there-

fore receptive to the amnesty.

53

SAS

THE

WAR

AT

7
SAUDI ARABIA

OMAN
r^mP

tV

Dawqah

/
t

/
/

TJ3

m
o
CO
m

YEMEN

Shibam

F.^@

EASTERN
ADEN
PROTECTORATE

Thamrait /
*

Habamt.

Mirbat
Jibjat

Jebel Dhofar

Sudh

Taqa

\
Rakyut

Sana

KEY

Salalah

Radfan

Saiq

Mtss'

/'

WESTERN

Dbdla

Mukalla

ADEN
PROTECTORATE

Simba

line

(D

Hornbeam

line

Hammer

INDIAN OCEAN

ADEN

one of the first men to take

was a top guerrilla leader,
Salim Mubarak. This exceptional soldier,
who had formerly served with the Trucial
Scouts and had been sent for advanced
military training in Britain, had become
deeply disillusioned by the previous
regime and defected soon after his return
from Aldershot. A senior figure in the
DLF, he and 24 men had fought their way
out of a communist encirclement on the
Incredibly,
this offer

The SAS and Army

were quick to make use of
extensive knowledge. In addition,
Dhofar.

Jebel

Intelligence
his

Mubarak advocated

the raising of an anti-

rebel unit called a firqat (the Arabic

word

Above:

200

Republic of Yemen,

had changed

rebels

The

HEARTS AND MINDS'

sides.

most trustworthy of the

best and

defectors were then recruited into

firqats,

trained and led

SAS

patrol

was

ate

a linguistic specialist

was necessary for every British

it

who

sol-

dier to learn their language. After retraining, the firqats

were sent back to

patrol

the

of the Dhofari

Mountains. Although

at

this

was only one troop

available,

time there
pairs

of

troopers established themselves in the vil-

where they administered

lages
ical

provided

helped

in

54

med-

treatment, surveyed and drilled for

wells,

six

basic

security

and generally

any way that they could. Within

months of the

'hearts

and minds' cam-

on

newly
camps were beginning to

the Salalah Plain, the

firqat

When

prove their worth.

up

camp, they

and

British

any

rebels.

first

the British set

flooded the area with

Sultan's troops to drive

away

Royal Engineers then

laid

access roads, built an airstrip or helipad,

and con-

drilled a well for fresh water

When

perimeter and the other troops would

operatives were drafted into

when

they

camp was

finished, the

and the firqat would

move on

set

SAS

training

up shop

the

team

inside the

to the next location.

became

by the second half of 1971,

trained and established in

civil aid to

villagers in the foothills

Down

established

Teams or BATTs.

SAS

about providing

250

structed a small strongpoint.

dards, rather than just chasing rebels, the

set

miles

home areas accompanied by

their SAS trainers, who were usually officially referred to as British Army Training

bases in their

B and G Squadrons were fully

deployed. By now several firqats had been

raise living stan-

to ship

by small SAS teams.

would know the rudiments of Arabic, but

as the Omanis were on the whole illiter-

available until,

promise to

^00

the

Usually one trooper in each four-man

the country as and

their

km

When Aden fell and became the

it was easy for the adoo
arms and men into Dhofar Province.

paign getting off the ground, more than

More SAS

for 'company').

To keep

line

GULF OF ADEN

up

line

Demavend

both

camps along the

of the desert

THE FIRQATS
When Salim Mubarak
DLF, he

first

defected from the

approached the SAS's Major

Tony Jeapes with

the idea of forming a

Salalah coastal plain south

military unit containing ex-rebels. Jeapes

known

took up the idea and began training the

men at Mirbat. The first firqat was called

highlands

1300m

as

the Jebel Massif This

(4250ft) high plateau ran parallel

with the coast for about

miles)

was

250km

(150

from the western border with what

now

the

Marxist

state

of South

the Firqat Salahadin after the great Islamic

leader.

the

It

was an inspired move, and soon

SAS was training other firqats.

The initial number of men in each

Yemen. The jebel was, of course, the perfect stronghold for the communist-

firqat

backed

they rapidly grew in size following mili-

hill

tribesmen.

was between 30 and 40 men, though

OMAN 1970-76: THE

FRONTS' CAMPAIGN

'FIVE

,4

W*'*dfr
-* A,

tary

The

success.

Firqat

1972, and

the end of the

at

The

late

war the

for

April

from

lent in the reconnaissance role, acting as a

forward screen and for gathering

gence

(which

often

entailed

more than picking up

next

relatives in the hills to desert

and join the

This

is

gossip

intelli-

nothing

from the

not to say that the military

sit-

what the SAS was

rebels

had invariably melted away, so the

pilots

simply

PFLOAG

villagers

fighters,

who were

busy ship-

ping weapons and ammunition across the

border from Yemen.

one, locals were positively

THE SULTAN'S FORCES

The Sultan's Armed

own were

totally

on

their

inadequate to deal with

Consisting of the

Muscat and Northern Frontier Regiments, they were at first able to contain

and at
even food was distributed without
free

charge. Later, a nominal price was put

government supplies

to

become more

to

on

encourage the
self-suffi-

by bartering and trading produce to

diet.

over the

supporting

Slowly the

locals,

as

the benefits of

government became
more rebels were persuad-

the

clearly visible,

and

new regime

the

rebels

militarily.

rebellion,

but

as

rebel

numbers

thrown onto the

defensive. In addition, the tactics of the
Sultan's Air Force were disastrous. If any
rebel units were reported to the Air
increased

they

were

and threw them into the arms of

coastal strip in

There were 200

civil aid

men

February

with

the

reported spot

the

opposition. Their

little

morale suitably boosted, Watts decided to

use

and

them again in March, when the SAS

firqats mounted a successful probing

the

at

He

firqats

action onto the jebel.

arrived

and the
well.

needed blooding,
and chose the small fishing village of
Sudh for this purpose. It was taken on 24
decided that the

When

they

time

enemy.

stabilised.

in firqats,

programme was going

one or

them.

to the

the position along he

Force, the latter usually dispatched

try to find

the

that

Dhofar had been

two

aircraft to

the

strafed

the rebels.

By February 1971
Forces

and bandages were dispensed

won

bombed and

nearest village. This naturally alienated the

Johnny Watts decided

to take the war

the

cient

Special Air Service Regiment

doing for them. The whole of the Jebel

Dhofar was in the hands of thousands of

people's acceptance of

ated a simple clinic. Medicines, treatment

vary their

Water gushes from

had come

From day

population

Civil aid in action.

favourable, despite the

all

village).

encouraged to come into the base to collect fresh water and the SAS medics oper-

first

Above:

a freshly dug well, courtesy of Britain's

firqats.

uation was at

were not conventional

it, but they were excel-

firqats

ed by their

total

was 2000 men.

firqat strength

infantry, far

Salahadin,

men by

example, numbered 68

SAS

the Jebel

It

was

now

time for

to establish a firm foothold

Dhofar

on

itself.

55

SAS

THE

AT

WAR

Operation 'Jaguar'
Operation 'Jaguar'
1971.

It

was

was

the

codename

for the

SAS-led assault on the Jebel Dhofar

October

in

SAS

ultimately successful, though the antics of the firqats nearly drove the

commander, Lieutenant-Colonel Johnny Watts,

to despair.

With
that

five firqats operational by

September 1971, it was decided
major offensive could now be

launched against the rebel tribesmen, or

establish

to

adoo,

firm

foothold on the Jebel Dhofar

named Operation

government
itself. Code-

'Jaguar', this

operation

would involve both SAS squadrons, the

firqats, a

platoon of loyal Askari tribesmen

Oman

from northern

and two companies

of the Sultan's

of British-led soldiers

Armed
In

Forces.

commander of 22 SAS,

the

all,

Lieutenant-Colonel Johnny Watts, had

assembled 800

men

for the operation. The

only problem was that the attack was due

However, Ramadan

to start in October.

was due to begin on the 20th of

month, which would severely

Omani

fighting effectiveness ofWatts'

and firqats. However,

diers

that

curtail the

sol-

a dispensation

had been granted by religious leaders to

allow

troops

the

Ramadan
against

to

through

fight

what was considered

in

a battle

communism. Johnny
care of everything - or so

atheistic

Watts had taken

he thought.

THE OPERATION BEGINS

Squadron, the Askaris and two

would

start

firqats

the operation by recapturing

an old government airstrip on the jebel to

the east of Jibjat.

Once

the landing strip

full kit uphill in

darkness and in the swel-

tering desert night air for nearly 12 hours

they reached their objective next

until

morning. The SAS soldiers who took part

were each carrying 1000 rounds of
machine gun ammunition, four SLR
magazines, SLR rifle and three full water
bottles. No wonder it was nicknamed 'the
the south, a small contingent of

had been secured, the remainder of the

troopers from

Operation

diversionary attack to draw the adoo away

'Jaguar'

Task Force, including

complements of mortars and pack howitzers, would be flown in by transport aircraft and helicopter.

The

attack

commenced
Armoured
assault

90km

of the

phase

on

operation

October

1971.

cars escorted the

truck-borne

troops from a base

camp some

(56 miles) north of the jebel until

the roads ran out in the foothills. The soldiers then

line

moved up

and rested

wadi to the

until last light.

From

start

this

point on they would have to march with

56

from

way to

(SAF) on their

take part in Operation

Jaguar' in October 1971.

plies

continued, until by mid-afternoon

more than 800

When
attack

troops had been deployed.

enemy countercommenced on the west

expected

the

finally

flank sangar just before

death march'.

To

Above: Troops of the Sultan's Armed Forces

Squadron launched

their colleagues.

As daylight broke,

the

SAS

ers

without

On

one of
20-30 attack-

last light,

patrols held off the

loss.

the evening of 3 October,

realised that

another

airstrip

it

was

on the edge

the near exhausted assault force was just

of Jibjat and some 7-8km (4-5 miles)

short of the objective, but the diversion-

tant, actually offered better facilities for

ary attack had

drawn the enemy away and

was taken unopposed.

Once the immediate perimeter was

the airstrip

secured,

SAS

patrols

ground nearby and

gars

in

the

scaled

the

high

built themselves san-

rocks, overlooking possible

which the adoo could use to attack

Below the troopers the airborne build-up of men, materiel and sup-

long-term

re-supply.

morning the

dis-

The following
moved location
the new airstrip

entire force

and by that afternoon

was secure and open to aviation traffic.
The SAS force was then split into two
battle groups, each accompanied by a
probe

the

surrounding

area.

routes

firqat,

the airstrip.

During the next week, the easterly group

came under sustained attack bv rebels and

to

OMAN 1970-76: OPERATION 'JAGUAR

SAS

an

On

sergeant was killed.

from
bounced by

the 6th a

group was
controlling a major

westerly

the

patrol

rebels

way of saving face. Simply

number of government troops or

forced to find a
killing a
firqat

The
A

water hole, but three days later the battle

would achieve

group occupied the position after a heavy

firefight. One of the Fijian troopers was

get out. The logical answer to their prob-

/l'enemy'.

lem was

no

injured in this assault, but fortunately

SAS

were

lives

was

It

point

decided they would

stop

Ramadan. As

observe

the

that

firqats

and

fighting

this

involved

period of not eating or drinking,

would

drastically

ness. Watts

this

reduce their effective-

was enraged, and was forced to

abandon some positions and re-group at a

place called White City. He then informed
the

leaders that he

firqat

withdrawing

all

SAS

was considering

support for them. As

on the Regiment for

training, weapons and supplies, the
decided they would fight after all.
they relied

their
firqats

(15 miles)
set

up

km

tracer

(5

doo

is

an Arab
It

word meaning

was used by the SAS

Oman

a firqat

post

during the war in

that

they

the guerrillas of the People's Front

proving

in control.

However,

to

ram

the

for the Liberation

to describe

of the Occupied

(PFLOAG) and

message home, their success needed to be

Arabian Gulf

and witnessed by what the adoo

considered to be turn-coat villagers.

Dhofar Liberation Front (DLF).

The fighters of the latter were raised
from Dhofari tribesmen. They were
organised along tribal fines and
were armed with mostly obsolete

in public

by any reckoning, a great

government had established a
presence on the Jebel Dhofar, and had
'Jaguar' was,

success. The

also reinforced

plain

ment

and

its

its

control over the coastal

towns. In addition, govern-

policies

for

the

improvement of
and educa-

the

weaponry. Over the border in

Yemen, however, the Russianand Chinese-backed young

PFLOAG

agriculture, medical facilities

revolutionaries of the

tion could be put into effect. Wells could

had money and modern weaponry.

These, combined with high

be drilled on the jebel

itself,

bringing

motivation, soon absorbed the

DLF

fighters

forces

and forced the

Sultan's

onto the defensive.

to

of seeing clear blue water gush from what

Throughout the war the adoo fought

had advanced 25km

into enemy territory and had

had been bare rock moments before was

with determination and courage,

'Jaguar'

from the main rebel

stronghold. The adoo, however, were not
accepting their presence gracefully, and
frequently
mortared the base and
ambushed patrols. They also launched a
fierce counterattack, which resulted in a
fierce firefight. Soldier T was one of those
who fought in it: *I clipped a fresh belt of
200 rounds on to the old belt and began
feeding the beast. Stream after stream of
8

wipe out

thereby

The effect of the

well-drilling programme should not be
underestimated. The effect on the locals

well-defended forward base only

word would not

fresh water to the locals.

THE ADOO COUNTERATTACKS

By the 12th the troops committed
Operation

still

as

little

to try to

completely,

were

lost.

this

at

adoo

personnel out on patrol on the jebel

miles)

powerful symbol.

concerning

'Jaguar'

The

only blemish

was the

firqats.

who

proved they could be headstrong and

infuriating to

work

and

it

took

for the

six years

of hard fighting

SAS and Omanis

to finally

defeat them.

with.

zapped into the area of the [enemy]

heavy machine gun. the sound of the

GPMG

drumming

in

my

Over

ears.'

the

next three months, however, the British.

Omani

regular and

troops slowly

firqat

forced the rebels off the high ground.

Isolated adoo attacks
British patrols

and

on government or

installations

through 1972 without too

as

continued

much

success

the British "hearts and minds' campaign

gained

results.

As ever-increasing numbers

ot rebels

were persuaded

by their

now

coastal

Right:

to

change

sides

prospering relatives on the

the

plains,

rebel

command

w?s

transport aircraft brings in rations

and ammunition
during the

first

to the airstrip at Jibjat

phase of Operation

'Jaguar'.

57

SAS

THE

AT

The Battle

WAR

Mirbat

of

The Adoo attack on Mirbat on 19 July 1972 was aimed at destroying the

Qaboos' regime

in

SAS BATT team

The

place chosen for the adoo attack

that

was designed to persuade the

people that their cause would eventually

triumph was the

65km

about

Salalah.

coastal

(40

hamlet of Mirbat,

miles)

Being right

the

at

to

the east of

end of the road

from Salalah and close to the foot of the

Jebel Dhofar,

The

it

appeared to be perfect for

Dhofar
Gendarmerie, and the SAS were garrisoned on the northern outskirts of the
village, which meant that the adoo could
easily approach them without alerting the
the job.

dogs or
attack

firqat

local

police,

personnel in the

was timed to begin

the

village. The

at first light

on

19 July 1972.

The

adoo

credibility of Sultan

Oman, as well as teaching the SAS a bloody lesson. However, the nine-man

had planned their attack

would ensure
that the Sultan of Oman's Air Force
(SOAF) would be unable to provide air
support because of low cloud. In addition, the blanket of drizzle and low cloud
that hung over Mirbat and the surrounding hills meant that the SAS soldiers in

well, for the rainy period

Mirbat could not see the build-up of

at Mirbat destroyed the rebel assault in a stunning

enemy

forces that

was

frantically

going on

around them.

one-day

action.

principle of 'an eye for an eye',

they were

The arrangements

at

Mirbat were

tually

no

firqat

camp, though there was

different to those at

vir-

any other
small

detachment of around two dozen gendarmes permanently stationed

fort to the northeast

in a small

of the hamlet.

Some

who were loyal to

Dhofar and who provided

meant

totally fearless fighters.

all

They

had to be pretty good shots and

also

trackers to survive in the hostile wilder-

of the jebel. Their leaders, too, had

been trained in guerrilla tactics by the
communists, and they were all well supness

plied with

modern weapons and ammu-

30 Askari tribesmen,

nition. In addition to Kalashnikov assault

the Wali of

rifles

RPD

and

machine guns, they

also

perimeter security for the camp, were

had 12.5mm heavy machine guns,

garrisoned in a fortified house to the

and medium mortars, rocket-propelled

grenades and even at least one 75mm

The British Army Training

Team (BATT) in reality nine men from 8
northwest.

recoilless rifle,

light

and possibly two.

Troop of B Squadron 22 SAS, operated

out of a large house between the Wali's
fort and the village. Nearly all of the firqat

WEAKENING THE GARRISON

men

gence gathering set-up, probably includ-

lived

with their wives or families in

the village houses.

bounded by

The

the sea

entire area

on two

sides

was

and

The

adoo

may have been

illiterate hill

mean

that

they were poor soldiers. Generations of

inter-tribal strife

and adherence

to

the

good

some informers amongst

They almost certainly knew
ing

BATT

barbed wire fence on the others.

tribesmen, but that did not

Like the SAS, the adoo had

due

was right

to

at

intelli-

the

firqat.

that

the

the end of its tour and

hand over to its replacements

It was highly likely, therefore,

within days.
that

the

soldiers

in

this

quiet

outpost

would be more relaxed than usual.

To ease the odds, a small number of
armed tribesmen had made themselves
highly visible at the extremity of the Mirbat area of operations a couple of days

before the planned attack. As expected,

about 60 of the

firqat

were dispatched

look for them, which reduced the

ber of defenders by

may

third.

to

num-

This action

been to protect informers

and possibly some firqat who were not
100 per cent sure where their loyalties lay.
also have

even possible that adoo military activhad been deliberately scaled down in

It is

ity

this sector to

heighten the boredom for

the British. In fact other than occasional

snipe-and-run or snap mortar attacks on

the post (usually in the early mornings),

neither of

Left:

The

which were

SAS BATT house

the battle the

inflicted

58

particularly effec-

at Mirbat. During

two machine guns on the roof

many casualties on

the adoo.

OMAN 1970-76: THE

Right:

was

ate area

Fort

ofMirbat.

recent rebel activity in the

MIRBAT

the Dhofar Gendarmerie fort

to the northeast of the village

OF

The focus of the adoo attack during

the battle

tive,

ATTLE

immedi-

small section of gendarmes

on

night picket

low

rise

1000m

Jebel Ali, just under

(800m

mounted

known

4 Dhofar Gendarmerie
outpost on Jebel Ali

had been minimal.

north of perimeter)

as

Dhofar
Gendarmerie

(3280ft) out-

compound, to the north of

Just before dawn adoo scouts

side the wire

their fort.

climbed the

silently

throats,

but one

and

hill

their

slit

gendarme managed

alert

to loose off a shot before

the

overrun. Assuming that they had

hill

was

now

lost

the element of surprise, the adoo mortar

line set

up

fort

2000m

and opened

Inside

of Jebel Ali

to the north

range of about

at a

from the

fire.

BATT

the

(6566ft)

house, the

young

Captain Mike Kealy (he was 23 years old

and nicknamed the 'baby Rupert' by the

MIRBAT
BAY

men) and the eight troopers under his

command were starting to stir when the
first mortar round landed. At first they did
not pay too much attention, as from time
to time the adoo would loose off a few
rounds

at

dawn then

KEY
Barbed-wire perimeter

disappear before

being detected. However,

the individual

as

crumps turned into a barrage, the SAS

headed for their stand-to positions.

Adoo

--

assault groups

Route to fort followed by

Labalaba and later by
Savesaki

Route to

fort

followed by

Trooper Tobin and Captain

Mirbat

THE BATTLE BEGINS

At the BATT-house, four

men manned

7.62mm General Purpose Machine

Gun (GPMG) and the 0.5in Browning
heavy machine gun, which were emthe

placed with sandbags

ners of the roof. To

at

one

Kealy

metres

^^^^
feet

100
I

300

the northern corside

of the build-

more troopers, including one of

the patrol's two Fijians, manned an 81mm
mortar in a sandbagged position. The
ing three

eighth

man,

Corporal Labalaba,

Fijian

had sprinted over

the old Dhofar

Gendarmerie (DG) fort to command the
World War II-vintage
25-pounder
artillery piece which was emplaced beside
the front door there. All held their fire,

awaiting

the

to

now

inevitable

advance from the north

tars

ceaselessly

Right: The

as

pounded

the

Dhofar Gendarmerie

Mirbat. Beside the fort

infantry

the adoo

mor-

perimeter

fort at

was positioned the

gunpit containing the 25-pounder field gun.

59

THE

SAS

WAR

AT

Left.

Corporal Labalaba, the hero of the

Battle of Mirbat,

whose actions manning

the

25-pounder blunted the adoo assault.

ammunition
party. All the

man

for each

men

at

the relief

in

Mirbat had to do was

hold on until they arrived.

But

Mirbat the situation was deteri-

at

orating

fast,

with the Gendarmerie

and machine-gun

machine-gun
into the

As mortar rounds,

fire.

and rockets slammed

fire

BATT

realised this

fort

enemy mortar

bearing the brunt of the

DG fort, Kealy

house and

was no probing

attack.

To

the

southeast of the fort, a well-drilled party

of about 40 adoo suddenly broke cover

from the wadi which had been concealing their approach and moved towards the
gaps mortared in the wire. The gendarmes

on

opened up with everyBrowning

the ramparts

thing that they had, and the

gunner on the

BATT

house roof joined

in the fray

THE ATTACK ON THE GUNPIT

The 25-pounder gun outside the
a

key target for the adoo, and

fort

was

Omani

its

gunner was soon put out of action.

Corporal Labalaba was determined to
keep the gun firing, though, and he continued to load, lay and fire on his own.
EventuaUy, however, he too was

hit,

but,

although his jaw was smashed, he man-

aged to
radio.

call

His

answered by one of
wire into the desert sand. Both fortresses

and the

BATT

under intense

now coming

house were

from the advancing

fire

horde of over 200 men.

the radio

The

men down

and sent one of his

room

to

to call for reinforcements.

trooper was just about to encode his

when

round struck
the BATT house and he threw caution to
the wind by keying the message in plain

signal

a recoilless rifle

English. In his reminiscences the trooper

remembers thinking, 'Fuck the Rule

Book, the adoo know we're here anyway!'
Back at the base camp at
Al Gwarif,

Um

just

outside

kicked off for the

who

day

men of G

had been preparing

Squadron colleagues
60

the

Salalah,

at

camp on

officers
left

suddenly

Squadron,

to relieve their

Mirbat and Taqa

B
.

and

the base

recces or to liaise with their out-

going opposite numbers. Those

Captain Kealy quickly appraised the

situation

G Squadron's
NCOs had already

Some of
senior

not already in the

grammed

for a

field

who were

had been pro-

morning of

live firing to

them a chance to zero their weapons

on the camp range. When the balloon
went up at Mirbat, therefore, 23 fully
tooled-up troopers, complete with no less
than nine GPMGs, were fortunately on
hand to reinforce the defenders. To fly
them along the coast in low cloud, drizzle and poor visibility would not be easy,
give

but the helicopter pilots of the Sultan's

Armed

Forces

rose

to

the

challenge.

Three Omani Hueys were scrambled as

the G Squadron troopers headed in trucks
for the airfield with 1000 rounds of

who

sprinted the

the

BATT

intense

rifle

on

for help

request

a walkie-talkie

for
his

400m

assistance

was

Fijian buddies,

(1312ft)

between

house and gunpit under

and machine gun fire to take

charge of the gun.

In the gunpit Savesaki applied a field

dressing to Labalaba's

wound

to stop the

flow of blood. But shortly after Savesaki

was himself wounded, and he fell back

against the sandbags which surrounded
the gun.

By

this

time the adoo

fire

against

the gunpit had intensified, and the gun's

shield

had been riddled with

bullets.

gun
on his own, but then he took another hit
which was to prove fatal.
The Askaris and the gendarmes were
giving as good as they got, but their forts
Corporal Labalaba was

still

firing the

were under intensive fire from an enemy

who had now well and truly breached the

OMAN 1970-76: THE

marked

MIRBAT

the turning point of the

SAS's counter-insurgency war

perimeter fence

OF

which on

Right: The fishing village of Mirbat,

19 July 1972

ATTLE

(they

Oman.

in

were

out-

also

gunned, being armed mostly with boltaction

rifles).

village

had

south, and

ftrqat

who

in the

still

their best to drive

breached the perime-

of the mortar rounds landing

in spite

among them. Many

became

men

joined the fray from the

were doing

out any adoo

ter,

The

also

members

ftrqat

casualties as the battle unfolded,

BATT

and the downstairs room of the

house had to be turned into

a dressing

cope with the ever-increasing

numbers of wounded. At this point one of

station to

SAS

the

took

manning

troopers

GPMG

the

radio and headed for the heli-

copter landing zone on the beach, in the

hope

that

he could

talk in the casualty

evacuation helicopter promised by

HQ.
Their

attackers.

THE BATTLE'S CRISIS POINT

one

In the gunpit

Fijian lay

dead and the

Kealy,

pass,

first

just in the nick

which

arrived

of time to save Mike

was directed

in

by the trooper on

Squadron arrived on board three Hueys

and launched an immediate counterattack
from the beach landing zone. With two
GPMGs to every five troopers, the weight

other lay wounded. If the 25-pounder

the

were to

Despite the atrocious flying conditions

of

and the curtain of

overwhelming, and they soon turned

into adoo hands,

fall

turned against the

battle

would be

BATT

could be

Mike Kealy decidreach the gun himself.

lost,

ed to attempt to

it

house and the

so

Trooper Tobin, one of the two trained

medics, volunteered to go with the captain to

tend to the two injured Fijians and

anyone

else

still

gunpit (radio

alive in the

helicopter landing

Omani

path, the

to gun, rocket

zone by

radio.

bullets fired into their

Strikemasters continued

and

bomb

the adoo until

stemmed the flow of the

attack. One jet was damaged quite badly
by gunfire, but the pilot managed to nurse
they eventually

it

back to base.

contact had been lost with the gunpit earlier).

For the

first

couple

of hundred

men were

IS

TURNED

emplacement without

towards the close of the

inevitably they
gunfire.

The

house roof

later,

of the

enemy, but

soon came under

troopers

GPMG

a hail

of

manning the BATT

and Browning laid

injury.

Shortly

however, Trooper Tobin was killed

outright by a round as he tended to

one

of the wounded.

engaging

ing a sheet of lead spewed from the skies.

raise the

Through

ed short range.

the

low cloud and

British-piloted

SOAF

mist, a pair

of

Strikemaster jets

swept low over the battlefield to

strafe the

battle.

mortar first opened up, its

been a couple of kilometres
after the first wave of jets

As the still-advancing adoo reached

grenade-throwing range of the
gunpit, it looked certain that they would
overrun the position, but without warnwithin

Battle

clusively

of the

DG

targets

had

targets

Roughly

had

distant,

but

left

was

it

the

were the enemy

the mortar

commander

to clasp the barrel to his chest

bipod

the

virtually alongside

fort. In fact, so close

at this stage that

When

and

legs to achieve the requir-

lost

their fives,

several

men were wounded

hours.

On

in a

and

few short

the other hand, in addition to

on

most experienced

the battlefield, plus those

died of their

wounds

in

who

the days and

after the battle, the loss

of face to

the adoo was considerable.

In Britain the battle received
licity.

For

this

given to those

who

fought there only

became known four

won

no pub-

reason the gallantly awards

years

later.

Kealy

Order for
his leadership that day. while two of the
others received a Military Medal and
Distinguished Conduct Medal. Surely the
most miserly award was a Mention in
Despatches for Labalaba. It has been opinthe Distinguished Service

ioned that

in a

more overt conflict his

would have won him

actions at Mirbat

the Victoria Cross.

He

undoubtedly

gle-handedly prevented the

three hours after the attack

was launched, the SAS troopers from

some

troopers,

Omani gunner and

the

Dhofari gendarme

weeks

tail.

of Mirbat had been con-

won, though two

ftrqat,

fighters

down covering fire for them, and both

men reached the safety of the sandbagged

of sight of most

out

The

losing about 40 of their

THE TIDE

Throughout the batde, the SAS mortar

team and machine gunners had been firing until the barrels of their weapons
were so hot that the rain was turning to
steam on them. Indeed, so high was the
rate of fire that the 0.5in Browning could
only be used on single-shot mode

metres of their sprint, both

brought to bear on the adoo was

fire

fall

sin-

of the

gunpit, and therefore saved the battle.

Mention

in

Despatches seems an

insult.

61

SAS

THE

WAR

AT

The SAS Victorious

The

SAS

was not

victory at Mirbat

another four years of fighting

the

Over

of

Mirbat.

consolidated

Forces,

Special

government

by Iranian and Jordan-

troops, supported

ian

the

ground won by the firqat and their SAS

trainers. The adoo had lost many men at
Mirbat, but far

more important than

these

physical losses was the loss of prestige. The

that

fact

of

loss

face.

were

addition,

finished, the

battle

rein-

the

civil

aid

programme

word. The

results

good

were not long

in

coming: there were many more defections

from the

adoo.

Slowly but
farther
a series

were

surely, the adoo

were forced

of patrol bases and defensive

established.

These

barbed wire, booby

lines

lines consisted
traps,

as

of

mines and

less

than

capital

of the 'freed

territories'.

Rakyut, on the edge of the jebel escarpment, the adoo had

dump

major supply

of caves above the Wadi Sher-

On

4 January

group of the

1975, a battalion

Armed Forces, supSAS troops and 40-50

Sultan's

ported by three

members, launched the first phase of

an assault on the heavily defended cave

firqat

man

back towards the Yemeni border

town of Rakyut

few kilometres to the north of

system.

THE ADOO ON THE DEFENSIVE

firqat

was seized and the

One SAS

troop

split

into four-

accompany each regular

company, and the other two troops joined
patrols to

the firqat

as

During the

spearhead for the

first

day, the

spearhead advanced for 3

The

helicopters had started to arrive.

adoo counterattacked
easily

dusk, but were

at

beaten back.

with three

shitti.

as

first

many

afternoon, despite

late

casualties, the objective

was the

in a series

was

By

was the near-

left

(25 miles) from the Yemeni border,

of the Dhofaris was stepped up. Here was

physical proof that the Sultan

machine gun fire to capture an area of

high ground and establish a supply base.

and which the communists were claiming

40km

convincing the

minds'.

TAKING THE SHERSHITTI CAVES

The main phase of the assault on
caves commenced at dawn on the

deserted coastal

designed to improve the living standards

as his

adoo lines of supply. The only

major rebel stronghold

outnumbered the

forced the credibility of Sultan Qaboos.

In

many of the

and

battle for 'hearts

ground sensors designed to cut the adoo

off from their supply centres in Yemen.
In the central and eastern areas of the
jebel, constant firqat patrolling had virtually wiped out all rebel resistance, and in
the west conventional troops had cut

resulted in a severe

Far from

end of the war in southern Oman - there was still

mark the beginning of the end. Slowly but surely,

did

had

Dhofaris that the Sultan and his British

advisers

it

many

they

defenders by so

the

- but

adoo were forced onto the offensive, and the SAS won the

three years following the

the

battle

left

attack.

SAS and

km

firqat

(1.8 miles)

through the dense brush under sustained

Omani companies

advancing

through the cover of thick brush in

sweeping

the
5th,

long

Unfortunately, due

attack.

to

the thickness of the vegetation, the officer

commanding
judged

the

company mis-

lead

and the

his position

entire battal-

ion ended up to the west of the objective

instead of to the north.

When

Omani company was

then

advance over an open

forced

area, adoo

to

machine

on overlooking high
of them down. The

hidden

gunners

the second

mowed many

ground

was

situation

actions of the

only recovered by the

four-man SAS patrol sec-

onded to the lead company manning its

machine guns and opening up on the
adoo position.

The SAS

officer in overall

charge of the operation dispatched his

command, a Fijian sergeant, to

Once in position he
down air and mortar strikes to

second

in

lead from the front.

called

force the adoo to

Under

a hail

abandon

their positions.

of fire the adoo attack slack-

ened off somewhat.

With the element of surprise now well
and

truly lost, there

assault

on

Omani

was no way

forces

still

held the high ground

overlooking the caves, however,

not

lost.

that an

the caves could go ahead. As the

all

Heavy machine guns were

was

set

up

and the access road

from long range, and a little later two
to cover the caves

tS
Left:

SAS soldiers on

mid-1975.

the Jebel Dhofar in

By this time

the adoo

had been

forced back to the Yemeni border.

62

AN
were

recoilless rifles

1970-76:

THE

VICTORIOUS

SAS

put into posi-

also

armoured car with

a 76mm gun was brought up into position, and for five days fire was poured into
the caves to make them unusable. With
tion. Finally, a Saladin

major

their

depot

stores

now

destroyed,

the adoo were unable to continue fighting

any great extent.

in the area to

Technically the operation around the

Shershitti

Caves had been

now

were

the adoo

but

a defeat,

as

denied their use, and

the fighting had allowed the Iranians to

new

capture Rakyut, allowing a

defensive

be constructed to stop adoo

line to

along the

tration

coastal

plain,

infil-

was

it

turned into a long-term victory

THE END

SIGHT

IN

Other than

few

isolated incidents, the

remainder of 1975 passed off relatively

peacefully for the

were

firqats

SAS

Oman. Seven

in

by

fully operational

this stage

SAS

tor.

was such that the four-man SAS patrol

fought well during the war,

attached to each was really only needed

of Mirbat showed, the Regiment's 'hearts

One

and minds' campaign, which had been

for liaison duties.

big push on

final

the western borders was planned for

October, but in the end

move by Omani

forces

no

tually

resistance,

mid-

diversionary

from the moun-

tain-top positions in Sarfait

Though

of the war, and their military capability

met with

vir-

and therefore the

main operation was not needed.

By

early

December 1975

Dhofar region was declared

and, with

the

of rebels

SAS

peace holding, the

were withdrawn early

in the

new

year.

ues to train in desert and jebel operations

with the Sultan's blessing. Despite the

ferocity

Omani campaigns and

of the

the

harsh conditions endured over six years,

only 12

members of

the

Regiment

their lives. In return for the

sacrifices,

of course

plus

Omanis and

their allies

Jordan, the spread of

lost

Regiment's
that

of the

from Iran and

communism

units

conducted by four-man

patrols

victory. Little things

had made the

ence, such

ability

the

as

differ-

of individual

troopers to converse with the Dhofaris in

own

tongue, to treat their sick and

and the subsequent bond estabbetween civilians and soldiers, had

in the

SAS commitment was

speak local languages helped

mate and being ruled over by an autocratic despot. The drilling

administration

brought about
life

THE CAMPAIGN

such

Of

IN

RETROSPECT

course there had been

Many among

Omani armed

the

for example, looked

with disdain, and

appeared. In

difficulties.

this

upon

forces.

the Dhofaris

never entirely dis-

particular,

Omani

regular

as

Johnny Watts were almost

the war. Tony Jeapes,

fac

at

who

ed the Regiment in
paid

tribute

than anyone

also

Oman

commandafter Watts,

his

predecessor: 'More

else, it

was the strategy he

to

officers

had devised and the groundwork he had

the ftrqats.

completed

were scathing about the value of

However, the SAS convinced
them of the wisdom of having them on
operations.

addition,

In

indiscriminate
lages

to

the

practices

that

waging of
as

bombing of Dhofari

the
vil-

were stopped.

Nor should

the effect of modern drugs

was to lead to the ultimate

enemy'
The SAS had also won a strategic victory, for its efforts had ensured that Oman
remained in the hands of a ruler that was
friendly towards the West. While the
Yemen and Iran were torn apart by rebellions, Oman was allowed to develop

cli-

that

defeat of the

which

men

vision-

ary in formulating a strategy for winning

poor, barren, having an inhospitable

never exceeded 80

difficult

laid the basis for military victory.

and conduct had been the deciding

it

is

empty words of the adoo.

any one time - but the soldiers' attitude

never large -

Dhofari that

to conceive. This contrasted sharply with

peacefully.

of the

of wells and the

of modern medicines
change in the quality of

to the average

and well-drilling equipment be underestimated. Dhofar Province in the 1960s

resembled a medieval fiefdom, being

size

their cause.

Of course, the calibre of the SAS soldiers who fought in Oman was also a significant factor in bringing victory. Men

counter-insurgency campaign, such

The

with Arab tribesmen in

the

So the war in Oman was over, and its

conduct has left a superb example of how
be fought by government-backed forces.

SAS men

Dhofar. The ability of individual troopers to

lished

were anathema

modern counter-insurgency war should

Above:

livestock,

region was finally halted.

had

the Battle

To

however, the Regiment contin-

this day,

as

throughout Dhofar, had been the key to

their

the entire

free

patiently

individual'

It

did not, and has not, turned

into a Western democratic state, but

it

is

not in the hands of a Marxist dictatorship

is

opposed

to the West's interests.

63

NORTHERN IRELAND
Early Operations
The war

in

presence

Oman

(1970-76)

unit,

The years of
in

civil

Northern

known

as

'The

Troubles', started in earnest in January

1969

when

march by

a civil rights

bers of the minority

Roman

mem-

Catholic

community was broken up by Protestants.

Police officers escorting the march made
little

effort to stop the violence,

went up

night barricades

and

that

in the Catholic

Bogside area of Londonderry.

The

manpower to maintain a sizeable

Army intelligence-gathering

did not have the

did help form a British

in

the general

war against terrorism.

rural areas. When on patrol,

wore standard Army uniform
with Winged Dagger cap badge. By November, however, the SAS was needed in

more

in the

the troopers

Oman

and

it left

Individual

members of

the

Regiment

gathering

intelligence

in

ticularly

advisory roles, but they

Intelligence.

known

One

and

would have been

to other outfits,

such

latter

half of 1972. This outfit used an

actual laundry as a screen for covert intel-

ligence gathering, complete with a van

collection service in Republican areas. In

movements of

addition to watching the

the Province.

did serve in Ulster in the early days, par-

seconded

was kept under control,

situation

it

and also participated

unrest and violence

Ireland,

meant the SAS

Northern Ireland. However,

in

as

Military

specialist unit to

which
and

suspects, the laundry

was able

to gather

weapons and explohandling from residues left on

forensic evidence of
sives

clothes sent in for cleaning. All of the staff

were police and soldiers raised in the
Province, and able to blend in well with

by Catholics turned into a full-scale riot.

Within three days, the inter-communal
violence had spread to towns throughout
the Province and the British Army was

operatives

community. Eventually, the

on 2 October 1972 the driver was shot to death but
his female assistant managed to escape.

the Royal Signals or even the Military

After an inquiry into the Four Square

put on the

Police,

just,

by the politicians until the following

August,

when

a Protestant

donderry and

parade in Lon-

counter-demonstration

streets to try to

keep the peace.

The long-standing Republican movement and its paramilitary wing, the Irish
Republican

Army

(IRA), took

full

advan-

and mounted a long

and bloody campaign against the security
tage of the chaos,

forces, the agencies

of government and

the Protestant Loyalist

FIRST SAS

movement.

DEPLOYMENT

of the Province. Based in

townards to the
responsibility

east

of Belfast,

was the

the counties of

coastal

is

its

Newarea

of

region of

Antrim and Down. The

that individual troopers

were posted was the Military

officers

Force (MRF), whose

worked in civilian clothes.
However, most members of the MRF
were drawn from the Intelligence Corps,

Reconnaissance

and their

gathering

tion

role

was mainly informathan

rather

offensive

main task when away from

their desks was to photograph suspected
terrorist 'players' from both sides of the
divided community, though at this stage
the Republicans were the prime targets.
To photograph an IRA 'player' and his
contacts, it was necessary for the men of
action. Their

the

The first recorded involvement of the

SAS in Ulster came in September 1969,
when D Squadron was dispatched to the
east coast

it

MRF

to blend into the area so that

they were not 'pinged' and turned into

targets themselves.

with genuine

demand and

For

this reason, soldiers

were much

Irish accents

the

those. Naturally,

SAS had
working

in

environment,

in

share of

its fair

the

local

team's cover was blown, and

INTER-AGENCY RIVALRY
Laundry incident and
involved the

couple of other

operations

controversial

MRF, it was

unit had to be disbanded.

ties

Its

Corps,

the

as

sources

Army

inter-departmental politics and squabbles

of

MI5

gathering)

Special Branch.

Due

and the RUC's

to a lack

of

trust,

each of these agencies on occasion withheld information from the others which

they

felt

might jeopardise

their sources or

opera-

often, therefore,

were armed for self-defence and

MI6

(counter-intelligence),

(intelligence

MRF

tives

own

its

from the

free

undercover operatives. The

hostile

responsibili-

required

of information

poten-

tially

had

were passed onto the Intelligence

such

which

decided that the

Naturally

it

took

been kept
a

Army had
in the dark.

while for the

new

mil-

squadron's prime function over the next

occasionally they had recourse to their

itary

couple of months was to check for gun-

weapons, but they were not 'death squads'

lish

some sectors of the Republican movement have on occasion claimed.

enced SAS officers were drafted in to help

train it. However, without men on the

running,

particularly

where the

Loyalists

from

Scotland,

had strong support. In

addition to openly watching ports and

undertaking occasional searches of suspect boats,

64

SAS men

also patrolled inland

as

One

MRF

operation, often wrongly

attributed to the SAS,

the Four Square

was the running of

Laundry

in Belfast in the

information gathering unit to estabitself in

the

Province, and experi-

ground the Army was blind, so towards

the end of 1974 some experienced troops
from B Squadron were brought in to

NORTHERN IRELAND: EARLY OPERATIONS

new formation was

cover until the

fully

up and running.

Under

the cover designation of 4 Field

Survey Troop Royal Engineers

RE), but

in reality 14 Intelligence

pany, the

new

of 1974.

Its

but

headquarters was in Lisburn.

were stationed

country' of Armagh along-

in the 'bandit

Royal Engineers unit for extra

side a real

The

cover.

Com-

unit deployed in the spring

frontline operatives

its

FST

(4

officer in

command

of

trooper

who had
SAS

to

be commissioned into an

infantry regiment.

having

on

King's
so

set

up the

(COP)

post

through the ranks

risen

He was
first

credited with

coven observation

Republican West Belfast

in

prior posting to Ulster with the

Own

Scottish Borderers in 1971.

was well qualified to lead 4

FST

in

its

From

its

diers refer to

inception.
'

it.

Int' as

worked

ible for

is

is

more with

SAS

close observation in

of great danger and direct action

areas

against

armed

terrorists.

Above: The corpse of SAS Captain

Westmacott

lies

on Belfast's Antrim Road,

May

1380, after

on

6 January following the assassination

being

Of course some-

times the roles have to overlap.

IRA man

of a senior
a

few days

the

SAS

earlier.

By

this

WITHDRAWAL
summer of

the end of the

14 Int

now up and

running

may

1974. with

successfully.

members for an attempted armed robben For the next 5 months it is believed
-

and troopers on attach-

to other units served in Ulster. With

south of the border

Republicans blamed

sectarian

at

the rime.

murders

also considerable in-fighting

out

re-group and re-arm.

B Squadron

Ulster was regarded as a godsend.

Over

was the relationship

the

IRA

the

1974/75 Christmas period

had held

a ceasefire,

which broke

between the

of relative quiet during

1975 was required to allow PIRA to son

ing for the anti-terrorist role stretching

SAS. and in the early days

killed

that this period

both the Dhofari campaign and re-trainthe limit, withdrawal from

though

were

more politically minded Official IRA

(OIRA) and the more violent Provisional
IRA (PIRA). With hindsight it is clear

British sol-

to

ceasefire

over the next seven months. There was

Intelligence

SAS

The

continued,

14

the

February 1975, but

in

four British soldiers

"only"

though

have been involved,

most

closely with the

fire.

(now dead) was not under

suspect

was re-instituted

Squadron was withdrawn from the Province, though its departure was hastened
by the embarrassing arrest of two of its

that only officers

by IRA

for his murder, but

British soldier

SAS command
PARTIAL SAS

hit

respons-

both oven and coven intelligence

tasked

personnel helped with on-the-job training. Indeed, so close

14 Int

gathering and collation, whereas 22

ment

covert observation role.

Company, or

units. In general terms.

this

team. Captain Ball, was a former para-

via the

between 14 Int and the SAS over the next

two decades that many journalists were
unable to differentiate between the two

that

its

differences with the Officials, then

Libyan

arrived

in

It is

now

also clear

arms and explosives had

vast

quantities

the

previous

autumn, and a major fund-raising campaign was also under way in America.
65

SAS

THE

AT

WAR

South Armagh
It is

nicknamed the

'bandit country'

SAS was deployed there

in

on account of its high

cat-and-mouse game that carried on

of an IRA
The pretence November

ceasefire

was

dropped in
1975, and on
5 January 1976 the round of tit-for-tat
sectarian attacks came to a head with the

murder of 10 Protestant workers in South

Armagh, though the Catholic driver of
their bus

was in

was not harmed. This

reprisal

for

the

killing

In

response,

Britain's

tail.

Thus began a deadly

into the 1990s.

Labour

The few SAS

Prime

Minister Harold Wilson announced on 7

SAS would be operadeployed to South Armagh to

ably

than

less

troopers available, prob12,

were dispatched to

One

January that the

Ulster as an advance party.

tionally

from D Squadron,
which had just returned from Dhofar, but
in his memoirs 'Soldier I' claims that a
team drawn from all four troops of B
Squadron left for covert operations in

target

assassination

terrorist

sudden was

this

squads.

So

decision, that even the

Hereford

was

atrocity

duty

of

unawares, and some people claim that

five

but from 1976 the

terrorist activity,

strength to take the sting out of the IRA's

officer

at

Catholics in two separate attacks the pre-

the Ministry of Defence had

vious day, these murders in turn being in

warning of what was

revenge for previous Protestant deaths.

decision.

taken

no prior

essentially a political

claims

source

were

they

Belfast at this time. Either way, the

ment was

Once
theatre

back

clearly

sufficient

and

Regi-

in Ulster.

were in-

troopers

available local intelligence

all

had been absorbed, four-man covert

patrols were put on the ground. These
men usually moved by night and laid-up
by day to observe unauthorised border
or suspect buildings. If

crossing points
intelligence

had been received about

specific threat or action, they

ground

would go

for days at a time in hides until

their target appeared. Unlike that

Int Coy, though, the

more
al

to

SAS

of 14

brief was geared

to direct military action than gener-

intelligence gathering.

Troopers not on rural patrols cruised

urban

areas

in

known PIRA

civilian

tracking

cars,

players, gathering intelli-

and looking out for potential

ambushes on the more conventional
security forces in the area. They were only
armed with 9mm Browning automatic
pistols and a couple of spare 13-round
gence

magazines for personal protection

if

com-

promised. Their vehicles had ever-changing

number

marked

plates

in such a

and

way

cer inspecting closely

would

realise

who

false

that an
at

tax

RUC

discs,

offi-

checkpoint

the suspicious-look-

ing, scruffy, long-haired

occupants were

and not blow their cover. As covert oper-

became more widespread, the SAS

call on the services of
own plainclothes tow truck, should

ations

were even able to

their

Left:

The

Irish

Republican Army (IRA) has

been the SAS's most persistent foe since the

Regiment first went to Ulster in

66

1969.

NORTHERN IRELAND: SOUTH ARMAGH

one of these

The

and rusty

typically ageing

down on

break

cars

operational

first

Q-

L^

operations.

SAS

success after

announced deployment, other than the

instant cessation of sectarian
attacks and a temporary reduction of the
its

almost

level

of Republican activity

came
Sean

McKenna

LONDONDERRY

terrorist

bumped

he had

drinking session.

into their

McKenna, on

TYRONE

the other

border

south of the

at

ended up being convicted of 25 separate

and

good many inno-

cent people slept safer in their beds.

Cleary on

it

ended

the lookout for

maglen
the

area,

in the captive

For the best part of a week

life.

prior to his arrest, an

on

Peter

15 April. This incident was

controversial, as

losing his

IRA member

SAS team had been

him in the Cross-

and were closely observing

homes of

his

known

including that of his

acquaintances,

girlfriend's

sister,

from the border. When

Cleary turned up at this house he was
arrested, and a helicopter was called in to
transport him away as travel by road was

some 50m

(164ft)

considered to be too dangerous. Five

men

escorted Clears to a nearby field, but with

four ot the team employed in marking the

landing

site,

he allegedly tried to over-

power the lone soldier guarding him. in

the hope that he could run to sanctuary
over the border. Clean.- was shot in the
chest and died instandy of his injuries.

The Regiment
in

early

hit the headlines again

when

May.

four-man covert

patrol in a car strayed over the

night

on

would have

border

at

dark country lane. As luck

it.

they ran straight into

Garda checkpoint

little

more than 500m

(1640ft) into the Republic,

and ended up

being escorted to the local police station.

Three hours

later, a

second SAS patrol

Armagh
Armai

C
t

they too

VIOLENCE

As a result of the SAS operations in South

Armagh, plus Republican claims at the
time that the 'lost patrol' was actually a
cross-border death squad,

IRA

activity in

both the Crossmaglen and Forkhill

reduced quite considerably for the
the

year.

Early

however, the
attack

of

following January,

the

terrorists

on an infantry

.j-^arrenpoint

t.
Crossrriagfen

Above: The

i^^_

SAS was

launched

mortar

patrol near Cross-

all

were

all

future sightings of

weeks

later,

it

its

it.

Less than three

was spotted again north of

the border and an

catch

briefed to report

occupants.

ambush was

laid

to

to

in

a full

South Armagh.

IRA member Seamus

Local

Harvey

at

rying a sawn-off shotgun and.

when

dusk car-

He was

lenged, raised his weapon.

chal-

shot by

the challenging trooper before he could

fire.

On

the other side of the hedge,

of Harvey's colleagues

two

fired blindly before

running away into the darkness.

Later,

it

two of the bullets

which struck Harvey came from terrorist
5.56mm Ar malices, and not from the

7.62mm FN
this time.

IRA

that

SAS

used by

rifles

activity

was

virtually non-existent in

much

the area, despite being at a

level

throughout the

The IRA
change
licity

paign

patrols at

For the whole of 1977, offensive

its

for

its

cause,

higher

of the Province.

never been

has

offered

maximum

rest

tactics to gain

in the Province.

security forces

when

walked into the ambush zone

were spotted fleeing south ot

the border in a distinctive vehicle, and the

deployed

squadron was despatched

focus was placed

a lance-corporal.

first

strength to Ulster in 1976,

But the

maglen, killing
terrorists

areas

rest

DQWNn

was discovered
IN

## Newry

ended the night in custody. Next morning the Dublin government ordered their
release, but in the meantime the soldiers
had been charged with being in possession of firearms and they had to be bailed
before release. A diplomatic row between
governments ensued, but in due course
the fuss died down, although the soldiers
were later fined on weapons offences by a
Dublin court.

REDUCTION

Bessbrook

f~

D
n

ARMAGH

"T

out searching for their missing colleagues

ran into the same checkpoint

Lisburn

$&<;/

C
t

30

miles

THE CAPTURE OF PETER CLEARY

The next successful SAS operation was
the capture of leading

cn

Newtownards

BELFAST

Enniskillen

^FERMANAGH
~'vw..,

being formally arrested. Either way. he

terrorist charges

Lough
Neagh

Coalisland

bed
gunpoint by an SAS patrol and
was then bundled over the border before

from

in a cottage

Carrickfergus

Cookstown*

0magh #

after a

hand, claimed that he had been dragged

his

ANTRIM

Strabane

^J\

court the sol-

north of the border

patrol just

* Londonderry

four-man

near the border in con-

troversial circumstances. In

diers said that

known P1RA

arrested

patrol

in rural areas,

March 1976.

early in

slow to

maximum pub-

and so

in

1978 the

on disrupting commerce
This phase of the cam-

the

low casualty figures

'volunteers'. After

shopping centres

advantages

triple

disruption,

good

among

all,

their

band of

factories, offices

cannot shoot

unlike troops or the police.

of

publicity and

and

back,

typical soft

67

SAS

THE

WAR

AT

Left:

Crossmaglen, near the

Irish border,

town noted for its high incidence of IRA

activity in the 1970s

and

1980s.

discovered the weapons, and they request-

RUC

ed that the

warn him

contact the family to

to keep away. Unfortunately

on

the message was not passed

until the

following morning, but just before the

police arrived the 'child'

- 16-year-old

farmworker John returned

yard for another look

picked up the

to the grave-

As he

at his find.

and turned unknow-

rifle

ingly in the direction of one of the troopers,

they shot him. The two troopers

opened

who

were charged with murder

fire

but later acquitted.

SAS was more

In the late 1970s the

geared to operating in rural areas than in

the major

cities,

but occasionally, because

of the Regiment's unique

chosen

target

&

port

at this

Engineering Depot of the Post

Office in Belfast.

Based on information supplied by an

informer within the IRA,
parlance, six troopers,
officers, staked

Road

To Republicans the

time was the Trans-

a 'tout' in

backed up by

IRA

RUC

out the depot off Bally-

of three of

killing

was unacceptable, even

though they were undertaking an active
their 'volunteers'

Not

operation.

bleated

that

for the

the

time, they

first

SAS was operating a

The fact that the

'shoot-to-kill' policy.

men was

second of the two innocent

unharmed by

SAS shows quite

case. The people

on the evening of 21 June

1978. Within about an hour of their
arrival, four IRA men arrived by stolen
car, which they parked in a cul-de-sac

totally

behind the depot.

democratic system that they themselves

sillan

late

the

the opposite to be the

IRA

guilty in such a situation are the

men,

who

try to claim the protection

anti-terrorist

teams were called in to under-

training,

take close-quarter operations in built-up

areas.

For example, in November 1978

cupied house being used by

store guns

was

PIRA

to

and ammunition for use against

the security forces.

er'

unoc-

patrol positioned themselves in an

When

known

'play-

turned up to check the weapons, he

killed before

he could

fire

the

gun he

was holding.

of a

are out to destroy.

THE DEATH OF CAPTAIN WESTMACOTT

Over the next 18 months, the Regiment

INNOCENT DEATHS

They are the men, and

sometimes women, who do not identify

The

themselves but claim the status of soldiers

but the four troops dispersed throughout

driver remained with the vehicle, but

command of Army HQ at Lisburn.

In May 1981, Captain Richard West-

bombs over

put before

The SAS

troopers

constable covering the lane

demand

The

car

in the act

on

bomb

foot

fire,

when he

killing

all

three.

IRA man from the car.

friend, who had dropped

republic,

be gently apprehended and

of pulling

to the
a

which

throwing

death of another innocent

July 1978 brought

ly

a trigger,

or firing a mortar.

The

heard gunfire, unseen by

main SAS ambush party. Unfortunately, at the same time two innocent
men on their way home walked into the
virtually unlit lane and one was shot to
death after making a sudden movement.
The trooper who shot him thought that
the

army of a mythical

to

a court whose authority they

do not even recognise, after being caught

driver waiting around the corner fled

then opened

more adverse

man

in

breakdown

led to the tragedy Teenager

Boyle discovered weapons and

uniform under

John

a military

gravestone in the local

who in
An SAS patrol

troop

macott became the

died in

The dead man's

turn informed the police.

three years earlier.

68

SAS

officer to

road accident in the Province

cemetery, and told his parents,

ground on hearing gunfire, and

who offered no resistance to the SAS, was
handed over unharmed to the RUC even
before his identity had been confirmed.

first

on an operation in Ulster,
though Staff Sergeant David Naden had

lose his life

he was the fourth

to the

profile,

Regiment, though it was primariin communications

yet

the wall.

low

publicity

in the secret

alongside the depot and threw satchel

RUC

to be maintaining a

Northern Ireland were seldom idle. Each

usually comprised 16 personnel
operating in four patrols of four men.
Permanent troop locations were Belfast,
Londonderry and South Armagh, with
areas of responsibility matching the local
Army Brigades. The fourth troop was
held as a mobile reserve under direct

the other three entered a lane running

and an

seemed

The

captain was lead-

men in a rapid response

IRA ambush squad, lurk-

was immediately drafted in the same

evening to lay a trap for anybody return-

ing seven of his

ing to empty the cache. Before deploy-

ing in a house on Belfast's Antrim Road.

ment, the team was told that

a child

had

raid against

an

With four men guarding

the rear, the rest

NORTHERN

RELAND: SOUTH ARMAGH

Left:

British

Army observation post in

'bandit country' of South

the

Armagh, where the

SAS has conducted many operations.

wounded dur-

driver drove off, but was

ing his getaway.

As
dead

usual, family

men

and supporters of the

protested that they should have

been arrested not shot. When their rifle

was subsequently examined, it was discovered that it had been used to kill four
off-duty members of the Ulster Defence
Regiment on different occasions. Unlike
the

PIRA gunmen,

unarmed

the

UDR

had not been given the opportunity to surrender, but had been shot down
in cold blood. Such is the hypocrisy of
soldiers

the Irish Republican

movement, which

expects leniency from the

no mercy
of the

SAS

up

patrol drove right

to the

water'. Instead, an

door before the gunmen realised what

troop of about 20 men,

was happening. Unfortunately, they had

Troop, was

been given the number of the house next

always

where the gunmen

to

actually were,

up it was
fired upon from an upstairs front window.
The captain fell mortally wounded, hit by
a burst from an American M60 machine
gun. Realising that they were surrounded,
and just

after their car pulled

the eight

gunmen then hung out

white

sheet and called for a Catholic priest to

NEW

BATTLES IN THE 1980s

both

ince, other anti-terrorist duties,

Regiment
strain,

14

at

abroad, were stretching the

to

Int

To

the limit.

Coy

relieve

the

highly trained

plus

Royal Marine and Parachute Regiment

recce troops, gradually took over

most of

the covert observation duties and patrols.

The SAS

also

took on the

task

other military personnel plus

atives

in intelligence

oper-

gathering, both in

Ulster and at Hereford

SAS teams were

of training

RUC

still

as

Ulster

one team

deployed with

few minutes' standby to move

into action. Many of the men posted to
Ulster Troop from the squadrons had special skills or assets which were in demand

on

itself.

However,

kept

available

In

the

980s the

Army

that the effectiveness

in Ulster

spreading

recognised

of the SAS

was being lessened by

men over a wide area.

new

organisation

Intelligence

and Security

the
Group

could volunteer for extended tours or

(Northern Ireland) - was

set up.

semi-permanent postings if they wished.

One operation where the skills of

This saw a reduction in the number

and consequently they

in the Province,

Ulster Troop

needed

were

countryside near Coalisland.

Although the services of the SAS were

much in demand throughout the Prov-

home and

known

Troop

Ulster

enhanced independent

arose

in

December 1983, when the RUC was

made aware of a hidden arms cache in the

RUC.

negotiate their surrender to the

SAS but shows

victims.

its

longer permanently stationed 'over the

house and jumped out to storm the front

door

to

Due

to the

time of year and the fact that the operation could easily

last several days, it

decided that only the

the job.

A six-man

to cover

all

SAS could

was

tackle

team, deployed in pairs

approach angles, constructed

down

hides and settled

for a long wait.

After a couple of days, on a Sunday after-

noon, three men drove up to the

where the guns were hidden.

The

field

two made

for the cache. The

pulled out an

16 Armalite

rifle

first

and handed

league, then reached

down

to

it

of SAS soldiers in Ulster from

squadron to

men,

called Ulster Troop.

SAS

soldiers served for a year in

Northern

Ireland, not including

prior training, and

worked

closely

within the Group and the 14th

Intelligence Unit. In the

Group

special units

were

also integrated.

straight

AR-

to his col-

withdraw

were fewer SAS

men

in

Northern

Ireland, they

were used much more

efFectively

also

It

meant

that there

was the Regiment could maintain

its

other specialist

skills,

which

shotgun. As he did so he was challenged

the early 1980s were suffering

of particularly tricky operations.

by one of the SAS soldiers and, when he

turned and raised the shotgun, he was
shot along with his companion. The

because of its commitments in

the

end of 1981,

in six years, a full 'Sabre'

for the

first

time

Squadron was no

the

SAS contingent and 14th Int were

commanded by a single officer, and
the actions of the Group and the
Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC)

throughout the Province to take charge

By

a full

troop of just over 20

This means that although there

driver of the car stayed with the

vehicle, but the other

Thus

Northern

in

Ireland.

69

SAS

THE

WAR

AT

The Loughall Ambush

In

May

ists'

1987, the

SAS achieved one

Loughall

After

Brighton bombing of 12

the

October

1984,

of

its

when

IRA

the

attempted to assassinate Prime Minister

Margaret Thatcher and her cabinet

slept in their hotel beds, there

as

the

RUC police

SAS

in a

did strike, however, the results of

as

NEW WEAPONS
Libya's leader,

other

IRA

its

FOR THE IRA

Colonel Gaddafi, had re-

IRA

with

operations. As well as attacks

off-duty

security

huge quantity of
at least two

it

stations or

shot

continent.

operational

the recce troops of infantry battalions,

tonnes of Semtex

plastic explosive. The

new guns were of the most modern
design, but, much worse, the Czech Sem-

involve

well trained in covert observa-

and follow-through tactics. To the

IRA, though, every death blamed on an
SAS 'death squad' made good propaganda, and it also reminded its members of
tion

the need for operational security.

70

When

Army

'soft' targets

guns and ammunition, plus

now

on

personnel

in

carried out

organisations such as 14 Int Coy, and even

were

force

numerous hit-andrun mortar and grenade attacks on police

few weeks before the Brighton bomb,

supplied the

the terror-

could increase the number and vari-

ety of

Ulster,

IRA gunmen. Many were

not actually

when

spectacular ambush at

County Armagh.

handiwork usually left no doubt

to just who was responsible.

as

station in

out

they

appeared to

by the Regiment,

was wiped

their

be an increase in SAS-style ambushes of

carried out

greatest victories against the IRA

notorious eight-man East Tyrone Brigade

posts,

and

in Britain

Because of
activity,

this

though,

more men and

bombed

or

and on the
increase
it

in

had to

as a result its

own

security suffered. The security forces took

full

advantage and scored numerous suc-

tex military explosive was so powerful

that only half a kilo (lib)

destroy a car. With so

weaponry now

was required to

much

available

explosive and
to

them, the

Below: The scene

on 8

May

1987, the

after the Loughall

ambush

mangled remains of the

mechanical digger can be clearly seen.

NORTHERN IRELAND: THE LOUGHALL AMBUSH

couple of years, cul-

cesses over the next

minating in the Loughall ambush.

The security forces received a godsend

when routine surveillance overheard an
IRA member on the telephone talking
about

planned attack on the

IRA team
*

A Team', it had

December 1985,

Army and RUC.

as

In

it

had

RUC barracks

with

example,

for

attacked Bally gawley

two guards

assault

rifles,

killing

process.

They

also attacked the

in

the

RUC

sta-

County Tyrone, using

tion at the Birches,

bomb

Known

carried out a series of

attacks against the

sta-

detailed to carry out the attack

was the East Tyrone Brigade.

the

RUC

County Armagh. The

tion at Loughall,

in the shovel

of a mechanical dig-

ger to blow the barracks up.

LOUGHALL - THE SOFT TARGET

The predominantly Protestant village of
Loughall, lying half-way between Armagh
and Portadown on the B77 minor road,
had been

relatively violence-free

during

on

the Troubles, but that was to change

the evening of Friday 8

village's small

of others

May

1987.

The

police station, like hundreds

small

in

across Great Britain

had started

communities

rural

and Northern

but the

IRA

could claim to have

Above: The Toyota van offered

little

taken out a police station in the heart of

protection to the IRA terrorists

who

fire,

a Loyalist area. It

propaganda such

is

which keeps IRA support high

this

as

refuge inside

it,

took

nor did their body armour.

in the

Republican ghettos.

only the

Ire-

Unfortunately for the terrorist team

action

wall

blast

for

protection; an

which must have taken consider-

of police

undertaking the attack, the aforemen-

able nerve.

houses with a small office open for public

tioned unguarded telephone conversation

However, as police stations

across Ulster had become prime targets
for the IRA, a 4m- (13ft-) high chainlink security fence enclosed what had
been the police house gardens. Inside this

was monitored by the security forces. A

major surveillance operation was mount-

At a location some 15km (nine miles)

from the target IRA men loaded 100kg
(2201b) of explosive into the bucket of a

compound,

troop from

land,

as a pair

life

enquiries.

white-painted

the

houses looked

any others on the

like

mainland, but for

police

2m-

(6.5ft-)

high

blast

in a generally law-abiding

RUC

and was not considered to be

rorist target. To the East

station

and close-knit

community only operated during

the

the day,

prime

ter-

Tyrone Brigade of

IRA, however, who considered themto

By

the time that the raid was launched,

G Squadron had been flown in

from Hereford to supplement Ulster

Troop, and the target was surrounded by
teams.

only by one sergeant and

three constables, this small

selves

with both the target and timing for the

attack being discovered well in advance.

SAS

wall outside the front doors.

Manned

ed,

be an

opportunity

elite,

for

it

offered a great

headline-grabbing

SAS DEPLOYMENTS AT LOUGHALL

From intelligence gathered, it was known
that a

to

vehicle-mounted

be used against the

have had any major

oned

that

inside the

bomb

station,

was going

but for

effect, the

SAS

it

to

reck-

would have to be driven

it
compound. The weak point in

the perimeter fence was clearly the main

The

sta-

gate at the east end,

tion formally closed at 1845 hours,

and

the car park behind the station, so the

attack with

little

personal threat.

the officers usually locked

hours on Fridays, leaving

it

up by 1900

unmanned

for

the night. If the attack were to take place

after this, there

was

little

chance of return

small

which gave

SAS team hidden

access to

in the police sta-

excavator, which was the

means by which they hoped to break into
the compound. In addition to Declan
Arthurs (the driver), two armed terrorists
- Gerald O'Callaghan and Tony Gormley
were to ride shotgun on the digger as it
approached Loughall. Ahead of the dig-

mechanical

ger, five more terrorists Patrick Kelly,

Jim Lynagh, Padraig McKearney, Seamus
Donnelly and Eugene Kelly cruised

through the village in

van to check that

the coast was clear and then pulled

up

with wheels on the pavement, across the

road from the police station. As the digger

with

bomb in its
men in the van

rubble-covered

the

bucket approached, the

dismounted. The

IRA

fully

expected the

station to

be unmanned, but just in case

there was

still

on

anyone

inside

who

could

end of the building.

Some reports suggest that one trooper

sprayed the building with gunfire in a

actually waited outside the building with

mad

tion kept to the west

have

fired

act

the

digger

team,

they

of bravado.

71

SAS

THE

WAR

AT

Unknown

Of Engagement

Rules

armed

The

SAS

has.

on occasion, been accused of being out of control, of

SAS

March 1988,
codenamed 'Flavius', was a tightly controlled affair. The rules of engagement
for the Gibraltar operation were made public by one of the SAS men, Soldier
'F\

In fact, the

kill.

operation in Gibraltar in

OBJECTIVES
1.

your guidance, once your participation

are for

'Flavius' has

been duly authorised. You

compliance with these instructions to the

2. You are to

operate

him

the officer(s) designated by

Should the
assist

the

civil

latter

men under

your command.

SAS

rifle

Commissioner or by

to control this operation.

members of the IRA, but subject to the

do all in your power to protect the lives and

of members of the public and of the security

two

also

unit close to the village church.

in

posi-

copse on high ground just

from the van, SAS troopers

the van team with assault
and GPMG fire. However, the digger
(328ft)

managed

outriders

to

by an SAS stop group

The
safety

as

they tried to

flee.

The bomb

digger driver was hit too.

detonated just outside the compound, but

the

forces.

bomb

the

ignite

were gunned down

fuse before they too

to arrest

overriding requirement to

were

mowed down

request military intervention, your objectives will be to

power

guns,
assault

cut-off groups in the village and another

100m

in

are to issue orders in

directed by the Gibraltar Police

as

soldiers

Ml 6

and

In addition, there

rifles.

tions

These instructions

Operation

& Koch G3

SAS

machine

THE AMBUSH IS SPRUNG

From inside the station and from

the inquest held into the shootings in September:

at

GPMG

with

Heckler

operating without rules or concern for the rule of law, even of having a
licence to

to the terrorists, however,

they were surrounded by

troopers

three

the

inside

station

escaped with only minor injuries. All eight

COMMAND AND CONTROL

3.

You

Chief of Staff,

his

for the

way

in

assigned to you. You will act at

which you carry out the

all

military tasks

As
er

will

not use force unless requested to do so by the senior

police officer(s) designated by the Gibraltar Police Commissioner, or unless

necessary to do so in order to protect

more

force than

with rule

is

life.

You and your men

necessary in order to protect

life,

it is

are not then to

and you

are to

comply

fire against a

reasonable grounds for believing that he/she

commit, an action which

of any person, and

if

there

is

is

likely to

FIRING WITHOUT WARNING

and your men may fire without
in firing

person, or

if

if

you or they have

currently committing, or about

endanger your or their

no other way

6. You

is

person

lives,

or the

life

to prevent this.

warning

if

the giving of a warning or

could lead to death or injury to you or them or any other

warning

the giving of a

is

more than two and

risk rocket

bomb

and

vehicles, sniping

border

areas,

before firing. The warning

a direction to surrender
is

One

1987,

when

soldiers,

is

and

to

be

a clear

do not

apply, a

as clear as possible

warning

warning
and

that fire will

is

is

necessary

to include

be opened

if the

not obeyed.

are

bomb

exploded during the

sectors of the security forces,

many were

caught in the process of committing their

to enter Spanish territory.

becoming

in Ulster

difficult,

IRA

the

also

stepped up their campaigns on the mainland and overseas, but within

Loughall the

three

in

SAS
of

it

year of

scored another major

IRA when
terrorists

it

shot and

- Mairead

Danny McCann and Sean Savage

March 1988 during their operation

in Gibraltar.

72

assassina-

and sectarian

in the

Farrell,

you or your men

the

bombing of

town of Enniskillen, an
act that attracted worldwide condemnation. Frequently, however, through good
observation and intelligence work by all
ceremony

victory against the

AREA OF OPERATIONS
Under no circumstances

police
in

of their most despicable acts

on Remembrance Day in

took place

killed

8.

mainly

incendiary

With operations

direction

on

attacks

attacks

of police and

increasingly

the circumstances in paragraph 6

crimes or soon afterwards.

clearly impracticable.

WARNING BEFORE FIRING

7. If

at

half years. Instead, they resorted to low-

killings.

You and your men may only open

any delay

of the SAS success

did not launch anoth-

commercial premises, door-stop

5.

OPENING FIRE

to

IRA

major direct attack on the security

tions

5.

vehicle.

a direct result

forces in Ulster for

You and your men

use

stop group wrongly iden-

back-up

Loughall, the

to control this operation.

USE OF FORCE
4.

what another

tified as a

by the Gibraltar Police

killed, outright. So, regret-

was one of two innocent passers-by

tably,

in

times in accordance with the lawful

instructions of the senior police officer(s) designated

Commissioner

were

terrorists

be responsible to the Governor and Commander-in-Chief, through

will

NORTHERN IRELAND: THE LOUGHALL AMBUSH

Of

organisation's

Some of

best

bombings or

out

assassinations.

Armagh

Martin Corrigan was killed in

Army

Desmond Grew,

reservist;

in

murder

April 1990 while attempting to

an

the

have been

terrorists

by the SAS while attempting to

killed

earn.

IRA

course the war against the

continued into the 1990s.

the

'widow maker', and Martin McCaughey

were shot and killed at Loughall while
moving Kalashnikov rifles from one arms
cache to another (Grew was a suspect in
the murder of six-month-old Ruthy
Islamia in Germany); and Peter Ryan,

Regiment in June 1991 in

Coagh while on the way to murder

shot by the

One of

someone.

was

actions

the

the most spectacular

ambushing of Kevin

Barn* O'Donnell, Sean O'Farrell, Patrick

Vincent and Peter Clancy,

Clonoe, Coalisland,
ning

all

shot

in

machine gun-

after

a police station.

AN END TO

HOSTILITIES?

At the end of 1994, however, the IRA.

quickly followed by

Loyalist

called

Northern Ireland.
seemed to be get-

And

as

ceasefire

in

the politicians

ting close to a settlement,

the

appeared that

SAS would no longer have

Ulster. Perhaps nearly

a role in

30 years of service

Province was coming to an end.

in the

The
as

it

terrorists,

talk

of peace was intoxicating, but

time went on and no progress was

reached ominous noises started coming

from the

terrorists

of both

dragging their

politicians

sides. With the

feet,

IRA

the

Having had time to

structure and resources, the

called off its ceasefire.

reorganise

its

Republican movement was well placed to

commence
fears

new campaign. The

worst

of the security forces were con-

firmed

as a series

carried out

of

on the

bomb

were

attacks

of
which the Manchester bombing in 1996
was one of the largest. For the SAS. Ulster
was back on the agenda.
Above

right:

British mainland,

The damaged

Loughall. The IRA

was

RUC station

also

operation, losing eight of

at

damaged in

its

the

key men.

Right: To some sections of the Nationalist

movement the terrorists who died at

Loughall were heroes to be mourned.

'(

73

COUNTER-TERRORISM
Rescue

Mogadishu

at

The international terrorism of the 1970s resulted

terrorist units. In Britain the
to assist its

In

the relatively quiet period between

the

from Aden

return

(1967)

deployment

to Ulster (1969)

(1970), the

SAS was not

and

and

Oman

officially

em-

ployed on active operations. However,

the Regiment's
ly

honed

yet

skills

as

had to be constant-

to perfection to prepare for as

unknown

threats

opportunity to

and challenges, every

train in the

most

realistic

of conditions was actively sought.

On

NATO

the continent, the annual round of

exercises gave plenty

deep-penetration

missions

of scope for
to

practise

intelligence gathering, to breach security

cordons around prime installations or just

74

SAS was

West German

counterpart,

to test the readiness

troops.

in

Western governments forming crack

Compared

GSG

9,

brief,

and reactions of allied

to the jungle andjebel,

though, training exercises in Germany,

Norway did not offer much

challenge. The hospitality of friendly

Denmark
of

or

governments

in Africa, Central

America,

the Middle East and Southeast Asia,

ever, gave

the

SAS

anti-

and was thus well placed

at Mogadishu in 1977.

given a counter-terrorist

how-

the opportunity to

Britain's

allies

and service

Army Training Team

governments for

specialist duties. In

archs, irrespective

of whether they

power

is

hereditary, often live in fear

skilled

specialist

knowledge and

skills

their

The

SAS personnel

for heads

of

state

of

use of highly

to train

bodyguards

not only helped main-

to the host

Below: The hijacked Lufthansa Boeing 737

country's soldiers.
In addition to conventional exercises,

exchange tours with the

are

democratically elected or their position of

environments. In return, the Regiment's

imparted

many

Third World countries, rulers and raon-

the assassin's bullet.

personnel

British

world, troopers were also loaned to other

practise for operations in hostile climatic

experienced

on

missions around the

special forces

of

airliner stands

on the tarmac at Mogadishu

airport in October 1977.

COUNTER-TERRORISM: RESCUE
Commonwealth and

tain stability in

men who might

jobs for

other

worthwhile

friendly countries, but created

otherwise have

box

AT

they had no vote, but German.

as

Japanese

and, to

activists all

extent,

lesser

cooperated.

The

Irish

MOGADISHU
had the necessary contacts to

on

these

The

1970s was to

if

one of

lay

required.

next time that the

SAS

the

hit

been twiddling their thumbs. Intelligence

become

the decade of the international

headlines in an anti-terrorist role,

worldwide

terrorist

and

not even have to go into action to achieve

on

developments

political

gleaned by these well-placed servants of

Crown,

the

was collated

British intelligence agencies,

bv

Cell

Intelligence

Hereford,

at

by troopers

referred to

and

Planning

Operations

the

on by

plus information passed

as the

usually

'Kremlin'. If

allies was going to be subcoup or revolution, the SAS

hijacker.

The SAS
keen on
tried

has never been particularly

publicity,

whenever

and since Munich

has

it

cam-

possible to avoid the

However, as international terrorism spread around the

globe, the British government did leak
era almost completely.

one of Britain's

enough information on the Regiment's

ject

new

to

wanted advance nonce.

role to let the terrorists

Britain had
easy

target.

COUNTER-REVOLUTIONARY WARFARE

particularly

At the beginning of the 1970s, the "Krem-

formed

was just coming to terms with the

lin"

Republican

implications of Irish

(IRA)

Ulster

in

terrorist activity

Army
when

September 1972 Munich massacre of

Israeli Olympic competitors finally threw
international terrorism into the world
media spotlight (the Palestinian group
the

know

that

no intention of becoming an
Other European countries,
France and West Germany,

specialist anti-terrorist paramili-

tary units at this time,

secret that the

SAS

and

was no great

it

trained alongside and

exchanged information with them.

By the end of 1974, the SAS CounterTerrorism Team (CTT), was now a permanent squad, equating roughly in size to
a troop and drawn from the four Sabre

own

'Black September' took hostage and then

Squadrons, with

murdered

communications and transport cell at

Hereford. As the terrorist threat was now
so great, the CTT had complete freedom
to choose the most suitable weaponry tor
its roles, irrespective of cost, country of
origin or lack of commonalty with the
rest of the armed forces. It also had access

during the

athletes

Israeli

games). In addition to watching for relatively

conventional uprisings and coups in

SAS now had

friendly countries, the

on

to

growing international
brotherhood of political extremists and
keep

its

eye

fundamentalist groups

out to strike

at

its

headquarters,

Western democracies. Behind them, these

to the funding necessary to enable pro-

highly motivated activists had both the

curement of exactly what equipment it

needed to get the job done without hav-

finance of the

communist

tion and the patronage

global revolu-

of dictators with

an axe to grind. To monitor

this situation,

team known as the

Counter Revolutionary Warfare (CRW)
Wing was established at Hereford within
therefore, a separate

ing to fight against

best

civil service

bureau-

This meant, for example, that the

cracy.

and

latest

communications and eaves-

dropping equipment

on the

available

international market could be bought.

The only

apparent

which

tions,

common

objective

originated

both

from

to

confront

armed

credit

They were

fully

other, irrespective

and

their

allowed

the

by

best

basically

just

was chased into

residential area.

the

it

is

CTT
and

to the

that the

cul-de-sac in a

With no avenue of escape

and earning only handguns, the

way

forced their

terrorists

into an occupied

flat

team

and

took the middle-aged couple inside

hostages.

What became known

Balcombe

Siege was

Street

to

as

as

the

last

for

nearly six days.

THE BALCOMBE STREET SIEGE

The siege was primarily a police operation,

handled almost entirely by Scodand

SAS memThe

Yard's anti-terrorist squad, but

bers were

on hand

to give advice.

police cut off both the

power supply and

the telephone line to the

down
the

flat,

then settled

to negotiate a slow, peaceful

affair.

From

the outset

it

end

to

was made

no concessions
would be made and surrender was the
clear to the terrorists that

only possible course of action.

Mean-

while, surveillance experts monitored the

men's even

On

move from

adjoining

flats.

the Friday, the female hostage was

released in

exchange for hot food, but

appeared that the

terrorists

it

were prepared

more

least.

gunmen

Friday,

however,

news report on the

radio that the SAS was on standby to end
the siege. Almost immediately they decidthe

heard

ed to negotiate

surrender to the police,

preferring the certainty of a jail cell to the

each

uncertainty of surviving an

parties

wing aircraft and helicopters. On the

ground it had its own fleet of Range
Rovers, which offered the perfect combi-

weaponry and

nation of high road speed and excellent

assist

third

communications to cany out their aims.

Arab groups were in the vanguard, many
supporting

their car

was given instant access both to fixed-

political differences,

financing

them

campaign in London. Understations were targeted to create

maximum disruption, and small bombs
left in restaurants caused numerous casualties. On 6 December, however, a four-man
IRA team was detected in Mayfair and

blinkered aims.

prepared to

of

if

hijackers

eventual downfall of the current world

of the government

major bombing and

At lunch time on the

hostage-takers effectively, so

own

killing

FIRST OPERATIONS
Speed, too, was of the essence

was

launched

ground

days at

extremes ot the political divide, was the

order to further their

IRA

to continue the stalemate for several

few months of Munich.

of the shadowy revolutionary organisa-

September 1975,

the desired outcome. In

the

did

it

causes

which

could not be settled through the ballot

off-road mobility. All that the

SAS seems

to have lacked in the transport

department

was

its

own

submarine, but of course their

cousins in the Special Boat Service (SBS)

SAS

assault.

Hands held high, they walked out one by

one to surrender in front ot the cameras.
Without even lifting a finger, the SAS had
dealt a major propaganda blow to the
IRA. The terrorists were later sentenced
to a minimum of 30 years in prison after
being found guilty of six murders.

75

SAS

THE

WAR

AT

Left: In the
*'

L'*

aircraft

On

Thursday

13

^^

^B

October

on route

for Frankfurt carrying 91

Most of the

pas-

passengers,

makers returning home, but two of the

couples were in fact

including seven children, were holiday-

sl

"*"

1977,

Lufthansa Boeing 737 departed Majorca

sengers and crew.

^r

and killed three of

the four Palestinian terrorists.

_.

early hours of 18 October 1977,

GSG 9 stormed the

'

Armed

terrorists.

with handguns and

plastic explosives, the

two males stormed

the flight deck after

take-off and ordered the pilot to divert to

\^H

Rome,

while their female colleagues held

the cabin crew at gunpoint. Identifying

?^

as members of the Red Army

though they were of Arab
descent, they broadcast their demands to

themselves
Faction,

^^

frr

Spanish

air traffic control. In

wanting

demanded

they also
1

members of
,

GSG

'l

million,

release

of

the Baader-Meinhoff gang

imprisoned in West Germany.

9

After the

Munich

massacre, the West Ger-

man government had formed a special

counter-terrorist unit. Known as GSG 9
(Grenzschutzgriippe 9) this special unit of

^j^A .?

pi

I^l

~mM

the

addition to

10

ransom of nearly

men was linked to the Inner

German Border Guard (Bundesgrenz-

about 50

schutz),

unteers.

and

all

of

its

personnel were vol-

Most had seen

prior service with

the airborne and mountain divisions of

the

ij

West German Army and

all

were keen

From the outset GSG 9 trained and

worked alongside the SAS, adopting
many of its methods and procedures. To
shots.

The
tional

three

this

^T

most prominent interna-

terrorist organisations

during the

mid-1970s were the West German

Baader-Meinhoff gang, the Palestinian
'Black September' movement and the
Red Army Faction, which had a worldwide membership. While Algeria, and
later Libya, offered both a home and
training

facilities

organisations,

to

the

China gave financial

mentioned above,

as

76

members of these
Soviet Union and
assistance.

in

Although,

many ways

politi-

r^l
cally

opposed, these groups and their sup-

porters

agreed

all

with

maxim which states

enemy is my friend'.
their

bond, but

also to

the

old Arab

maintained, with

Warfare schools. As the Lufthansa hijackers actions

became known,

GSG

9 was

and SAS personnel joined

outwit the securi-

737 flew on to Cyprus, then headed for

Bahrain, where it made an overnight stop.
By morning the GSG 9 team had

left

went into action publicly, it was alongside

West German colleagues fighting Arab
terrorists in

still

activated

services,

extreme

is

'my enemy's
Partly to cement

that

this
unusual alliance of
and right frequently carried
out operations on each other's behalf. The
next time that SAS experts from the CTT

ty

day the link

members of both units training side by

side at NATO's Long Range Reconnaissance and Patrol (LRRP) and Mountain

an African country.

After a refuelling stop

rehearsed

its

tactics

at

it.

Rome,

and was about

the

to leave

Frankfurt on board a Boeing 707.

The

team, numbering

fully

armed and had

in

aircraft

about

30,

was

explosive charges to blow

doors

and other

specialist

COUNTER-TERRORISM: RESCUE
Right:

GSG 9 returns home

SAS's involvement

more

in the

in triumph.

operation

AT

MOGADISHU

The

was

far

covert.

equipment. Ahead of them,

three-man

advance party had already flown out to

The Germans had

the Gulf.

their British

asked

also

opposite numbers for any

help and advice they could give, particularly

as

SAS was known

the

to have a

good working knowledge of the region

and

its

security forces. In response, the

SAS offered the services of its second-incommand. Major Alastair Morrison, and
one of

most proficient

its

NCOs,

Ser-

geant Barn." Davies.

The two

British

soldiers

took some

unique stun grenades with them. These

pyrotechnics,

which the SAS had

specially

designed, can be set off in confined spaces

without permanendy injuring hostages.

They explode with a report which is loud

enough temporarily to deafen anyone not
wearing ear defenders, while simultaneously giving off an intensely bright flash

which temporarily
eye

blinds those without

SAS and GSG 9 antiteam members are trained to

protection.

terrorist

After
pilot,

making

heavy landing the

Captain Schumann, got out of the

aircraft to inspect the

undercarriage, then

hostages, black-clad

the

figures

silendy

but rapidly approached the Lufthansa

air-

Undetected, they grouped under

craft.

operate in gas masks with tinted lenses and

sprinted to the control tower to

tell offi-

cover of the fuselage, small squads beneath

wearing radio headsets so the

cials

where explosives had been placed on

each access and emergency escape door.

the

aircraft.

effect

of stun

grenades on them will be negligible. To

unsuspecting hijackers in a dimly

and

fit

confined area, the effect of stun grenades

is

and deprivation of

disorientation

and

sight

demanded

FINAL DESTINATION - MOGADISHU

On the Friday morning the hijacked jet
left Bahrain for Dubai, where the West
German ambassador tried all day to negotiate with the terrorists from the control

met with

tower, but

little

success.

Real-

ising that a specialist anti-terrorist team

was probably being assembled, the hijackers

decided to

fly

They announced
the former

RAF

out before

that they

nightfall.

were going

to

on threat of blowing
and the Yemenis complied. The

up the jet.
was then forced
at

control

immediately

hijackers

pilot

once

vision.

The

his return

to take off again

cruising height told to

to

his

co-pilot.

leader then dragged

cabin and shot

him

him
in

The

Aden

in

Yemen.

sides

and

in.

FREEING THE HOSTAGES

Inside

the

aircraft,

the

terrorists

were

caught completely off their guard and

all

Before dying of his injuries, the terrorist

owing

GSG

9 team prepared for action.

on the evening of the

17th, with the 737 sitting on the apron,
the anti-terrorist team made its final
As darkness

fell

cabin

to

were placed against both

the assault team burst

the aircraft next touched down, at

Mogadishu in Somalia, the pilots body
was thrown onto the tarmac. Having
killed one hostage, the terrorists had gone
beyond the point of no return - the shad-

When

type of operation

fly

ladders

four were quickly identified and shot.

in front

thought

arranged, they instructed the pilot to

doors were blown,

of the horrified passengers.

head

heading for Masirah. where they possibly

reception committee had been

terrorist

main
the back of the

preparations for the assault.

a given signal, the

stun grenades were lobbed in. lightweight

hand over

into the

on Masirah Island
off Oman, though instead headed for
Salalah in Dhofar Province. But when
they tried to land they found that the
runway there was blocked. Rather than
base

and

At

The

entire

team had only been together for a few

hours, but everyone had practised this

many

crew training

rimes before in

fuselages.

At 0200

hours. 45 minutes before the hijackers'

latest

deadline for blowing up the jet and

leader threw

two grenades

into the pas-

senger cabin, but fortunately they explod-

ed harmlessly under the

male

terrorist

instantly,

seats.

The second

and one of the females died

but the other female lived des-

pite several bullet

wounds.

None of 86

passengers or the four remaining crew-

members was
assault.

seriously

Shordy

injured

afterwards,

the

in

the

British

Government confirmed that the SAS had

been involved both in planning the operation and in earning out the raid as part
of the GSG 9 team. In later anti-terrorist
operations.

GSG

and planning

9 loaned

skills to

its

personnel

the SAS.

77

SAS

THE

WAR

AT

Princes Gate
On

the morning of 30 April 1980, six

armed

hostage. Six days later the

response

In

Mogadishu,

lessons

to

learned

Democratic Revolutionary Front for

terrorists of the

the Liberation of Arabistan burst into the Iranian

SAS

Embassy

freed them

in

in

London and took

all

inside

a stunning operation.

at

was decided that rather

it

a small CRW team on

permanent short-notice standby, every

than just having

SAS

trooper should be trained in rotation

undertake

to

counter-terrorist

Each Sabre Squadron would

duties.

now

take a

CRW role and provide instant

turn in the

response teams around the clock. Fully

equipped
at

and a C-130
would be kept

helicopters

Hercules transport

aircraft

few minutes' readiness

allow a

to

troop to be flown anywhere in the British

Isles

within three hours

the

next

two and

maximum. Over
half years,

the

counter-terrorist teams quietly deployed

several times
lines,

without hitting the head-

May

but on a sunny

evening in

980 their existence was broadcast around

the world in spectacular fashion.
1

THE TERRORISTS STRIKE

On

morning of 30 April 1980,

the

British

policeman stood on duty

in the

doorway of the Iranian Embassy at No 16

Princes Gate, London. Inside the building
were numerous embassy staff and members of the public, there to collect visas. In
the past, under the deposed Shah's reign,
relations between Iran and Britain had
been very friendly, but they deteriorated

when

considerably

the religious funda-

Ayatollah

mentalist

power. Previously the

on

the Shah's staff

under the

Khomeini
SAS had

security matters, but

new regime

responsibility

seized

advised

of the

this

Iranian

was

the

Revolu-

tionary Guard. Being technically foreign

territory

under international

law,

the

of the

wrapped up

cursory glance
party,

tioned outside the door.

handgun or

The

six

men

Trevor Lock in

looked

no

Iranian visitors.

78

the

as

air,

being

as

Iraqis

and

Under
Browning

Iranian dissidents backed by Iraq.

their anoraks
a

each carried
small Skorpion

submachine

gun, and their pockets were stuffed with

embassy doorway

ammunition and grenades.

As the constable courteously opened
the outer door for the first man, the Arab

from

Though

any

other

they were well

Above: A member of the Democratic

Revolutionary Front for the Liberation of

Arabistan at the door of the Iranian Embassy.

they approached. This

however, comprised

PC

walking towards

different

them

of Arab descent, and only gave each one

embassy was outside

British jurisdiction, but by mutual agreement a lone armed policeman was stainterior

against the chill spring

the constable could identify

bumped

into him and tried to draw a

weapon, but the quick-thinking policeman slammed the door and blurted out a
radio warning as he struggled with his
assailant. Outside, one of the others pulled
out a pistol and fired a number of shots
through the glass as his accomplices
forced the door. In seconds they were

COUNTER-TERRORISM: PRINCES GATE

r p>*

SAS

through the inner security door, which

Above: Moments before the

the lax Iranians had not even been guard-

frame charges are laid against the embassy's

ing,

and

a burst

ed those

staff

of machine gun

who

pistol shots that

fire alert-

had not heard the

an armed

assault

on

first-floor

balcony windows.

their

and

slip

IS

female

ALERTED
staff members managed

to

out of the back door before the ter-

rorists

got to them, and two of their male

colleagues tried to escape through upstairs

windows.

of an

office

One made

it

to the safety

next door, but the other

jumped to the ground and injured himself. The

terrorists dragged him back
inside before he could escape. The gang

now had 26
hoped

hostages with

which they
of Arab

to bargain for the release

prisoners in Iranian

jails

(Arabistan

that

the

new Prime

is

As

specialist

units

squadron assigned

dunes keeps

to

25-man

1380.

Minister,

they did not appreciate

to

Special Projects

Team (SPT) on round-the-clock

standby

immediate response to hostage incidents. A second identical SPT, on longer

notice to move, alternates with them at
for

regular intervals to keep reaction times to

minimum, with one team

training as the other watches

also

bow

began to

counter-terrorist

wanted a safe
themselves once this had been

What

May

by ethnic Arabs/. They

achieved.

take over from the Metropolitan

arrive on the scene - Dll police marksmen, C13 anti-terrorist officers, the
Special Patrol Group and members
Scodand Yards Technical Support Branch
- the SAS was already on the move.
At its Hereford headquarters, the SAS

region of Iran not peopled by Iranians but

passage for

to

Police at Princes Gate on 5

Margaret Thatcher, would never

terrorism.

Two

Service

first

building was under way.

THE SAS

Below: The note authorising the Special Air

attack,

Even.'

member of

resting or
waits.

these teams has spent

ese-.-e:

and

hours in the 'Killing House' practising

was that the Iranian Government would

clearing

hand the

out injuring hostages. At the time of

entire affair over to the British

rooms and

killing terrorists

with-

BY

-;

nc

MTrROPOUTAN POLICE
LT COL. HJA ROSE 22 SAS FOLLOWING
THE IRANIAN EMBASSY SIEGE
30 APRIL - 5 MAY 1980

79

THE

SAS

AT

WAR
On the roof of the embassy, members of
Red Team' prepare to abseil down the rear

Left:

of the building to gain entry.

Meanwhile, the Army built full-size

of each floor of the embassy at

replicas

nearby barracks to allow the

SAS men

themselves with

familiarise

the

to

layout.

scene and alternating

men, the second

now on the
with 'Red Team' at

regular intervals. In

the buildings next

'Blue Team', another 25

SPT from

Hereford, was also

door to the embassy, surveillance teams

were monitoring every sound made by
captors and captives, to keep fully abreast

of the ever-changing situation in the 50-

room, six-storey building. From other

vantage

watchers

points,

logged

every

movement visible through the embassy

windows and troopers carefully surveyed
the building, including silently climbing

over the roof.

The government's
concessions,

coupled

appearance

of

demanded by
volatile

Operation 'Nimrod',

as

Em-

the Iranian

bassy affair was codenamed, these sessions

in the 'Killing

House' used

live

ammuni-

tion with troopers in plain clothes playing

the part of the hostages.

When
one

'Red Team', 24 troopers and

from B Squadron, which was

captain,

duty SPT, arrived

that day's

scene

at the siege

Princes Gate in London, police

at

negotiators had already established contact.

At

higher level the Cabinet Office

Room

Briefing

Home

team

(Cobra)

under

Secretary Willie Whitelaw, was

down

the ground rules. These

no surrender to terrorist
demands and an armed rescue by the SAS

about to

lay

equated

to

if

any of the hostages was

killed.

Until

it

became necessary to send in the troopers,

the situation would be controlled by the
police. Over the next six days, the negotiators patiently stalled the terrorists

gained minor concessions such

release

of five of the

Right: 'Red

80

and
the

captives.

Team' smashes

its

way into

Embassy using sophisticated

equipment - sledgehammers!

Iranian

as

the

the

the

refusal

with

Arab

terrorists,

to

the

make
non-

mediators
created

atmosphere inside the embassy.

COUNTER-TERRORISM
The

leader,

terrorist

Awn

Moham-

Ali

med, codenamed Salim, sounded edgy

and tense as he spoke to police negotiators

on Monday

May.

to the

By

IS

the afternoon of the 5th, the terrorists,

had reached the end of

their tether, and one of the hostages was
separated from the others. A few minutes
a

phone

call

an

at

1907

assault

plan' for the

opposed

(as

ed

if

there

another four-man stick sledge-hammered

is

is

implement-

prepare), was

bullet-proof

way through

their

the

French windows. At

basement

rear

least

and

glass),

24 black-clad

troopers wearing
rators

rang out, to be followed

'Red Team', two teams of four men

would abseil down to the second-floor

to the negotiators to

balcony

ing the building, and about 20 others

say-

at

the

back of the building,

floor,

pared to move, but had to await

final

while more

skylight

on

men would blow

men were

way: for 'Blue Team', the

out of the front door.

THE ASSAULT BEGINS

On the given command,

As the body of the embassy's chief

press officer. Abbas Lavasani,

the

In addition, the

would be covered by

whole

MPS

formed an outer cordon.

assault

snipers.

INSIDE THE

EMBASSY

Inside the building, alerted by suspicious

made by one of the abseilers acciwindow on his way

the terrorists panicked. The 'Blue

noises

dentally breaking a
past,

Team' front balcony

teams to clear the
just after

1920

PC

Lock,

who

two

stick split into

first floor.

In

one

office

had managed to keep

his

was collected

hours, three four-man sticks abseiled over

own

David

the edge and crashed in through the sec-

had drawn

Police

ond- and third-floor windows as a fourth

stick took out the skylight and dropped
through to clear the top floor. At the same

with the terrorist leader. With a cry of

building,

Sir

Metropolitan

Commissioner, telephoned

tasked

with clearing the basement, ground and

first floors.

body armour and respiand armed with Heckler & Koch

submachine guns, were now enter-

in the

the fourth floor to enter that

murder had indeed taken

place and that the terrorists were not
bluffing. Confirmation came at around
1900 hours, when three more shots were
heard followed by a body being dumped
a

the

(they

an 'immediate

to

another group would assault the third

outside

frame

about to begin. The plan was simple: for

man had been killed. Men from

SAS special projects teams now pre-

McNee,

made of

place

windows

to

were

which is what
no time to

action plan',

building

adjacent

charges around the front

freeing of the

that the

from

'Blue Team' clambered

mally took control of the incident

both

proof that

men from

time,

over the first-floor front balconies from

hostages

especially Salim,

by

officer,

hours. Operation 'Nimrod', the 'deliber-

ACTIVATED

later three shots

SAS.The SAS commanding

Lieutenant-Colonel Michael Rose, for-

ate

'NIMROD'

PRINCES GATE

Cobra and

reported that he was handing over control

firearm hidden throughout the siege,

his

gun and was struggling

'leave offTrev', the

him off and killed

armed with both
with

At the

SAS

who

was

gun and a grenade,

long burst of submachine-gun fire.
same time, the other two troopers

were about

to enter a rear office

door was violently

another

terrorist,

One

tol.

troopers pulled

the terrorist,

who

trooper shot

when

the

thrown open by
was holding a pis-

him

instantly,

and

he staggered back into the darkness of the

inner office, mortally wounded, where he
later died.

On

the second floor, a stick from

Team' had smashed

their

way

'Red

into the

main office, where most of the hostages

had been held, only to find that the terrorists had transferred them to the telex
room on the second floor at the front, and
had locked the doors behind them. As
they endeavoured to break through the

locked and barricaded doors, one of their

number climbed over the balcony to the

room and forced an entry. One

adjoining

of the

terrorists

was trying

to set fire to

room to delay the assault team. One

of the SAS troopers tried to shoot him,
this

Left:

on

to

'Nimrod'

is

under way and the race

rescue the hostages being held

is

in the

embassy's second-floor telex room.

81

THE

SAS

AT

EM j_

WAR

L
Above: As the

took hold the embassy

fire

quickly filled with

CS gas thrown

in

but his Heckler

smoke and fumes, plus

by the SAS.

&

Koch jammed and

THE TELEX ROOM

Inside the telex room

his

room.

target escaped to the telex

itself,

two of

the

four surviving terrorists began to shoot

whom one was killed and

two wounded before the SAS could reach
the hostages, of

them.

One

of the SAS soldiers

part in the operation

who

took

remembers hearing

'We heard the screams of the

coming from the telex room.
they're killing them all," I heard my

the shots:

hostages
"Shit,

mate shout.
the

first

We

shooting with

Left:

raced into the room.' As

trooper burst into the room,

his pistol the terrorist

Five of the six terrorists

were

inside the embassy. The sixth

hiding

82

among

the hostages.

who

killed

was captured

COUNTER-TERRORISM: PRINCES GATE

1.

Operation Nimrod begins. As a

diversionary explosion rips through the

Red Team' abseils

third-floor skylight.

from the roof

Cypher

RED TEAM

while 'Blue Team'

(5)

Room

gains entry to the library.

SECOND FLOOR
2.

At the front, a four-man squad from

Blue Team' blows

in

the

window and

rescues Sim Harris.

3.

PC Trevor Lock tackles

leader

SAS
4.

Awn, who

troopers.

Another

terrorist runs into the

Ambassador's office and

5.

On the second

back

grenades set

it

A member

terrorist

7.

on

office, but their

fire.

of 'Red

heading

is killed.

Red Team' gain

floor,

entry into the

6.

terrorist

then killed by the

is

Team' chases a

for the telex

Three terrorists rush

room.

into the telex

room and begin shooting the hostages.

8.

is

shot by a pursuing

9.

The

fourth terrorist enters the room, but

office

10.

rest of 'Red

and head

SAS

soldier.

Team' burst out

for the telex

They discover one

of the terrorists

with a primed grenade and

11.

of the

room.

him.

kill

Those hostages being held

the

in

cypher room are freed.

12.

As the hostages are being

to the first floor,

spotted.

He

one

pulls a

led

away

of the terrorists is

grenade and

is

riddled with bullets.

13.

The hostages are led out

to the

gardens behind the building. Here

the last terrorist

is

found,

wounded

but alive.

The building has been cleared. The SAS

operation has taken just 17 minutes.

Dead
hostage

83

THE

SAS

WAR

AT

The inside of the embassy after the

Left:

rescue. The operation propelled the

Regiment into the media

tional responsibility

spotlight.

back to the police

at

1953 hours, having completed the job in

only 46 minutes. The casualty toll was

two hostages murdered, two hostages

wounded and one

trooper injured by

none of the

burns, but

captives

was

killed

or injured by their rescuers. Five of the

terrorists

taken

were

killed,

six

while the other was

alive.

MEDIA HEROES
Much to the dismay of the

SAS, television

cameras had been smuggled into the area

and much of the action was beamed live

into just about every home in the coun-

Had Operation 'Nimrod'

try.

plan,

could

this

not gone to
been extremely

have

embarrassing, but in the event the publicity sent

had just escaped

when

gun jammed, the other

his

submachine

three

mingle with the hostages. By

tried

now

to

the

building was swarming with troopers, but

it

had

CS

caught

also

gas, so

fire

and was

also full

everybody was evacuated

of

as fast

Two terrorists were posing as

One was pulled out of the line

as possible.

hostages.

of hostages leaving the building and made

He

to lie

on

cious

movement and was

the floor.

then

made

a suspi-

shot and killed.

His dead body was turned over, to reveal

hand grenade in his hand. The

second armed terrorist was shot and
a Soviet

killed trying to

make

his

way downstairs

man, who was

unarmed, was searched and tied up. He
was later sentenced to life imprisonment.
By 1928 hours, the first of the hostages
had been led out of the Embassy and 12
minutes later the building was declared
clear. The SAS formally handed operawith the hostages. The

last

shock waves reverberating around

terrorist community,
and earned the admiration of democracies around the world. Britain was clearly

the

international

no push-over

determined to use

for those

violence to achieve political aims.

For the Regiment there was not turning back.

From being

obscure

who

took part in Operation

formed into
of those

a relatively

had suddenly been transworld-famous force. One

specialist unit,

it

'Nimrod' sums up the

effect

SAS: 'Princes Gate was

it

had on the

turning point.

It

demonstrated to the powers that be what

the

Regiment could do and just what an

asset the
a

country had, but

problem we wished

spotlight.

years

it

also

In addition, for the

the

after

siege

brought

to avoid: the

Selection

media

first

few

courses

were packed with what seemed like every

man in the British Army wanting to join
the SAS.

We

numbers

who were

just couldn't

cope with the

applying, and so

we

had to introduce extra physicals on the

day just to get rid of the wasters. The
same problem affected R Squadron, the
reserve, and the sergeant in charge was
overwhelmed with recruits.' Success can
indeed be a double-edged sword.
first

Left:

The hostages are bound and searched

on the lawn

to the rear of the

embassy by the

SAS. The operation took just 17 minutes.

84

COUNTER-TERRORISM: PRINCES GATE

Operations
SAS were

1987, the services of the

In

Peterhead Prison in Scotland.

weapons

their

men

the hard

at

On

this occasion, the

home, using

civilians, the British

troopers

staves instead to 'persuade'

to give in gracefully. This type

of operation

When

few years

later,

SAS was not used -

the

allowed to go in

an early stage,

at

may

inmates' lives

months

Less than six

after the

counter-terrorist operatives

Irish

Republican

Army (IRA)

Gibraltar, but this operation

the Regiment, despite

1988, an

woman

IRA

IRA

as

it

SAS had been

was prepared

to do,

Peterhead Prison incident,

went

into action against an

'active service unit' in

its

success.

On

March

Friday 4

men and

comprising two

flew independently into Malaga Airport in southern

a Semtex bomb during
by British troops and

aim was to detonate

Spain. Their

regular 'changing of the guard'

bandsmen

in

nearby Gibraltar the following Tuesday.

The personnel

involved were Mairead Farrell,

who

had

served 10 years in prison in Northern Ireland for terrorist

bombings and killings; Danny McCann. the

Lower Falls area of Belfast, who had
masterminded a number of bombings and assassinations (the
RUC had linked him to no less than 26 murders); and Sean
offences such as

hard

man from

the

Through good

and observation work by the

intelligence

and Spanish

authorities,

members of the team had

been identified when undertaking

months
they

left

earlier,

a reconnaissance four

and they were under surveillance even before

Ireland (there seems to have

been another member

of the team, one whose identity has never been

established, but
it

seems her

intelligence

who

task

was

travelled
to travel

under the

alias

fully

of Mary Parkin;

ahead of the team and gather

concerning the target

area, escape routes

when would be the best time to strike).

In the month prior to their arrival, another

and

May

1987) had been expected, security around

targets in Ulster

sense for the

had been almost impregnable, so

IRA

woman

Army
it

made

to find a softer target overseas. After the

appaling Enniskillen Cenotaph

prime

target.

As

conse-

and Savage even arrived

Team was

codename

in

already in situ for

for the effort to stop the

IRA

rigged a hired Ford Fiesta

a multi-storey building,

then

Spanish car

left it in a

Another hired car, a Renault, was driven into Gibraltar

on the Saturday and parked to 'reserve' a space for the car
bomb. At about the same time, the three identified terrorists
park.

also drove into Gibraltar in

recce, followed

The

another hired car for

a final

by members of a Spanish counter-terrorist

following day they returned again,

this

time on

and headed for the Renault, which the British assumed

contained the bomb. Two four-man SAS patrols were now

foot,

tailing

moved

them, and

when

they headed back for the border one

in to arrest them.

As the troopers closed in, a police car siren 'twitched' the

and McCann turned round, immediately spotting
his follower. Realising that he had been spotted by the look
terrorists

on

McCann s

stated that

bomb by

face,

SAS

ment, the

and seeing him make

soldier

opened

he thought the

terrorist

radio. Farrell also

she was shot

made

Hearing the

as well.

a rapid

was about

a suspicious

to trigger the

movement and

shots, Savage,

walking alone, spun round and was gunned

When

arm move-

In court later the trooper

fire.

who

was

down by

searched, however,

people were found to be unarmed and had no

all

the
three

bomb

trigger

device on them.

The outcry by some sectors of the press at the killing of

unarmed terrorists was incredible. The Republican
movement, many of whose members appear to condone
cold-blooded murder of innocent civilians and security force
personnel, yet object to their 'soldiers' being gunned down
on an operational mission, made maximum capital from the
affair. The troopers involved had to take part in the
subsequent inquest into the shootings (September 1988). but

Irish

- Mar^' Parkin - had been spotted monitoring troop

movements at the regular Tuesday ceremonies in Gibraltar by
alerted security forces, and the British quickly realised what
the target was to be. As a reprisal for the Loughall ambush
(8

Special Projects

troopers following him.

Savage, the explosives expert.

British

McCann

'Flavius', the

in

bystanders, so the changing of

with 65kg (1401b) of Semtex, which was enough to

unit.

was to bring bad publicity down

active service unit

SAS

Protestant

at

had no hesitation

team.

demolish

decision criticised

If the

Farrell.

In nearby Marbella, the

well have been saved.

SAS

upon

Operation

IRA

that the

the guard was recognised as being a

Malaga, an

Strangeways Prison was taken over by rioters

by many inside and outside the service.

knew

maiming innocent

killing or

quence, before

would normally have been undertaken by Prison Officer

MUFTI (Minimum Use of Force for Tactical Intervention)
squads but, as the only safe access was over roof tops, it was
felt that the climbing skills of the SAS would be more
suited.

abroad

Day, 1987), which had been aimed primarily

enlisted to gain the

of a prison officer held hostage by inmates of

release

left

home and

at

bombing (Remembrance

no action was taken

against

them

as

they had acted only on

information supplied to them and within their remit.

final verdict

of the inquest was

that the terrorists

The

had been

killed lawfully.

Irrespective of the perceived rights or

Gibraltar killings, the

SAS had

bombing which could have

served

as a

wrongs of the

successfully prevented a car

killed

and maimed

scores.

It

also

timely deterrent to others intending to undertake

similar attacks.

85

THE FALKLANDS WAR

Retaking South Georgia
The capture of South Georgia was the

the Falkland Islands.

small

take the island.

The

Falkland

Atlantic

Islands

Ocean,

South

attention

of Argen-

home by

the

in

to the east

and 13,000km (8070 miles) from the

British Isles, have been under continuous

first

part of Britain's strategy for regaining the whole of

codenamed Task Force 319.9, was despatched

On board the ships was D Squadron, 22 SAS.

flotilla

of ships,

trom the economic

crisis

at

the island, to protect the survey team and

observe the Argentinians.

capturing the islands.

Meanwhile, some 1100km (700

tina

British

occupation

since 1833,

and administration

though the British

first

land-

population in 1982,

num-

ed on the islands in 1690.

The
bering

islands'
less

descent.

THE ARGENTINE INVASION

On Friday 19 March 1982,
Argentinians, posing
ers,

than 2000, was

of British

They spoke English with

a pre-

as

group of

scrap metal deal-

landed on the Falklands dependency

of South Georgia. At the time,

documentary film
at

the

ered themselves to be entirely British.

abandoned whaling

Neighbouring Argentina, however, has

long called the islands Las Malvinas and

Argentinians ignored normal diplomatic

proclaimed them

announced

as

hers.

that her already

When

Britain

minimal naval

Party 8901 a garrison

ment was

Antarctic Sur-

makers. Shortly after their arrival

and consid-

the

occupied only by

warm

left

the

was also put on

news of the flag-raising
reached the outside world. To call Naval

when

alert

an overstatement,

vey team and two

on the

as

formalities

and

station

of Leith, the

raised their national flag,

creating a diplomatic incident.

sions rising,

on 31 March

With

presence in the region was to be removed

detachment of Royal Marines from

almost completely, the unpopular military

Endurance,

junta in Argentina sought to divert public

ordered to provide

on

ten-

the 22-strong

HMS

ice patrol in the region,

a military

was

presence on

miles)

East Falkland, the

British military garrison

harsh winter approached, the island was

a British

on

to the northwest

dominantly west-country accent, drank

beer, drove

to

actually a bit

is

as its

of

normal compleforce of just

a platoon-sized

over 30 Royal Marines. As luck would

have
ly

however, the garrison was actual-

it,

twice

its

normal

size as the

replacement

Naval Party had just arrived for

period

of acclimatisation prior to hand-over.

On

April, suspecting that trouble

brewing, the Royal Marines'

ing

was

command-

Major Norman, deployed his

on East Falkland to guard key
He knew that they would not be

officer,

small force
points.

able

to

hold off the

full-scale

invasion

which the worried Falkland islanders

were predicting. However, by covering all
likely

approach routes he could

make

the Argentinians use force to oc-

cupy

the

Stanley.

capital,

Argentinians

made

When

move

their

at least

in

the
the

early hours

of Friday 2nd

codenamed

'Rosario', the Royal Marines

were waiting
least

for them.

in an operation

Outnumbered

15-1 by the invaders,

at

Normans men

little
chance of beating off the
amphibious and heliborne landings, but

had

they put up

stout defence for three

At 0830 hours, though, the

Governor of the islands, Mr Rex Hunt,
hours.

ordered the surrender to save inevitable

Royal Marine and

Left:

HMS Hermes

Falklands.

1982 with

86

She

left

civilian casualties.

battles her

way to

the

Portsmouth on 5 April

SAS soldiers on

board.

FALKLANDS WAR

THE

RETAKING SOUTH GEORGIA

Back in Hereford, as the incredible

news broke on the BBC. the commanding officer of 22 SAS. Lieutenant-Colonel

Squad-

crisis

unfold-

Michael Rose, immediately put

ron on standby. Typically, the

ed on

Friday afternoon, just as the

were due off on well-earned Easter

Bv

men

leave.

Saturday afternoon, cold weather

late

specialist kit. weapons and

ammunition were all being pulled out of
store, even though at this stage only two
men from G Squadron's Boat Troop were
officially on standby for deployment. On
Sunday morning, though, all of D Squadron was briefed, and the same afternoon
the advance party flew out for what was
to be the staging post on Ascension Island
on the equator. They were followed next

equipment,

day by the

HQ

staff

of the squadron, plus

rest

and

all

available specialists

all

from

other squadrons.

combat group consisted of

THE FALL OF SOUTH GEORGIA

Down on South Georgia, the Argentine
Navy tried to persuade Lieutenant Mills
and his small detachment of Royal
Marines to surrender on Saturday 3 April.

The Argen-

but they naturally refused.

tinians

then landed two parries of their

marines by helicopter on both sides of the

approaches

to

Grytviken harbour, and

fire on a British defensive

on King Edward Point. In reply.
the Royal Marines shot down one of the
two transport helicopters and damaged a

42 Commando.

No

tion (2 SBS) and

They were

vessels

Fort Austin

enemy

frigate

an

HMS
ship

for

'Paraquet'.

and the

The group of

frigate

ships

66mm

HMS

Royal Marine and SAS

Guy

some 1100km

its

proximity to

mid-ocean position,

winter climate closer to that of

/
*

f,

SOUTH

rV

Antarctic

Bay

ATLANTIC

^Fortuna

Glacier

UUtAN

Stromness Bay

Stromness

Cumberland Bay

GRYTVIKEN

St Andrews Bay

assault

SCOTIA SEA

command

of

undine
South
Harbour

Royal Bay

Sheridan, the

km
Right: Lying

roughly

Argentinian

was despatched by sea from Ascen-

South Georgia. Under

it

its

Newark
Bay

Royal Marine Major

in

SOUTH GEORGIA

sion with sealed orders for the recapture

oi

is

northern Iceland. The few settlements on

/
Haakon
Bay

invasion, a

give

rocket launchers,

after the

to the north,

is

Antarctica, plus

they

Bounf
8

machine gun fire. Having made their

and with no hope of escape, the
Royal Marines then negotiated a ceasefire

force

Aberdeen

Ice Fiord

point,

one week

the

Possession Bay

Cape North

King

Just

Although South Georgia

Plymouth.

assault,

HMS Endurance and

HMS Conqueror.

ship

the same latitude south of the equator as

mid-ocean with the

and raked the vessel with 1000 rounds of

and ultimate surrender.

SBS

1982.

nuclear submarine

was given the name

it

of action with

survey

codenamed

operation,

the

then sailed into the bay.

on the water-line with an

anti-armour missile, put its gun turret out
they holed

and

under escort of the destroyer

Antrim, which was the command

rendezvoused in

When

and Royal Marines on 25 April

Tidespring

Task Force 319.9. Before the

helicopter.

assaulted by a combined force of SAS,

transported south in the Royal

Fleet Auxiliary

position

observation

Above: Grytviken, South Georgia, which was

Squadron, 22 SAS.

both opened

light

Company

2 Special Boat Sec-

30

(700 miles)

miles
southeast of the Falklands, South Georgia

20

is

Cape Disappointment
subject to near Antarctic conditions.

87

SAS

THE
the island cling to the edge of deep fiords,

while permanent glaciers running

the

to

sea

the

fill

between its
of April,
throes of an Ant-

valleys

mountain

ridges. In the last half

the island

is

in the first

winter and daylight

arctic

down

lasts

for only a

Squadron

WAR

AT

South Atlantic, on
would be of more
use on board than kicking their heels on
the island. With a full SAS squadron on
of

to the

the grounds that they

attachment, plus 2 SBS, the

major

now had

Commando

nearly 300 highly trained

island,

men

at his disposal for this tricky

Argentinians believed that the weather

tion.

Air support included Fleet Air

few brief hours. Once on the

made

alone

the

impregnable to

island

anything other than an assault from the

sea,

and

men

had more than

that they

to guard the

few

sufficient

suitable inlets.

THE SAS LAND ON FORTUNA GLACIER

Rather than mounting

blind amphibi-

Major Sheridan, in consultaMajor Cedric Delves, the SAS

commander, decided to put covert observation teams on the island to assess the
strength of the enemy. Men of D Squadron's Mountain Troop would be flown in
by helicopter to the west of the secondary
ous

assault,

tion with

objective

of Leith. Simultaneously, the

up

wind over
to

gale

again. After

in

below

SAS

zero,

They radioed

possible.
it

was imperative

it

to get the

soldiers off the glacier as quickly as

was several hours

for extraction, but

after

dawn

before

three helicopters, a radar-equipped anti-

Arm

submarine version leading the way for the

two troop carriers, were able to reach

the Fortuna Glacier picked

force

horrendous night

pretty

opera-

Wessex and Lynx helicopters, plus the

Wasp from HMS Endurance.
At midday on Wednesday 21 April, less
than three weeks after the Argentinian
invasion and nearly 6000km (3700 miles)
from the nearest British base, a troop of
16 SAS mountain warfare experts landed
on a sub-Antarctic glazier in a blizzard. It
had taken the naval helicopter pilots three
journeys from ship to shore before eventually the blizzard lifted just enough to
allow the troopers to de-bus. Within minutes, conditions returned to whiteout as
the

After a

storm-force winds and temperatures well

battling

them during

storm. The

a short lull in the

up the 16 men
between them and headed down and out
helicopters quickly picked

sea,

but in whiteout condi-

second

aircraft crashed, injuring

towards the
tions the

one trooper and writing itself off. The

other two helicopters returned to collect
the survivors between them, but just after
take-off the second troop carrier hit an
ice ridge

On

and

also crashed.

checking that there were no

seri-

ous injuries from the second crash, the

of the remaining helicopter flew

pilot

HMS

back to

Antrim to deposit

He

his full

from 2 SBS, would go

against the elements for five hours, carry-

load

ashore by inflatable well to the southwest

ing 35kg (771b) bergens and pulling four

medical supplies and blankets before re-

of Grytviken, which would be the main

sledges (called pulks) each

main advance

objective. If

party,

all

went

SBS would be used

ary raids

came

as

the

to plan, the

SAS and

to launch diversion-

main

Commando

force

ashore.
first

only

had covered

one kilometre when the

fail.

When

tic tents

one SAS troop was

included by the Ministry of Defence in
At

(2001b), the troop

weighing 90kg
light

they tried to erect

less

than

began

a pair

for shelter, the -wind swept

away and snapped the poles of the

to

of arc-

one

other.

but prior to leaving Ascension Delves

Most of the troop spent a freezing night

on the glacier with just sleeping and biwi
bags for protection. The operation was

persuaded the Royal Navy to transport

starting to

the Operation 'Paraquet' order of battle,

all

of passengers.

then

coflected

turning immediately to the crash

site,

but

the weather had closed in and he had to

return to Antrim to refuel.

It

took Lieu-

tenant-Commander Ian Stanley two

more attempts that day before he managed to rescue the

rest

of the troop.

BOAT TROOP GOES INTO ACTION

With

Mountain Troop

Squadron's

recuperating from their ordeals, and any

go very wrong.

hope of a further landing on the Fortuna

Glacier indefinitely postponed, the squadron's

j2L

Boat Troop put

operation. This

embark the
paid

off.

is

full

Five

back-up plan into

where the decision

squadron

Gemini

at

to

Ascension

inflatable boats,

each

carrying a three-man team, were launched

darkness

in

to

make

their

on the Friday morning

way to an offshore island,

from where they could observe Leith and

the other settlements around Stromness

However, despite the engines having

to launch, three of
the boats refused to restart, and two of the
Geminis had to tow the other three
Bay.

been warmed up prior

If'

^j

H^

^H^V
1

Am

W*~ ^dm
88

towards the

Left:

island.

A wrecked Wessex helicopter on

Fortuna Glacier during the attempts to

extract

Squadron's Mountain Troop.

FALKLANDS WAR

THE
Right: The Argentinian

was disabled in
being

hit

RETAKING SOUTH GEORGIA

submarine Santa Fe

Grytviken harbour after

by rockets and depth charges.

When

the

wind suddenly picked up to

on the run-in. two of the

gale force again

towed Geminis broke

crew of one was

loose,

though the

rescued by heli-

later

The

troopers on the second driftmanaged to swim ashore on a

headland, and went to ground for several
days to avoid compromising the mission.
The other three teams made it to their
objective and set up 'hides', from where
they could observe the settlements. To the
copter.

ing Gemini

southeast,

launched

meanwhile, the
at

the

SBS teams

same time had

run

also

into severe weather problems, and had to

abort after ice punctured their inflatables.

They were re-inserted by Wessex

copter on the morning of the 25th.

British

were temporarily put aside

discovered that an

ships

defenders by

of taking the island by

All thoughts
assault

heli-

the

as

enemy

submarine was heading

in their direction.

The

to

flotilla

scattered

increase

their

at least

3-1 to ensure suc-

SAS and Royal Marines

cess,

but the

don't

worry about

bombardment
from Plymouth and Antrim, which was
carefully

aimed

naval

to land near the defenders

without hitting them, the

chances of survival.

ers

THE ASSAULT ON GRYTVIKEN

As luck would have it, when returning
from dropping off the SBS team, Wessex

were landed

in

first

SAS

dead ground

troop-

couple

of kilometres (1.2 miles) from the

settle-

pilot Ian Stanley spotted the Argentinian

Subsequent Wessex and Lynx

sorties brought in the rest of the force,
and when all were assembled on the ridge

submarine, the Santa Fe, on the surface,

overlooking Grytviken, one of the

and dropped depth charges to

troops

The

charges slightly

Lynx and Wasp

disable

it.

damaged it. as did the

which subse-

helicopters

ment.

advanced

along

the

SAS

shoreline

defenders.

down

ment of

initiative,

surprise

now

and with any

ele-

gone, the British

also

sailing

main

assault force

too far out to

as

the

assembled on board

scratch force was

HMS

Antrim.

Com-

two SAS troops, a second SBS

team, 10 Royal Marines from the Antrim's
company and all other available Royal
Marines on the ship, this force numbered
just over 70 in total. Against them they
expected to find double the number of
defenders. According to military doctrine,
prising

attackers

should

alwavs

outnumber

of G Squadron were

was

as

Lieutenant-

mental

The

Headquarters.

capture

of

huge boost to
the morale of the whole Task Force, and
had also confirmed the wisdom of having
the SAS and SBS included.
South Georgia had given

Below: The note of surrender signed by the

commander of the South Georgia garrison,

Lieutenant Commander Alfredo Astiz.

keen to surrender. The Union Jack flag

was quickly run up by the SAS squadron
sergeant-major,

first

who had

first

the Argentinian national

battle

pulled

flag.

The

of the Falklands conflict had

been fought and won, with no major

por

cstc medio hrtd. abi

British casualties.
Base

of Royal Marines was

sea, a

men

south,

Colonel Michael Rose with the Regi-

V?

decided to attack immediately, but

at sea

towards the settlement. Ahead of them,

Argentinians, to indicate they were very

Seizing the

Squadron was back

white sheets had been hung out by the

it with rockets and gunUnable to submerge, the submarine

limped into Grytviken, much to the dismay of the now panicking Argentinian

quently strafed

fire.

heading for the Falkland Islands proper.

Meanwhile, the

things like that.

Under cover of a

following day.

CV- LeJtli \

las

Cacani

wnStiona La

MOPPING-UP OPERATIONS

GotkcrtK) AacntiiKi a mtrrsr/Ja/tl.

The next day, two SAS troops and one of

the SBS teams flew to Leith by helicopter,

Vi/otmrir lliarstys

where, upon considering

the Argentinian

his position fully.

commander of

the

military

personnel

and

Argentinians in civilian clothes.

By

fed in

/..-.

Lmm el Jbdt
1ltJ3*t'tr*<J~

3toU

abril
Jil

16-

man detachment surrendered without a

fight. The combined SAS, SBS and Royal
Marine assault force had now captured
156

in

A>\c

AC

38
the

89

SAS

THE

WAR

AT

Intelligence Gathering
From the beginning of May

SAS and SBS parties were

1982,

put ashore on the Falklands

was

carry out a variety of missions, the most important of which

would be most suitable

Owing

to the vast distance

from the

nearest British airfield at Ascension

and the lack of conventional

Island,

craft carriers

air-

capable of taking reconnaisintelligence

on

sance

aircraft,

enemy

troop dispositions

Islands

was almost non-existent. The pre-

cise

British

on

the Falkland

of the trailer-mounted
Exocet anti-shipping missiles,

location

When
high

drawn up,
low opening (HALO)

the initial plans were

altitude,

RAF

by

height of

7400m

as a

Much

who

troopers,

would be

was consid-

Even more publicity-shy than the

men of the Royal Marine Special
Boat Service slipped silently ashore by
canoes and inflatable boats to take soil

onto

samples, measure beach gradients, prepare

Hercules flying

(24,000ft)

way of getting SAS

the Falklands.

to

determine which sites

for a large-scale British landing.

insertion

ered

to

soldiers

to the relief

how

realised

at

of the

SAS, the

and undertake

tide tables

a host

of other

it

survey tasks required to establish the best

stormy

place for an amphibious landing. Like the

difficult

to land safely in the

ability.

conditions of the South Atlantic, this idea

SAS, they moved and worked

which could be shore-launched against

the British assault ships, was also giving
cause for concern. To provide the Commander of the Carrier Battle Group,
Rear-Admiral Woodward, with as much
accurate information as possible, and to
try to locate the Exocet launchers, the
men of the Mountain, Air and Mobility
Troops from G Squadron were put ashore

was scrubbed. However,

ing up in 'hides' during daylight hours to

by helicopter

their objectives.

French

three

nights

Later,

more

were

also

patrols

more

all

across the Falklands over

commencing on
patrols

from

from

equipped with the

Her-

new

in-

flight refuelling

probes had been available

only a few days

earlier, this

might have gone ahead.

Navy Sea King

high-risk plan
Instead,

using brand-new night vision

inserted

locations

Royal

helicopters, their pilots

goggles,

the Regiment's patrols in safe

within

one

night's

march of

Squadron

Squadron, or to cover

at night, lay-

avoid being compromised. If there were

Argentinian troops in the area, the

SBS

observed their numbers, movements and

routines.
similar

At

in

SBS sections, each

SAS troop, were

least three

size

an

to

deployed during the

conflict.

Between 30 and 40 troopers from G

Squadron, working in four-man patrols,
covered areas of actual and possible Argentinian deployment across the islands.

May.

deployed to relieve some of the

locations.

cules aircraft

if sufficient

THE SAS AND SBS GO IN

All available SBS teams also went ashore
over the same period as the SAS patrols to
check possible landing beaches for

suit-

On West Falkland, two patrols covered the

main settlements of Port Howard and the
Fox Bay area. On East Falkland, patrols
observed the areas around San Carlos in
the west, Port Salvador to

the

north,

Goose Green on the narrow isthmus between Lafonia and the more occupied
parts

of the

island, the capital Stanley,

three possible landing

These

last

sites

near

three locations,

and

it.

Cow

Bay,

Berkeley Sound and Bluff Cove, were the

logical places for an

amphibious

assault as

they offered relatively easy overland access

to Stanley.

However,

as

within range of enemy

they were well

artillery positions,

and the defenders expected an attack

from this direction, they were soon ruled
out. However, the SAS patrols kept watch
over all locations for anything from ! 5 to
26 days. During

had to

this

period, the troopers

on the whole without rethis would have compromised

exist

supply, as

their position, but unlike previous desert

Left:

An SAS patrol

waiting to be inserted

behind Argentinian lines on West and East

Falkland, early

90

May

1982.

FALKLANDS WAR: INTELLIGENCE GATHERING

THE

campaigns, on

and mountain
water

fresh

was

at least

job

this

Michael Rose

plentiful.

The Falklands terrain is similar to that

of Dartmoor so, from well-camouflaged

Michael

Rose was a lieutenant-colonel at the time of the Falklands War, being

commander of 22 SAS Regiment. It was Rose, together with another SAS
veteran. Brigadier Peter de la Billiere. who was responsible for the SAS taking part

among the rocky

SAS patrols careful-

observation posts (OPs)

tors

and outcrops, the

monitored the unsuspecting Argen-

ly

Encoded messages were

tinians.
at

regular intervals to the operation

mand

on the

centre

carrier

Known

code form then

the

it

frequency burst which

even

that

enemy

the

if

transmitters.

out in

lasts

high-

than

less

it

is

is

tracking stations to take an accurate

as
I

more

is

usual, the

enemy

able to broadcast

on the radio

to begin surrender negotiations that

LIFE IN

Once

from within

few hun-

AN OBSERVATION POST

warm

and the occasional boil-in-the-

tea

bag hot meal soon became the highlight

of the
the

bombardment and
on enemy posiearnest, the SAS watchers

the British naval

tions started in

were able to provide accurate target infor-

mation to the gunners and airmen. For

example,

when

a patrol

dug

in

on Beaver

Ridge above Port Stanley located

copter

night

dispersal

miles) to the west,

Several

site

30km

was able to

it

a heli-

(18

call in

an

transport

heli-

copters were destroyed or severely

dam-

strike.

vital

aged on the ground.

patrol spent a total
'hide' before

The

troopers in this

of 25 days

in their tiny

being replaced on 25 May.

Lying in their cold, wet 'hides' in the

peaty Falklands

soil,

or for the lucky few

cover of a rock outcrop, the eight

in the

would

lead

day.

A member of G

who

Squadron

Any movement was

Argentinian

or even

groups of foraging soldiers, were

stant

threat,

and

their helicopters

awful,

was

problem getting and staying warm. The wet was the

a gale.

It

me,

real killer for

don't like being wet.

During observation

at

night

would

It

was

tral

like

someone turning on

it.

the cen-

heating system, then, the next instant,

you would be cold

LIVING

AMONG

THE ENEMY

patrol

four men, only two normally

manned

of
the

forward OP. with their colleagues covering

them from

lying-up position (LUP)

The

well out of sight of the enemy.

would

alternate

after

captured. This sad incident

happened on West Falkland only four

days before the end of the conflict.

Very early

in

May.

mysterious heli-

copter crash occurred in southern Chile.

The whole
is

incident has been shrouded in

by both Britain and Chile, but

secrecy,

widely believed

that

the

involved had been inserting

Argentina.

The

amphibious

SAS

biggest

patrols

threat

task force

it

King

Sea

to

was the

presence of long-range Super Etendard

consisted

usually

was

to cover his signaller's escape, but he

wounded and

Britain's

Although

obser-

cer in this patrol was killed trying vainly

into

again.'

SAS

only one

dark to

pairs

van.-

the

aircraft,

tinian

Exocet

operating from southern Argen-

bases

and armed with anti-ship

It was widely reported

missiles.

during and

after the conflict that the

SAS

undertook observation of these airfields

to provide advance warning of the

small

con-

to have several hours uninterrupted sleep.

ing radar early warning planes, such an

criss-

on re-supply and reconmissions. Other than at dawn,

daily routine.

This way every four days each

chance to recharge

naissance

all

the Argentinians

a real

break open a bar of chocolate and eat

crossed the skies

before

"The weather was

was either raining, drizzling or

it

blowing

in:

territory,

been confirmed. Had the Royal

virtually impossible

patrols,

men worked

occupied

vation patrol was compromised. The offi-

During daylight hours in

the OP both men would remain alert, but
one of the soldiers in the LUP would try

were interminably long.

daylight hours

the

were

SAS teams were

Harrier ground attacks

as

On

of the garrison.

to the capitulanon

lived in a 'hide' describes the conditions

their hopeless position.

afternoon of 14 June. Rose flew into Stanley

use frequency

dred metres of major Argentine positions.

air

Towards the end

warfare operations against the enemy, broadcasting

for

fix. If,

that their transmissions

virtually untraceable, the

in the war.

even 'hear' the burst. Safe in the

knowledge

would be

it

to the Falkland

of the campaign, Rose conducted psychological

scanners, the chances are that they will

not

took an active part

locked onto the

impossible

SAS

Islands'. However, Rose lobbied Brigadier Julian

Thompson, commander of 3 Commando Brigade,
Royal Marines, for the SAS to be included in the
Task Force. Rose was proved right, and the SAS

the transmission time

is

frequency,

correct

'no scenario could be envisaged where

necessary to deploy the

computmessage in morse

'squirt'

second. So short

com-

Hermes

these

as 'burst' radios,

erised sets store

HMS

radio

state-of-the-art

by

was most ironic, for only two

months before the invasion he was informed that

in the British operation to retake the islands. This

sent back

were out and

about, stoves could not be used so rations

had to be eaten cold. The dawn brew ot

man

his batteries.

got

At night

of the patrol would return to the LUP.

each taking

his

Incredibly,

turn to

mount

throughout

guard.

nearly

weeks of covert operations deep

in

eight

enemy

Etendards' departure, but this has never

had an

aircraft carrier

capable of launch-

operation would not have been necessary.

Two weeks

after the first

Squadron

observation patrols were landed

islands,

on

the

major SAS night attack was

launched on Pebble Island to the north of

West Falkland. The

isolated settlement

on
91

THE

SAS

WAR

AT

Above:

SBS swimmer canoeists. The SBS

their SAS counterparts

Pebble Island was served by

a small grass

worked closely with

airstrip,

during the Falklands conflict.

the process of extending to give a night

dispersal
aircraft.

which the Argentinians were

field

Some

for Pucara

in

ground-attack

Argentinian military plan-

changed his mind, as such equipment

might possibly detect the main assault
fleet. On the night of 9/10 May, therefore,

two four-man

half of

patrols,

equating to

Squadron's Boat Troop, prepared

go ashore on

to

island

Falkland was the most likely possibility.

To save time, the

following night they were inserted by
helicopter on West Falkland, complete
with collapsible canoes to enable them to
cross to Pebble Island. They laid low on
West Falkland for a day, before crossing to

on Pebble Island was

would give them an operational base from where they could launch
ground-attack operations on any such
the airfield
it

beachhead. In

fact the British

to land at San Carlos

the aircraft

on

on Pebble

had decided

East Falkland, but

Island

still

posed

by

reconnaissance of the

inflatable boats, but

bad weather

cancelled the mission.

the island the following night.

grave threat to the landings.

PREPARING TO RAID PEBBLE ISLAND

At first, Admiral 'Sandy' Woodward

would not approve Operation 'Prelim', as

With one

he

and Paras

felt that

ships supporting the operation

would be put unnecessarily

report from a

Navy

pilot

of

at

risk.

possible

other four

patrol guarding the canoes, the

men
'tab',

trogged (Marines 'yomp'

but

SAS

over the island to the

troopers 'trog')

airstrip.

they observed no fewer than

At dawn
1 1

Pucara

possible landing sites around the Falklands

on the ground,
then slipped away to lie low during daylight hours, though because of the flat terrain and lack of cover, they had to dump

for the Task Force.

their

radar emission from the island, however,

Left: British

92

ous landing on sparsely populated West

completed,

.!>..

ners also thought that a British amphibi-

Once

fit

I.

special forces

made notes

of all

ground-attack

bergens

aircraft

first.

After

darkness

that

FALKLANDS WAR: INTELLIGENCE GATHERING

THE

For the ships taking part

Captain John Hamilton

ohn Hamilton's

exploits during the Falklands

audacity and courage displayed by

J2 SAS in January
his

1981, joining

SAS

are typical

Squadron

to lead

of the kind of

on Pebble

the raid

at

Grytviken

few days

men and

Island, leading his

Argentinian Pucara

aircraft. Later, his

winds.

He

also

career he displayed great courage and

fatal injuries.

Throughout

humour, and

his actions

Lines. Like so

parlance

many

means he

made

their

way back

to join

their

information to the Task Force early on

morning of the

the

13th.

Out

was sanctioned and the

raid

Squadron
departure

made

at sea,

preparations

final

on the night of the

the

of

rest

for

SAS

Originally the objectives of the raid

were the destruction of the enemy aircraft, their ground crews and the island's
garrison. However, due to strong headwinds Hermes took longer to reach the

meant

14th.

that the

than

SAS

expected. This

soldiers

would only

have a short time to carry out their mis-

THE PEBBLE ISLAND RAID

The attack force assembling on

sion.

HMS

Hermes was between 50 and 60 strong,

and included

from 148

cer

forward observation

Commando

Artillery' to call in naval gunfire

HMS

from the destroyer

offi-

Battery Royal

support

Glamorgan.

Because the Sea Kings had to be

back on Hermes before daylight, so

M16

assault rifle,

with three

spare magazines plus another

200 rounds

carried an

of 5.56mm

flying-off point

(36 miles)

Each member of the SAS raiding party

the clock tower at Stirling

failed to stay alive.

and then radioed

60km

shorter flight in the strong winds.

the

ammunition.

men were

Light Anti-tank

their colleagues,

(six

of the island to give the Sea Kings

many of
evening, they

though,

10km

within

herself sailed to within

earned the

before him. he had "failed to beat the clock', which in

to

sail

the helicopters get into trouble. Hermes

his short

and admiration of the enemy commander of the garrison, General Mario

Menendez. Hamilton was awarded a posthumous Military Cross for his actions

name was engraved upon

to

support and be on hand should any of

battle for

praise

near Port Howard, and his

defective and she

of the shore to provide gunfire

miles)

observation post above Port Howard, West

lengthy period before succumbing to his

became

to slip behind. Glamorgan,

managed

took part in

outnumbered, he gave

made slow progress in the heavy

Then her Sea Wolf surface-to-air

missile system

began

personally destroying four

Falkland, was discovered by the enemy. Heavily

SAS

later.

frigate

ships for

Hermes,

He joined
Mountain Troop. He led
campaign.

troop during the assault on South Georgia, failing on Fortuna Glacier but

being ultimately victorious

War

soldiers in the

The

one of the escort

Broadsword,
r

in the raid,

the weather was a problem.

all

are

addition,

In

carrying

M72

Weapons (LAWs), which

light

but have high-explosive war-

grounded

heads

ideal against

HIT AND RUN

When the three

Sea

Kings

attackers in to the landing

aircraft.

flew

the

zone about

seven kilometres (three miles) from the

airfield,

patrols

they were met by the recce

from Boat Troop and led to their

pre-designated

start-line.

Due

to

the

three ships could be well east of the island

to

minimise the threat from Argentinian

aircraft,

the aircraft

the priority targets.

on the

airstrip

were

Below: Typically bleak Falklands

notwithstanding the explosions.

had to

terrain,

SAS teams

dig covert 'holes' in such ground.

The

main attacking force was provided by

Mountain Troop, with Air and Mobility
Troops providing stop parties and a

The men from Boat Troop not

reserve.

previously deployed

on the recce acted

tion to personal

weapons, ammunition,

ammunition

rocket launchers and spare

for the

GPMGs,

each trooper carried two

81mm

mortar bombs for the

was taken along for support

The

as

party for a mortar team. In addi-

a screen

mortar

that

fire.

transport to the island was provid-

ed by Sea King helicopters of 846 Naval

Squadron. The

Air

were equipped with

suite

As they
be

and auto-hover systems.

are designed to fly in

SAS
a

themselves

complete avionics

which included doppler navigation

radar, auto-pilot

the

aircraft
a

soldiers

knew

problem with

there

all

weathers

would not

insertion.

93

SAS

THE

aforementioned

difficulties

with

the

weather, Operation 'Prelim' had got off

to a late start, but the troopers
to

managed

make up some time during

advance over the

0700

At

launched

its

the

Mountain Troop

hours,
attack

accompanied by

4.5in

gun barrage on the enemy trenches

from

HMS

Due to the lack of

commenced the oper-

Glamorgan.

time, the attackers

ation by shooting and blowing holes in

the aircraft with

66mm LAW
when

rifles,

machine guns and

anti-armour weapons, but

they realised that the Argentinians

were not

firing

await the return of their helicopters. With

the

Argentinian

dumps
aircraft

back to any great extent

or effect, they placed explosive charges

on

the airframes.

hours

fuel

ammunition
gunfire and 1

and

destroyed by naval

SAS departed two and

after the first shot

casualties

were one

man

was

fired.

Short Skyvan light transport

and

aircraft

were

destroyed before the team pulled back

after

5 minutes

continued

until

of brisk action. Contact

0730 hours, by which

time the Squadron had regrouped and

was withdrawing to the pick-up point to

94

Regiment was

D Squadron mounted

support the landings.

the

while carrying out

with concussion

who

three and

had been

a total success,

and

had dented Argentinian morale substantially, as

well as raising the spirits of the

British Task Force. In addition, there

no enemy

on Pebble

were

Island

to

with the proposed landings

at

aircraft

While the Pebble Island raid was being

planned and executed, SAS intelligence
gathering

continued unabated. Despite

Intrepid.

As

light

in

Hermes to

started to fade

ZA

294, with

on 19
crew of

crammed with men from D and

made the last flight of the

Squadrons,

day.

The

from

helicopter approached Intrepid

directly astern, but then

hit the aircraft

The
SAS

and

it

soldiers. It

something

plunged into the

crash killed over 20

sea.

men, 18 of them

was the Regiment's high-

World War
The Regiment hardened

est single loss since

II.

its

resolve

and carried on. Unfortunately there were

other tragedies, as a member of D

the fact that there were 11,000 Argen-

Squadron

on the Falklands and 42

enemy aircraft and helicopters, both the
SAS and SBS were able to insert teams
onto the islands without difficulty. But

our cousins

tinian soldiers

transfer the special

had been housed

May, Sea King

simple transfer.

was decided to

It

continuing with the attack.

raid

to suffer a grievous loss

a half

forces

The

to

Their

San Carlos Water.

In total six Pucaras, four trainers

landings at San Carlos.

a diversionary raid

command-wire land mine

blast and one trooper with a minor shrapnel wound, which did not prevent him
following

interfere

RETURN TO HERMES

Above: A British Army patrol after the

smouldering on the edge of the

runway, the

island.

WAR

AT

explains:
in the

specific areas to

'Working alongside
we were given

SBS,

work in. The concept, as

of war where friendly

in other theatres

forces

work

in

confined

area,

was

to

FALKLANDS WAR: INTELLIGENCE GATHERING

THE
Carcass
Island

^ ^febble

Keppel

vs ~

^OSaun

x)

Island

Island

.^O,,

FoulBay
Middle

Bay)

WEST FALKLAND
ouna

m
u. o
BluffCo

CHALLENGER

^V

5r^^^WNLEY

EAST FALKLAND

KEY

SAS

SAS

SBS

raids

observation
posts
observation
posts

km

south ATLANTIC OCEAN

500

miles

eliminate the danger of patrols running

on

the Regiment supported conventional forces.

during the war.

until

both

casualties, that

SBS

is

patrol. Exactly

into each other

sequence was

is

were no

SAS team

until an

of the Argentinian garrison

sides realised

their mistake. Fortunately there

into an

members

with

happened several times in

and patrols would open up

on each other

20

Below: SAS teams fought several gun battles

ended after the landings on 21 May. After this

blue",

the Falklands,

Above: The SAS's intelligence gathering

as

into each other. This scenario,

"blue

known

miles

25

how

a mystery,

ran

they ran

but the con-

a short, intense firefight in

which one of the SBS men, Sergeant

"Kiwi" Hunt, was mortally wounded.
Great shame. He was one of the unsung
heroes of the war, living ashore for weeks
before the main landings.'
The work carried out by the
Regiment before the British landings
provided the Task Force with invaluable
intelligence

and

concerning enemy strengths

dispositions, as well as the

geography

The

landings at

of the islands themselves.

San Carlos did not mark the end of the

SAS's war in the Falklands, merely the

beginning of another phase, in many ways

a

more dangerous phase, but one

Regiment would excel.

in

which

the

95

SAS

THE

WAR

AT

Battling through to Stanley

SAS played a part in supporting the establishment of a beachhead at San Carlos Water,
and then aided conventional units by conducting deep-penetration patrols to locate enemy
forward positions and drive in their outposts. And the SAS finished the war with a flurry.

The

The

of the Pebble Island

effect

raid

had

undermined Argentinian
morale. At dead of night on an isolated
island, a garrison of more than 100 troops
had been taken on by a daring team less
seriously

than

half their

In

strength.

spite

^Hf>w

of

Argentinian propaganda claims of a great

success,

news of the

raid, often

grossly

exaggerated by young conscripts, spread

the length and breadth of the Falklands.

Few
tents

Argentinians slept

at

<

SHuSJI--^^2

'"

'

ease in their
>

and trenches during the following

now

nights as they waited for the

inevit-

able British landing.

The main

landing was planned for the

inlet

morning of 21 May in the double

of San Carlos Water on the opposite

side

of East Falkland from Stanley. Three

early

landing points were picked,

Beaches near San Carlos Settlement,

few kilometres to
Beach near Port San
the enemy and deter
Squadron was tasked

the

plus,

Carlos.

1_

To confuse

reinforcements,

with mounting

to

San Carlos Water. Their task was to

try

to persuade an Argentinian force to sur-

Stanley, the location of an

on a large Argentinian
Goose Green, some 40km (25

render by fair means or foul, and they

borrowed an SAS mortar team to help
them do it. Back at Goose Green, the 40
or 50 troopers had spread themselves out
overlooking the enemy and opened up

raid on the night of the 13/14 June.

On

the evening of the

19th the squadron cross-decked by Sea

HMS Hermes to the commanHMS Intrepid to prepare

ship

with

disproportionately high

number of

tegic central high

miles)

into

enemy

machine guns, anti-armour missiles, mortars and grenade launchers. The 1200

They

DIVERSIONARY RAIDS
Eleven badged SAS men,

defenders returned

until the arrival

sergeant-majors

including the

of both

Squadrons, plus nine dedicated

of the support arms

vious chapter).

all

Many

had taken part

and

members

perished (see pre-

of the dead troopers

in the successful Pebble

Island raid only days before. Despite this

tragedy, the following night the

men of D Squadron

remaining

flew ashore to launch

the diversionary raid.

Major
night march

Squadron, led

by

making its epic

on Goose Green, the SBS flew ashore at
Fanning Head on the northern entrance
Delves, was

96

fire

sporadically but

ground of Mount Kent

was not manned by the enemy, D

Squadron deployed more than 60km (36

for the attack.

While

way to
SAS diversionary

Above: Royal Marines (RM) on their

miles) to the south.

King from
do assault

north, Green

diversionary raid
garrison at

mm.

Red and Blue

held

it

territory to seize

for almost a

it.

week, despite

numerous probing Argentinian

patrols,

of the Royal Marines.

did not dare counterattack, thinking that

they were being attacked by

talion.

The odds

against the

erally

25 to

but

1,

Breaking contact

at

at least a bat-

SAS were

'Who

lit-

Dares Wins'!

daybreak, the

SAS

marched off north to join up with the

first wave of the main landing, stopping
only to use

down

Stinger missile to shoot

Pucara on

its

way

With the men of

manning observation
East Falkland,
into a

OP

Squadron

still

flown into theatre

replacements.

as battlefield casualty

They joined

the Task Force

by parachuting into the Atlantic

12-hour

flight

after a

from Ascension, where

they were picked up by Glamorgan.

on West

Falkland,

now

that their

survey duties were over, the

Over
beach

SBS ringed

throughout

the island with covert observation posts

Squadron was pressed

to keep an eye on the Argentinians. They

were joined in the first few days of June
by five patrols from D Squadron, two of

posts

more conventional

Squadron

to San Carlos.

B SQUADRON FLIES IN
At about the same time B Squadron was

role.

When

confirmed that the

stra-

FALKLANDS WAR

THE

which relieved G Squadron patrols which

had been there throughout May.

The
was

battle to recapture the Falklands

now

almost over, but on the night of

13/14 June the SAS mounted one

buccaneering

some of the heat off 2 Para's attack on

Wireless Ridge, one of whose companies
was

commanded by

mer SAS

officer, a

had used

its

searchlights to highlight the

boats in the harbour. Justice was done,

when

though,

the

Stanley harbour raid was to be the

major SAS action of this diverse con-

flict,

where every aspect of SAS training

to good use.'

and procedures was put

SAS-BR0KERED CEASEFIRE

On

14 June 1982, with

was an ammuni-

fire

in

Stanley and the eastend of Wireless Ridge, with the

attackers being landed by helicopter.
However, when the weather closed in,
four Royal Marine Rigid Raider assault
boats were requisitioned instead.

and

tion

original objective

dump between

ern

RAID ON STANLEY
The defences in and around

itself

and around the

soldiers in

105mm

150mm

and

artillery,

guns and Panhard armoured

anti-aircraft

back them up.

cars to

Spanish-speaking

from other SAS troops on

the north shore (they had descended from
fire

Murrell Heights to lay

down

which they had brought with them from

Hereford (the possibility that Britain may

At

first

Menendez would

a limited surrender, as

consider

he could not

However, Rose would have none of it,

and informed the Argentinian that a half
surrender was no surrender. Unknown to
Menendez, the British Task Force high
command would have settled for the sur-

down

under

The
SAS party then moved off to Government House, where they hoisted the
small SAS Regimental Union Jack,
the official instrument of surrender.

have been defeated in the war was not

Islands.

render of East

inlet,

of the Falkland

four Marine raiding squadron coxswains,

cover of

Captain

officer,

Menendez, demoralised and receiving no

clear instructions from the Junta in
Buenos Aires, capitulated in the face of
such resolution. His surrender would
encompass the whole of the islands.
Within two hours an agreement had
been reached, and before midnight on
June Major-General Jeremy Moore, the
British land forces commander, and the
Argentinian commander-in-chief signed

Mario Menendez, Argentinian governor

stage, as units

eastwards along the

general cease-

were helicoptered into Stanley to

discuss surrender terms with General

The 60-strong force, comprising three

SAS troops, a six-man SBS section and
raced

Lieutenant-Colonel Rose

speak for the garrison on West Falkland.

Stanley

were quite formidable. There were some

town, plus

effect,

Bell,

only

8000 enemy

by

a well-respected for-

diversionary seaborne

was launched opposite Port

The

hit

The
last

Stanley.

raid

was

ship

Argentinian gunfire.

last

an attempt to take

raid. In

it

ATTLING THROUGH TO STANLEY

shortages.

Falkland

alone

at

this

were experiencing severe

The Army,

for example,

was

even

considered).

hauled

down and

Later

this

flag

replaced by a

was

much

larger version, one brought from the UK

by the Royal Marines.
Thus ended the Falklands War. For the
Regiment it had been a well-fought
campaign, in which it had had the opportunity to display its wide range of skills.
Once again the men of the SAS displayed
their cool professionalism,

them had died winning

though 20 of

the war.

to six rounds per gun.

Rose could have given way, but SAS

officers are made of sterner stuff. He was

Below: The British

was

Government House.

daring,

and

he

going

to

win.

flag flies in Stanley

again. The Regimental

SAS flag

flew from

barrage of

GPMG

and Milan fire). It was like an

amphibious version of David Stirling's
desert raids,

loved

it.

and the founder would have

Thinking

that

full-scale

amphibious landing was in progress, the

Argentinians on Wireless Ridge, not to

mention those

in

Port Stanley and on

ships berthed in the harbour,

turned their

guns on the attackers. Although the

had

to turn

objective, their actions temporarily

some of

SAS

back before reaching their

took

the pressure off 2 Para. Despite

the intense

amount of incoming

three of the raiders

were

fire,

only

slightly injured,

though the Royal Marine

craft

were

all

badly holed.

The SAS

soldiers in

particularly aggrieved

the boats were

about the actions of

on board the hospital ship Bahia

which was moored in Stanley
harbour. The SAS men, following the
the crew
Paraiso,

rules

of war, had not shot

at

the ship, but

97

THE GULF WAR

False Start
Originally the

shields'

by the

SAS was
Iraqis.

tasked with rescuing the Western hostages being used as 'human

However, the release of the hostages marked a period of uncertainty

with regard to the

On

2 August 1990 the Iraqi dictator,

SAS

having any role

Council passed resolutions

in

the Gulf

in support

War

of

at

all.

(UAE), the SAS was conducting vehicle

Saddam Hussein, invaded

Kuwait, and an American-led coalition

patrols across the southeastern

the neighbouring country of Kuwait in a

was formed under the 'Desert Shield'

banner to protect Saudi Arabia. Britain
and France also joined the Americans, and

the vast desert wilderness

President

move which took

surprise,

being

despite

the rest of the world by

many warning

signs

eventually 30 nations provided

visible.

Fearing that

Iraq's

vast

army would

continue to advance on Saudi Arabia and

her

oilfields,

the United States

immedi-

ately dispatched rapid reaction forces to

bolster that

country's defences. Shortly

afterwards, the

98

United Nations Security

er

manpow-

and support.

When
and

Iraq invaded Kuwait,

most of A

Empty Quarter on
borders.

As part of

in

as

the

Saudi Arabia's southern

Britain's military assis-

commitment
UAE, the Regiment

tance

segment of

known

Oman

to
is

and the

allowed free access

northern Dhofar, western Muscat and

Squadrons, 22 SAS, were already in

the Gulf undertaking routine training in

extreme

climatic

conditions.

From an

operating base in the United Arab Emirates

Below: An American Delta Force Chen worth

Fast Attack Vehicle (FAV)

is

off-loaded from

a Chinook during the Gulf War.

GULF WAR

THE

&
*r LEBANON

IRAN

&

'^*j

'*>/>,

JORDAN

600

400

miles

Kuwait City

Tabuk

km

iasra

^KUWAIT

Tehran

IRAQ

Ar Ar^

JeAjsale/fT

ISRAEL

v__

>

.^*j\*^r

>Amma^.

~J

SEA

Tikrit|S>

.**:

Te,Aviv

CASPIAN

^X

TURKEY

Incirlik

START

FALSE

King Khalid

Dhahran* BAHRAIN

Military City

QATAR
UN

Riyadh

A RA B

EGYPT

GULF OF

0MAN

EMIRATES i

Al Kharj

SAUDI ARABIA

OMAN

Taif
/

CO

Above: A Scud surface-to-surface missile

iSSM), like the ones used by the Iraqis to

western

strike at Israel from

Abu Dhabi

southern

desert

less

which

stretches

way

the

all

With daytime temperatures

exceeding 40C

quently

ERITREA

YEMEN

fre-

during high

ideal training

Empty Quarter

ground

is

summer, and few inhabitants for hundreds

of kilometres, the

the

ARABIAN SEA

for long-range desert

in the desert condirions for

operations.

which they

were primarily designed.

DESERT VEHICLES
Since the

used

SAS

has regularly

armed Land Rovers

long-range patrols, but by the

these vehicles were

four

tonnes

weapons,
rations,

To

weighing
fully

ammunition,

for

1980s

in at nearly

loaded
kit,

fuel

with

and

and consequently were unwieldy.

find a lighter option for raiding

missions, the
est

when

late

Regiment looked

racing buggies to see

at the lat-

if this

type of

vehicle could be successfully militarised.

summer of

new

AttackVehicle (FAV) procured

before by one of the
Divisions, but

now

US

to

two-man

fast

SAS

vehicle.

Army's Light

specifications

LSV

with
is

Am-

a small

Manufactured

by an experimental

engineering outfit in Sussex, the

a

LSV

has

lightweight tubular space frame incor-

porating

weapons mount on the

roll-

cage over the crew Power for the vehicle

is

provided by

rear-mounted Volks-

ity.

With

finely

shoot", with rapid acceleration

length

Makrolon underside

and

a full

skid

plate

allowing the vehicle to be powered up

steep slopes and over ridges. However.

high speed

is

not required

and

for general recce

final

approaches the

the Mobility Troops of both squadrons

four-wheel drive, but those dispatched to

ciently

were looking forward to testing them out

the

their high speed

mobil-

balanced over the rear wheels, dri-

Gulf relied purely on

their

the vehicles' centre of gravity

ving technique was basically 'point-and-

dune buggy-style Light Strike Vehicles

(LSV) were delivered for user trials, and

1990, a few of the

Israeli cities.

and low ground pressure for

wagen engine, which gives a top speed of

lOOkm/h (60mph).
Later LSVs have been engineered with

In the

Scud launcher teams could

wreak havoc upon

few years

in service

erican Special Forces, the

and

Above: From the expanses of western Iraq

the mobile

Based loosely on the Chenworth Fast

1950s the

heavily

from Yemen in the west to Qatar in the

northeast.

to this near feature-

Khamis Mushayt

SUDAN

Iraq.

crawler gear.

all

LSV was

An added

that the overall loaded

low

in

situations,

work or

stealthy

fitted

with

advantage was

weight was

suffi-

to allow helicopters to insert

these vehicles deep behind

enemy

lines.

99

SAS

THE

WAR

AT

the Regiment's favour, but at

Sir Peter

De

la Billiere

la Billiere

Durham Light Infantry and served in

Egypt and Jordan. He decided to join the SAS, went

Selection and passed.

He joined

when

his
1

patrols.

Now

Br

Falklands,

won

Services

trained

He

^jr

A* \ h Al

holder of the

KBE

Brigade in

Evacuation

proce-

the Britons in Saddam's

all

beyond anything

before.

it

had

With hundreds of

hostages spread around dozens of loca-

two countries, even

would be an impossible
alone getting them safely out.
tions across

led

them

general and retired in June 1991, a general and

j^^

Protected

for

with

in

and on a
5 Airborne

Commando

clutches was well

the British forces in the Gulf as a lieutenant-

trains

dures, freeing

in the

brigadier at the time of the

part.

scale

techniques,

Brigade and 3

DSO, and by
command of the

he ensured the SAS took

citizens in Iraq

the invasion took place, with a fur-

wider

Oman

to

Kuwait. There

in hiding in

hostage-rescue

970s resulted in him winning the

SAS Group. A

still

800 trapped in Kuwait itself.

Although the SAS is well versed

to

major, he

second Military Cross. Service in

the end of the 1970s he was in

^^ '^~S?

SAS

ther

of the SAS included the much-needed

long-range jungle

was, however, able to ask the

were around 1000 British

His reorganisation

improvement of the transport of supplies

He

and those

stop the Indonesian take-over of the Sabah and

island.

even he

difficulty in finding jobs for the boys.

British citizens being held hostage in Iraq

Regiment as a captain in Malaya in

1955. During the campaign against the rebels
holding out on the Jebel Akhdar, he won the
Military Cross. He next went to Borneo, to help
the

Sarawak regions of the

first

had

examine ways of rescuing the hundreds of

was commissioned into the

the Korean War, Japan,

SAS

for

de

and CBE.

all

locating
task, let

Several

simultaneous clandestine parachute and

seemed

helicopter insertions

to be

the

only half-viable option, followed up by

theory,

In

now

four-man patrol could

travel in a pair

over the desert

of LSVs

night using

at

vision goggles), creep quietly

target before

machine-gun

fire

off

up

40mm

to their

grenades,

or even Milan missiles.

Unfortunately, however,

were

NVG (night

dawn, then race through the

loosing

objective

high speed

at

when

LSVs

the

in operating conditions,

trialled

it

was discovered that their suspensions were

not

robust

none was

enough, and

consequently

actually deployed operationally

during the Gulf War, though they were

held in reserve

at

the

SAS forward

opera-

tions base in Saudi Arabia.

When news of the Iraqi invasion of

Kuwait broke, the SAS troopers already in
the region were put on standby, and more
personnel flew out from Hereford
opportunity. As

earliest

deployment of

US

it

the

at

was, the rapid

airborne forces, and

the subsequent build-up using pre-posi-

tioned

US

Hussein

now

left

weeks,

war

materiel, stopped

in his tracks.

as

The

Saddam

troopers were

kicking their heels for several

the

American, British

and

French conventional aviation, armoured

and mechanised forces assembled. At

stage

found
the

100

it

this

appeared that no role could be

for the

many

SAS, which was just one of

special forces units in Saudi.

Of course
lying

the

SAS

did not take things

down, and various

officers

were

manoeuvred

assaults

on

retreat to a

the

guards then a fighting

remote desert rendezvous for

into positions, both in

and Saudi Arabia, where they
could both glean information and put

extraction by helicopter.

forward their case

the hostages to

Britain

at

every opportunity.

Saddam Hussein,
sites

an effort to deter

in

any Allied attack upon

Iraq,

had dispersed

throughout Iraq and

The nomination of Lieutenant-General

Peter de la Billiere, who had had a long
and distinguished career in the SAS, as the
overall British commander also went in

Below: The Allied air campaign knocked out

the Iraqi air force

and quickly established air

supremacy, but the Scuds

still

operated.

THE
Right:

SAS soldiers

home

to

GULF WAR

FALSE START

take time to write letters

loved ones at their Forward

Operating Base at A I Jouf.

as "human shields'. At the end of

October 1990, for example, he placed 661
hostages at economic and military sites as

Kuwait

protection against Allied air strikes

time he

(at this

had 3700 Western and Japan-

still

ese hostages in his possession).

HOSTAGE-RESCUE PLANS
Even

even SAS trooper

Chinook helicopter fleet

Britain had

if

plus her entire

the Gulf (these

for service in

available

helicopters did not arrive in-theatre until

January 1991),

more than

seemed unlikely

it

that

any

half of the hostages could have

been rescued. Nonetheless, the 'Kremlin'

and the squadrons already in the Gulf carried

on planning and

eventuality, just

in

training for such an

case

desperate

this

course of action proved necessary.

on 6 December, the bulk

Fortunately,

of the British hostages being detained by

the Iraqis

were

By

released.

this stage

it

was clear that only force would remove

from Kuwait, though

high-level international diplomacy was
Saddam's

troops

trying to find a compromise. With the

still

next wave of British troops, including a

second armoured brigade,

now

preparing

returned to their Gulf State training base

of towns and

to perfect their desert

revenge,

less

than a

week

certain to

before the United

SAS

for the

in

done

against Hitler in

Europe in 1944, the SAS would infiltrate

deep behind Iraqi lines to cut lines of
communication and create diversions on
the enemy's flank to convince
the

threat lay

in

in

the

overall

wrong

him

At

direction.

these actions, and so de

US

General

Schwarzkopf, had to sanction

la Billiere

invited

ondment officers, few members of the

Regiment were yet in Saudi Arabia,

the

though just about even.' available trooper

had been sent to the Gulf States for desert

impressed with their preparation,

that the balloon

go up soon
not

after

actually

flown

On

the basis

would almost

certainly

New Year, those

troopers

and acclimatisation.

home

required
for

in-theatre

were

Christmas leave, but the

orders to redeploy were issued on

Boxing Day. Some went direct to Saudi
Arabia in advance of their colleagues to
set up a main operating base, but the bulk
first

SAS

that

UN Coalition com-

Saudi Arabia,

Norman

training

cam-

the forthcoming

DIVERSIONARY TACTICS
time, other than planning or sec-

15th.

for the Scuds

but to no

and

their

mobile launchers,

avail.

before he finally identified a suitable role

mander
this

memoirs,

Nations deadline expired on the

However, the

seemed

swore

cans frantically diverted aircraft to hunt

1991,

Sir Peter's

penetration raids into Iraq and Kuwait.

it

Israelis

it

According to

paign. As they had

move,

The

was to be the second week of January

most knowledgeable observers that a ground war was

inevitable. With the hostages now no
longer a factor, on 12 December Sir Peter
de la Billiere told the SAS it was time for
them to start planning ahead for deepto

cities.

which would have undoubtedly

shattered the UN Coalition. The Ameri-

skills.

planners to

make

tion themselves. Stormin'

the presenta-

Norman was

so

com-

mitment and dedication that he immediately gave them his stamp of approval.
The Allied air war exceeded all expectations, and by the end of the day the
Iraqis

had surrendered control of the

skies

THE SAS GOES

IN

As more and more Scuds

SAS was ordered

to

hit Israel, the

go into western Iraq

and search them out and destroy them.

The Regiment decided

threat

in

three

ways.

to tackle the
First,

static

Scud
road

would be mounted to report

the movement of Scud traffic, and direct
American F-15 Strike Eagles onto the
convoys. Second, fighting columns would
roam western Iraq to hunt for the missile
launchers. Finally, SAS parties would cut
watch

Iraq's

patrols

concealed communications links to

prevent orders being sent to the launch

The road watch patrols would be

made up of three patrols of eight men
each, and would monitor the three Main
Supply Routes (MSRs) that went from
teams.

the

Euphrates

valley

to

the Jordanian

Scud surface-to-surface missile

(SSM) was launched at Dhahran. Saudi

The men themselves would be

drawn from B Squadron. From having a
relatively minor role, the SAS was now

Arabia. Then the Iraqis launched several at

tasked with saving the entire Coalition.

to the

UN. However, on

18 January an

Iraqi

Israel

from western

Iraq, hitting a

number

border.

usual,

it

As

rose to the challenge.

101

SAS

THE

WAR

AT

Road Watch Patrols

The

SAS road watch

patrols,

codenamed

were ultimately unsuccessful, but

Two Zero', has since become famous

patrols

'Bravo

the highest kind, plus the greatest feat of

SAS road watch

The anti-Scud
answer
the problem

patrols

were an

preventing

to

Israel

of

from entering the war.

Saddam Hussein had pulled

off a master-

what he
called the 'Zionist entity', and he temporarily wrested the initiative from the
UN High Command in Riyadh.
Before the Coalition air campaign
stroke

firing

in

the

Scuds

at

started,

Lieutenant-General Peter de

Billiere

and General

kopf went over the SAS's missions

western

Iraq.

At

objective was

this

still

communications
harassment
the

list

as a

la

Norman Schwarzstage the

attacks

centres,

secondary

in

primary

on roads and
with

general

task. Well

down

was the hunt for Scud surface-to-

(SSM) launchers.
The 'balloon went up' during the
night of 16/17 January 1991. While
Coalition aircraft began their attacks on

surface missile

Andrew Massey, the

of the Regiment at
move the whole of the

the enemy, Colonel

commanding
that time,

SAS

to

officer

began to

its

forward operating base (FOB)

at

endurance

in

the exploits of one of the

for

Al Jouf in western Saudi Arabia. Men,

weapons, equipment and vehicles

their

were moved by
aircraft to

900km

the

RAF

Hercules transport

FOB, which was

heroism and tenacity of

the history of the SAS.

situated

(1448 miles) northwest of Riyadh.

counter

the Iraqi air force had

this threat,

around 750

fighters

aircraft, plus

and ground-attack
few Soviet bombers and
transport aircraft. While these Iraqi air
assets were not large or modern compared to those of the Coalition

ALLIED OBJECTIVES

The

overall objectives

by

tated

COM)

in

Central

her

of the war,

as dic-

Command (CENT-

Riyadh, were

strike Iraq's political

ship,

Was

as

achieve and maintain

control centres; to
air

superiority in

the skies over Kuwait and Iraq; to destroy

Iraq's

chemical, biological

capabilities; to destroy those

Guard

units

in

the

and nuclear

Republican

Kuwaiti theatre of

operations; and to liberate Kuwait.

first

major damage on

UN

fleet, it

could

inflict

and

air assets

that

they had to be neutralised.

follows: to

and military leader-

command and

realised that Iraqi aircraft

The

part of the operation consisted of an

THE AIR CAMPAIGN

Lieutenant-General

Horner,

Charles

commander of the US 9th Air Force, and

the man responsible for the Coalition's air
war, planned accordingly.

Horner

the

split

campaign into four phases. Phase one

would last an estimated 7-10 days, and
air

would have
air

three

main

objectives: to gain

superiority over Iraq and Kuwait; to

of which

destroy Iraq's strategic attack capability,

were enemy radar sites, electrical plants,

communications towers and command
posts. To achieve these objectives, the
Coalition had assembled a colossal air
fleet, consisting of over 2000 aircraft. To

her nuclear, chemical and biological pro-

air

campaign, the

initial targets

duction

facilities,

and her Scud missile

sites; and to disrupt

launch and storage

Iraq's

command and

control

Phase two, expected to

last

structure.

three days,

entailed the suppression of the air defences

of those

would

forces

Iraqi

around Kuwait

itself.

deployed

and

in

Phase three, which

from the end of the second

last

phase until the beginning of the ground

offensive, involved Allied aircraft attacking

those targets in the

first

two

with the emphasis on striking

phases, but
Iraqi

Army

units in Kuwait. Phase four involved the

of

provision

air

support

required during the

The

first

Iraq's

as

and when

UN ground offensive.

Coalition aircraft that

comprehensive

would

air-defence

hit

radar

network were eight McDonnell Douglas

attack helicopters from

AH-64 Apache
the

crack

US

101st Airborne Division,

codenamed Task Force 'Normandy'. They

took off just after dark on 16 January and
Left:

An

Iraqi transporter-erector-launcher

(TEL) with its

Scud stowed horizontally.

takes 45 minutes to prepare a launch.

102

It

GULF WAR:

THE
The thinking behind the road watch

Right:

patrols

was sound:

watch the

to

Supply Routes into western

headed

two

towards

mately

700km

territory

The

(435 miles) inside

targets,

radar
siles

were to be blinded

3-6km

The

first

their

missiles. The

the mis-

as

their targets. The sites

totally destroyed.

had been

started

of Hellfire

erupted into flames

sites

found

as

aircraft.

(1.8-3.7 miles) of

the Apaches

attack with salvoes

enemy

facilities

whereabouts of Coalition

Arriving within

Main

air-defence

Iraqi

destruction of such

vital if the Iraqis

to the

their

Iraqi

Iraq.

of Baghdad, approxi-

radars to the west

was

ROAD WATCH PATROLS

had been

aerial

mission

a success.

AIR ATTACK
At midnight on 16 January, Lockheed
F-117 Night Hawk 'stealth' warplanes of
the

US

Air Force's 415th Tactical Fighter

Squadron took off from Khamis Mushait

air

base in the south of Saudi Arabia. They

would be followed shortly by F-117s of

the 416th Tactical Fighter Squadron,
which took off from the same base.
The F-l 17s attacked 34 targets associated with the enemy's air-defence network.
52

Tomahawk

cruise

from the batdeships

Alissouri,

also hit

missiles

USS Wisconsin and

USS San Jacinto,

and the cruiser

enemy

launched

strategic targets.

Their radar network seriously reduced

in effectiveness, the Iraqis could

to counter the

do

little

second wave of Coalition

and attack warplanes which decimated Scud missile launch sites, missile
storage bunkers and airfields.
The air war had begun superbly The
initial wave of air strikes consisted of 67
fighters

sorties.

Despite the heavy flak that some

of the Coalition
especially over

aircraft

had encountered,

Baghdad, there had been

no losses. In addition, the Iraqi air force

had hardly been seen. For example, up to
midnight of 17 January the Allies had
flown 2107 sorties compared to 24 combat missions undertaken by the Iraqis. It
seemed that the war could be conducted
and won by conventional air and ground
alone.

forces

Schwarzkopf's

beliefs

seemed vindicated: there seemed

need for special forces.

On

little

the second day of the war,

January, the
missile at

Iraqis

Dhahran,

and military

base.

had
a

fired

18

one Scud

major Saudi airport

The

threat

to

such

high-value targets had been realised by

High Command, so 132

Raytheon MIM-104 Patriot surface-toair missile (SAM) launchers had been
positioned to protect Riyadh, Dhahran
and other locations.
As an Iraqi Scud missile hurtled
towards the air base at Dhahran at an estimated speed of 6400km h (3975mph), a
the Coalition

Left:

Squadron's 'Bravo Two Zero',

photographed just before they were inserted

into Iraq

on their

fateful mission.

103

SAS

THE

AT

WAR
The weather was appalling

Left:

January and February

Iraq in

western

in

SAS

1991.

had to wrap

soldiers like these therefore

up.

January, causing three deaths, one the next

on an unpopulated area, and

all aimed at Tel Aviv
but destroyed by Patriots, though debris
from the missiles did kill two and injured
day that

^B HP

>!

fell

on 25

eight

January,

a further 69.

The SAS was now ordered to search

The Regiment had gone from being one of the
many special forces units in the area to
for the Scuds in western Iraq.

wifi

^>

being the Coalition's main hope of keepr

ing Israel out of the war. The

go into enemy

road watch patrols,

from

and into the

enough:

from

its

launch canister

The theory was simple

sky.

in the quarter

of a millisecond in

which the Patriot passed the Scud, the

former would detonate, throwing out 300
ice-cubed sized cubes of metal that would
destroy the Iraqi weapon. A split-second
miscalculation would mean some of the

would allow themselves to become allies

of Israel. Saddam had played a masterful
stroke, but Schwarzkopf and de la Billiere,
with the help of the American administration in

Washington, were to better

it.

Scuds slipping through. That night the

Scud did not

while chemical and biological weapons

through, and the Patriot

legend was born. While the Americans

landed

were congratulating themselves on the

effectiveness of their Patriot system, in

made

western Iraq several Iraqi Scud mobile

eration,

among them. The Americans

launcher teams and their vehicle convoys

were driving through the desert to speed-

hit Tel Aviv, injuring

up

their missiles.

to fire their missiles.

They

all

managed

Seven Scuds streaked

into the sky and headed west towards

Israel.

Two

struck Haifa, three landed

on

another two

fell

17 people, while

into unpopulated areas.

The Americans had

the

offered

Scuds. At

first

enemy

and the rest fell in unpopulated

Although there were no serious
casualties, Saddam had suddenly 'upped
the stakes' in the Gulf conflict.
Although the missiles that hit Israel

welcomed them and asked

dispatched to Israel

were armed with conventional warheads,

for the Scuds

Israelis

feared that subsequent ones

be.

Saddam had made frequent

threats against the

if Israel
it

might

Jewish

was to launch
split

state.

attacks

However,

upon

Iraq,

the Coalition. In particular,

would have been doubtful that the Arab

members, especially Egypt and Syria,

it

104

troops, the

warning

con-

men were

issued

military

order, a

term

they should be prepared to

move

moment's

at a

men

for the

notice.

As the time

to deploy neared, each patrol

received

its

Orders Group (O Group)

briefing.

The

three road watches were to

INSERTING THE ROAD WATCHES

The Chinooks took off and headed into
enemy territory. When they reached their
drop-off points,

The

first

arrived

as

Patriot

men would

his

The

However, the

ate his team,

and

their

'great

Iraq,

F-15E

to

hunt

Scud hunt' reaped few

became adept at
Scud launchers.

seemed increasingly likely as January drew to a close and as more

Scuds hit her cities: one on Tel Aviv on 22
Israeli

action

commander

also

in.

as

unten-

had to evacu-

though not before he had

an

air strike

by The SAS

close

on two enemy

soldiers then left the

and began

area at speed

220km

(140-

mile) journey over four very cold nights

making

before

The

rewards for the Eagles, and the frustration

hiding and masking their

mobile radar systems that were positioned

mobile launchers.

started to grow. The Iraqis

its

down

called

arrived

Central Watch was just

be

as possible.

have to operate in was

Chinook they

the

left in

that they

had been designated

disgorged

was no cover and they

would have been compromised. The men

able, so

on 20 January-.

Meanwhile, over western

Strike Eagles

aircraft

gravel plain. There

he

quickly

the

The commander of the

South Road Watch team decided to
abandon his mission. The ground he and

now

Arens refused them;

Tel Aviv

would not

a briefing

indicating

missile batteries as a defence against the

areas.

the

Squadron. After

their occupants.

frantic efforts to pacify the Israelis.

While the Israelis thought about modmore Scuds fell on their country
On 1 9 January, for example, two of them

ily set

to

be inserted by Chinook helicopter.

THE ISRAELIS THREATEN TO STRIKE

The Israelis were outraged by the missile
attacks. They would clearly not dither

slip

men

cerning mobile Scuds and the morale of

with
Patriot streaked

first

would be the
and would be drawn

territory

heroism

it

back to Saudi Arabia.

story of the

and

North Watch is one of

Dropped 300km

tragedy.

(186 miles) from friendly

quickly settled

ing

down

watch, sleeping

minor

duties.

On

lines,

to a routine

the

men

of keep-

and carrying out

the second day an Iraqi

GULF WAR

THE
convoy appeared and established

Once

nearby.

SAS

set up, the

alarmed to discover that

Chris

were

with

The philosophy of the SAS

an

array of anti-aircraft guns. Inevitably the

SAS men were compromised, though not

by

Iraqi soldiers

who were

but by

they could have killed, but

leader. Sergeant

'We

are

Ryan had

the patrol

as

Andy McNab,

Heavily

down with

laden

lirde

men

on

his

was the

survive.

By

the third day he was

mental reserves learned from

and he refused

their

feet

bugged out. The Iraqi s fired

on them and one trooper had his bergen
ripped to shreds by machine gun fire.

bergens, they

day he was severely dehydrated.

a stream

EXPLOITS OF NORTH ROAD WATCH

They headed for the Syrian border, while
all around Iraqi soldiers hunted for them.

his

SAS

training

up and carried on. Soon

his

were cut and bleeding, but he carried on. By the

sixth

it

to give

was

and drank copiously from

full

ot waste

from

He came

across

Unfortunately

it.

uranium processing plant

and he developed blood and

The weather

who

a soldier

water and food on him, and what he

did have was soon used up.

did the only sensible thing: they ran like

hell.

and

both mentally and physically shattered, but he drew

later assert-

SAS, not SS').The SAS

'train hard, fight easy'

conquer adverse conditions and

young goatherd, who

is

embodiment of this ethos is Chris Ryan. While on a Road Watch Patrol during
1991 GulfWar his patrol was ambushed by Iraqi troops. Separated from his group
whiLst in flight, Ryan used his SAS training to

attached to the convoy (they

were betrayed by

ed:

the

group of civilians

Ryan

mobile

complete

battery,

anti-aircraft

itself

soldiers

was

it

ROAD WATCH PATROLS

liver

problems.

He

still

carried on. After seven nights and eight days alone, he

reached the Syrian border and

a total

of 300km (186

safety.

He

had walked

miles).

conditions in the desert in

January 1991 were desperately bad, and

the

SAS

had to

soldiers

evading the

Iraqis.

group

split

up.

Vince

Phillips,

against

battle

wind

freezing cold, rain and

well as

as

To avoid capture the

One

got separated from his

group and died of exhaustion and hypo-

Another
man of his three-man group was surrounded by enemy soldiers and forced to
surrender. The third. Corporal Chris
Ryan, escaped.
Chris Ryan walked for more than

300km

soldier

was captured.

hills.

or their equipment. They

simply could not perform their task in the

terrain

they were inserted into. Future

operations

would

benefit

from

their

A LEARNING EXPERIENCE

experience. There

So ended the road watch patrols, an audacious plan but one which ultimately

But the experiences of the North Road

operations are

Zero', ensured that this particular part of

failed. All

special

forces

and some have to be aborted.

That thev failed was no reflection on the

high

risk,

it

should have ended.

Watch team, codenamed 'Bravo Two

the SAS's campaign in the

GulfWar

will

alwavs be remembered.

ZA

(186 miles) in total during his

to

flight

men concerned

but one, Lance-Corporal 'Legs' Lane,

died of hypothermia and then the other

Sergeant

soldier,

thermia in the snow-lashed

it,

Syria.

By

he

had

state.

His

rime

the

reached safety he was in a poor

weight was down, he had a severe blood

disorder and liver problems

due

to drink-

ing water from a source near a uranium-

processing plant.

It

would be two weeks

before he could walk properly again, and

six

weeks before sensation returned

and toes.

to his

fingers

The other five initially had better luck.

They reached a town near the Jordanian
border but then got into

some

Iraqi soldiers.

One

skirmish with

trooper,

Consiglio, was hit and killed.

were captured. The

last

Robert

Two

others

two almost mad'1

,#<

Right:

The special forces

effort

- a Special

Boat Service (SBS) observation post behind

Iraqi lines in

January

1991.

105

SAS

THE

WAR

AT

Fighting Patrols
The road watch patrols had
it.

failed,

but the

SAS

of destruction that effectively knocked

The

of the road watch patrols

failure

did not significantly affect the SAS's

effort in

western

Iraq.

They were, after

all,

one strand of the Regiment's overall

strategy. Whereas B Squadron had undertaken the road watches, it was the turn of

just

and

Squadrons to mount the mobile

columns. The Regiment gathered together

its

vehicles at

The

consist

forward base

at

Al Jouf

columns. Each

one
of approximately 1 2 Land

and assembled

would
Rover

its

its

did not give up

The heavily armed mobile fighting columns swept

into

Saddam

western

Iraq, the

soldiers
areas

areas lay

highway.

along the Syrian

border, one being located near the

of Shab

al

of

southern 'box', which

Amman-Baghdad

The other two

hunt for Iraqi Scuds, far from

Hussein's missiles out of the war.

ron. Colonel Massey and his SAS

were ordered to patrol one of the

straddled the

its

western Iraq and began a campaign

town

Hiri, while the other lay near

town of Al Qaim, farther northeast.

Clearing these two boxes would be the
the

responsibility

of the Americans,

cally the elite

Delta Force.

specifi-

vehicles plus motorcycle outriders.

vehicles

were

GPMGs, 40mm M19

all

heavily

armed:

grenade launchers,

In

the

first

most of the weapons had thermal imag-

Iraqi bases numbered HI, H2 and

H3. The Coalition had targeted these
bases from the beginning of the air war.
For example, H2 and H3 were hit by US
Air Force aircraft on the night of 16/17
January, and on the next night it was the

images

detected heat into

video

used mainly for night work), and

the drivers

wore night vision

goggles.

There were four columns in all: two

from A Squadron and two from D Squad-

own jets,

cans,

and would land their

from

turn of

They would

hit the area

with

they informed the Ameri-

own

troops in

the area to hunt the Scuds. Frantic mes-

went

sages

we

from the Americans:

to Israel

doing

are

all

we

can to destroy the

own

Scuds, please do not use your

forces.

For the moment,

at least, the Israelis

appeased. But for

how

Riyadh

was

was

it

realised that speed

Therefore,

critical.

were

long?

the

first

SAS

But they were not just hunting Scuds.

Iraq had deployed hundreds of artillery
pieces and multiple launch rocket systems

Coalition believed that the majority of

the Scuds being fired against Israel were

convert

strikes.

their

mobile columns started on 20 January.

Milan anti-tank weapons and Stinger sur-

that

horror of

few days of the war the

face-to-air missiles (SAMs). In addition,

ing night sights (passive infrared sensors

own

In

PINPOINTING THE SCUDS

satisfied. To the

were not

Israelis

the Coalition, they were planning their

US Navy

jets.

Nevertheless, the

capable of firing chemical warheads. They

had

range of

30-40km (18-25

which meant they could

in Saudi Arabia.

And

miles),

hit Allied units

the Iraqis were quite

capable of using them. During the war

with
fired

example,

Iran, for

many chemical

Iraqi

units

artillery shells

had

during

the 1988 offensive in the Fao peninsula.

The SAS teams were ordered

to

out

chemical

the

battlefield

Iraqis'

weapons delivery systems,

they found them.

as

knock

and when

THE FIRST FEW DAYS

The first day. 20 January, was uneventful,
partly because the SAS limited its incursion into enemy territory to 40km (25
This was because the

miles)

into

Israelis

had threatened

and no one
be killed by
failed

Iraq.

in the

Israeli jets.

materialise,

to

to invade the area,

Regiment wanted

When

SAS columns
The urgency of

the

pressed deeper into Iraq.

the mission had been increased:

January
civilians.

Left:

Scud

On

the next day yet another was

wet

also subject to

106

on 22

hit Tel Aviv, killing three

An SAS Land Rover

in typically

to

the invasion

110 in western Iraq

conditions. The area

low cloud and snow.

was

GULF WAR

THE
launched

though fortunately

at Israel,

uninhabited

an

into

fell

FIGHTING PATROLS

it

These

area.

launches did nothing to appease the irate

who were

Israelis,

own

itching to send in their

forces.

Lieutenant-General

desperation.

In

Horner and Brigadier-General

Charles

and com-

'Buster' Glosson, chief targeter

mander of all

US

Air Force wings in the

Gulf, hatched a plan for

the

all

aircraft available to the Allies

combat

some 2000

warplanes - to be diverted to western

Iraq. In

three-day campaign, the

UN

would completely flatten the area.

particularly around Al Qaim. Rutba and
aircraft

other population centres.

gets

that

faced

The enemy

tar-

included

destruction

police stations, service areas, and anything

could support Scud operations.

bombers would sow mines on all the
roads and destroy over 60 underpasses
(these were favourite Scud hiding places).
The plan was presented to Schwarzkopf,
who rejected it for two reasons. First, it
would result in the deaths of many civilians; and second, it would not shorten the

SAS

else that

relieved that he was not going to be killed

Above: An

Also,

by the SAS

Squadron behind

soldiers,

he began to impart

some valuable information. This took the

form of a map he was earning, which
detailed the positions of a previously un-

seen

SAS

enemy

The

brigade in western Iraq.

soldiers

immediately

relayed

this

Co-

information to the Allied Tactical Air

1991.

fighting

column from A

Iraqi lines in early February

Note the motorcycle used

for scouting.

launcher two days earlier and had fol-

lowed

it.

managed

rough

travelling at night over

terrain until

we had caught up with

to plant explosives

on

it

it.

war. In any case, by this time General

ordination

Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcons and

Fairchild Republic A- 10 Thunderbolt lis
had been diverted to the Scud hunt, and
it was felt that more aircraft would just
result in crowded skies, with no tangible

hours the brigade was being pounded by

Coalition

our charges detonated, crippling the

with regard to destroying Scuds.

results

FIRST KILL

Back on the ground in Iraq, the SAS initially had mixed fortunes. Its columns had
not seen any Scud launchers for three
days, and the men were getting frustrated,
especially since another missile

launched against

Israel

(though fortunately

had been

Centre,

and within

few

aircraft.

blast shattered the

nights silence and sent

mushroom of flame high

into the sky as

get and giving us the signal to kick

FARTHER INTO THE SCUD BOX'

24 January the SAS began

On

ever deeper into the 'Scud box".

anything that
to

push

Now

the

SAS soldiers began to encounter the

enemy more, and there were frequent
violent contacts. Whenever possible. SAS
attacks were launched against the enemy
at

night.

became very
squadron

Squadron

itself

busy, as a

member of

relates:

suddenly
the

'We had spotted the

and

The

moved around

the

In the cold light of day the

tar-

oft" at

site."

men

dis-

Scud but a
FROG surface-to-surface unguided artillery rocket. The two systems look vericovered that

similar: the
a conical

it

was not

FROG

has a cylindrical body,

nose and four large control

Ominously. Soviet

FROGs

fins.

were usually

armed with nuclear warheads, and. as

ever, thev could also be armed with

on 23 January

caused no casual-

it

However, on 23 January the Regia stroke of luck. One of A

Squadrons columns was operating between Nukhayb and Karbala. southwest

ties).

ment had

ot

Baghdad,

when

group of four

were

ran into a

killed.

The

ot the

fourth was cap-

and interrogated. Being highly

tured

Right:

men

driving across the

In a brief firefight three

desert.
Iraqis

the

Iraqis

heavily laden Land Rover from

Squadron deep inside

Iraqi territory.

Note the

metal sand mat hanging on the side.

107

SAS

THE

WAR

AT

Left:

An SAS fighting column

takes a rest in

between shooting up Iraqi Scud convoys.

The crews themselves seem very relaxed.

armoured personnel

three

and

carriers

they quickly opened up on

us.

The thud

of their heavy-calibre weapons seemed to

get louder, probably because the rounds

were ripping into the ground just in front

of us. We knew we were on to a hiding,
but they must have thought we were a

much

bigger unit. To our surprise they

just raced

The

away

as

firefight

quick

- probably

short-lived

minutes - and

all

they could.'

as

had been
was

that

of

left

were two

left

smouldering trucks. The

wasted no time. They

but

fierce

just a couple

SAS
their

sought their vehicles. Then

soldiers

LUP

and

were

they

As was standard operating procedure

in the Regiment, they wanted to
put as much space between themselves
and the enemy as possible.
away.

chemical warheads.
the

No

one knew what

warheads contained, but the

Iraqi

worst scenario was feared.

lying-up position (LUP), the

From their
SAS soldiers

recognised the smaller rocket on

cher, but
it:

'Scud or

FROG, it had

hit Allied targets

tered to

laun-

its

no matter they would destroy

and

that

the capability to

was

all

that

mat-

us.'

The SAS teams had been

briefed as to

the threat of Iraqi chemical weapons, but

they had to take

chance and knock the

warhead or not. This

contrasts sharply with 'Bravo Two Zero',
the members of which specifically avoided damaging enemy missile warheads
through fear of their contents though
missile out, chemical

FROGs

the

were

battlefield

hit

Israel

weapons), they

(they

could

damage on Allied units waiting

ground offensive in Saudi Arabia.

inflict

the

could not

for

Despite the fact that they had

bilised the launcher

with charges,

immothe SAS

from A Squadron stayed where

they were. 'Nothing was said when the
soldiers

explosion erupted;

it's

not

like

movies where the good guys

in

all

the

stand

around cheering.' Like many contacts

between the Iraqis and the SAS, the special forces soldiers were often forced to

So

fight off Iraqi attacks.

But,

as

on

so

many

it

was

this time.

occasions, bluff and

(SOP)

DELTA FORCE LENDS A

had more

The Americans obliged, and

F-15E Eagles from the US Air

Force's

336th Tactical Fighter Squadron

the

[M72 66mm anti-tank

weapons] .'What the SAS soldiers had not
realised was that there were several enemy
of 66s

armoured personnel carriers

that lay undiscovered. They were about
100m (110 yards) from the FROG
launcher, and had not been spotted by the
team that had crept forward in the darktrucks and

to

lay

the

charges.

They now

appeared, and around 150 Iraqi soldiers

faced an eight-man

SAS

team. However,

SAS

useless.

The

and

'We banjoed
cles at the

the front and rear vehi-

same time, but they had

at least

favour by the arrival of Delta Force's

Left:

Motorcycle outriders were used for

SAS columns,

and for passing messages between

vehicles.

1st

Squadron at King Fahd International

Airport on 1 February.
The American elite unit was then
rushed north to Ar Ar, from where it

would be

sent into the northern 'Scud

box' to hunt for the Iraqi missiles.

man

The

responsible for Delta Force's opera-

Major-General Wayne Downing,

Command

US

at

Joint Special Operations

Fort Bragg, went to see the

in

Riyadh, Colonel

Massey, about Delta Force's operations.

Massey briefed Downing about the

culties

scouting duties ahead of the

it

the scales were tipped further in their

SAS commander

truck in the convoy:

last

site,

rendered

beginning to gain the upper hand, and

tions,

first

TFS

Coalition special forces were

head of the

was to disable the

In addition,

Scud launch

and once again the 336th

SAS

First priority

totally.

also spotted a

cool professionalism took over, and the

soldiers followed their drills exactly.

column

air strike.

300m [330 yards]

away and without delay we cracked off a
couple

fighting

several

an

destroy the convoys

ness

108

success.

spotted two Scud convoys and ordered in

audacity saved the day:

'They were about

HAND

As January came to an end, the Regiment

his

men would

Iraq. In particular,

the Bedouins,

diffi-

face in western

he warned him about

who would

undoubtedly

report the presence of any teams to the

THE
Iraqis.

dent

SAS

the

Downing was

Nevertheless,

his

men

men

confi-

By

activities

end of January the Regiment's

had provoked a vigorous Iraqi

into Iraq, Delta

response.

On

as

Force had the services of Task Force 160,

53 Sea

CH-

flew Sikorsky

a helicopter unit that

Boeing Vertol CH-47

Stallion,

FIGHTING PATROLS

well as

could perform just

(to get these

GULF WAR:
the

29 January, for example, the

an SAS column, damaging

Iraqis attacked

two of the

beyond repair,
although losing 10 dead and three of their
vehicles

latter's

Chinook and Sikorsky UH-60 Black

Hawk helicopters in a number of special

own vehicles

operations variants).

evacuated to Saudi Arabia and survived

When

Delta Force was in the theatre,

Massey's words proved to be true.

Qaim

Near Al

the war.

SAS was extremely

the

On

Alley'.

troops found themselves under attack. In

longed contact,

February, for example, nine Iraqi

early

armoured vehicles pursued

patrol across the desert.

a Delta

The

special forces

mown

were on foot and would have been

down were

it

Force

not for the fact that an F-15

to 3

February

active in 'Scud

SAS team

the latter date an

from 1 and 17 Troops ordered an air strike

on a Scud convoy. This preceded a pro-

when

it

was

teams had already chalked up their Scud

launchers on their Land Rovers.

realised that

SCUD HUNTING
'US

had monitored recent

intelligence

launcher activity in our sector, and after

just 12 hours back inside Saudi

outline

full details

US

vehicle-mounted Milans, scoring

on a Scud
launcher. However, the
direct

missile

hit

and

its

Iraqis counterat-

would
targets

they had tracked. We were to

launchers. The
their

the Americans

of the potential

which

briefing, at

and check out two

attacked the rest with

we were

preparing to attend another operational

the aircraft had destroyed only one of the

SAS

of the

by painting silhouettes

scores

sol-

wounded, but was

From 30 January

were many Bedouins, and

they reported the American presence to
the Iraqis. Very soon the American elite
there

One SAS

in the process.

dier was also badly

more success, and just as soon as we had

been debriefed and re-supplied we were
back on the road. Some of the mobile

Air Force

fly

into Iraq

areas identified

as "Iraqi

by the

operational sites"

and eliminate both by means of the

we would be carrying, or by
down air strikes. The briefing was

explosives
calling

Group, which was

Eagle appeared and scattered the enemy.

tacked and drove off the SAS, though not

followed by an

Then US

before the latter had ordered a further

air

headed by our boss [troop commander]

most of the convoy.

patrols that were

and the squadron commander. The mission was simple: find the two launchers
and mallet them by whatever means pos-

men

the

managed

helicopters

up.

Two

days

later,

another Delta

team was chased by

Force

to pick

heli-

Iraqi

by the appear-

copters, being saved only

ance of another Eagle, which destroyed

one helicopter and chased off the rest.

Though Delta Force had a tough time of
it,

missions in Iraq

its

made

a valuable

attack that destroyed

Most of

the

SAS

operating in western Iraq

at

this

time

were vehicle-mounted, but not all. Some

patrols were also sent in on foot, as a
member of D Squadron relates: 'We had
clocked up four patrols into Iraq and the

dozen

tar-

but there was no time to relax.

The

contribution towards the Scud hunt, as

squadron had bagged about

well as repairing Delta Force's reputation.

gets,

pressure was increasing from

Riyadh

for

sible

and then get out of the area as

as
possible. The sector was

quickly

believed

Guard

to

be

alive

with

Republican

units en route to reinforce Iraqi

forces in

and around Kuwait.

'After a night's sleep

we packed our

bergens and prepared our

kit for

another

SCUD ALLEY
So pleased was Schwarzkopf with Delta

f~ ""i' -

H*l

Force's

performance

he

that

another Delta Force squadron

Army Ranger company

to

allowed

meant the number of men

operating in Iraq could be increased, and
there were eventually over 200 US elite
troops in Mesopotamia. Though the
number of confirmed Scud kills was

Ar

and an

be deployed to

Ar. This

small, Delta Force's efforts did limit the

launcher

endeavours,

teams'

stopped them hitting

Israel.

With

which
the aid

of Eagles, Delta sowed hundreds of Gator

mines on roads, underpasses and other

In this

way

Scud launchers were forced into

areas

suspected concealment
the
that

could be more

sites.

easily

~}

a-i*^**-**.

**6&Ai

^H

Lk^j

SBSswr

lj5>

v>

!
'

*3

'

w&

watched. But

what of the SAS?

Right:

Unimogs were used as 'mother

vehicles' by the

SAS

to carry extra fuel,

water, ammunition, rations

and

clothing.

-^Jj
109

SAS

THE
move into the field. For the trip we made
sure we all carried tubes of ant-killer. The
little

bastards

had

earlier bitten us to bits,

and came close to being more of a threat

than the Scuds.
it

comes

to

actual point

always shit myself

helicopter insertion

when
the

of drop-off is always the most

dangerous, and you always think you're

going to get

bumped -

but

this

time

we

were OK.
recall

was to our

our key

right, as

we tabbed out of the

new location. Here we were able

ence point,

OP

an

could see anything. We were desperate for

ammunition, particularly 66mm LAWs,

and our immediate thoughts were that we

would have

to

abandon our

on

as

refer-

area to a
to put in

the road while resting

up

for

Moving across such open

was made easier due to GPS

position.'

some brownie points and

whole convoy'
to earn

One
cessful

of the reasons the SAS

that

is

its

members can

appraise a situation: 'If

PUNISHING THE IRAQIS

The team was well camouflaged ('out of
sight among the rocky scrapes we had
made') and its members just sat and
watched. Before long the

MSR, which

'Using the nearest

WAR

AT

Iraqis

came

into

sight late in the afternoon.

It

was

form of

'a

column of

able target in the

about 25 vehicles in

all,

a size-

including two

them on,

it

BRDMs

we knew

the simple reason that

humane

treatment of captured

The convention

the next move.

vehicles]

terrain

armoured reconnaissance patrol vehicles],

and they had all pulled into the side of the

MSR.'
The SAS

food and water. A prisoner

[Global Positioning System].

'At

dawn

remember seeing

several

low overhead, probably on a

photo-reconnaissance of the area to
examine the damage we had inflicted the
night before. At this point we had been in
the field for just four days, and to be honest we were knackered. It was a cold
morning. The sky was overcast, and I
remember being surprised to see aircraft

jets flying

flying in such weather.'

Despite the Coalition

Iraqis

were often very

An SAS

air activity,

careless

foot patrol from

the

and sloppy.

Squadron, tor

their luck:

pull

any camouflage netting over their

side

of the road

early February:

do

just

been on the

comms

net

morning

to bring in

more ammunition

and food when we heard the distinctive

sound of a convoy nearby, but nobody

appeared that one of the

them up on the
open. They were a

vehicles, they just parked

sitting

'We had

'It

could not believe

Scud launchers had broken down. Several

mechanics or fitters were trying to sort
out the problem while the vehicle crews
stood smoking beside the road. As we
monitored the situation through our
scopes we couldn't believe what we were
seeing.' The Iraqis made no attempt to

example, came across a Scud convoy in

arranging a re-supply for the following

soldiers

[Soviet-built

duck.

little

by

in the

And

yet the

SAS team could

itself:

'Any question of mounting an attack

was a non-starter. We were short of
ammunition and would stand little
chance against such

a heavily

This was an opportunity for

armed unit.
Uncle Sam

us, for

the Iraqis

would ignore the Geneva Convention

when it came to special forces.' (The
Geneva Convention regarding the treatment of prisoners of war makes provision
for the

and

tried to take

prisoner did not appeal to any of

service personnel.

fighting

so suc-

realistically

and the prospect of being taken

for us,

Scud launchers. In the main they were

infantry

is

the

could have been "game over"

BMPs

[Soviet-built

we

blitz

gives

prisoners certain rights, such as to be kept

a place

care

to

when

of

be given medical

safety, to

necessary,

and to have access to

is

also allowed

keep items of sentimental value, and

is

entitled to a receipt for any other personal

money

items like

him; prisoners are

letters. All

is

taken from

allowed to write

these provisions were blatantly

ignored by the

meted out

that

also

to the

Iraqis.) The treatment

members of 'Bravo Two

Zero' confirmed their anxiety.

IN

FOR THE KILL

As the Scud convoy was making no

apparent moves to go anywhere, the SAS
team fadioed for an air attack. For some
of the men this was the first time they
would witness a combat air patrol strike
up close: 'I had only ever seen one from a
distance in the past, during training in

Scotland, but the attack

less

than

tion.'

500m

would

The message was

passed back to the

SAS's forward base, then

AWACS

aircraft,

on

details

western

who

to

American

passed the targeting

the Eagles loitering over

to

Iraq.

take place

[545 yards] from our posi-

By

this stage

F-15Es were armed with

of the war the

GBU-12

laser-

guided bombs, which were deadly effective,

and recent research has shown

that

the Coalition's 'smart' munitions in the

war had

enemy

90 per cent success

rate against

targets.

'An hour or so before last light an F15E screamed over the target area, pulling
Left:

Wherever possible, SAS columns would

radio for an air strike

when

they

across worthwhile Iraqi targets.

110

came

GULF WAR:

THE
high into the grey sky
convoy.

flypast as

a ball

of flame and

strange to see

it all

unfold,

happen

TO THE

WKTJiiii 9UJUTES

like

seemed

slow motion. A second F-15

in

joined the attack, and

as

convoy the

to hit the

FORCES

BRITISH SPECIAL

was

It

was just

it

the movies. Even-thing

at

thud

the high explosives detonated.

being
to

passed the

it

couldn't see or hear anything -

then there was

as

as

thought the pilot had taken

FIGHTING PATROLS

it

swooped down
opened up

Iraqis

with an anti-aircraft gun, but their efforts

were

wasted. After

third

the

strike

whole convoy was decimated, and flames

flickered from all the vehicles and smoke
billowed into the darkening sky. Their war
was over. Nothing moved we presumed
all the Iraqis had been either killed or
wounded.'
having good hunting in the desert.
February,

Group

example,

for

2 spotted a

also

On

Scud convoy of two

immediately called

down an

air

The column

fought

gun

a force

later

losses.

attack.

battle

of Iraqis defending an obser-

vation tower, killing 10 of the

no

Three days

later

HI

Squadron's

launchers and four escort vehicles, and

with

enemy

for

Squadron

by SAS soldiers and Royal Electrical and

Mechanical Engineers (REME) person-

Above: One of the many congratulatory

armed Land Rovers from B

Squadron made up the escort, and the
supply column was named E Squadron. It
crossed the border on 12 February and
rendezvoused with the Land Rovers from

after the

nel.

Six

on an Iraqi 'Flat
Face' radar installation. On the same day a
team from A Squadron destroyed a

microwave communications tower, then

ted an

fought a 40-minute firefight with Iraqi

used

troops before escaping.

attack

THE IRAQIS HIT BACK

The worst encounter

the GulfWar.
for

occurred on 9 February,

when

called

down

an

air attack

and

inside

the
a

returned, though not before

enemy

en

off,

leader, a

though not before the patrol

sergeant-major, was badly woun-

He had

ded.

to

be

left

by the other two

and was captured. However, he sun-ived

war and was awarded the Military

the

Cross for his bravery.

The

frequent firefights with pursuing

Iraqis naturally

fuel supplies.

way

sapped ammunition and

The Regiment had

to replenish those supplies.

the vehicle teams, the

ply

columns

with

its

SAS

to find a

To

service

organised sup-

teams in

it

SAS

this

used

air

was the

first

a laser

designator in

and only

THE FINAL PHASE

Re-supplied, the SAS continued

On

success against the enemy.

ruary, for

example,

discovered

down

an

a
air

18 Febpatrol

Scud convoy and called

attack to wipe it out. The

next day another SAS-directed

hit a

to enjoy

Squadron

air attack

second convoy Tragedy struck on 21

February, however,

when

running

battle

developed between a group of Iraqis and

one of A Squadron's fighting columns. As
the SAS vehicles were pulling back,
Lance-Corporal David Denbury was shot

and

fatally

wounded. Nevertheless, the

SAS was making

a valuable

contribution

and liaise
country. These columns

to the battle against the Scuds.

manned

Force had been concentrating

to drive into Iraq

consisted of 10 four-ton trucks

had spot-

rangefinder to direct an

a laser

upon

it

obsen-ation post and had

SAS
small

Squadron probed an enemy

communications centre near Nukhayb. In
a heavy firefight the SAS force was beatfrom

Squadrons 145km (90 miles)

By 17 February it had

Iraq.

time the

patrol

l"\ Ihun<ictN>tall

The other SAS columns were

What about

the

Americans?
its

Delta
efforts

messages sent

to the

Special Air Service

end of the Gulf War.

on several hundred square kilometres of

enemy territory around H2 and H3.
Typically, the US elite teams would consist of between 20 and 40 commandos,
who would mount patrols of between 10
and 15 days

in length.

But in the great Scud hunt the laurels

belonged to the SAS and Delta Force.
Downing telephoned Massey at the end
of February and they congratulated each
other for 'establishing Anglo-American
dominion over western Mesopotamia".
It was true that the SAS had not completely stopped the launch of Scud missiles from western Iraq against Israel, but
it had made a major contribution in cutring them down severely. From an average
of

five

launches per day during the

week of the

war, the figure then

than one launch per day.

fighting teams

on

Air Force in the

Scud

the
air

With

fell

first

to less

the

SAS

ground and the US

flying 75-150 anti-

found it
up and tire their
surface-to-surface missiles. Above all. it
had been the British special forces soldiers
on the ground who made the biggest
contribution. The men who wore the
Winged Dagger had once again proved
sorties per day. the Iraqis

almost impossible to

that thev

set

were second

to none.

111

THE
As
is

SAS prepares

the

it

heads into the 21st Century,

Britain's

Regiment

is

22nd

now

Special Air
a

challenges of the next century, a wealth of new equipment

itself for the

being tested and evaluated at Hereford. One thing

meet the

to

As

CENTURY

21st

truly

Service

multifaceted

organisation specialising in counter revo-

ed paramilitary or
Britain
ideal

is certain,

the

SAS

terrorist activities in

and Europe have provided an

on-the-job training ground. To pre-

vent the terrorist carrying out his repug-

lutionary warfare, low-profile intelligence

nant trade, the security forces must be

gathering, hostage-rescue, deep penetra-

better informed,

tion offensive raids and clandestine military operations

behind enemy

lines.

The

keys to the Regiment's continued success

the

are

high

quality

of

its

operatives,

training and equipment.

For

more than two decades, the

Northern Ireland 'Troubles' and

associat-

tial

threat

and

more

cally

be

prepared

fully

care of the

first.

Being

fully alert to the

potential dangers and reacting faster than

enemy, however, can

the

The Close Quarters

at

faster to react in response.

real-time

hostage-rescue

equipment

available,

plus

and

people

actual

demonstrates

how

(CQB)

Battle

Hereford, which

simulator

advanced communications and sur-

come

only

through intense training.

poten-

alert to the

Use of the most modern and technologiveillance

will

uncertainties of the future.

used for

is

with

exercises

live

ammunition,

the latest technology

is

linked to razor-sharp reflex training pro-

jump ahead

painstaking collation of every snippet of

cedures to put troopers one

information and backed up by tedious,

of the enemy. Normally referred to

uncomfortable hours of observation, takes

'Killing House', the

as

the

CQB wing has sever-

interconnecting rooms and corridors

which can be re-configured in various
al

ways to avoid

familiarity. In the early days

troopers in plain clothes played the part of

hostages with

dummies and

being used to portray

targets

However,

after

was accidentally
1985,

electronic
terrorists.

an experienced sergeant
killed

during training in

state-of-the-art

technology was

procured to avoid repetition.

ADVANCES

IN HOSTAGE-RESCUE
The first 'Killing House' on the slopes of
Mount Kenya was little more than a sand-

bagged emplacement, but

today's

has

advanced interconnecting video and computer equipment to allow two identically

furnished rooms to be linked for

combat. Soldiers acting

terrorists act

as

realistic

hostages and

out their part in one room in

response to troopers assaulting the other.

The

action

is

projected onto wrap-around

video screens and special disintegrating

bullets

which do not ricochet

thereby

avoiding

are used,

accidental

injuries.

However, even more sophisticated virtual

reality equipment based on headsets and
interactive

Left:

Counter-terrorist

skills will

the

112

camera technology

be needed

already

is

and hostage-rescue
in

an uncertain

SAS stands ready to answer the

future

call.

THE
under

to give even greater realism to

trial

of

Manufacturers

equipment

military

specialist

only

are

happy

too

Hereford play with their

to

let

inventions

latest

good operational report

SAS will work in their favour

hope

in the

from the

Army Air Corps

Lynx helicopters

an

tions,

speed

the training.

that a

CENTURY

21st

and

insertion

personnel

for

RAF

a dedicated

of high-

flight

Chinook
its Land

detachment, which can transport

Rovers over long ranges. Boat Troops

have their own small fleet of rapid intervention

boats and light-

craft, inflatable

with the normal military procurement sys-

weight canoes, and the motor transport

tem. However,

pool comprises mainly 4X4 vehicles.

as

both

this

is

not

one-sided deal,

learned on operational deployment.

munications equipment in
used by the

Regiment

Com-

particular

as

has always been at

the leading edge of technology, often to

normal military

the embarrassment of the

command. During

chain of

The

benefit from the lessons

parties

sent

standard offensive vehicle at prethe

is

Vehicle
are

as

Land Rover Desert

Patrol

used in the Gulf War, but

underway

trials

to find a replacement.

Light Strike Vehicle has been binned

The
as its

lightweight construction was not up to

the Falklands

the job, but the concept of fitting anti-

Conflict, for example, Hereford

was being

armour weapons or heavy machine guns

on the evolving

by troop-

briefed

situation

to a vehicle roll cage have

High Command
in London had even decoded the Task
Force Commander's signals. Exactly how
the SAS managed this has been kept a

The Land Rover SOV

close secret.

kit

ers in the field before the

Gulf War, was experi-

after the

mented with, but when

was stowed

Opera-

by the American

tions Vehicle) as ordered

Rangers

been retained.

(Special

all

greatly

it

the required

exceeded the

vehicle's carrying capabilities.

COMMUNICATIONS EQUIPMENT
Morse

In the 1960s, the special

Two

radio sets

used by the Regiment were streets ahead

of anything that the

could

lay

its

of the

rest

equipment these

today's

The

pieces.

Army

hands on, but compared with

museum

are

current generation of hand-

held, burst transmission, encrypted

weigh

sage, satellite transceivers

less

mesthan

bag of sugar and can be carried in the

pocket of
tioning
issue to

combat

jacket. Global Posi-

System equipment on general

every

SAS

team, which gives pin-

be

to

long-range reconnaissance vehicle and the

medium

other a

(mother

mobility support vehicle

but ideally

ship),

common

chassis

components on both
would be preferred. A development testbed Land Rover powered by a much largand mechanical

er engine

and weighing

when combat
is

in at 5.5 tonnes

loaded has been

though unlikely

built,

but

it

vehicles

were equally

London embassy

at

home

in

or remote

belt

the
rural

A four-man rapid response team,

weapons and specialist communications equipment could be carried incognito, in comfort and style, but if required
areas.

their

the vehicle could take to the fields or

tackle the worst

rough tracks found

in the

Third World.

that this will enter pro-

duction. If trials are successful and

comes forward,

manufacturer

keep the SAS at its peak.

new

for

been advised, one

vehicles have

of the hardware being evaluated at Hereford

to

requirements

separate

Above: Powered hang gliders are just some

no other
Special

NEW SAS VEHICLES

In the early 1990s, the

point accuracy location just about any-

Forces version of the Austrian Pinzgauer,

fleet

where

in the

which

lighter

than

SAS Range Rover

was supplemented with

batch of

today's trooper talk direct to his senior

cle to

commander

roll-cage-mounted pulpit ring could be

Land Rover's new Discovery model. Even

before its Press Launch at the September
1989 Frankfurt Motor Show, the Discovery had been shown to the SAS

used for long-range reconnaissance, and

behind closed doors

world,
the

in

is

even smaller and

Not only can

radios.

Hereford on secure,

fre-

quency-hopping communications, he can

also tell him where he is down to about

15m

transportation
posal,

is

at

the Regiment's dis-

from parachutes and

rapid response vehicles.

fuelled
aircraft,

At

minutes' notice to

own

aircraft

to

times a fully

and readied Hercules transport

crewed by the RAF s own Special

Forces Flight personnel,

its

all

civil

is

kept

at a

move.The SAS

few

also has

helicopters for covert opera-

in British service as a light

may be

tractor,

fit

the

gun

the best off-the-shelf vehi-

bill.

The 4x4

variant with a

as a possible

successor

1990s, the standard low-profile transport

Range Rover, and the Regiment

liked what it saw. Geared more to the mass
market than the now up-market Range

SAS personnel working out of uniform was the Range Rover. Powered by

vention Teams an even greater degree of

6x6 version for re-supply

From the mid-1970s until the

to the

larger

(50ft).

To get the trooper into position to

observe, react or attack, all manner of

is

early

for

the same 3.5-litre

their Desert

V8

petrol

engine

as

Patrol Vehicles, this luxury

permanent four-wheel drive and

the same degree of off-road and rough
terrain performance as a Land Rover.
Painted in standard factory colours and
running on civilian number plates, these
car had

Rover, the Discovery gave Rapid Inter-

anonymity
ness.

as

they went about their busi-

The new

vehicle

mechanical components

used
as

the

same

the standard

Land Rover Defenand basic maintenance was not a problem. The Defender
is, of course, used bv armies, civilians and
military specification

der, so spares availability

113

SAS

THE

WAR

AT

could be very useful, but the

light aircraft

of detection by sophisticated

possibility

low

level radar

and surveillance systems

can limit their use to certain areas or

fields

of operation. They can, however, be parachuted

in

from transport

troop-

aircraft to

on the ground. One particular

make of powered hang glider, the Icarus,
ers already

has even

been designed

wise empty

fast jet

to

fit

in an other-

drop tank so that

it

can

be released under cover of a bombing run.

Maritime Special Forces operations are

prime responsibility of the

usually the

Royal Marines Special Boat Service

(SBS), but the SAS works closely with
their seaborne cousins. Indeed, such

the

is

degree of cross-training between the two

organisations,

which both come under

command of the

HALO,

Above: Protection of Britain's North Sea

oilrigs is
in the

now part of the SAS's responsibility

war against terrorism.

from

troopers can be secretly dropped

Hercules

Using an oxygen mask

(25,000ft).

industry worldwide, so a competent

SAS

mechanic does not need to look too

for a vehicle to borrow parts from.

When

the

service, the

SAS Range Rover

far

only thing to give away

on the

cations.

The

descent, the trooper freefalls to an

altitude

entered
its

communi-

current Discovery fleet does

to

breathe in the un-pressurised aircraft and

of 900- 1200m

(2953-3937ft)

before opening his canopy to glide silently to earth in a

Where

true role was the unusual radio antennae

array for ultra-high frequency

com7620m

aircraft travelling at

mercial airliner altitudes of around

the

tion,

(HAHO)

remote

there

is

high

altitude,

high

opening

technique can be used. Jumping

from the same height, but opening

advances in communications technology

nine-cell steerable parachute

two decades, and today there

is little to see externally which could give
away the identity of the occupants.
Resembling the Range Rover in appearance, the great advantage with the
Discovery is that it combines style and

much

craft ever

entering the target country's

comfort with

space. In

extreme

last

all

the off-road capabilities

his

canopy

of the Hercules'

HAHO,

flight path.

troopers can be

Using

inserted well

over unfriendly borders without the

cases, the

SAS

Regiment. Obviously the Regiment's

Discoveries have added 'extras', such as
bulletproof panels and compartments for

powder-blue canopy. Even the most

concealed weapons, but externally they

flight

look

extreme cold

When

vehicle or heliborne insertion

is

ferentiate

such

be used.

favoured.

low opening (HALO) parachuting in the late 1960s, and first used it
operationally in Oman in 1970. Using
altitude,

114

alert

birds.

Due

to

the

such altitudes and over

at

duration,

detection, parachute delivery

is

an hour under his

would not be able to difbetween an SAS patrol and a

of high-flying

suits

perfected the technique of high

air

radar operator

not possible due to range or likelihood of

The SAS

aloft for

air-

trooper

could remain

ordinary civilian vehicles.

at a

greater height, the trooper glides to

of the military Land Rovers used by the

like

his

landing zone tens of kilometres to one

side

insulated

astronaut-type

and heated oxygen supplies have to

As an

first

British special forces operation

GulfWar, not the SAS. In

this

cessful cross-border mission, the

deep behind the

of the

highly suc-

SBS

flew

Iraqi front-line to dig

up

communications cable and

bring back a section for analysis. It was
also the SBS who flew into Kuwait City
a

fibreoptic

by helicopter and abseiled onto the roof

of the British Embassy at the end of the
to secure the building.

higher risk of detec-

not suffer to the same extent due to the

over the

it

war

spot.

Director Special Forces,

was the SBS which carried out the

that

SAS BOAT TROOPS

Though the SAS Boat Troops do
occasion to
lakes

work with

the SBS,

it is

have

inland

and waterways which mainly

within their jurisdiction. As well

boats for infiltration

on

as

fall

using

intelligence gath-

ering and offensive operations, Boat Troop

personnel are trained

as

combat

underwater explosives experts.

divers

If a

and

dam

or

bridge has to be blown underwater or an

mounted from a fresh water lake,

SAS would normally undertake this

assault

the

task. If necessary, their

dedicated Special

Forces Chinooks can land on a lake to

allow shallow drought craft to be inserted

or retrieved in the same fashion that their

Land Rovers

are

on dry

land.

What the future holds in store

SAS is anybody's guess, but we

for the

can be

sure that they will be riding into action

alternative to parachute inser-

tion,

micro

hang

gliders have

light

aircraft
all

and motorised

been experimented

with. For cross-border operations, these

on the cutting edge of the latest technolwherever and whenever Her

ogy,
Majesty's Government or her citizens
need them.

WAR

WEAPONS SKILLS
Every Bullet Counts
Since World
of both allies

War II SAS soldiers have been proficient in the use of a wide variety of firearms,
and enemies. Because SAS units often operate behind enemy lines, troopers are
taught to use

accurate

fire to

defeat an

enemy

attack.

imperative that Special Forces per-

is

It

fast,

sonnel are able to handle a range of

weapons both of friendly and

manufacture. Although an elite

may have

hostile

soldier

weapon system

favoured

for a

may not always be

available. More possibly, it may become
damaged or jammed during the sortie,
forcing him to rely upon a gun taken
particular mission

it

from the enemy. Expertise

in the handling

of many different types of hand-held

weapons, from shotguns to sophisticated
anti-aircraft systems,

gained from multiple

hours of training on the range and in the

Hereford 'Killing House', has enabled the

SAS

to establish a reputation

none

in this field.

second to

The SAS defence of the Omani town

of Mirbat in July 1972 is perhaps the best
example of the Regiment's skills in
action,

and

Mirbat

is

is

worth recording

a small coastal

town

Oman, located some 65km

of the provincial

in detail.

in western

(40 miles) east

At the
time of the attack the town was defended
by 30 Askaris from northern Oman
armed with bolt-action .303in Leecapital, Salalah.

rifles, some firqat (local tribesmen,

many of them ex-rebels), 25 Dhofar Gen-

(GPMG), both on the roof of the BATT

The position would have been far

house.

stronger, but

to patrol the

town

fort

and armed with

7.62mm SLR semi-automatic

and an SAS training team.

firqat

had been dispatched

mountain overlooking the

enemy sighting and

to investigate an

had yet

or adoo, were guerrillas of

the People's Front for the Liberation of

the

Occupied Arabian Gulf (PFLOAG),

British

Marxist-inspired organisation attempting

rifles,

to

SKILLS AT MIRBAT

The SAS team

consisted of nine

based

BATT

in

the

(British

Training Team) house, under the

250

com-

75mm

mand of Captain Mike Kealy). Their

heavy weaponry consisted of a single 25pounder

dug in close to the

Browning machine gun and a
7.62mm General Purpose Machine Gun
artillery piece

fort, a .5in

116

which attacked Mirbat was

considerably stronger than the defenders:

men
Army

guerrillas

armed with Soviet AK-47

Kalashnikov assault
recoilless

rifles,

rifles,

supported by

rocket launchers

one battery of mortars. In

would be launched
during the monsoon period, making government intervention from the air difficult through the prevailing low cloud and

and

at

The Mirbat

rain.

surrounded by

The

as

defences consisted of

least

addition, the attack

terrain

barbed-wire

was open and

cattle fence.

relatively

flat,

affording the defenders excellent fields of

fire

during the

The

overthrow the pro-British Sultan. The

adoo force

WEAPONS

controlled

flat-topped houses and mud-walled forts

to return.

The enemy,

Enfield

darmerie in an old

60

SAS soldiers are taught to use

fire, to make every shot count,
opposed to laying down a blanket of fire.

Above:

attack

battle.

was launched

in the early

of 19 July 1972. The enemy's

stealth-like approach was compromised
hours

when

a firefight

guerrillas
in

and

developed between the

a small force

of gendarmes

an outlying post, which gave the main

body of defenders warning. Kealy gave

the order for the SAS mortar to open fire,
and then he and the other SAS soldiers
opened up with a lethal combination of

machine guns and

assault

rifles.

The

WEAPONS SKILLS

ULLET COUNTS

EVERY

The SAS's favourite assault

Left:

the

rifle,

US

5.56mm MIS, which has a 30-round magazine

and can hold a M203 grenade launcher.

the gunpit.

Once

which

there the scene

greeted them gave cause for alarm.

Omani gunner was

were both the
pit

might

The

seriously injured, as

seemed the gunwhich would have meant

Fijians. It

fall,

the loss of the battle.

FIREPOWER DEFEATS THE ADOO

The 25-pounder, although momentarily
silent,

was

still

able to

fire.

As the unsus-

pecting adoo closed in for the

laba,

who

had

now

kill

received basic

Laba-

first

aid

from Tobin, brought the 25-pounder into

action once again. As he

fell

taken by Tobin, covered

as far as possible

his place

was

by Kealy, and supported by concentrated

fire

from the

BATT

house.

The

fanatical

adoo continued to press a series of at times

suicidally brave attacks, but to

GPMG

SLRs,

and Browning found

marks with well-aimed shots and

SAS

their

bursts,

training paying dividends as the

of the attack was blunted.

ferocity

Fortunately, the
initial

mounted

adoo

infantry assault against the

their

Gendar-

SAS team
the BATT house some 400m
away. However, when Trooper

merie in the

were

full

in

(1312ft)

fort.

Most of

the

Savesaki received a report that his fellow

Fijian,

who

Corporal Labalaba,

self beside the fort in the

no

avail.

the gunpit near the fort decided to go

The appearance of two Omani Strikemaster jets stemmed the adoo, who began

there himself. Leaving Corporal

Robert
Bradshaw in charge of the BATT house
and the vital support weapons, he and

to withdraw m disorder. As they did they

were met by the concentrated fire of the
GPMGs manned by a rescue force from

Tommy Tobin,

tion,

and having

failed to get a reply

an

SAS medical

from

specialist,

Squadron, 22

SAS. The

battle

for

began their hazardous dash for the gunpit,

Mirbat, one of the shortest but most sav-

one man

age in the history of the SAS, broke the

sprinting, the other giving

cover. Miraculously, despite

fire,

the pair both

made

it

him

heavy enemy

Marxists' will to fight.

uninjured to

mony

to the

weapons

It

was

skills

also a testi-

of the SAS.

was him-

gunpit with the

25-pounder, was injured, he sought and

was granted permission to run to his
friend to offer medical assistance.

The

initial

extended

line

attack was

mounted by an

of some 40

adoo.

Using

shallow wadi for protection, they skirted

'

in

of the

front

BATT

house, turned

towards the fort and broke into a run. As

soon

as

they broke cover they were

down with
the

BATT

mown

short bursts from the roof of

house by Corporal

Chapman

manning the Browning.

The

BATT

adoo

now began

to

strafe

the

house with machine guns and

mortar rounds. Having radioed Salalah for

1

assistance,

Kealv took stock of the situa-

Right: In a firefight

SAS soldiers

instructed to fire first

are

and accurately, as

these dead Iraqis discovered in the Gulf War.

El

/-

**<&

117

SAS

THE

ART

OF

WAR
The standard personal weapon the
SAS currently favours is the American

Ml 6

which

assault rifle,

M203

with an

usually fitted

is

grenade launcher. The

Regiment first used an earlier version of

this weapon during its Borneo campaign
(1963-66), where the advantages of its
and lightness were
outweigh the disadvantage of its

relatively short barrel

to

felt

lack of stopping power,

round
compared
the

addition,

to

SAS

the weight of

i.e.

was

hitting the target

soldiers

5.56mm Ml 93

bullet

when

less

rounds.

In

found that the

US

larger-calibre

was

easily deflected

by overhanging branches and other obs-

which occur

tacles

They

in the jungle.

adopted the heavier, slower-

therefore

moving SSI 09 European round.

THE M16 ASSAULT RIFLE

The current version of the M16 is the
M16A2, which differs in a number of
ways from the

original.

It is

slightly

than the original and has

ier

profile.

three-round burst capability has

been introduced, with new

and the non-metallic
butt, stock

More

and

the

added

sights

parts such

the

as

pistol grip strengthened.

importantly,

accept

heav-

a far thicker

it

ammunition, making
with the SA-80

been adapted

has

NATO

improved

to

5.56mm

interchangeable

it

carried by

assault rifle

conventional units in the British Army.

The M203 grenade launcher

nificant force multiplier

when

is

a sig-

fitted to

an

Ml 6,

and has become a tried-and-tested

favourite with the SAS. The launcher is
Above: The Colt Commando, the compact
version of the M16.

Its

size

makes

it

weapons, learn the strengths and weak-

ideal for

SAS anti-terrorist operations.

nesses of each,

reassemble

how
SAS personnel have

wide variety of weapons, from heavy

machine guns to pistols. Experienced solthe

Regi-

ment, they will have learned to handle

personal weapon, probably the

SA-80, during basic

5.56mm

Those with

training.

an infantry background

may

well also

have learned to use platoon support weapons, such

GPMG,

as

and

the

Milan,

LAW-80

118

hand gren-

Selection Training

introduced to

or

will certainly have learned

the rudiments of how to use a

ade. After

to strip, clean

in the dark,

to get the best

and

and above

all

from them.

they

are

wide variety of additional

attached

beneath

the

stock

extending

and

fired

under the M16's

barrel,

separate

mechanism forward of

trigger

the magazine.

It

are

several

taken into account

ons for

lines,

considerations

to

be

when choosing weap-

a particular special forces mission.

As most

will take place

minimum

behind enemy

weight, conservation of

ammunition and compatibility with

enemy weapon systems are crucial.
Equally important, however,
Patrols are invariably small
ability to

fire

is

firepower.

and require the

shoot their way out of trouble

by bringing

down maximum

to bear if

compromised.

by

fire a

variety

of 40mm high-explosive and anti-person-

MISSION CONSIDERATIONS
There

is

increases a patrol's fire-

power enormously, and can

used a

always

diers before they transfer to

them

how

short-term

nel grenades to a range of nearly

(1312ft).

It is

equally useful

400m

if a patrol is

ambushed, as it can lay down heavy firepower and even smoke at short notice,
enabling the patrol to withdraw.

However,

it

is

as

fragmentation

weapon for raiding that the M203 truly

excels. The SAS raid on Pebble Island
during the 1982 Falklands War exemplified

the

potential

of the

M203

SAS

troopers use assault

rifles.

used

way
During the

aggressively, as well as the devastating

WEAPONS SKILLS
campaign, the Argentinians

Falklands

either burning or

on Pebble Island off

the north coast of West Falkland. A number of Pucara ground-attack aircraft were
based there, which could have posed a

bullets, their

considerable threat to the British landings

accurate

established an airstrip

from D Squadron,
Royal Naval gunfire
observation team and three warships, was
at

San Carlos.

supported by

force

therefore tasked with destroying the air-

ground crews and the garrison

craft, their

on the

headwinds, the carrier

to strong

Hermes was delayed and landed the main

party by helicopter 60 minutes

assault
late.

The mission was therefore reduced,

aircraft became the main target.

and the

The attack on the airstrip was carried out

by members of the Mountain Troop led
by Captain John Hamilton. When the
reached

troops

the

perimeter

their fuselages full

The Argentine
pletely

by

surprise,

fire

of holes.'
defenders, taken

com-

were unable to return

When

Pucaras,

four

and

destroyed on

SAS

destroyed a

of ammunition. Crucially,
islands.

of the Regiment's use of firepower.

marksman

is

enemy

on

the

counter-terrorist

the

sniper, operating either alone or

partner, can

force

by

pin

killing

down

large

leaders

its

and

to use assault rifles

SAS

soldier,

being

another. Sniping

is

is

Snipers can also

on enemy

material

radar and missile

a projectile into a

aimed

electrical

inflict

bomb

sites,

experts.

damage
turning

with one well-

shot.

The

employment of fast, accurate firepower by

the SAS soldiers on Pebble Island is typi-

part of being an

in

machine gunners or

aircraft lay

Argentine defence of the

Being able

The

with

and

Turbo-Mentors

the grass. In addition, the

cal

role.

missions, both

forces

the raiders withdrew, six

Skyvan transport
large quantity

special

communications personnel. Other targets

may include enemy weapons specialists,

and caused only one minor

casualty.

to

battlefield

one

a crack

integral

SNIPING SKILLS
Marksmanship skills alone will not make
a good sniper. Ice-cool nerves and excellent fieldcraft capabilities are also essential.

open

sniper must be able to

terrain

move

across

without being spotted by the

of the

M203
LAWs

opened fire with

grenade launchers and 66mm
they

airstrip

had been riddled with

undercarriages shot away and

Pebble Island played no further part in the

island.

Due

EVERY BULLET COUNTS

weapons), while heavier

(light anti-tank

and illumination were provided by

fire

HMS

the cruiser

Glamorgan.

FIREPOWER ON PEBBLE ISLAND

The following is an extract from one of
the SAS soldiers who took part in the
and
weapons
raid,

'My

an excellent example of the

is

used by the Regiment:

skills as

pounding and

heart started

my Ml 6.

ened the grip on

slipped off the safety catch.

and

the airfield

the

We

laid charges

Moments

aircraft.

tight-

Instinctively

crept onto

on seven of

later

place

the

we opened up with our small

arms and LAWs. Using three-round
erupted

as

bursts,

emptied

whole magazine

into a

Pucara, the bullets ripping into the nose

and cockpit, sending shards of perspex

into the

lit

my

'To

Overhead para-flares from

up the night sky.
left a 66mm rocket slammed

air.

Glamorgan

into the side of another Pucara, engulfing

it

in a fireball.

fire filled

The

clipped a fresh

mag

looked around for

fresh

started to detonate.

into

my M16 and

targets.

By

this

Right: In the field

must be able
1000m

crackle of small-arms

the air as the explosive charges

I

time

all

camouflaged SAS snipers

to hit targets

(3280ft)

the aircraft were

up

to

a range of

or more.

119

SAS

THE

ART

WAR

OF

it is

9mm Browning High Power.

new

The

Left:

Though

being slowly replaced by

handguns,

it

is still

popular in the Regiment.

then introduced, and the Accuracy Inter-

PM

national

was adopted for most pur-

poses. Designated

the

L96A1, the

7.62mm ammunition

accepts

rifle

fed either

singly through the ejection port or

from

detachable 10-round box-type magazine,

and

up

accurate

is

1000m

to

(3280ft). The

butt and stock are of high-density green

manufacture, and

plastic

rubber butt-pad

when

factor

is

an

adjustable

an important

fitted,

considering the length of

SAS

sniper

motionless before

firing.

time that an

may

have to

lie

THE ACCURACY INTERNATIONAL

The L96A1 is fitted with a bipod and
on

the rear of the butt, to enable the

weapon

to rest comfortably during long

periods

of observation.

spike

Bender PM6x42
chosen

fitted,

Schmidt

for

high

its

&

been

telescopic sight has

of

degree

ruggedness, excellent clarity and 93 per

cent

enabling

transmission,

light

operate

effectively

in

low-light

Accuracy International have

tions.

introduced

to

it

condialso

suppressed version of the

weapon, which is accurate up

of 300m (984ft).

to a range

HANDGUNS
Handguns

are primarily used

by SAS

sol-

counter-terrorist

duties

and

for

diers

hostage-rescue operations. However, they

may
a

also

be carried on other missions,

back-up

for a larger

as

weapon. The prime

considerations in choosing a handgun, as

with

weapon

all

systems, are accuracy and

first-round reliability. Although there are

many newer

He must

enemy.

firing positions

then locate concealed

which

offer a

good view

example,

may

create a telltale

nature', giving

away the

smoke

'sig-

sniper's position

of the target yet offer an avenue of escape,

to the

move

glinting off a shiny barrel or any other

in

for a
itself.

and wait for hours, perhaps

target
All

SAS

days,

of opportunity to present
soldiers are taught

maintenance to

a high degree,

part of the

The

weapons
but for

enemy. This

is

also true

of the sun

of sniper

rifles

according to the weapon, the

ammuni-

trained sniper the standards are far higher.

tion and the sights fitted. Until the

Sniper

rifles are

generally

less

robust than

conventional weapons and must be especially well

lems.

120

maintained to avoid any prob-

Too much

oil

in

the

barrel,

for

980s, the British

the

L42A1

Enfield
bre.

No

sniper

Army and SAS

rifle

trials

mid-

retained

for field use, a

for a

Lee

7.62mm calinew rifle were

4 converted to

However,

varies

Brow-

favourite

with the SAS. Designed and produced by

Fabrique National of Belgium, the
semi-automatic

pistol will accept a

zine of 14 rounds, although

weapon.

range

systems available, the

ning High Power remains

ly

up

to a range

of

The High Power

weapon
ranges,

SAS

for

and

is

engaging
its

50m
an

targets

is

(164ft).

excellent
at

short

short barrel enables the

engage suddenly

soldier to rapidly

exposed

usual-

prevent jamming, and

loaded to

effective

less are

9mm
maga-

targets

with

either

hand.

WEAPONS SKILLS
However, because

need

importance. For
receive

intense

training

short, the

is

Gibraltar

of paramount

is

SAS

reason

this

handguns, especially
called

barrel

its

aim accurately

to

the

in

use

of

The SAS operation against the three

of the so-

in the use

double tap (two shots

soldiers

quick

fired in

terrorists in Gibraltar in

weapons
fired in

THE BROWNING HIGH POWER

The High Power, despite its age, meets all
SAS requirements: not only is it reliable
safe,

ideal for

but

its

compactness makes

undercover work,

Ireland for example.

It

with either hand, has

it

Northern

in

can be operated

a rapid

magazine-

change function, and will work

in

all cli-

The High Power was used extensively by the SAS during the Aden campaign, when SAS 'Keeni Meeni' patrols,
mates.

disguised as Arabs, mingled with the local

population in search of gunmen.

were

also

used

siege in 1980,

at

when

the Iranian

they were carried

back-ups to the submachine guns

ployed by the

They

Embassy

SAS men

as

em-

in the successful

quick succession)

is

kill. It is

keep

drilled into

a terrorist's

or her to push

SAS

SAS raid. Many of the

were shot-up with small-arms

hands away from

his body, thus

button or reach for

which contains the

instant

kill,

One

vital

organs

is

its

soldiers to use

double tap (two shots

be used

it

impossible for

gun. Forget the idea of shooting

heart, lungs

much

that can then

and accurate firepower

making
at

and

shot to the head, 'the suede' in

but the head

weapon

soldiers that sustained

out of a terrorists hands, shots are always aimed

bigger target.

Army (IRA)

often insufficient to stop a determined terrorist

from detonating hidden explosives or pulling

to

Republican

an excellent example of the

in their anti-terrorist operations.

will

him
gun

the trunk of the body,

liver

- but which

SAS

parlance, guarantees an

is

also a

smaller target.

mind when analysing the events at

Gibraltar. The SAS soldiers who were trailing them believed the IRA
terrorists were armed and had remote-control devices on their persons, which
they were going to use to detonate a car bomb. When confronted, the
terrorists - Mairead Farrell, Sean Savage and Daniel McCann - all made
movements which the SAS men on the ground interpreted as being
All the

above must be borne

in

threatening, and responded accordingly. In the space of a few seconds

all

over. All three terrorists

hit five

times

- two

in the

were shot and

head and three

was explained by the SAS themselves

Below: Damaged Argentinian aircraft on

aircraft

is

it

was

killed at close quarters. Farrell

was

in the torso

- McCann was

shot

nine times and Savage was hit by 15 rounds. Such overwhelming firepower

rescue of the hostages.

Pebble Island after the

Irish

March 1988

employed by the Regiment. The SAS teaches

skills

body-line shooting

succession).

and

ULLET COUNTS

EVERY

'I

thought she

back.

[Farrell]

then engaged

at

the later inquest. Soldier 'A' stated:

was going for the button and

shot Farrell in the

McCann. His hands were away from

his

body'

fire.

121

THE

ART

SAS

WAR

OF

Force Multipliers
SAS patrols

by carrying weapons that act as force

substantially increase their firepower

such as machine guns, grenade launchers and

pliers,

gives them protection against armoured vehicles,

SAS

teams operating behind enemy

lines

have always been faced with the

dilemma of firepower versus mobility.

Small-sized units far from friendly lines
are vulnerable to enemy air and ground
attack. The risk is partly offset by SAS soldiers' camouflage and concealment skills,
but having sufficient firepower means
compromises in other areas. SAS vehicle
patrols can carry immense firepower, but
they are obviously far
foot

Foot

teams.

more

visible

than

though, are

teams,

terms of firepower by what

restricted in

they can carry.

SAS teams

like to

have heavier support

weapons with them, both

to

add to the

firepower of an attack or reinforce the

defence. However, weight considerations
are always a problem. Fortunately,

modern

weapons and grenade launchers

are compact and light enough to be carried by SAS foot patrols, and thus act as
anti-tank

significant force multipliers.

MACHINE GUNS
Aside from

rifles,

SAS teams need

fire-

support weapons to provide small-sized

units

with destructive firepower and

support.

highly

In

trained

hands

fire

the

machine gun is a significant force multiplier. The most favoured machine gun in
the SAS armoury is the L7A2 General
Purpose Machine Gun (GPMG), which,
until recently, was the principal section
support weapon of the British Army. It
was introduced following the adoption of
7.62mm calibre ammunition as the standard NATO round and was always
regarded as an extremely reliable and
accurate, if somewhat heavy, weapon.
With its integrated bipod it has an accurate range of 800m (2624ft), and when
attached to

Right:

tripod (in the sustained

Machine guns, such as

GPMG, can give

small-sized

devastating firepower.

122

this

7.62mm

SAS patrols

fire

role)
a

it

fire

1400m

machine gun

ularity

to

(4590ft).

that has gained in

pop-

6.8kg (151b) compared to nearly 11kg

(241b)

of the

weighs

less

with the Regiment in recent years

and

it

5.56mm Minimi, which

by the patrol 'Bravo Two

the

first

the Belgian

was carried

multi-

weapons. This not only

means they can out-gun enemy infantry.

800 rounds per minute

range of up to

A
is

can

it

light anti-tank

Zero' in the 1991 GulfWar.

for foot patrols are obvious:

Its
it

advantages

weighs only

Thus

GPMG,

than

its

7.62mm

ammunition

calibre rounds,

has a second feed slot located

if

on the
there

available,

is

left side

no

of the

belt-feed

below

receiver.

ammunition

then any M16-type magazine

can be fitted into the second feed

slot.

WEAPONS SKILLS: FORCE MUTIPLIERS

This interchangeability

an advantage

is

behind enemy

for teams operating

lines.

SAS MACHINE GUNNERS

SAS troopers learn to operate machine
guns from several positions, but unlike the

who

conventional infantry,

serve the

gun

with a team of two. tend to operate

it

manpower. They will learn

to fire the GPMG and Minimi from the
hip. using the sling to maintain the weapon parallel to the ground and at waist
height, and from the shoulder. This insingly to save

volves a great deal of physical strength,

with

weapon being
way

the

ammunition

belt

to

the

as a rifle.

The

raised

shoulder in the same

draped over the

is

left

arm, while the right supports the weight

of the weapon,

not unsubstantial 10.4kg

Only

(241b) unloaded.

to four

manner,

short bursts of

rounds or so can be fired in

the

as

up

this

weapon becomes difficult

even so this may prove
short ranges. The 7.62mm
link ammunition fired by

tridge,

distributed throughout the

has a spread of approximately

to control, but

devastating at
disintegrating

GPMG

the

is

weight to be carried

patrol, lessening the

by the weapon's gunner.

While the machine gun

its

To

capable of

at

short range

gap in

this

fill

SAS introduced

armoury, the

per

comparable

in

is

this

Navy SEAL

a technique

is

very

that is taught to

tiring,

but

it

is

SAS soldiers.

eight-round group fired

sub-machine gun.

ate in

both pump-action and semi-auto-

SPAS

matic mode, and in the case of the

THE REMINGTON 870 SHOTGUN

The M203 grenade launcher can

fire

2 can be fired with one hand

sary.

Tear gas rounds can be

shotgun-type anti-personnel rounds and

attachment

the shotgun

has largely superseded the conventional

maximum range of 150m

SSG rounds, the SPAS can

the

US

Above: Firing a machine gun like

support

its

Malayan campaign. Early

models were standard, or had been introduced originally for police riot-control
situations. As the potential of the shotgun
as a weapon became more obvious, however, more thought was put into the
acquisition of more specialist models.
Loaded with buckshot rather than the
during

from

is

balls,

25mm

over great

usefulness in urban environ-

ments, in the jungle, or

limited.

is

fire

9mm

eight

metre (lin per 39in), and

effect to a tight

providing heavy accurate

distances,

which contains

shotgun

in

the

However, the SAS

CRW

strictly

military

retains the

field.

shotgun for

fitted to

if

neces-

and an

fired,

launch grenades to a

per second into a target

(495ft).

Using

place 48 shots

at

40m

(132ft),

blow off
door hinges. Civilian pump-action weapons have now largely been abandoned in

and for extremely close-quarter shooting

may be fitted with a shot diverter capable
of widening the spread of shot. Crucially

favour of

more modern purpose-built

Remington 870, Mossberg 5-ATP-8 and the

for

paramilitary models, such as the

the British-made Hatton round, specially

non-lethal birdshot used by riot police,

Franchi special-purpose automatic shot-

SPAS can even be loaded with

shotguns can prove very effective in the

gun (SPAS) series. The Remington, based

on a design introduced in 1949, has been
officially adopted by the US Marine
Corps as its combat shotgun, and by the

carbide,

hands of

him

to put

patrol's

down

lead scout, enabling

spread of deadly pro-

jectiles into a general area

shot. Different types

tion can

with

a single

of shotgun ammuni-

be carried according to the

AAA

cumstances. Small buckshot (either

or

BB)

large

is

classified as short range,

buckshot (SSG,

of a spread, but

40m

is

SG

or

LG)

30m

(98ft).

while

has less

effective at ranges

(50-1 3 lft) and can stop a

ranges up to

cir-

of 15-

man

An SSG

at

car-

the

British

role, particularly

Army

for

its

(COPs)

in

to

Close Observation

CRW operations the SPAS will accept

designed

for

shooting off hinges.

discarding-sabot

22

SAS

selves

SPAS

11

and 12

models, on the other hand, were designed

specifically for the military market,

oper-

of enhancing its
wide variety of heavy

Stirling,

avoid weight.
Luigi Franchi

'penetrator'

has maintained the tradition,

begun by David

potency by using

The

The

tungsten

round and used at close range against the

sides of fight armoured vehicles.

Northern Ireland.
Both the Remington and the Mossberg
are of pan aluminium construction to
Platoons

support weapons in both the offensive

and defensive mode. The weapons them-

must be the most effective systems

and be light enough to be either

available,

man

portable or mountable on Land

Rovers or other types of small soft-

123

skinned vehicle. The equipment must also

be

air-portable

or

of being

capable

is

not

primary role of the SAS, patrols must be

The

armour

of neutralising heavy

should they encounter

tried-and-tested

it

ambush.

in an

84mm

Carl Gustav

gun has always been

recoilless anti-tank

proved by the Mujahedeen

Armed with

istan.

WAR

OF

Afghan-

in

favourite with the SAS, although

it is

now

being largely superseded by the American

M72 66mm

Light Anti-Armour Weapon

(LAW), and the heavier 94mm LAW 80.
Both are one-shot, throw-away weapons,
and in the case of the LAW 80 can fire a
fin-stabilised warhead capable of penetrating a defended bunker or an armoured
vehicle at a range of 500m (1640ft).

number of

destroy a large

enemy

tactics.

seeking missile to

8000m

fires a

maximum

(five miles)

Stinger

and

is

and durable

addition,

heat-

with an

it

in

It is

has a clear magazine to

its

working

units

means of providing

support. The

indirect fire

51mm mortar can be carried

fire an HE

can

to a range

of

750m

increase

drastically

light, easy to

maintain and

show

the user at a

number of rounds remaining.

(2461ft),
patrol's

Grenade launchers

are

fire-

favourite

fire

number of reasons.
a projectile

1600m

distance of up to

they

they can throw

First,

and

now

with special forces units worldwide, including the SAS, for

and operated by one man, can

bomb

three-

GRENADE LAUNCHERS

Mortars have always been used by the

as a

not). In

is

with

in close conjunction

friendly air forces.

SAS

extremely

glance the

targets, a crucial factor for special forces

conditions

all

Ml 6

round burst option, and can be turned

into anything from a sub-machine gun to
a light support weapon by swapping parts.

which allows

positively to identify

full-

accurate,

is

can be fitted with

IFF (Identification Friend or Foe) system

it

semi- or

Steyr

the

fire,

(something which the

range of

fitted

automatic
reliable

Soviet heli-

copters and force a complete re-evaluation of

down

Capable of putting

number of

a limited

CIA-supplied Stingers, they were able to

dropped by parachute.
Although anti-tank warfare
capable

ART

SAS

THE

over a

Second,

(5248ft).

fragmentation projectiles, which

MILAN AND STINGER

power. The heavier and more powerful

means they can

lay

Medium-range anti-tank weapon systems

such as Milan, which can be fitted with a

81mm

of firepower

moment's notice. For

can be a godsend if they

MIRA

eight rounds of high-explosive rounds per

use,

thermal-imaging device for night

may be deployed

if

greater accuracy

over a longer range (1500m/4920ft)

is

required, but the weight of the

weapon

(23kg /511b) means that

virtual-

ly limited to

its

use

is

vehicle-borne operations.

The US-made FIM-92A

Stinger anti-

was used with great success on

Pebble Island, and can

minute

maximum

to a

assault rifles

rifle is

the Steyr

paign

assault rifle,

the

retake

Although only one

using the system,

its

Falkland

aircraft

Islands.

was shot down

effectiveness

was

later

are a

number of disad-

themselves can be force

the Australian

more

One such
5.56mm bullpup

same weight.

AUG

which

has been adopted by

SAS and

is

rapidly

ing a favourite with the

itself,

for example, travels

straight line, unlike

go around cover. In addition, the grenade

itself is around two-thirds fuse, which
means the effect when it hits the target at
the other end

is

not

as

imagine. Far more

becom-

British

The grenade

one which is
thrown by hand, which means it cannot

in

multipliers especially if they pack

by the SAS offensively during the camto

However, there
ers.

New

patrols this

amount

a large

ambushed.

are

5660m

THE STEYR AUG

for the

first

range of

SAS

down

vantages with regard to grenade launch-

punch

system was

an average of

(3.5 miles).

deployed

aircraft missile

fire

at

great as

serious

one would

is

that

the

grenades themselves lack punch against

SAS.

enemy bunkers and other

Despite

all

these

strongpoints.

problems, grenade

launchers are significant force multipliers

for vulnerable

<%m 1
>

^V-W

***

?
.'

&

M203

the

SAS

foot patrols, and in the

has a

weapon

that

is

com-

'

pact and can be fitted beneath the barrel

of an

assault rifle.

(3.61b),

it

Weighing only 1.63kg

was originally developed to

overcome the problem with the M79

grenade launcher, which was a dedicated
weapon. But with an M203 attached to
every Ml 6, an SAS four-man patrol has a
substantial increase in overall firepower as

V 4JBiK

32

well as an anti-armour capacity.

Of course
comes
Left:

HHBm
124

the

weapons themselves

only one part of the equation

to explaining

The British

why SAS

are

when

it

soldiers are

81mm mortar, which has

been used by SAS teams, both at Mirbat and

on Pebble Island, is a potent weapon.

WEAPONS SKILLS

40mm M203 grenade launcher,

to an Ml 6 assault rifle,

Above: The

seen here attached

an excellent force

so

good

at

is

FORCE MUTIPLIERS

2l*J

multiplier.

weapons

skills.

As well

as

the

hundreds of hours on the ranges and in

the 'Killing House' firing thousands of

rounds
other

handling

perfecting

SAS

marksmanship,
such

weapon within

and

keeping

always

as

handling

with

associated

skills

firearms,

drills

soldiers also learn the

arm's reach (the

the

&*d

first few-

iS^jj
fj

r,

w3k%

seconds of a contact decide the outcome),

keeping

>

meticulously clean and learn-

it

how to deal with jams and stoppages.

Being able to draw, aim and fire a 14round Browning High Power magazine

A.

ing

in

under three seconds

were needed,

weapon
been
dier

that

it

is

is

not so

that matters (the

W'

proof, if proof

much

High Power

4m

the
has

in service since 1935), but the sol-

who

is

firing

it.

Right: The

84mm

weapon

rather unwieldy for foot patrols,

is

Carl Gustav anti-tank

as this photograph

>

m.

-^

illustrates.

125

THE FOUR-MAN PATROL

The Fundamental Unit
The

SAS

four-man patrol

evolved since World

is

one of the most effective special forces units

War II

to

become

multi-skilled individuals capable of undertaking a

four-man
team has been the
The
fundamental operational unit of the
patrol

Regiment
the early

SAS was re-formed

since 22

950s.

contained unit,

it

small,

completely

in

self-

forms the linchpin of the

modern SAS. The four-man patrol, like the

SAS itself, owes its existence to the vision
of one man: David

David

up

were

Air

Special

injured

jump. During

which

fol-

basic idea

Before

Service.

ineffectual large-scale raids

of

this,

number of
on the North
a

African coast.

Because of their
difficult

carry out strategic raids behind

on vulnerable

targets

vehicle parks, fuel

such

enemy
air-

as

dumps and

lines

of communication. His memo that he

wrote while recovering in hospital stated:
scale

are

on which
planned,

i.e.

the

the

Commando
number of

on the one hand and the

scale of equipment and facilities on the
other, prejudices surprise beyond all postroops employed

sible

compensating advantages

in respect

of the defensive and aggressive striking

power

afforded. Moreover, the

to provide ships to
results

in

units out

lift

Navy

the force,

has

which

the risking of valuable naval

of all proportion even to

a suc-

Right: The four-man patrol is the smallest

SAS

operational unit and the cornerstone of

the Regiment's art of war.

126

to

the

current

be

would be
and would demand

none of the massive logistics required of

the larger, more orthodox Commando
raids of which he had been a part.
Stirling's teams would thus be able to
attack a multitude of targets

objective

lost,

swept

men who

away.

parachuted in

However,

matters

Decem1941 and December 1942 SAS raids

quickly improved, and between

ber
in

patrols could

Due

became

aircraft

North Africa destroyed hundreds of

aircraft on the ground, plus a num-

Axis

of supply

workshops and

depots,

enemy

vehicles.

size the patrols

detect,

lines simultaneously, as

THEORY OF THE FOUR-MAN PATROL

He argued that five- (not four-) man
teams of highly trained commandos could

'The

using

objective

Commando technique.'
He believed that SAS

one

raids

one

as

countless

though, he taken part in

fields,

same
compared to

to 10 different objectives at the

time on the same night

a disaster.

operation was

and many of the

only

has

weather

into these sub-units, will be able to attack

ber

lowed he had hatched the

lines

first

by small boats launched from submarines.

the period of forced inactivity

the

The

to adverse

inserted by parachute or, in coastal areas,

disastrous parachute

200 properly
and equipped men, organised

had volunteered for

summer of 1941 had been

in the

It

wide variety of tasks.

cessful raid. It follows that

selected

the world.

duty in the Middle East, and

Stirling

Commando
in

Stirling.

in

a self-contained, flexible formation that is filled with

using

commando method.

behind the

opposed
the

to only

conventional

SUCCESS

IN

NORTHWEST EUROPE

After operations

on

the Italian mainland,

SAS returned to England in 1944.

After D-Day (6 June 1944) a number of
the

strategic

operations

behind enemy

lines,

were

carried

out

with reconnaissance

parties operating within

80km

(50 miles)

of the advancing Allied armies. In the four

months following D-Day

total

of 43

FOUR-MAN PATROL: THE FUNDAMENTAL UNIT

THE

operations were conducted by the SAS.

few operations failed, the

achieved by most were out of all

Although
results

manpower

two

years of stalemate during

which con-

ventionally trained British soldiers

made

impact on the communist insur-

little

derailed, vital supplies

were

tasked

'Mad Mike' Calvert was

with raising a force to take the war

destroyed and targets indicated for

RAF

to the

enemy.

proportion to the

were

Trains

bombing

involved.

REFINING THE FOUR-MAN PATROL

size

groups varied according to their individual mission, the

concept of the four-man

team gradually evolved within them. Four

men came
number

optimum

to be considered the

for a variety

of less than four

vulnerable.

It

of reasons.

men was

would be
defending

patrol

considered too

limited in

rying capacity and firepower,

difficulty in

its

car-

would have

itself if attacked,

staff officer at

was

Headquarters Far East

former wartime commander of the

subjected

known

his

SAS

1st

a true disciple

Brigade, Calvert

of David

new

Stirling.

all- volunteer

He

force,

to conceal

in

addition,

good psychological reasons

extremely

for

was

later to organise

SAS

Selection

and Continuation training in Britain. It

was from this somewhat unlikely beginning that 22 SAS Regiment was born in
1952.

Mike Calvert was

invalided out of

buddy' principle from the

(COIN)

man were honed

mutual sup-

The

skills

of

to enable

him

to

warfare.

and survive

up to perform the majority of

and domestic tasks. Not only will

brought

meet the challenges of counter-

each

tively pair

a soldier instinctively offer

to

insurgency

fight

earliest stages

who

new Regiment.
However, the concept of the four-man
patrol survived, and was quickly devel-

'buddy-

of their training, and will almost instinc-

tactical

Sloane, an orthodox soldier

four-man

patrolling. Soldiers are taught the

to deal with

and learned

diseases;

as trackers

Dyak

in the harsh jungle envi-

ronment, while winning over the hearts

and minds of a potentially

hostile indige-

nous population.

During
Regiment

the

Malayan campaign, the

perfected

its

jungle operations.

tribes-

from Borneo.

Above all, the SAS learned the need to

win the trust and affection of the local
people. Initially this involved such minor
steps as ceasing to call the

Malays

and tuberculosis, both curable

oped

from the enemy.

There were,

brought

tropical

who

discipline to the

unwieldy, and would certainly be harder

learned pre-

how

or

the

be killed or wounded. Conversely,

a patrol

ventative medicine and

It

Malayan Scouts, to an
exhausting training programme, much of
which was planned by John Woodhouse,
as

Malaya that year and was replaced by John

men might become

of navigation,

arts

survival.

men, some of them former headhunters

and would almost certainly be rendered

unoperational should one of its number
of more than four

peak the

tracking from the Iban and

since-disbanded

of the SAS operational

to a

various

and
Although the

honed

gents, Brigadier

raids.

It

camouflage and

slaves.

Later

implementation of

a large-scale

programme designed
prevalent

among

'sakai',

developed into

it

the

medical

to eradicate malaria
diseases

the tribespeople.

Conversing with the natives

in their

own tongue became essential, and it

quickly became the norm for a language
specialist to

patrol.

be included

in

Not only could he

each four-man

gain the trust of

the local population,

making

gathering far

but could

easier,

squad medic in

intelligence

his attempts to

basic health education to the

assist

the

introduce

more prim-

itive villages.

SAS

patrols often remained in the junweeks on end, and quickly learned

from experience how much ammunition
and supplies to carry. It was discovered,
for instance, that too much ammunition
often resulted in its being expended
wastefullv, whereas much less would be

gle for

port to his 'oppo', but he will happily

more mundane

share the

duties of

brew-

ing up, cooking meals, erecting a basha

SAS

the

flaging

call their shelters),

it

(as

and camou-

thereafter.

PSYCHOLOGY OF THE PATROL

who have trained and

Soldiers

together for a long period

grow

operated
to

know

each other's strengths and weaknesses, to

call

on the former and

the

latter.

absolute

Above

all,

to

they

compensate for

bond and

gain

confidence in their partner, a

factor crucial to the success

of any special

forces operation.

The concept of
patrol

the

SAS four-man

was refined and expanded during

the Malayan 'Emergency'. In 1950, after

Right:

Each SAS troop

is

made up

of four

four-man patrols, with each soldier being

trained in at least one

SAS patrol skill.

127

SAS

THE

ART

WAR

OF

The creator of the concept of the four-

Left:

man patrol, David Stirling

Lewes

in

(left),

with Jock'

North Africa in 1941.

of Kuala Lumpur,

command

Squadron, under the

of Major Thompson, was given

the dangerous task of searching out and

destroying

named

group under the

guerrilla

command of the

Ah

notorious

the 'Baby-Killer'.

parachuted into the

area,

Hoi, nick-

The squadron
and through

combination of surprise and expert tracking achieved complete success.

One
was

who

of the

was

Malay and had

also fluent in

exceUent weapon

skills.

the campaign reached

By

its

clusion in 1958 and the

withdraw for

men

such

were

because soldiers

effect,

and thereAs with most things in the

Regiment, it was a process of evolution
and learning from past mistakes.
fore

physically exhausted

less

more

jumped

carrying

30m

450mm

(18in).

Once

the

jumper crashed

through the top jungle canopy

his 'chute

was caught, leaving him hanging below

the canopy.

He

then climbed

down

the

rope hand over hand until safely on the

ground. Later

crude form of lowering

device was evolved based on a

taineer's abseiling gear.

siderably reduced

Although

fatigue

moun-

this

con-

number of

In January
'Eagle',

953,

as part

of Operation

men of B Squadron
into

successfully

primary jungle

abseiling device with a

73m

with

(240ft)

45mm (1.75in) web450kg (10001b) breaking

strain. However, three fatalities occurred
in January 1954 when the equipment
ering line

bing with

made of
a

malfunctioned

when used

again as part of

Operation 'Sword'. Further developments

were introduced, and six months later a

much improved system was used in
Operation 'Termite', when 177 officers
128

short

rest,

to epito-

member.

INDIVIDUAL SKILLS

SAS

patrol skills evolved over a period of

Regiment's new commander, Lieutenant-

next section, but what individual qualities

Colonel

do SAS need as members of a four-man

team? Being able to fire personal weapons

Oliver

Brooke, was

The

highest

himself

of patrolling

standards

were demanded of the SAS. A

patrol's

top

accurately

cy

a prerequisite, as

is

ambush

at

fire

is

and movement when

contact

mile) an hour, although this 'rapid' rate of

breaking contact, and shooting

progress
since

it

was

as

might mean missing

to the passage
tious,

discouraged

quiet,

of enemy

forces. Slow, cau-

observant

movement was

preferred. Tracking in

swamps and

the

Individual navigation

excessive

vital clues as

drills, fire

be of

skills

the patrol

must

also

expected to be able to navi-

is

gate using the

artificial

at night.

member of

high standard. Every

proficien-

procedures,

control

speed in the jungle was about 1.5km (one

aids.

minimum of
SAS

and

natural

troopers

taught

are

much of Malaya
was particularly exhausting, requiring

basic

concentrated and constant observation,

compass and to use compass bearings and

jungles which comprised

which
the

all

difficult

by the heavy

too often destroyed

tor

all

rains

traces

of

for

map reading skills such as setting a

map by inspection, use of the prismatic
the distance

marched method

(pacing) to

reach a given destination either in day-

such

light or in the dark. In addition, skills

trail.

Food supply was always

an

low-

patrol

if

come

time and will be examined in detail in the

made more

snags were experienced.

well-earned

SAS

con-

able to

the

air. Initially

deep jungle

into

of rope knotted every

(97ft)

when

gerous, was continued, even

injured during a descent.

were often inserted by

each trooper

jumped

'Tree jumping', although highly dan-

alert.

INSERTING PATROLS
Patrols

and troopers were dropped into the Perak

jungle with only four minor casualties.

the time that

successful

SAS was

Turnbull had

as

mise the ideal

used to greater

of the day

finest trackers

Yorkshireman, Sergeant Turnbull,

the

duration

a limiting fac-

of foot

patrols.

However, when a special 7-14 day SAS

ration pack was introduced, which provided enough food for one man for a
fortnight or for two men for a week, this
became less of a problem.
The results of deep covert patrolling
were often spectacular. In the spring of
1958, during an

Anson, some

operation

45km

near Telok

(28 miles) northwest

how

as

to manufacture a

needle or

compass from

razor blade are usually taught

during Continuation Training.

Because there are only four

patrol,
a

each

member

men

in the

can end up carrying

back-breaking load. Personal equipment

includes weapon, bergen and belt

The SAS

Two

patrol

kit.

codenamed 'Bravo

Zero' that went behind Iraqi lines

during the 1991 Gulf War was composed

of

two

four-man

patrols

from

FOUR-MAN PATROL

THE
SAS soldiers

Right:

Malaya

in

THE

FUNDAMENTAL UNIT

in the 1950s.

During this conflict the Regiment's patrol

were expanded and

skills

The

Squadron.

refined.

personal equipment for

two weeks' supand water; spare batteries for

the patrol was as follows:

ply of food
the radio,

aid kit containing suture

first

pain

kit,

rehydrate,

killers,

and two

scalpel blades

antibiotics,

syrettes

phine; and belt kit containing

of morammuni-

emergency food,
and pris-

tion in pouches, water,

survival kit. shell dressings, knife

matic compass.

The weapons, of course,

with

rifles

also

had to be

men carried Ml 6 assault

M203 grenade launchers, with

Four

carried.

M16

1" magazines of

ammunition

plus

200 rounds each of Minimi ammunition.

The other four had Minimis and carried
rounds for their weapons. Each

6> 10

in

the

patrol

LAW. The

came

load

to

man

66mm

one

carried

also

an incredible

100kg (2201b) per man.

STRENGTH AND STAMINA

Carrying such

man had
stamina.

load meant that each

to

have

This

is

Regiments

massive
the

of

reserves

reason

for

the

stringent entry requirements.

Unlike other special forces units around

the world, the

SAS does not

accept direct

must have had prior

entrants. Volunteers

and then must pass

and Continuation. Fitness,
endurance and mental toughness are all
essential qualities which must be pos-

military

service,

Selection

by SAS

sessed

become

soldiers

effective

if

they

are

to

members of a four-man

patrol. In conventional, larger formations,

lazy or

incompetent

soldiers can hide, but

nowhere to hide in an SAS unit.

Today's SAS four-man patrol is a selfcontained unit which, like most of David
there

is

Stirling's ideas, has

time and

SAS

many

patrols

withstood the

different theatres

were

test

of

of war.

just as effective against

the Iraqis in 1991 as they were against the

Afrika Korps in
II.

And

North Africa

in

World War

the reason they are successful

the blend of

skills

is

within each patrol.

An SAS four-man patrol in Malaya.

Wood'house
made the four-man unit much more flexible.
Right:

Both Mike Calvert and John

129

SAS

THE

ART

WAR

OF

Patrol Skills
Each SAS four-man patrol member has

his

own

demolitions or languages. The combination of these

self-contained unit in which these

SAS

soldiering

state

requires

highest

the

of physical and mental tough-

Malayan veterans Mike Calvert and

ness.

skills

allow

it

patrol
skills

either signalling, medicine,

skill,

operate at

to

maximum

attached to an infantry battalion headquarters),

Morse

in

and

transmission

ciphers. In addition to this general

knowl-

own

John Woodhouse realised from the outset

the need for supreme physical fitness,
allied to mental alertness, and ensured that

specialist signaller, responsible for calling

SAS

target indication

ty

Selection tested the applicant's abili-

edge, each four-man patrol has

in

not only to keep going, but to remain

motivated well beyond the bounds of

conventional

human

endurance.

Though

Patrols

and

with their base, using voice

High-speed transmissions

somewhat

four decades, the

where the enemy

and

direction-finding

in

the

last

the ability of the individual to remain a

member of his

viable

patrol

whatever the

circumstances remains paramount.

Every patrol
ciality,

be

it

member

signals,

or languages. All

ment
least

has his

the Regi-

communications

to at

Regimental Signaller standard (that

by the communications team

attained

of

is

will

be used

thought to have radio

equipment, or where

of more than

preventing

Dhofar and Yemen taking over

team to counter their propaganda

and to advise the locals of the very real
tion

He

government.

SAS paramedics
the

siding with the

MEDICINE AND HEARTS AND MINDS'

ary

(which was

Not only can

the patrol-

medic perform minor surgery

to the villages to inocu-

if required,

and their families

tend

to

them previous-

and introduced veterinto

livestock

their

masterstroke

Dhofaris

are

very attached to their livestock).

months four-man SAS

For several

batde for the

teams lived with the local Dhofari tribes-

and minds' of the population of

the areas in

men, many of whom were 'turned' rebels,

gaining their trust and in many cases their

concept in

admiration. Later, Watts established per-

he

an

teams

and

brought doctors

tribesmen

Arguably the most important patrol

also

is

'hearts

asset in the

which he operates (an SAS

which SAS soldiers attempt to

gain the trust of the local inhabitants and

then win them over to their

Malaya, for example,
primitive

aborigines

many of

side).

the

In

more

had never seen a

white man, and were naturally suspicious

and

hostile.

treating

The work of

their

the medics in

tuberculosis,

much

malaria

and

'

manent bases on the Jebel Dhofar itself, a

mountainous area previously considered
safe

by the

undertook
ling,

rebels.

From

on one occasion
and

battle

killing

there

SAS teams

of aggressive patrol-

a policy

at

fighting a 12-day

enemy

nine

least

before withdrawing.

SAS

win them over

The

to the SAS. Invaluable intelligence fol-

diers in

lowed from the politically naive tribesmen, not because they hated (or even
understood) the political aspirations of

modernisation scheme, proved to be suc-

other

the

illnesses

did

communist

the

to

insurgents, but because

SAS had won

the

Oman. That

year Sultan

As well as being

patrol

skill,

versed

in

Oman, coupled with

disintegration

paign.

Qaboos

bin

trained in at least one

SAS soldiers are also

a wealth of other skills.

well

sol-

the Sultan's

and led ultimately to the wholesale

cessful

of the

The medical

insurgents'

of the

skills

cam-

SAS had

(it is

important to

note that the provision of

SAS medical

facilities is a

genuine attempt to improve

the locals' quality of

fife,

as

opposed

to

cynical manipulation).

On
Left:

expertise of individual

indeed reaped rewards

their trust.

1970 Lieutenant-Colonel Johnny

Watts, then commanding 22 SAS, introduced the policy of 'hearts and minds' to
In

130

made from

gains to be

ly lethal, diseases,

skill

cell

monitor the activities and test the reaction of his enemy He created an informa-

against preventable, but to

itself.

medicine.

his state.

to

late

in

southern province of

the

in

guerrillas

him

assist

group of Marxist-inspired

the patrol

is

coup

his father in a bloodless

and invited the British to

few seconds
might compromise the covert nature of
signal-bursts

spe-

demolitions, medicine

members of

are trained in

own

or, in areas

communication, Morse.

radio

difficult

Sandhurst-trained Anglophile,

overthrew

Watts introduced an intelligence

keep in regular contact

will

effectiveness.

Said,

exfiltration.

the criteria for Selection have changed

basic principles have stayed the same,

its

re-supply casualty evacuation,

aerial

become

allows a four-man team to

patrol

when

operations
is

it

is

member

is

injured. All

ers are therefore taught a

that

essential

not forced to abort

its

mission

SAS

troop-

secondary patrol

FOUR-MAN PATROL

THE

second trooper might be

and

\%

fe*

P^^

demolition

a signals

from

specialist

his

freefall (MFF) parachute deployment, he

would be able to use his high altitude, low

patrols

opening

(HALO)

or high altitude, high

opening

(HAHO)

skills to

which he would then

point,

be able to neutralise using

and explosives

The four-man
remote

areas,

and

patrol

designed to

is

reconnaissance and patrolling mis-

tine

sions to the highest standards,

must be

able to undertake intelligence, sabotage

and ambush missions

four-man

patrol

sive fighting
is

are

intelligence

back

one of the four SAS

is

is

crucial to relaying

is

placed on

The Regiment's troops,

commanded by a captain, form

or combat patrol, although

Each of 22 SAS

more adhered

no such thing

made up of four 16-man

with

own

its

specialist role:

Where

is

four-man

possible

Air Troop (parachuting); and Mountain

northern

Troop (mountaineering and winter war-

Far East, puts

fare operations).

ing trust in each other

trained in at least
cialisation

and

Thus he may be

trooper

one other

cross-

is

patrol spe-

secondary troop
a specialist linguist

skill.

and

paramedic, having trained primarily with

his squadron's

be

Boat Troop.

He would

then

ideally suited to a mission requiring

both

his personal

a 'hearts

area in

and troop

skills,

and minds' operation

which he might be

such

as

own

called

language.

be tasked

will

reconnaissance and

intelli-

gence gathering. This may include colof

state

(RV), establishing

positions or

ambush

sites

potential

or identify-

ing safe helicopter landing zones.

imperative that such a patrol
its

is

It

is

able to

position precisely.

reconnaissance patrol, which

exceeds four

may

team to

in excess

upon

role. It

its

the

river bed, selecting sites for a

rendezvous

gun

on

information

geological

lecting

men

in

vary from

of

a troop,

strength, a
a

four-man

dependent

may be designed

to

warn

of an enemy's advance, prevent cross-bor-

simply

is

patrols train for

mission together, not just to perfect

individual

but also to learn to gel

skills

SAS

team. 'Lofty' Large, an

Oman
it

and the campaigns

thus: 'Complete,

in the

unwaverany

essential to

is

as

veteran of

on operations.'
Only by trusting ea<:h other

patrol

member of a

best, secure in the

the

knowledge

company of

whom

will each

patrol feel safe in giving his

he can

rely

that

he

for his

life.

is

in

upon

experts

three

Occa-

sionally patrols will be asked to undertake

relatively short

but extremely dangerous

in a coastal

upon

to

give medical advice to primitive tribes-

people in their

specialist

as a fully trained trooper.

SAS

with

specialisa-

never tolerated; there

vehicles, especially for desert operations);

each

should pos-

SAS.

to than in the

Ideally,

hard, tight

and personal

warfare);
Troop
(amphibious
Mobility Troop (Land Rovers and other

Boat

down by

honed to perfection by rigorous

and extensive experience. Com-

placency

troops, each

it

from

itself

TRAIN HARD, FIGHT EASY'

Nowhere is the maxim 'train

training

founding

laid

SAS CROSS-TRAINING
Occasionally an SAS patrol

standing patrol

tions are

of the
as

Stirling, that all ranks

rarely

skills

it is

never

is

humour and humility, ensures that

SAS men are not arrogant prima donnas.

complete troops, comprising eight or 16

D and G)

itself

David

friction

One

of the SAS,

personnel.

Regiment's four 'Sabre' Squadrons (A, B,

is

principles

Unlike

Basic patrol

skills.

internal

allowed to surface.

pin-point

easy'

combat

Whatever the mission,

that

essential

Large-scale ambushes

if attacked.

usually

the basis of the SAS's extensive special

three months.

normally conducted by either half or

cross-training.

forces

an aggres-

to friendly headquarters.

and great emphasis

skill,

The

ordered.

itself

very capable of extracting

danger

and

if so

not in

is

deep into the jungle, with no con-

with the outside world for up to

its

well as performing rou-

as

tact

sess

own, often in
and frequently behind
must be completely self-

lines. It

sufficient,

demolitions

his

skills.

operate primarily on

enemy

drop covertly

high-flying aircraft close to an

enemy key

patrol skills,

Gulf War. At other

Iraq during the 1991

times they will be asked to undertake

from

Above: Signalling

operations, such as behind the lines in

squadron's Air Troop. Capable of military

^^p^

PATROL SKILLS

Right: The disadvantage of

patrols is that

SAS

four-man

each patrol member can be

weighed down with a

lot of

equipment.

131

SAS

THE
der infiltration, protect
nerable area, or direct

from friendly

key point or vul-

onto the enemy

fire

artillery

guns or ground-

formation, 22

its

SAS

has gained

considerable experience in border protection. In

the

January 1963

command

Squadron, under

of Major John Edwardes,

was posted to Borneo to help secure the

border with neighbouring Indonesia.

the

1500km

The bor-

(930-mile) border.

itself was difficult to define, but A

Squadron were aided by two factors: first,
because of the terrain there were only a

der

limited

number of

crossing points; and

second, the local tribesmen provided the

and the

PATROL SKILLS IN BORNEO

The tried-and-tested policy of 'hearts and
minds' and the
patrols

skills

possessed by four-

proved highly successful in

Borneo. After keeping

giance

with

lay,

the

its

alle-

would visit and speak

headman. They would then
patrols

move back

to their jungle hideout,

return a day or a

week

and

pick up

later to

where they had left off. Visits were never

hurried, and the business of establishing
friendships never rushed.
respect

was

One

established,

Once
the

member,

patrol

and

lage,

is

reputed to have built

another, although

denied by

this

has always

mutual

tribesmen

trails

and

used by the Indone-

rivers

enemy unawares when

he thought he was

still safe.

in

been

Falklands campaign, and later in 1991 in

one
a

the

sians to catch the

Although aggressive operations invariably demand larger numbers, the fourman patrol remains the most versatile for
intelligence gathering. During the 1982

Gipsy Smith, even constructed an improvised hydro-electric generator in

vil-

still

official sources!

SAS

the Gulf, small

were extremely

reconnaissance patrols

providing military

active,

FIGHTING PATROLS

commanders with

vital

The

information

the

local

natives proved so invaluable,

and provided such key intelligence, that

the SAS was soon able to mount fighting
patrols

Indonesian

against

insurgents.

Fighting patrols tend to be larger than

reconnaissance patrols, and

may comprise

primary

entire

tasks are to harass

enemy

is

always divided into three

parts: rehearsal,

execution and de-briefing.

Where
given

plan, brief his

from
In

to protect friendly forces

Borneo

the

much

SAS

often operated as

larger fighting patrols

drawn from the 14,000 conventional

British and Gurkha troops in the area. In
to

team and conduct

is

his

daylight

reports,

map with

his

and

recent aerial

current

intelligence

and may even over-fly the

area.

attack.

guides for

late

day to prepare, make

or night-time rehearsal. Ideally he will

photographs

and

commander

possible the patrol

at least a

supplement

targets

and accurate
of

disposition

forces.

the enemy, to raid for intelligence and

key

to

as

Patrolling

prisoners for interrogation, to neutralise

under

village

observation to establish where

with

medical treatment and, occasionally,

gifts,

troop. Their

man

patrols reciprocated

two four-man teams or even an

with excellent intelligence.

patrols

trackers,

of 2 1 patrols were spread out along

total

WAR

OF

often provided food, shelter, transport and

construction work.

attack, aircraft.

Since

ART

1964, the

SAS was

given permission

carry out secret cross-border oper-

ations. Four-man reconnaissance patrols

would penetrate Indonesian territory up

to a distance of
patrols

0km

(six miles)

would then be

Ambush

sent out to cover

PATROL TACTICS
Once the patrol commander

has sorted

out the equipment he will ensure that

is

tested thoroughly.

Radios and

it

batteries

be checked, ammunition cleaned and

weapons test-fired, grenades will be
primed and rations drawn. Each patrol
will

member will take responsibility for his

own personal and specialist kit, while the
commander will check the specific-totask equipment, dividing it equally among
the patrol

members while ensuring

that

each knows what the others are carrying.

Each individual will carry his personal

weapon, a bergen and belt kit. He will
carry spare ammunition for his personal
weapon, water, emergency rations and an
escape tin with his survival aids on his
belt. If the patrol is compromised and
forced to withdraw in a hurry he will
then have the option of discarding his
bergen while retaining
to survive

on

commander

patrol
detailed

sufficient material

his belt. In

will

maps (which he

addition, the

carry

more

will take care

not to mark), navigational equipment,

spare

radio

vision goggles.

Left:

Medicine, one of the patrol skills,

is

useful not only for treating other patrol

members, but also

132

and where relevant night-

for hearts

and minds'.

FOUR-MAN PATROL: PATROL SKILLS

THE
The

of march

order

patrol's

depend on

number of

will

but will

factors,

usually comprise the lead scout followed

by the commander and

with the

signaller,

second-in-command (2IC) acting as 'tail

end Charlie'. Conventional patrol formations will be used. The team wiU proceed
single

in

diamond formation

or

file

depending on the

ground and

light, the

the proximity of the enemy. In jungle, for

example, single

The

file is best.

lead scout,

who

in addition to his

equipment may

personal

carrv

also

night-vision aid. wire cutters and perhaps

M203

an

grenade launcher,

booby-trapped, while

is

responsible

chosen

for ensuring that the route

not

is

maintaining

the

required route and speed.

of con'They must
and right for

Patrolling requires high levels

centration. 'Lofty' Large again:

keep their eyes open to

left

any sign of problems, and make sure the

man behind

still

is

They must keep

where he should

be.

man

of the

in sight

in

enough back
not to be caught in the same burst of
automatic fire, mine or booby trap. In a
front but

must remain

contact with the

instantly,

in front

far

enemy they must

Above: For

may wish

break

off,

attacked

is

its

members

returning independently to the

and carry on with the mission.

An SAS four-man
contact

drills to

Regiment

survive an encounter. The

has therefore devised a

of procedures
drill is

one such

If a patrol

patrol

right

is

members
to

get

increase

to

chances of survival.

the patrol
ple,

is

'Shoot and scoot'

tactic.

way
fire,

is

fired

upon

it

of any wounded

they preferred the other patrol

is

another patrol

Designed by John Woodhouse as

of preventing casualties, when

then, while the

members

to carry

four-man's patrol firepower to just

positions

fire

at

the

for

exam-

will break

and right to bring their weapons to

of

two weapons.

the patrol might not be able to

is

trying to

casualties

have to make

patrol has stood the test

terrain,

itself in

many

dif-

from the frozen

In such circumstances

in Vietnam).

than

it

to

the

armed and

Cong

guerrillas did

Obviously the

member means

additional patrol
that

if

lightly

its

its

firepower

is

slightly

more

British counterpart.

Australian patrol

the

tracking,

of SAS operational thinking for

manv vears to come.

make

attempts to out-flank the

(which

Middle

East. There can be little doubt that

four-man patrol, as envisaged by
David Stirling, will continue to form the

alone

let

the rendezvous, especially

equipped Viet

wastes of the Falklands to the sands of the

core

reduced

returns a barrage of

of time, and has proved

ferent types

this

enemy

to the rendezvous.

The four-man

to the

rendezvous. But

patrol

and

them

enemy

own way

better for them. In a

making their way back to an

emergency rendezvous. Instead,

enemy. Any SAS

and the lead scout makes contact,

members

inter-

like the idea

er taking a different route to confuse the

hitting their comrades. If

file,

no

men were

patrol's

their

in

patrols have

Australians"

contact, for example, they did not

contact

instantly flank left

advancing

on (SAS

holding ground).

est in

'bumped' by the enemy,

then the other patrol

left

two. and so

five

break contact,

tactic.

from where they can direct

while the

fire

as its smallest

The

experience in Vietnam revealed that

work out what is going on, 'scoots' to an

emergency rendezvous, with each troop-

into

covering

operational unit.

number

The head-on

themselves

enemy without

withdraw then two patrol

down

men
mem-

the

if

five-man patrol

is

cover the withdrawal of the other

patrol

patrol needs slick

force

other two withdraw some distance. These

will

will

rendezvous where they will re-form

last

to

continue, but

to

bers will lay

contact,

patrol

The Australian SAS employs the

destroyed in the contact, then the patrol

communicating through a series of hand

signals. As the patrol progresses rendezvous will be allocated by the commander.
If the patrol

enemy

man

wish

visual

The five-man

camouflage and

concealment skills are imperative.

bear on the enemy. If the

of him, or what happens to him.'

in

four-man patrols operating

lines,

react

guided by the actions of the

CONTACT DRILLS
Each man will keep

SAS

behind enemy

which

skills
is

include

geared towards

the terrain of northern Australia

and the

islands off the

north coast.

133

BEHIND THE LINES

Intelligence Gathering
The SAS's wartime role

is

primarily one of gathering intelligence behind

enemy from concealed

small self-contained groups which observe the

uncomfortable and very dangerous, but

The

SAS was

ling in

devised by David Stir-

World War

serve behind

enemy

II

lines,

specifically to

and

this

task

remains integral to the Regiment's operational raison d'etre. In a conventional

flict,

SAS teams can be

the lines to cause

through

raids,

inserted behind

maximum

sabotage

disruption

and ambushes.

However, they primarily

act

as

intelli-

gence gatherers, and where relevant

in the organisation

and escape
strike

at

defended

lines.

the
rear

con-

assist

are trained to

enemy's relatively lightly

areas

and main

supply

(MSRs), often returning to underground 'hides' to avoid detection. Mission

over, they will attempt to 'escape and
routes

the safety of their

Operating behind the

requires

lines

enemy

own

front line to

forces.

war

shops,

is

effort.

command,

control and

and individual qualities.

Despite the 'glamour' of such actions as

cations

Raid in the Falklands

War, when an SAS team raided an Argentine airstrip and destroyed the aircraft

have offered themselves

specialist

skills

the Pebble Island

there, the

SAS

expected to provide spe-

is

reconnaissance units to provide a

cialist

communi-

(C3) centres, vehicle parks and

supply dumps. Traditionally such targets

easy targets to

as

regiment keen and able to

motto 'Who Dares Wins'.

1941, for

live

In

up

example, during the

African campaign,

SAS teams

to

its

November
North

carried out

constant stream of accurate and timely

four weeks of coastal raiding, destroying

intelligence.

large quantities

By 1943
MISSION PARAMETERS
SAS teams must be capable of
for long periods with

little

of trucks and their cargoes.

Regiment had expanded

the

operating

the

Balkans,

air

groups. Almost

and

Working

single-handedly Ambrose

four-man

they

units,

are

equipped with long-range communica-

them

tions

equipment

up

flow of timely and accurate

to allow

at

to

keep

intelli-

corps level

or above.

As
these

SAS teams

combat

soldier.

effective they

must

remain hidden from the enemy. Their role

is

and communicate

to observe, identify

what they
superb

move

see.

This naturally demands

fieldcraft skills. If a

does so

it

team has

to

at night.

Like most things concerning the SAS,

Court judge, operating

disparate

BEHIND THE LINES IN EUROPE

The SAS was heavily involved

November

1944, the

Of

SAS having

gic role, he originally cast

it

a strate-

in the

deep-

six aircraft

the

North Africa

in

1941-43

circumstances, but

headquarters,

airfields,

severely

being

2000 SAS

lost in the

participants,

casualties. Enemy killed or

wounded numbered 7753; 4764

work-

Motor

goods wagons. German-controlled

in

deep behind enemy

British

lines.

off.

numbered

7600, with 29 locomotives and 89 railway

Such actions
who, in response

a unit which specialises in

destroyed

vehicles

gathering intelligence by using small groups

SAS is

some

organised

330 became

ways were cut

The

SAS

were taken prisoner and 18,000 cut

raiding role.

Left:

the

in

780 air drops and supply sorties of which

600 were successful. Most supply drops
took place from heights of less than 100m
with

according to

Northwest European campaign. Between

D-Day (6 June 1944) and the end of

(328ft),

included

hostile

coherent fighting force.

process.

varied

the

in

and highly suspicious rabble into

evolved over time. Though David Stirling

Targets in

McGonegal,

Northern Ireland High

mountains of central Yugoslavia, turned

the purely intelligence-gathering role has

always envisaged the

primary role of

not one of being

is

To be

partisan

local

become

later to

stated above, the

train

in

and by boat, to arm

and in close proximity to the enemy.

in

or

singly

infiltrating

groups from the

its

and

area of interest to incorporate Italy

or no support,

gence back to commanders

134

using

The work

'hides'.

strategically vital to the

of resistance groups

SAS teams

evade' through the

is

enemy lines by

rail-

164 places.
clearly

irritated

Hitler

to raids undertaken

Commando

units in

North

by

Africa,

BEHIND THE LINES

NTELLIGENCE GATHERING
The CH-47 Chinook twin-rotor helicopter,

Left:

which

frequently used for inserting

is

teams behind the

establish the feasibility

the

SAS

SAS

lines.

and report back.

If

gets permission to proceed, the

'Kremlin' will begin the preparation of

detailed plans for ultimate submission to

the proposed sortie

The

commander.

assessment

is

gleaned from

agencies, including several

West European sources.

ial

make an
number of

intelligence required to
a

American and
and aer-

Satellite

reconnaissance photographs will be

studied in detail,
radio

as

will

(from

stations

the

reports,

press

Government

Communications Headquarters

at

Chel-

and debrief reports

opposition groups and dis-

tenham), bulletins

from

political

from the target country. In the

sidents

issued his infamous

'Commando

Order'.

This gave them licence to execute any

captured

members of such

ing the SAS:

units, includ-

therefore order that

'I

now on all opponents... in

Commando operations... are to
minated to the last man in

from

Modern operations mounted by the

SAS require a very high level of prior
planning and preparation. The SAS's
Operational Intelligence (OP/INT) cell,
Hereford,

area of

Counter Revolutionary Warfare

(CRW)

operations, the

closely

with

both within

SAS will liaise

number of further agencies

NATO

will include a

number of overt and

so-called

based

be exter-

responsible for the collation and timely

counter-intelligence

or

dissemination of relevant intelligence to

Italy's

flight...

the operational planners. If an operation

America's

discovered,

anticipated, the Director Special

battle

Even should these, on their being

make as if to surrender, all
quarter is to be denied on principle.' In
France in 1944,

many

captured soldiers

at

Stirling

Lines in

is

is

cell

(known

as

the 'Kremlin') to

NOCS,

Once

Forces

(DSF), based in London, will task the

Op/Int

and other friendly

non-aligned intelligence services. These

it

will

groups,

Germany's

CIA and

covert

such

GSG

as

and

FBI.

an operation has been planned,

be discussed

fully

posed participants. Not

with
all

all

the pro-

plans are well

were handed over to the Gestapo because

of the order,
cuted

after

which they were exe-

as terrorists.

Not

all

SAS

raids

were

Durwhich took

successful.

ing Operation 'Bulbasket',

between 6 June and 7 July 1944, 55

1 SAS under the command of
Captain Tonkin were dropped in the area
of Chateauroux. Initially all went well, the
railway was cut in some 12 places while
20 casualties were inflicted on the enemy.

place

men from

Success, however, turned to tragedy

SAS
unknown

the

base

elements of the local popula-

tion (security

among

ance, the Maquis,

The

was

base

the French Resist-

was notoriously

subsequently

37 casualties, of
were captured and executed.
resulting in

Right:

One

of the

unseen

lax).

attacked,

whom

33

most important aspects of

working behind the lines

infiltrate

when

compromised by

was

is

the ability to

into hostile territory.

135

THE

SAS

ART

OF

WAR
Left:

Some

SAS soldiers of Operation

of the

Bulbasket', photographed behind

lines in France in

June

German

1944.

SAS

the time, the participation of the

at

was unheralded.

The SAS system of

has changed

be identified,

will

covert operations

50

in

little

years; the target

plan formulated and

agreed, a force

wiD be inserted

trate the target

and

to infil-

an attack

finally, if

is

required, will assault using surprise cou-

maximum

pled with intense speed and

withdrawing

available firepower before

to

an agreed rendezvous (RV) to begin the

often

of

exfiltration.

lines,

the standard

process

difficult

Once behind enemy

SAS

operational procedures (SOPs) for

theory

are, in

patrols

at

relatively

least,

simple. Yet their execution places a great

upon

strain

the personal resources of the

soldiers taking part.

stantly
silently

as

as

possible without leaving any

as

tell-tale signs.

human

even

They must keep con-

endeavouring to move

alert,

Rubbish, food

scraps,

and

waste must be disposed of so

not to give away their presence.

MOVEMENT BEHIND THE

Where

possible

reduce

the

When

travelling

SAS

LINES

movement

possibility

is

night to

at

of compromise.

through

hilly

terrain

on foot or vehicle-

teams, whether

borne, will keep clear of ridges to avoid

the danger of being skylighted. Bridges,

roads

and tracks

where

possible to minimise the danger of

will

be avoided

also

mines, booby traps or ambushes, while

maps

will

never be marked, nor even

received. When, during the Falklands War,

or Freefall parachute operations, and with

folded in such a

the then Director of the SAS, Brigadier

one other. All

SAS personnel remain at the peak of fitness, both physical and mental, and can
expect to move virtually overnight from
one theatre of operations to another if
required. In late 1958, for example, Major
John Watts and 70 officers and men from
D Squadron were moved amid the greatest secrecy from the jungles of Malaya to
the mountain wastes of northern Oman,
and with little time to acclimatise set

of patrol

example, Watts found that

about the capture of Jebel Akhdar, the

men,

mountain headquarters of the leader of

unable

Peter de

la

Bilhere, approved a plan for a

move east into

enemy aircraft on

troop to land in Chile,

Argentina and attack

the ground, his plan ran into considerable

opposition, so

much

commander was

so

replaced.

that

the sortie

The

operation

was ultimately abandoned for reasons

beyond SAS control.

The SAS
its

organisational system, with

four specialist troops within each of its

four

with

squadrons,
a

136

the

high degree of flexibility.

select soldiers

one

provides

planners

They

with experience of

speciality: Mobility, Boat,

can

at least

Mountain

subordinate

tribal

Sultan.

skills in at least

revolt

The

against

the

operation was

pro-British

as successful as,

way

as to

suggest the area

of patrol

interest in the event

members being captured. If agents are to

be met during the mission, the rendezvous and passwords will be memorised
and never committed
heavy

loads,

to paper.

be necessary to carry

often

will

It

yet

this

allowed to interfere with

timings.

the

must

never

be

a patrol's crucial

During the night climb prior to

assault on Jebel Akhdar, for

final

who were
to

Knowing

keep

that

it

few of

particularly laden,

up with

the

his

were

others.

was crucial for the main

force to be in position for the final assault

BEHIND THE LINES: INTELLIGENCE GATHERING

by daybreak, he ordered the stragglers to
remain behind, preferring to reduce the

of

size

than allow

his force rather

patrol

SAS
members

enemy

airfield

operation

subsequent

ordered

Oman,

in

an

attack

to

to

it

during

arrive in position late. In 1970,

found themselves moving

through rocky terrain on foot in high

man

Each

carried 400
gun ammunition
body, 600 more rounds in his

temperatures.

of machine

rounds

around

his

bergen,

as

SLR

well as four

magazines for

personal weapon, each

his

rounds. In

holding 20

each trooper carried 40kg

all

of weapons and ammunition,

(881b)

in

addition to three water bottles, rations

and personal

RV

final

yet

kit,

and the

made

all

was

assault

to the

it

successful.

SECURE OPERATIONAL BASES

After insertion the

SAS

an

'Sabre'

secure

operational

process

is

left

to establish a

is

Usually

base.

this

by an advance party,
the case of long operations it

started

although in

may be

requirement for

first

Squadron

possible to take over the facilities

capable of in-flight refuelling and, in the

hands of an experienced crew, can low-

drop

by the previous squadron. There are

normally two types of base:

ters

base area,

with

major

which

headquar-

often co-located

is

strategic terminal

such

as a

port or airfield and which will be close to

the overall

command

structure,

and

a for-

ward operational base (FOB), normally

sited on or near a tactical landing strip.
During the 1991 Gulf War, for example,
the SAS's FOB was at Al Jouf near the
Iraqi border.

By

tions are covert,

FOB

the

SAS

their nature

and

it

is

opera-

important that

be secure, not just from the

enemy but from

the prying eyes of allied

pallets

with amazing accuracy.

Increasingly

helicopters, such

over

range of 556km (345 miles),

at

low

day or night, in adverse weather.

types of terrain, with a 90 per cent

all

ing from ships or land,

ced

it

range of

2080km (1292

With

miles)

their

and pay-

probe.

It

has a troop capacity of

only

is

its

its

twice

range

discovered by

least

enemy

the hazard of being

patrols

and

aircraft.

up

to

44

the Falklands War. The islands themselves,

some

13,000km

(8070
are

miles)

prone to

Lockheed

transport aircraft.

payload

Beverley and

uses the

were put ashore from the beginning

of May 1982, not

and co-pilot, and provision

two 0.5in heavy machine guns.
Often the SAS will work with other
special forces units. The Regiment and
the Special Boat Service (SBS), for example, worked in close cooperation during

from the United Kingdom,

Today the SAS

that

conditions posed

SAS and SBS teams

for the

for

Beverley was an extremely capable

C-130 Hercules

many dangers

for the pilot

situated

craft.

they do not easily lend themselves to

covert activity These

internal cargo handling system,

load capacity of 20,500kg (45,1951b), the

air

hills,

radar and a removable air-to-air refuelling

an on-board oxygen-generating system

operating deep in the jungle.

Wet and windy and

features advan-

equipment, spare weaammunition will be flown

directly to the FOB as and when required. During the Malayan campaign in

the 1950s, Blackburn Beverley aircraft

were used to drop supplies to SAS teams

extremes of climate.

comprising mostly moorland and rocky

terrain-avoidance/terrain-following

men, an

All additional

the highest levels of

probability of success. Capable of operat-

personnel and the media.

pons, fuel and

demands

the

as

FOB. The MH-47E was designed to

complete a 5hr 30min covert mission
over

lines

military professionalism.

Boeing MH-47E Special Operations

Chinook, will be pressed into service to
transport the patrols to and from the

level,

Above: Working covertly behind enemy

that

Not

of the

far greater,

it

is

Right: Just

needed
inside

some

of the pieces of military kit

for a long-term observation

post

enemy territory.
137

SAS

THE

ART

WAR

OF

Left:

The construction of observation posts

requires a thorough understanding of siting,

and construction.

discipline

Sheer professionalism prevailed, and the

SBS was

up

able to set

number of excelsome of them

lently sited covert hides,

under the noses of the enemy.

SAS Captain Aldwin Wight was

OP

up an

to set

looking the

capital, Stanley.

team remained

able

on Beaver Ridge, overHis four-man

in position for

26

days,

using burst transmissions to report on

movements from a dispersal

between Mounts Kent and Estacia,

helicopter
area

destined to

become an

early (and success-

Arm's Sea
Another patrol positioned
itself on a sunken hulk in Stanley harbour, and from there was able to pass
invaluable information on shipping activity and on aircraft overflying the capital.
Harrier

Insertion proved the

problem.

first

Brigade Maintenance Area.

landing from a submarine would have

team

been fraught with danger. The

absolute

coastal

waters are shallow, thus forcing any sub-

who

marine

glasses,

dangerously close to

in the area

HMS

left

The

helicopter

the

pilot,

was equipped with night vision

skimmed

the sea to avoid radar

He headed

the surface. Given that, at the time, the

detection.

Argentines enjoyed undisputed control of

Sound between

the air in the region, the chances of a sub-

for the

jets.

SBS

first

Hermes on 30 April. In

darkness

Fleet Air

target for the

ful)

Falkland

LIFE INSIDE

The

HIDE'

within

conditions

OPs were
comthreat of com-

the

being

discomfort

the

atrocious,

pounded by

the constant

promise. The

men were

permanently cold

from there south to San Carlos Water.

and wet, movement, talking and cooking

during the day was impossible, resulting

marine being spotted and depth-charged

The

in aching limbs

were considered unacceptably high.

Airborne insertion was a possibility,
indeed a plan was considered to drop the
whole of G Squadron onto the sparsely
inhabited southern tip of West Falkland
from a C-130 Hercules transport aircraft,
but realistic counsel prevailed and ultimately the plan was abandoned as overambitious. Helicopters were regarded as
more realistic; not only was 846 Squadron

with weapons, food and ammunition, and

at

high-powered binoculars, night

chance of a hot meal, and even then they

within
carrier

striking

HMS

aboard

distance

more than countered

the problems caused by the noise and relatively

The

slow speed of its Sea Kings.

role

SAS: their

four-man teams were to report on the

strength and location of Argentine defences, identify suitable

mam
the

British force,

Royal

landing

and find

Marines

of 3

SBS team

spare clothing,

all

and

land was laden

to

sights

and

essential for operating

Movement was made more

of the enemy.
difficult

by the

terrain,

meagre 250m
constant

ence

all

(820ft) an hour,

to

while the

wind and rain made the experithe more uncomfortable.

sites

for the

a base

where

Commando

night

had
ity

risky,

forcing

have

occupants

the

or smelling their cooking.

of

Squadron describes

the daily routine inside a Falklands 'hide':

'If

we had

the

first

be thick

chance for re-supply one of

things

we would

plastic to line the

request

would

shallow "hides"

dug. Anything to keep out the bloody

wet.

too

and frozen bodies. Only

the

be on their guard for the possibil-

A member

we
FALKLANDS OPS
Daylight movement was

to

did

of an enemy patrol sighting their 'hexi'

fires

rocks and

the

uncharted bogs slowing progress

The procedure in each team was the

man would get his head down

same: one

the Royal Marines to dig camouflaged

while the other kept watch. There would

dawn approached. This en-

be no movement or talking during the

tailed cutting

out sods of earth and laying

them on chicken

wire, then scraping out

the uncovered earth to a depth of 500mm

(20in), scattering

it

'hide'

with

the

a wide area to
and covering the

over

disguise the tresh soil,

sods supported by the

chicken wire. Each morning great care

Brigade, supported by the Paras of 2 and

was taken to ensure

3 Parachute Battalions, might establish a

left

138

islands,

an observation post (OP) under the eyes

shell scrapes as

of the SBS was not unlike

that traditionally afforded the

two main

the

Hermes, but the inhospitable

nature of the area

first

the

that the patrol

no indication of its

earlier

had

occupation.

day.

At night we would walk

to the rear

of the position and carefully cut

the peat

shovel
'It

bog using
this

was our

was impossible
if

to

one

and so we only had

We

would

fish

out

hole in

latrine.

cook during the

day because the smell might

ing Argentinian,

foldaway US-issue

alert a pass-

strayed that close,

brew

at first light.

couple of

tins

of

BEHIND THE LINES

INTELLIGENCE GATHERING

bacon burgers, or whatever came to hand,

and put them in the water we were heating.

When

Behind the

The SAS

them out and had the food, leaving plenty

of water for a brew of tea or

lines in

Bosnia

we took

they were heated up

has,

and

still

does, operate in war-torn Bosnia. In 1994. for

mple. under the direction of

coffee.'

UN

commander Lieutenant-General

Sir

Michael Rose, a 10-man SAS team was sent into the Serb-besieged Moslem

OBSERVING THE ENEMY NEAR DARWIN

town of Maglai on 15 March

Being so close to the enemy was danger-

it

through Serb

wealth of targets. However, the patrols

provide

were there to watch and report, nothing

"Our

first

position was near Darwin.

and the forward OP was

edge of an inlet. Litde
first, but after a few days had

lines.

NATO

were relayed to

situated near the

positions. Unforrunately. during their retreat

happened

lines,

we logged enemy

passed

We

helicopters

stayed there 10 days before

our

received

orders. The targets

were

really tasty,

would have been very easy

at

them, but our role was to

and

what we

that's

F-16 fighter

aircraft,

which then pounded Serb

UN

we

fresh

and

to

it

to take a pot
sit

did. Later

we had

that the aircraft

and

re-supply

first

for

from Gorazde, through Serb

one SAS soldier. Corporal Fergus Rennie. was killed. In August 1995
\S was in action again, when its men. who had infiltrated Serb lines that
ringed Sarajevo, reported the exact location of Serb armour, artillery and
anti-aircraft units. When the
was forced to take action, the intelligence
supplied by SAS teams on the ground ensured that the NATO aircraft air
strikes which took place on the 30th were deadly accurate.

buzzing the ground immediately to our

front.

and locate drop zones

British relief force drove

air cover.

East Falkland,

at

later, a

SAS forward controllers directed NATO fighter aircraft

The SAS was also used on 6 April at another besieged
Moslem town, Gorazde. A seven-man SAS team directed air strikes against
Serb positions using laser range finders to pinpoint enemy positions, which

ous and uncomfortable, but there was a

else:

to assess the situation

Force food drops. When, a few days

and watch

emerged

it

reported were

of

us.

surrounded by

absolutely

no room

and with

all

our

to

move. The food

kit

spent 103 consecutive days in the jungle

winning the

and minds" of the

"hearts

bringing in troops from Stanley to garri-

was appaling and, probably because of the

local

son the Goose Green setdement.'

overriding stench, tasted awful.'

on enemy movements,

SAS four-man patrols will usually be

commanded by a senior non-commis-

with the outside world being by radio.

Living in

confined spaces for long

periods has a detrimental affect on per-

one former SAS

sonal hygiene, as

who

OP

took part in an

exercise

soldier

remem-

from the operational

be by air. The move out was

bers: "Exfiltration

area

was

to

undertaken by Royal Navy helicopters.

sioned
will

officer,

or a corporal. A larger patrol

be commanded by

usually a captain.

Once

troop leader,

a base has

been

established, missions can be mounted.

During the Malaya campaign, one patrol

tribesmen while gaining intelligence

Such operations

its

only contact

are testimony to the skill

Regiment has in operating behind

enemy lines. Although the majority
the

long-range

missions

involve

sance, the

Regiment

is

also

reconnais-

adept

at insert-

ing deep-penetration righting patrols.

They came in to pick us up and. as we

moved to our helo and jumped in. the
RN aircrew physically moved away from
us and kept us at arm's length.

out

n't figure

been out

We

why

how

we were

We couldWe had

the rime.

in the field for

had no idea

because

at

about

disgusting

used to

it.

five days.

we

smelt,

In the shelter.

we had

to crap and piss into different bags

which were then sealed together in a plastic bag. Do both together in the same bag

and

it

is

prone to explode. Before the

exercise they tended to explode inside the

shelter,

problem

that

has since been

ironed out. but you could end up covered

in the stuff,

the

mess.

with no

We

were

real

way

also

to clear

up

hot-bunking,

using two sleeping bags between the four

Right:

A destroyed

village in Bosnia.

SAS

teams have worked behind Serb lines on

behalf of both the

UN and NATO.
139

ART

SAS

THE

WAR

OF

Fighting Patrols
Intelligence gathering is
lines.

one of the most important missions

However, as the Regiment's actions from World War

II

adept at mounting effective fighting

the main role of

Although

behind the

lines

is

SAS teams

intelligence gath-

Regiment will on occasion

mount deep-penetration fighting patrols
to strike at enemy targets.
During the Borneo campaign, for
ering, the

example, towards the end of 1964, the

SAS was

given permission to take the

offensive

by mounting clandestine cross-

Confrontation,

minutes

named

movement

took the

form of reconnaissance missions up

attributable distance

into

enemy

gathered on

used

only

of

territory.
a

massive

10km

selectively,

was

but force was

causing

enough

punishment

to the front line Indonesian

troops

to

demoralise

enough

to

them

yet

not

provoke their government into

escalation. Publicly neither side admitted

to

this

new and bloody

patrols.

adverse reaction might

either.

after often less

to

than ten minutes'

watch and

listen intently for

anything unusual.

phase in the

Indonesian

camp

terrorist

ambushed. The

leading

Thompson, and

the second

was

scout,

itself

Trooper

man

in

the

were

patrol, the leader, Sergeant Lillico,

hit. As the rest of the patrol went to

ground Thompson managed to crawl back

both

him in returnThompson, who had

to Lillico's position to join

enemy

ing the

shattered a

fire.

bone

in his left thigh

and could

hardly move, crawled back along the

trail,

from where he engaged the enemy with a

few bursts of fire. Fearing that the bursts
represented the arrival of reinforcements,

(6.2 miles)

Intelligence

scale,

to an

SAS patrols behind enemy

War proved, it is also

To ensure anonymity,
SAS troopers carried United Statesmanufactured Armalite rifles (not then on
general British issue), wore non-regulation boots and carried no personal identification. To avoid compromise, the
movement on patrol was painfully slow.
Patrols would pause for up to twenty

have affected

border operations into Indonesia. Code'Claret', these incursions

as

for

to the Gulf

SERGEANT

LILLICO S

PATROL

the Indonesians,

Although the SAS did not seek combat,

(unless leading

Gurkha

their

there

targets),

were forced

of trouble.
1965,

number of

when two- and four-man

occasions
patrols

fighting patrols to

were

On

small

to shoot their

way out

an occasion, in February
patrol

probing an

old

who

had suffered

several

temporarily withdrew.

casualties,

Both men took advantage of the

Thompson continued

ation.

where he expected

He

patrol.

of the

to find the rest

rememtook mor-

applied a tourniquet,

bering to release

it

regularly,

phia and bandaged the

He

could.

situ-

to crawl to

wound

rested the night,

as

best he

and

in the

morning continued on his way. He had

covered some 1000m (3280ft), about half
of the distance to

safety,

when he was

located by a rescue party shortly before

last light

on the second day. For his part

was in a worse physical state,

who

Lillico,

succeeded in pulling himself into cover

before collapsing.

He

rested that night,

and during the course of the second day

succeeded

400m

in

dragging

(1312ft) to a ridge,

himself some

from where he

to fire a burst of signal shots. His

were immediately answered by a
of automatic bursts from the enemy,

was able
shots
series

from

whom

he was able to hide until

res-

cued by helicopter that night. For their

bravery Lillico was awarded the Military
Medal, while Thompson was mentioned
in dispatches.

The

success of

the lines can often

Left:

SAS

operations behind

depend upon the

SAS fighting patrols

operating behind

the lines are invariably equipped with

overwhelming firepower.

140

abil-

BEHIND THE LINES: FIGHTING PATROLS

of the patrol to move rapidly from one

ity

to

area

forces
sion.

another, both to avoid

and to

Where

enemy

quick succes-

hit targets in

possible fighting patrols will

by

infiltrate their targets silendy.

delayed-

action charges against key areas and with-

draw without being seen, thus enabling

them to move to a second target before
the

enemy

has

become

alerted to their

SAS raids in
December 1941. the Regiment has used a

presence. Since the earliest

wide variety of special vehicles for mobile

operations.

JEEP RAIDS IN NORTH AFRICA

In North Africa SAS teams used jeeps
attack

enemy

targets. Fast,

to

highly mobile

and very manoeuvrable, the Jeep was

originally designed to carry a crew of
two. but by 1945 had been substantially

Armour

plate was strapped to

bonnet to protect the
engine, and mounts fitted for two twin
Vickers "K" machine guns, one pointed
fore and one aft. In a large patrol every

modified.

the front of the

third or fourth vehicle carried a

.50in

Browning heavy machine gun. while the

drivers had easy access to a Bren gun. SAS
raiding parties wrought havoc upon

enemy supply columns, troop concentrations

and headquarters, causing severe

destruction in the rear areas. Parked aircraft

were

favourite

target

than

former rugby international of larger

life

proportions

who

was reputed

more than
on the ground.

(SAMs).
the diver-

tion close to the border.

who

Scud surface-to-surface
missiles (SSMs) actually destroyed by the
SAS was not high, the fact that the Iraqis
were forced to keep constandy on the

move

did

Iraqi

much

to reduce their potency.

Despite their heavy armament.

SAS

mobile fighting columns in the Gulf still

had to follow standard operating procedures (SOPs) for operations behind the

These included laying-up during

the day to reduce the risk of being spot-

transport for covert opera-

of special-purpose

Land Rovers, modified for long-range

activity. These vehicles have now replaced
the venerable SAS Land Rover "Pink
Panthers", so-called because they were
painted

in

matt pink camouflage

for

ted by the
hit

enemy

hard and

(especially his air force),

fast

and then withdraw

much space between

themselves and the enemy That was why
the Milan was so popular among the
troopers, as one SAS soldier who fought

quickly to put as

in the

GulfWar

relates: 'accurate, reliable

and has excellent armour-penetration

desert operations.

capabilities. It also has

LAND ROVER FIGHTING PATROLS

The Land Rovers which went behind the
lines in Iraq in the 1991 Gulf War were.
like their World War II counterparts,
heavily armed. The weapons carried on
each vehicle included
guns.

40mm Mark

GPMG

machine

19 grenade launchers.

Milan anti-tank missile launchers and

mid- 1960s.

in the

number of

fines.

Modern

Kalimantan

undertaken by the SAS. Although the

100 enemy

tions includes a variety

lines on

of covert missions capable of being

personally to have destroyed

aircraft

SAS team behind enemy

Above: An

a so-called Claret' mission in Indonesian

The GulfWar demonstrated

sity

of Lieu-

tenant-Colonel "Paddy" Blair Mayne. an

Irish

Stinger manportable surface-to-air missiles

of 2000m

[6566ft].

an effective range

which means you

One

took pan in the mission

of the

men

states

what

happened: 'The boss wanted everyone to

be

ready.

sible

We

and

hit

been very

were to go

them

clear: "If

in as fast as pos-

hard. His orders

it

looks

good

had
go

we'll

and hope that our sand trail

compromise us."
'Travelling fast and furious in a column of Land Rovers is not SAS standard
operating procedure - you give your
position away and risk falling into an
enemy ambush. Nevertheless, we were
confident that the odds were in our
favour." The patrols luck held, and they
came across the site some 20 minutes
later. Once again the method of attack
was with Milan missiles, and the site was
straight in

doesn't

totally destroyed.

The SAS normally

behind the

when

fines,

operates covertly

but there are occasions

the Regiment's soldiers will delib-

make

maximum amount of

don't have to get too close to the opposi-

erately

tion to score a direct

noise and disruption as a diversion for

Occasionally an

would break the

acceptable.

One

hit."

SAS

fighting

column

rules if the risks

such instance was

SAS Land Rovers were

sent into

were

when
enemy

territory to destroy an Iraqi listening sta-

the

other missions.

One

such example was

during the Falkland's War. just prior to the

main

British landings at

San Carlos Water.

The SAS and SBS were

mounting

tasked

with

diversionary attack against

141

SAS

THE

ART

WAR

OF

Left:

SAS fighting patrols behind enemy lines

have

to hit

hard and bug out' fast, often

mounted on

vehicles.

concealment and camouflage

be

first class.

From

on

early

skills

must

SAS

in their

careers, therefore, troopers are taught the

principles of concealment and

them

apply

On

how

to

will

be

in the field.

SAS

operations

arranged in such

way

bases

that they include

defensive positions that will absorb any

attack. In the

1991 GulfWar, for example,

SAS Land Rover columns would deploy

in a circle while not on the move to provide all-round defence. The vehicles
themselves were hidden under camouflaged netting.

Individual defensive positions are con-

cealed from both the air and the ground.

Careful preparation and proper use of the

ground
being

accordingly.

the Argentinians.

men

involved 40

One

of these missions

Squadron, led by

of

Major Cedric Delves, attacking the enemy garrison in the Darwin/Goose Green
area to keep it away from San Carlos. One
of those who took part recalls what happened: 'We were sent to keep the opposition's heads down at Goose Green. We
knew the Argies had a sizeable garrison

know how many.

What we did know was that we were
heavily outnumbered. Still, we were
armed with GPMGs, Milans, grenade
we

there but

didn't

launchers, mortars and a Stinger surface-

Our

to-air missile.

orders were to con-

vince the Argies they were being attacked

by

whole

"just blast

ter fighting

close

battalion.

We

were told to

them", though any close-quar-

they

was out because

would

suss

if

us.

we

This

got too
battle

would be from a safe distance.

'We were flown in by Sea Kings, each
man carrying a great big load of armaments. We left the choppers and had to
trudge

30km

(18 miles) to our positions:

low hills to
Darwin/Goose Green.
the

we were

north

of

stopped reguas well as the

carrying. The weight was

remember thinking it was

good job we were going to fire most of

unbelievable.
a

We

our bergens,

larly to adjust

Milans

the

142

ammo

one didn't fancy

the idea of marching back with it.
'When we reached our position we
spaced ourselves out and then the boss
gave the signal to open up. The next
minute the night sky was illuminated
with tracer rounds as the GPMGs began
the

firing.

because

Then

for

66mm LAWs

the

streaked

ground and found their targets,

quickly followed by the Milans. The noise
was deafening. We would move from spot
to spot to give the impression there was a
across the

The Argies
them. They did

multitude of firing positions.

never

knew what

return

fire,

and

we

but

it

hit

was wild and inaccurate

never took any

casualties.

God

knows how many rounds we fired that

night, but the enemy never ventured from
and

their positions

with

we were

well pleased

any attacking enemy

in

results

caught

unawares, and

One

for a defensive position, for example,

behind the

a reverse slope, just

hill,

so that direct

enemy

After the action the Argentinian garri-

crest

sites
is

on

of

can only be

fire

brought to bear once the enemy has

crossed

the

and presented the

skyline

defender with an ideal

target.

CAMOUFLAGING WEAPONS
To blend

in naturally

with

his local envi-

ronment, an SAS soldier must have highly

developed personal concealment
disguise the shape of his

merge

and natural

artificial

for example,

is

est

on

rifles,

to

the battlefield.

The
dis-

by the modern

One

ways of camouflaging

In the Falklands,

aids.

one of the most

tinctive features carried

soldier

To

into the background, a trooper will

use both
rifle,

skills.

equipment and

it is

of the

easi-

with paint.

SAS men could

seen carrying green-painted

ourselves.'

suffering

of the most suitable

often be

Ml 6

assault

while in the Gulf their weapons

prevented them from moving towards the

were sand-coloured. Aside from paint,

another effective way of distorting the
outline of a weapon is by wrapping it

main landing

with

son reported that they had been attacked

by

a battalion

The

of British troops, but had

area!

success of

many SAS

missions,

including fighting patrols, can depend on

the ability to

remain hidden from the

enemy. Stealth and secrecy allow SAS

teams to remain concealed until
late.

However,

in

order to achieve

it is

too

this

end

strips

of cloth dyed to match the

background. Cloth
to

strips

can also be used

break up the outline of the barrel,

while the magazine,

pistol grip

and top

can be covered with tape.

Fighting patrols in the
sisted

GulfWar con-

of Land Rover vehicles and motor-

EHIND THE LINES:

FIGHTING PATROLS
During World War II SAS patrols hit
enemy airfields and depots behind the lines.
They did the same during the 1991 Gulf War.
Left:

more submissively and

than

tired

they

actually are. All prisoners suffer 'the

shock

of capture', their interrogators

know

this

and

will

expect their victims to

will thus

be subservient. This will enable the

captives

husband

to

their

SAS

potential for escape. All

strength

SAS
and

personnel go

through in-depth resistance-to-mtcrrogation training.

It

from pleasant, yet

far

is

cannot begin to simulate the

which
at

a special forces captive

atrocities

may

suffer

the hands of a sadistic enemy. Every

SAS

soldier

knows

avoid lasting pain

is

way

that the best

to

not to be captured.

For the SAS, fighting behind enemy

lines has

been

SAS

soldiers,

ciency to

which require

cycles,

skilled vehicle

when

ouflage techniques. Ideally

the

should

vehicles

be

parked

under natural

was not

cover, but in Iraq this

cam-

possible,

hence the use of netting. However, netting has to be used with care. In
areas, for

example, netting requires exces-

maintenance,

sive

snow

cannot support

it

heavy snow load and,

when

wet, becomes

disguise

their

status

by acting

'grey

as

that

major part of operations

The

1941.

since late

from

individual

camouflage expertise, means

damage on the enemy, while

political or intelligence value to their

time having the

tors.

Most

before

prisoners will be questioned

they are

Adhering

to a

the difference

or

incarcerated

few simple

rules can

mean

friendly lines with the

alties.

Over 50

ensured

that

has

Air

by,

Service today

cient special forces unit to

being

tied,

and

to act

sions

to

Special

are

resist

same

of practice

British

They

is

the

minimum of casu-

years

the

at

to get back

ability

between being broken

or resisting, their interrogators.

taught not to

killed.

of

profi-

small-sized teams can inflict great

men', ordinary soldiers of no immediate

cap-

skills

weapons

their

probably the most profi-

behind enemy

mount

mis-

lines.

frozen and bulky, and therefore very difficult to handle.

SAS PRISONERS
Special forces soldiers, by the nature of
their

employment,

They

are often operating against unscru-

prone to capture.

are

pulous enemies, and cannot expect to

receive

protection

the

Convention once

Geneva
Gen-

of the

in captivity (the

eva Convention regarding the treatment

of prisoners of war makes provision for

the proper treatment of captured personnel.

It

gives prisoners certain rights

be kept in
medical

a place

care,

of

food and water

as

the right to write letters home).

hope of survival

is

to effect an

to

be given

safety, to

well as

The

best

immediate

escape, or should this not be possible to

Right: During the Gulf War,

SAS columns

operating in Iraqi territory also called in air

strikes against

enemy targets.
143

COUNTER-INSURGENCY
Malaya and Borneo
developed during the Malayan campaign

First

There
world

at

in

subsequent

an average of around 25 wars,

is

and

large

the 1950s, the SAS's counter-insurgency

in

more commonly referred to as 'hearts and minds', proved their worth

campaigns in Oman and on the island of Borneo.

skills,

going on in the

small,

Many

any one time.

of them are

insurgency/counter-insurgency (COIN),
actions

which

in

dedicated

small,

and

usually brutal groups are attempting to

overthrow an established government. In

the period of de-colonisation which followed World War II, a number of nationalist

at

organisations understandably balked

the idea of returning to colonial rule.

Britain and the Netherlands in particular

had suffered
sals at

a series

of humiliating rever-

the hands of the Japanese, and their

return to influence in the Far East was far

from universally popular. By the early
1950s,

communism seemed

pable world force.

of Eastern

It

an unstop-

had taken over much

Europe,

all

of China

and

Russia, and had gained crucial footholds

in

Korea and Vietnam.

power bases to export their ideology. To

do so they relied upon guerrilla warfare
and subversion, not conventional warfare.
Their aim was to replace the existing
government with one of their own choosing.

To do

so they levied taxes,

and

conscripts

amassed

demanded

intelligence,

who

dealing ruthlessly with anyone

regarded
lations

as a challenge.

were

apolitical,

Most

rural

and were

they

popu-

relatively

easy to convert, if not by persuasion then

by

terror.

Conventional military

efforts to

destroy the insurgents invariably proved

costly

and

ineffective,

succeeded only

in

and

in

many

cases

turning the neutral

peasantry against the government.

According

to

United

States

Above:

threatens the perceived rights or privi-

had supported the Malayan Communist

teaching, 'Resistance, rebellion

144

in a nation

sociological,

leges

of the populace

tance

may develop

liberators

to

fail

economic or

if

as a

the

or

civil

whole. Resis-

once-welcomed

improve an intolerable

social situation. Resistance

and may well

may be

active or passive,

take the

form of smouldering resentment

no more than the catalyst

which

requires

the

Party

(MCP) and

Almost

and firepower,

of the people. During the war the British

leader

Chin Peng.

MCP

had

fought not just to expel the Japanese but

achieve

to

for

equality

Chinese population

in

the

minority

post-war Malaya,

which numbered over two million peoWhen this was not forthcoming, Chin

ple.

Ping re-formed

but in the battle for the hearts and minds

its

entirely Chinese, the

Races
began

Between 1948 and 1960, however, the

Malaya showed that communist
guerrillas could be taken on at their own
game and comprehensively beaten, not

the Regiment's

and minds' concept was developed.

'hearts

into an active guerrilla campaign.

British in

with aborigines during

war in Malaya, where

of political or physical persuasion to turn

just in terms of policing

Army

SAS soldiers

where political,
economic or religious division has occurred.' Such divisions, it is
argued, occur when one dominant force

war begins

THE SPREAD OF COMMUNISM

Communist guerrillas used their new

his fighters as the

Liberation
a

Malayan

Army (MRLA) and

campaign of intensifying terror-

ism in June 1948.

Classically

the

MRLA

attempted to

undermine every aspect of normal life

under British colonial rule. Estate owners,
colonial officials and police were murand factories
dered, estates, mines

COUNTER-INSURGENCY: MALAYA AND BORNEO

destroyed,

and the

rural population intim-

idated into cooperation.

The

guerrillas,

referred to originally as bandits but later

as

CTs (Communist Terrorists),

used their

wartime weapons caches (many of which,

had been

ironically,

supplied

by

the

and jungle fighting expertise to

British)

An

operate from jungle bases.

organisa-

of underground sympathisers, the

tion

MinYuen. supplied Chin

Peng's guerrillas

with money, intelligence, food and medi-

For the

cines.

first

two

MRLA's

years the

campaign proceeded without any serious

check from the British. The will to defeat
the

CTs was

not lacking, but the policy of

manning towns and

policing roads,

and making

lages

enough, though

few

They lacked

else.

post-war British

the

Malaya were trained for

forces in

vil-

was not

arrests

the

little

experience,

as

National Servicemen, to seek out and

destroy the

CTs

in their jungle bases.

_^_

*^k_

THE BRIGGS PLAN'

All

changed

this

was

appointed

Operations.

Sir

Harold Briggs

new

the

From

1950 when

April

in

Lieutenant-General

of

Director

the methodical assess-

ment which Briggs brought to the problem of communist terrorism, he produced

not only a master plan for the defeat of

MRLA

To

CTs, Briggs introduced

starve the

Above: One of the

new

villages built under

rigorous controls over the sale and distri-

the 'Briggs Plan' in Malaya, designed to deny

bution of food, with every crop harvest

support to the Communist Terrorists.

recorded in minute

When
sioner. Sir
in

detail.

the civilian High CommisHenry Gurney, was assassinated

October 1951, he was replaced by

MRLA to
to

a position

where

the

highly experienced soldier. General Sir

time the protected 'new

Gerald Templer. Templer wasted no time

models

in putting the 'Briggs Plan' into action.

istration

but

blueprint

groups for decades to

come

for

(in this

he

man of some

who

had been helped by the report written by

Templar was

Mike Calvert on how to defeat the communists and win the 'Emergency'). In

understood the theory of counter-insur-

essence, the 'Briggs Plan'

tung's

theories

took

of guerrilla

Mao

war and

turned them against the guerrillas,

ing with 'the sea of the people in
the guerrillas

would swim

Tse-

like

start-

which

fish'.

If

guaranteed normality and security the

people would effectively leave the

munists and return,

pro-government

com-

at least passively, to a

stance.

To

leave the

'fish'

high and dry. Briggs arranged for Malaya

to

be combed, sector by sector from south

gency

clearly.

For example,

June 1952 if he had

'The answer lies not
into

diers

hearts

when

sufficient,

in

vision

asked in

he replied:

pouring more

the jungle, but rests

sol-

the

in

and minds of the Malayan people.'

Operational

details

Major-General

Sir

by 1952 had 45,000

were

Rob
men

delegated

its

The

and

good

became
admin-

self-sufficiency.

new

aggressive

patrolling

supply

villages'

of excellence,

style

of jungle

was backed up by helicopter

flights to

extend the duration of

the patrols, and was supported by intelli-

gence in unheard of depth. Dossiers were

built

up on

all

CT

leaders

and

their

groups, and the creation of White Areas,

freed of

communist

influence, accelerated

who

by the insertion of intelligence and psy-

24 battalions

chological warfare teams. Massive rewards

Lockhart.
in

to

was forced

time organising food supplies. At the same

destruction of similar counter-insurgency

the

it

spend an estimated 90 per cent of

under command. 25.000 of them

Special hunter-killer platoons of

British.

Gurkhas

were offered for information, 30,000

Chin Peng himself. IfTempler's meth-

for

were created to seek out and destroy the

ods brought about

CTs

the

in the jungle, while the assistance

newly re-formed SAS was

of

a drastic

MRLA's freedom of

reduction in

operations and

to north, in a rigorous collaboration be-

the

actively

effectiveness, they also carved steadily into

tween the

and the civil

administration. 'New villages' were built
for those most at risk; those who lived on
the edge of the jungle (in total 410 vil-

sought. The energy and practicality which

MRLA's manpower at a steady 1000

CTs killed per year between 1951 and
1953 - excluding the unknown number
of CT casualties who died unrecorded in

- many inhabited by Chinese squat- were uprooted and moved).

had to be punctured to prevent hoarding,

had bv the end ot 1953 reduced the

lages
ters

military, the police

war was almost

immediately effective. The stringent new
food regulations, by which even- tin sold
Templer brought

to the

the

the

jungle.

increased the

Equally

importantly,

number o(

CT

they

surrenders;

145

SAS

THE

ART

OF

WAR
Left

The

A New Zealand SAS trooper in Malaya.

New Zealanders proved particularly

adept at winning over the natives.

As ever, it was the work of the patrol

medics which was the most important
in the building of relationships
between the natives and SAS patrols. Sick
parades were held to allow the natives to

part

come forward and be

treated, and the

dropped medical supplies and even

RAF

arranged helicopter

men.

In

way

this

flights for

British

the head-

was

strength

demonstrated, but more importantly the

came to trust the SAS soldiers.

Soon they began to pass on intelligence

aborigines

concerning the whereabouts of the CTs,

and became the

and

'eyes

ears'

of the

security forces, even in the remotest areas.

THE LEARNING PROCESS

Of course

it

was not

all

plain sailing.

Mike

Calvert, in an effort to attract recruits to

the

Malayan

had

Scouts,

Rhodesia,

where
volunteers. These

he

Squadron, Malayan

Scouts.

excellent soldiers,

travelled

to

100

selected

became C
They were

men

and stayed

in

Malaya

two years, returning home in

December 1952. The Rhodesians had a
slight attitude problem when it came to
non-whites, which did little to assist
for

and minds'. Their replacements, a

New Zealand, were much

'hearts

squadron from

men who

could no longer stand the ever

more wretched existence which

British

inflicting

In

upon

1957,

their

would-be

when

Malaysia gained

its

the

Of these

new

state

of

CTs

still

opera-

left.

The

policy of

and minds', supported by vigorous

patrolling and intensive intelligence gath'hearts

had proved an unmitigated success.

SAS HEARTS AND MINDS'

and minds' campaign involved going deep into the jungle
'hearts

and winning over the native aborigines.

146

process

'hearts

of winning over the

was long and often

frustrating, but

long-term aim compensated for any

short-term

disappointments.

SAS. Attracted by

1960,

SAS

efforts.

when

about 500 effectives

its

natives
its

was achieved

this

blueprint for later

and minds'

The

which

number of jungle

Chin Peng finally abandoned the struggle

and withdrew into Thailand, he had only

For the SAS,

in

331 were killed that year

and 209 surrendered. By

ering,

became

'liberators'.

independence, there

were no more than 1500

tional.

the

and their Malay supporters were

The way

forts

were

free food,

Initially,

built

by the

medical treat-

ment and protection from the CTs, natives

would come into the forts and set up shelters next to those of the SAS soldiers.
These forts eventually became permanent,
a safe haven for locals from a
wide surrounding area. Once a fort had
been established the SAS would hand over
its running to the police or security forces
and then build another. In this way a chain
of forts was built around the country, thus
further denying ground to the enemy.

and provided

more adept at dealing with the natives.

Their number included a number of
Maoris, which facilitated good relations
between troopers and natives.
The Malayan campaign highlighted a
number of areas where the SAS was deficient. Patrol medics, for example, needed
to be dentists and midwives as well as military doctors. In addition, the

language

Being able to

own tongue
over.

needed

skills

Above

Regiment's

to be expanded.

talk to the natives in their

greatly helped to
all,

there proved

for actually living

among

no

win them
substitute

the locals, for

them

sharing their problems and helping

out

when

it

came

to

planting

crops,

building and repairing shelters and learning their everyday existence.

As
the

result

policy

of

of the Malayan campaign

'hearts

and minds' was

expanded, particularly by the SAS,

who

COUNTER-INSURGENCY: MALAYA AND BORNEO

Right: Hearts

and minds'

trooper treats a

Dyak

An SAS

in action.

remote region on

in a

the island of Borneo.

exported

it

number of subsequent
actions. Above all.

to a

counter-insurgency

and minds" requires large quanti-

"hearts

ot tact, courtesy

ties

utes

all

and patience,

attrib-

too often sadly lacking in profes-

sional soldiers. Soviet Spetsnaz

Afghanistan

in

the

98<

>s.

units in

French

the

Foreign Legion in Algeria in the 1960s

and the Royal Marines

1

96<

all

's

in

Borneo

in the

established short-term military

superioriry over their enemy, but because

none had been trained in the policy of

"hearts and minds", were unable to exploit
their advantage fully.

HEARTS AND MINDS' IN BORNEO

By the time the Regiment had to
on

Borneo

the island of

equipped

well

"hearts
skills.

with

deal

to

right

was
winning

in 1963.

it

and minds', having acquired new

The

standard procedure was for

patrol to establish contact

inhabitants

and gain their

with the local

trust.

This took

rime and patience, but again the patrol

medic proved
of

a patrol

the

many

worth.

his

from

The experience

Squadron

contacts

is

between

typical

of

SAS and

we
a

arrived at this village near the border

baby looked

to

my

was dying and

medic. "You'd better get

or we"ll be kicked out."

ter

He

of an aspirin dissolved

got better, so
that

was

gave
in

said

this right
it

quar-

milk and

it

we were made welcome and

good

start. It

was

happy time,

Malaya because although

loved the abos they weren't so civilised

as

better then

during the Borneo war. The patrol

the Muruts.

was led bv Serjeant 'Tankv' Smith: "When

and homes."

locals

as if it

who

took us into their hearts

As the bond grew between natives and

latter were frequently invited to

SAS. the

local celebrations,

mixed

blessing.

Muruts] do

[the

bamboo and

though

this

could be

Smith again: 'What they

fill

is

it

split a

length of thick

with uncooked port.

and rice: then they bury it for a

month, and when they dig it up its called
"jarit"" and. oh God. the pong. But we had
to eat it. You just could if you'd drunk
enough "tapai"'."
In Malaya. Major Dare Newell, who
later became the SAS's regimental adjutant and secretary of the SAS Regimental
Association, warned troopers to stay away
salt

from the native women.

In

Bornei

soldiers faced a similar problem, as "Tany"

Smith
said

relates: "After a

month

we'd been away from

time and would

selves

is

said

headman
a

long

like to refresh

our-

with four of their

fancied us?
there

we

the

home

girls

who

rather

we"d be delighted' - and

no reason

to disbelieve

him

for

these people were primitive only in con-

sequence of their environment, and he

would have been less than a man who was

not awakened by the girls' intelligent
sweetness and bare-breasted charm - but
there's a snag. Even if they themselves
Left:

SAS

troopers in native shelter in

Borneo. Once trust had been established

with villagers, the patrol would

move

in.

147

fancy

probably each got a

they've

us,

boyfriend so we've

when

made

four enemies

we're supposed to be here

friends. Besides

my

dart in

My

their collection.

trooper

didn't

back and

said,

want

my

making

blowpipe

head added to

youngest unmarried

"Speak for yourself,

think

it

would be impolite to refuse"; but I told

him, "No", and that was an order. It was a

we

signs than

there."

was

And

nesian regular

though

did

SAS

'They

were

[the Ibans]

On

occasion

boggled

my

mind.

towards an

who

enemy

or

We

art at

skill

even

moving

were

force and the tracker,

officer

people

four

returned and

said,

and he

is

carrying

a pistol,

hat..."

said,

148

of the

their

had been following the tracks of

three

know
know

state

you're

all

"One of the

morning,
patrol

is

an

wearing brown boots,

has an assault

rifle, a

bush

"Hold on, wait. mean

very good at tracking and

that you're

much

it

SAS troopers

who

still

retained their customs and pastimes, as an

SAS

soldier

who

fought with one

'The contact was over

testifies

and
one
Indonesian but there might be more
nearby. By this time I had taken cover

to:

the jungle

fell

silent.

and, like everyone

for signs

Then we

We

else,

key to winning

knew what he was up

ning back with

scanned the area

quickly bugged out and

story.

said

we

one

Our

moved

to

mount

speedily crossed the river.

interesting postscript to the

tracker,

who

to,

big smile

he came run-

on

his face.

He

had cut off the Indo's head and stuffed

it

"Good money, good money,"

he would receive from the Brunei government.

'Ibans
patrols

were natural trackers and

developed

several

strong rapport with

own man. Ours would

their

and waiting for the Indos

is

the

an old pack he had acquired from an

killed

follow-up ambush. However, they didn't

There

was

and minds'.

in seconds

of any more of the opposition.

bother and

'hearts

had

downstream, taking up defensive positions

with villagers in

Borneo. The work of patrol medics

he kept repeating, referring to the bounty

was not the intention of the

to Westernise the natives,

better at reading

of trees

FIGHTING WITH THE IBANS

got on with something

tracking.

a thin screen

which stood an Indoarmy officer.'

Above:

into his bag!

Of course,

wonder which one fancied me.'

Keeping the natives on their side benefited the SAS in many ways, as a former
trooper who fought in Borneo relates:

through

a clearing in

we

just

how, in the name of

do you know what sort of hat he's

got on, what sort of weapons he's carrying?" And the tracker said, "Oh, he's over

and then
I

are but

WAR

OF

Christ,

talking point for an evening

else;

ART

SAS

THE

spoke English,

he would check the body. Before

we

infantry

battalion.

It

was

always carry

full

of what

appeared to be tree bark and animal skin,

which he often chewed on, giving his

teeth a tobacco-stained look. They were
great blokes, though their headhunting
habits were a little disconcerting. We had
to continually remind ourselves that it
was part of their culture and had been
going on for years. It was naturally
encouraged by the Brunei government,
who wanted as many Indonesian soldiers
dead as possible, hence the bounty. The

COUNTER-INSURGENCY: MALAYA AND BORNEO

then suddenly stopped acquiring

Ibans

heads and started to collect ears (the heads

much

were taking up too

bergens!).

Mind

space in their

you, their habits stopped

anyone going into their backpacks!'

There were some setbacks concerning

and minds' campaign

"hearts

the

in

Borneo, especially in 1964 following an

increase

the number of Indonesian

The 'Muruts who lived along

in

incursions.

the border

became

rather hostile to the

SAS, no doubt thinking that the British

them against the

would switch
The Regiment had to do

troops could not protect

Indonesians, and so they

allegiances.

something, and quick.

PSYCHOLOGICAL WARFARE
The answer came via Major Peter de la
Billiere. who hit upon the idea of turning
Step-up exercises into psychological war(Step-up was

fare

SAS during
act

the

a drill

evolved by the

Borneo war

to counter-

Once an incurSAS would radio

Indonesian incursions.

sion was discovered, the

for infantry reinforcements to

be flown

on cleared landing
sites by helicopter, and would then guide
the infantry to an ambush point to await
the enemy force).
Major de la Billiere continues the
into the area to land

story:

'It

cheated

was
a

game and we only

by making sure the

a great

little

Gurkhas and hehcopters were at splitsecond readiness. "Look," we said to the

Muruts. '"when you see any sign of the
Indos,

come and

we'll use

tell

us straight

away and

our magic radio box to bring

well as a

good

telling effect
tige.
it

deal nicer; but the

That factor was crucial because had

been a matter of troops arriving

we

said, "Let's try

it

tomorrow; you

way

the allegiances of the bor-

der villagers were restored to the SAS.

won. thanks

veteran

George Lea,

in large part to the

who

was Director of

anywhere you like, and see what hapSo along they came and told us
there were signs where the tracks cross
just south of Bukit Oojah; and this bit

paign thus: 'Success therefore was

knew

a military'

argued that the

coupled

SAS

Borneo, sums up the cam-

in

and foremost

By

war had been

the middle of 1966 the

Operations

wasn't cheating because our patrols

with

one.

It

first

had been

new regime

in Djakarta

parlous

Indonesian

the

economy brought about

the

Bangkok

their areas intimately

Accord; those were certainly important

with

factors,

and landing points

had been cut wherever tactically expedient, so within an hour
or two a hundred Gurkhas bristling with
weapons would be right on the spot and
lateral tracks

the locals' eyes boggled. The

thus

more

impressed

that

efficient than

Muruts were
the British were

the Indonesians, as

to the locals.

believing there could be

In this

pretend you've found some footprints,

pens."

provided genuine help

sure incurred.'

SAS's 'hearts and minds' campaign.

so

it

'Many voices were

what was called a

largely

at first

to hospital in

Borneo. 'Hearts and minds' worked because

domains, his authority

might have been shaken and his displeaarbitrarily in his

Well that was

unconvincing

Above: An Iban being transported

just

masses of soldiers in to clobber them."

a bit

most

was to the headman's pres-

but the significance of our mili-

tary contribution can best

ing because

it

posed

no valid military
muddled think-

a political solution as

an alternative to a military, whereas in

two were complementary. Peace

When one side seeks a solution by force it has to be convinced by
force that it can't succeed, and only then
fact the

follows war.

does a political settlement become possible.

But

side by side with military action

it is

very important to remove the economic, political

or

sociological

sources

though, again,

must provide

in

on

of discotitcnt

which subversion flourishes [author's

italics];

order to do that you

a basis

of security so that

the police, administrators and ordinary

we

people can go about their business with-

if

There can be no doubt

that Borneo certainly and Malaya possibly would now be under the complete
control of the Indonesians.
it.

one. This was dangerous

of

solution,

be judged by

asking what would have happened

had not given

raised in favour
political

fear' The SAS's 'hearts and minds'

campaign had helped contribute towards
the eventual defeat of the Indonesians, as

out

well as recruiting

many

native friends.

149

THE

SAS ART OF WAR

South
In

South

Oman

preventing the

in the
fall

Oman

early 1970s, the SAS's counter-insurgency skills proved instrumental in

of the regime of Sultan

Qaboos

to the

communists, thereby preserving the

free flow of the West's oil through the waters of the Gulf of

As

maritime nation, Britain long ago

learned the significance of the Gulf

Essentially

traditionalist

emphasising the

Moslem

in

religion

DLF's

Oman.

Qaboos requested and was immediate-

nature,

and the

were

granted British assistance to crush the

SAS teams were introduced

to her position as an international trader.

tribal

modernisation and the rather nebulous

within days, and

at

"Dhofar for the Dhofaris".

ment Operation

"Storm", the regaining of

Treaty of Friendship was signed with

the Sultan of

Muscat

in 1789.

The

treaty

1950s had taken on a

late

nificance with the discovery of

still

made her

influences,

no match for the Sultan's Armed Forces.

However, in neighbouring Yemen another, more powerful, guerrilla group, the

the

basically

People s Front for the Liberation of the

comparatively sophisticated. The Jebalis of

vulnerable to subversive

ported the aged and despotic Sultan Said

when

neutralise a

group of

squadron of

from Malaya to

rebels

on the Jebel

Akhdar. However, the oppressive policies

of the Sultan resulted

up again

in 1962. this

in rebellion flaring

nme

in the

south of

in Dhofar Province. The

which spearheaded the revolt was
the Dhofar Liberation Front (DLF).

the

country,

party

The Dhofari

are)

compounded by
Yemen in the

secretly diverted

to imple-

the initiative in the south.

the supply of oil to the West. Britain sup-

SAS was

once began

people were, and

and thus indirectly threatened

bin Taimur in 1959.

fighters

equipped and armed. As such, they were

her proximity to Marxist

south,

Its

insurrection.

were hardy, but for the most part poorly

oil.

Oman's borders were (and

largely undefined. This,

new

the

sig-

continued into the twentieth century, and

by the

structure,

aims

ly

Occupied Arabian Gulf (PFLOAG) made

overtures to the DLF and suggested a
merger, promising weapons and money.
The DLF accepted, and the PFLOAG,
using the neighbouring People's
cratic

base,

Demo-

Republic of Yemen (PDRY)

began

a successful

as

campaign against

the small government presence in Dhofar.

In 1970 the unpopular and

out of touch Sultan

fell

inspired, bloodless

palace

by

now

totally

victim to a British-

coup and was

still

are,

very different to

Omanis of the more affluent north.

The town tribes of the coastal plain were
of Kathiri origin, industrious and

the mountains,

on the other hand, were

hot tempered, highly

fiercely

independent.

and

intelligent

Drawn from

the

Qarra peoples, they were unswervingly

loyal to self, livestock, family

that order.

they
mies.

As the SAS was

made loyal friends but

The Bedu of the Negd.

and

tribe in

to discover.
bitter

ene-

a flat desert

between the mountains and the EmptyQuarter to the west, had their own languages and were equally independent.

replaced by his only son. the Sandhurst-

Nomadic, they derived

trained Sultan Qaboos.

almost exclusively from camels and goats.

wealth

their

THE FIVE FRONTS' CAMPAIGN

Lieutenant-Colonel Johnny Watts, comofficer of 22 SAS and a veteran
of the Jebel Akhdar campaign, realised
that his greatest battle was for the "hearts

manding

and minds' of the much-abused indigenous population. If he could successfully

convince them that their future
the regime of the

and not with the

lay

with

young Sultan Qaboos

odoo, or Marxist rebels,

he could starve the rebellion of manpower

making the

task

of the conventional

infantry operating in support of the Sultan

much

Fortunately, because

easier.

expertise built

the

SAS was

tive

in

SAS

its

well placed to

wage an

effec-

a classic mission.

with Dhofari tribesmen in southern

Oman. The

ability of troopers to

dialects greatly aided hearts

150

of

Malaya and Borneo,

counter-insurgency war. one which

would become
Left:

up

speak local

and minds'.

COUNTER-INSURGENCY: SOUTH OMAN

Watts decided to wage the campaign

on

five "fronts",

and to

Five Fronts'

end introduced

this

campaign, a local exten-

SAS

sion of the tried-and-tested

and minds' concept.

.

test

reated to

An

"hearts

intelligence cell

monitor the

activities

the reaction of the enemy.

An

and

infor-

mation team was formed to counter the

propaganda of Radio Aden, while advising the locals of the very real material
benefits

of participating

and

in the

embryon-

development schemes. Doctors

ic civil aid

were

paramedics

forces

special

brought to the villages to inoculate the

tribesmen and their families against previously lethal diseases, and veterinary teams

were introduced to tend the

Above

livestock.

the Dhofaris were given the

all.

opportunity to take up arms and protect

themselves against the increasingly brutal

many

adoo. Initially

Dhofaris had given

prosecution of a war in which the

tain

at

support to the rebels in their

least tacit

tribes

had no

however, had

moun-

interest.

real

Most.

become disenchanted by

uncompromising denial of
two crucial tenets in
Dhofari society and their brutal methods to make everyone conform
Increasing numbers of Moslem fighters defected from the rebels, and were
eagerly snapped up by the SAS. They
were formed into groups of fighters to be
trained, armed and paid but not direcdy
commanded by the SAS. Known as firqat,
the

rebels'

God and

family

they were allowed to elect their

leaders,

own

which they were given

autonomy

after

almost total

CULTURAL PROBLEMS
The SAS in the Dhofar found themselves
facing some fundamental problems. The
Dhofaris believe that all things came from
God. and that it was therefore little short
of blasphemous to thank a fellow man for
his

largesse.

They

also

held

that

they

should ask for anything that they might

want - it would, after all. come from God.

and if it was His will they would receive
it.

When

the

the

first firqat

units

were formed

SAS had no option but

to listen to

each individual demand, however unrealistic,

so as not to offend.

Not

until the

between the SAS and firqat had been

forged in batde were the Britons able to
trust

that

insist

elected

all

demands came through

Tony Jeapes fought

Oman, and

later

wrote

as

experiences in the war.

an officer in

book about

He

describes a

example of the Dhofaris" attitude

when asked to the wedding of the first
firqat leader. Salim Mubarak: 'I felt under
my shin and produced a brand new
Smith and Wesson .357 magnum, fully
loaded. The pistol gleamed blue-black in
my hand, accentuating the whiteness of
ivory handle.
"

"It's

too big." he

SAS teams

in

Oman

lived

among

the

integrate themselves into local communities.

his

typical

its

Above:

Dhofaris, sharing their lifestyle to fully

firqat leaders.

smaller,

want one

It

was

expensive pistol which

if not.

a beautiful

would have had the courtesy

to

pretend to be.
'

said. "I

an automatic."

was staggered.

and
had gone to
much trouble to get for him. I had
thought he would be delighted with it. or
"I

""Well, take

will see if

will

not be

it

now.""

said lamely, "'and

can get an automatic, but

it

easv."

151

SAS

THE

ART

OF

WAR
and minds' in action. A
SAS surgery in Oman. As

Left: 'Hearts

makeshift

ever,

medics greatly helped the COIN

patrol

effort.

made by an SAS team led by Captain

Branson, who with two firqat units
climbed the jebel to the
SAS,

squadron of

number of Baluchis and two other

A 'aasifat

firqats,

main

the

east,

under Watts, with

force

and Salahadin, climbed up

Lympne.

to seize the deserted airfield at

Having secured the

Watts seized

airstrip,

the village of Jibjat and began to patrol

along the sides of the Wadi Darbat, dislodging the unsuspecting adoo from the

On

plateau.

9 October

secure base was

from which
was able to control the entire
plateau above the coastal plain (leaflets
established at 'White City',

Watts

had been dropped into the Wadi Darbat

throw

to try to persuade rebels to

my

was

'It

first

experience of that

Dhofari forthrightness which in the early

days was to cause
[the

SAS] and the

some

friction

between

Tony Jeapes of 22 SAS, Mubarak was

invited to form the two dozen men he
had brought with him into the Firqat
Salahadin,

firqats.'

particularly

potent

was

with the government;

ful

message, stating that the communists

not

did

it

'recognise

Muhammed

(blessing

name) and

others of God's prophets).

group

THE FIRQATS PROVE DIFFICULT

realised that,

At

much

defections,

fighting

its

to assist the

and minds'

'hearts

line
trast

government
policy.

to establish

Their hard-

Marxist ideology was in marked conto the religious

fundamentalism of

the locals. In an attempt to export their

the

ideals,

insurgents

forcibly

removed
them

children from their parents and sent

Yemen, tortured the

to deny the existence of
the young to training

for schooling in the

old for refusing

God, and sent

camps in China and the Soviet Union.
The full extremes of 'people's power' were
introduced into the mountains
tionary courts were set

as

revolu-

up and began the

summary execution of known

or suspect-

September

1970 and March 1971, 200 adoo surrendered

declared

formed

The

government which had

general amnesty, and were

the

to
a

into firqat units by the SAS.

defection of Salim

particularly

the SAS.

He

fighter, a nationalist

and

welcomed by

the

second-in-command of the

hardened

eastern area. After discussions with

152

would be

SAS

required.

It

was

firqats

decided to stop

and observe the

religious festival

point the

this

of Ramadan. As

to prove to the

and dusk,
inevitably

themselves, that they could

more than

match the Marxist guerrillas in battle. The

coastal town of Sudh was carefully selected for the blooding. A mixed force of 100
SAS and firqat were landed by boat and
quickly took the town. The victory was
somewhat marred by the fact that the
town was empty of adoo at the time.
Nonetheless, it was hailed as a victory and
regarded

as a

The SAS

leaders

were more

realistic,

meant

raged (especially

as

but to respect local

November Watts resumed

firqat

demanded

that their animals

ment-organized market. Watts

mented

most audacious

his

organized

monsoon, Watts launched

an offensive onto the

Jebel Dhofar, with precisely that in mind.

mixed

rebels'

five firqat

Major

troops

250 Omani
few northern tribesmen and
(300 men) - in all some 800

force of 100 SAS,

regulars, a

- was gathered. While

a feint

was

lifted

now

plan.

imple-

On

27

'Texas-style'

supported by jet fighter cover

cattle drive,

several

'Jaguar',

be brought

off the jebel and transported to a govern-

and

diately after the

hostilities,

again proved difficult and

though the

mentary euphoria by taking the war firmly to the enemy. In October 1971, imme-

to exploit the

no option
During

sensibilities.

5. Sin artfllery pieces.

need

was

they had been granted

dispensations to fight), but had

and

realised the

were

compromised. Watts was en-

mo-

and

that they

their military effectiveness

November he

turning point.

this

not able to eat or drink between dawn

adoo and Dhofaris, as well as to the firqat

Operation

Mubarak was

was

field

imperative for the

ed government sympathisers. The policy

wholly backfired. Between

training at Mirbat.The SAS

however steady the trickle of
if it was to be turned into a

torrent nothing less tangible than a vict-

ory in the

power-

Prophet

his

which began

communists

the

the

upon

towards the local Dhofari tribesmen did

The behaviour of

in their

lot

hundred

Over 1400

cattle

goats

were either

air-

or driven from the plateau to the

coastal

market inTaqa. Most of the animals

belonged
allegedly

to firqat

families,

belonged to

men

but

many

serving with

the adoo, and were therefore 'confiscated'

by the

By
lished

firqat.
1 97 1
Watts had estabgovernment presence on the

the end of
a

COUNTER-INSURGENCY: SOUTH OMAN

had freed the plain of Adoo, and
had convinced over 700 Dhofaris to join
djebel,

the

When

firqat.

Mirbat was

on

the Marxist attack

bloodily

repulsed

1972, the sovereignty of Sultan

over Dhofar became

in

July

Qaboos
The

indisputable.

influence of the Marxists steadily waned,

until by 1975 the survivors had been
pushed back to the Yemeni border, and
the war was all but over.

THE
As

CIVIL AID
the

ever,

PROGRAMME
civil

of

side

affairs

towards ultimate victory.

tributed

con-

SAS

teams established clinics for the people

and their animals, and the gossip picked

up from these places was often first-class

intelligence. In addition, advanced drilling
equipment was brought into Dhofar from
the United Kingdom to drill for new
wells and to reopen those which had been
sealed

on

the orders of the old Sultan.

The SAS

fight

against

disease

ignorance was conducted on the

understanding that the

ment would
the

and
strict

Omani govern-

take over the tasks started by

British

In

soldiers.

this

way

the

Dhofaris were convinced that their gov-

ernment was sincere in its wishes to aid

them (and the government did indeed
honour its promises).

The
in

**v

SAS's counter-insurgency effort

Dhofar was neatly

Jeapes himself:

'It

the

summed up by

firqats

were the most

mous. CAD's fingers reached into practically every wadi on the jebel before the
war was over.'

Another reason why the Dhofar war

won was that the major power in the
region, Saudi Arabia, was pro-Western (in
any COIN campaign if a major power in

was

the region backs the insurgents the odds

are

stacked

However,

this

eventual

against
is

victory).

not to detract from the

SAS's achievements in southern

Oman.

In

Above: Part of the

'Five Fronts'

campaign

was the provision of veterinary skills, which

was greatly appreciated by the Dhofaris.
six years
lost

of war (1970-76) the Regiment

only 12 soldiers

killed. In addition, its

actions had guaranteed the survival of a

pro-Western regime

in

area of the world.

also

SAS

to

It

very sensitive

confirmed the

be the most expert counter-insur-

gency unit

in the world.

important Government department to be

win

created to

the war, Civil Aid must

second. The Civil Aid

Department (CAD) was, I believe, the
one new lesson the Dhofar Campaign

run them

The American experience

a close

The American Special Forces have

it came about almost by

Dhofar Development Department could not provide aid fast enough
to follow in the wake of the rapid SAF
successes of 1973-74. The Department
was, in any case, undermanned, but civil
development is a long-term business.
Roads cannot be built nor wells drilled
overnight. It takes time. But time was
something the Government did not

tionary war, yet

default. The

have...
strate

The Government had to demonimmediate bounty. The CAD was

seldom had

created initially to

fill

an executive

of more than three or

four, but

its

staff

a gap.

It

also

had wide experience of counter-

insurgency warfare, though have not had the same success. During the

provided in the study of counter-revolu-

Vietnam War the Special Forces' Civilian Irregular Defense Group (CIDG)
Program was an attempt to win over the Montagnard tribesmen ofVietnam's
Central Highlands to the cause of the South Vietnamese government.
in

December

Begun

1961, by the end of 1963 the Green Berets had trained 18,000

strike force troops

and over 43,000 hamlet militiamen. The Montagnards

proved their worth during the 1968 communist Tet Offensive, but the whole
programme was handed over to the South Vietnamese in 1970 and was
ended. The Green Beret-trained militiamen were absorbed into the South

Vietnamese army.

minds work too

Ironically, the

well.

Green Berets had done

The tribesmen were

their hearts

totally loyal to

and

them, but they

never extended the same sentiments to the South Vietnamese government

(who tended

to look

down on

the lack of political will

through no

fault

of the

the Montagnards anyway) or its servants. With

on the part of the government, the CIDG Program,
Green Berets, ultimately failed.

impact on the war was enor153

HOSTAGE-RESCUE
The Munich Legacy
The murder of

11 Israeli

Western governments
the

There

are

currently

(CT/HRUs)

refined

more than 90
rescue

counter-terrorist/hostage
units

SAS

in the world.

Many

of

these have been established and trained by

the

SAS and

other Western

and have thus adopted

CT

forma-

athletes at the 1972 Olympic

to establish
its

On

men

sympathies, began to attack Western and Israeli

targets. These ranged from the bombing
Palestinian

Munich prompted many

of dedicated

formation

1 1

Israeli athletes at

the 1972

'Black September' seized

mem-

whereupon the
mounted an assault with

group

armoured

terrorist
1 1

Israeli sports-

The one

incident

above any other which provided the cat-

of their

and three captured, but

heli-

copter to Furstenfeldbruk military airport,

from where, they were promised, they

figures.

five

and their hostages were flown by

would be given safe passage to Cairo.

However, as they left the helicopters hidden snipers opened fire, killing two ter-

and military

executed

Palestinians

and

the resultant carnage

hostages in one helicopter before blowing

the

hostage

soft targets to

the

cars. In

authorities

troops

Olympic village in Munich.

Having demanded the release from prison
of 234 of their compatriots, the terrorists
at

taking and the assassination of political

of both hard and

rorists and wounding others, as well as

two helicopter crewmen. The surviving
terrorists managed to get back to the heli-

copters,

September 1972, armed

of the Palestinian

example,

prepare for any eventuality.

Munich Olympics.

ment and tactics. The need for such units

became apparent in the 1960s, when a

many of them with

the

massacre of

bers

plethora of international terrorist groups,

for

to

in

units. In Britain, for

Western counter-terrorist units was the

their equip-

tions,

hostage-rescue tactics

alyst

Games

dedicated counter-terrorist

it

up, while the other helicopter exploded

in the firefight. Five terrorists

Israeli

at

were

killed

the price of

hostages murdered.

THE WEST FIGHTS BACK

The massacre sent shock waves throughout Western
States.

Europe and the United

Munich had demonstrated

local police forces,

could not hope to

terrorist attack,

that

however well trained,

combat a determined

while the intervention of

conventional troops, far from providing

solution,

was

likely to lead to an escala-

tion in violence.

The

necessity for dedi-

cated hostage-rescue units was accepted.

Once formed
ate

at

would have

these

complete

to oper-

disadvantage;

they

would rarely be able to choose their combat ground and would not always be able
to take time to plan their assault.

Only highly

skilled individuals

be suitable for such

units.

would

For example,

would have to be excellent

combat marksmen with a variety of weapons, and would need to be highly comcandidates

petent in the

skills

of fighting

in a built-

(FIBUA).They would need

be

up

area

fit

and resourceful, capable of operating

on

their

Left:

own

or in small groups.

to

They

The hijacked Lufthansa Boeing 737 at

Mogadishu Airport, where GSG 9, with SAS

assistance, freed the hostages.

154

HOSTAGE-RESCUE: THE MUNICH LEGACY

would need

man-

to be trained in hostage

agement, close personal protection and

techniques.

insertion

They would need

nerves of steel and be able to demonstrate

total coolness under fire. In short, they
would be too precious to waste on the

mundanities of conventional sol-

daily

Many

diering or ordinary police duties.

countries turned to their special forces to

supply these units, while others, notably

West Germany and France, created special-purpose

forces

from

on

within

their

Union, drawing

police services.The Soviet

unique politico-military structure,

its

created units from within the

Interior Ministry

(MVD).

KGB

and

In Britain, the

government was indeed fortunate

to have

whose members

already

an organisation

possessed the required

GERMANY'S GSG

skills:

the SAS.

Germany's Grenzschutzgruppe 9
(GSG 9) was formed by government
order on 26 September 1972. Prior to the
Munich outrage, post-war Germany had
West

found

to

difficult

it

introduce effective

Thereafter, practical training

months and

is

Proficiency

posting.

lasts

for four

followed by an operational

maintained by

is

Above: Fighting

men storm

fire

with

fire.

French GIGN

the hijacked Airbus at Marseilles

Airport on 26

December

1994.

practising a series of simulated hostagecars, trains, aircraft, boats and

Marksmanship skills are honed
during three half-days and one additional
evening per week spent on the range,
during which each combat team expends
in excess of one million rounds of ammu-

week of May 1962 alone France

nition per year.

Espionnage

rescues

from

suffered

which were
often questioned by the country's powerful left wing. These problems were compounded by West Germany's attempts to
forge relationships with Third World
countries, particularly in the Middle East.
Consequendy. the government was not

buildings.

prepared to authorise controversial 'high-

THE FRENCH RESPONSE

even torture began to take their

GSG

France introduced her

counter-terrorist measures,

arrangements

security

profile'

Munich Olympics. However,

math

passed creating
cies.

new

the

in the after-

new

laws

were

anti-terrorist

agen-

massacre

the

ot

at

Originally formed by Colonel (later

GSG 9 has
finest HRUs in

evolved into one of the

the world.

It

draws the majority of

members from

the

its

Bundesgrenzschutz

(BGS). the paramilitary border protection

service,

tion of

now responsible for the protecGerman borders and ports of

all

entry, the security

ings

of government build-

The

entry qualifications for

exacting.

An

initial

GSG

9 are

interview selects can-

didates with a high proficiency in con-

ventional police work, coupled with self-

confidence, intelligence
ability to

9 achieved an outstanding success in

October 1977, when hostages being held

Boeing 737 at Mogadishu
Airport. Somalia, were rescued and their
in a Lufthansa

and the

mingle comfortably

if

social

required

to act as a future close-protection officer.

murders.

President Charles de Gaulle responded

by reorganising and extending the powers

of the intelligence service, the
Documentation

Exterieure

France's crack

HRU,

d' Intervention de la

the

Groupment

Gendarmerie Xationale

(GIGN). was created from the paramilitary. France has long been the focus of
terrorist

activities.

Pre-war France was

riven by political intrigue, polarised further during

nist

and

World War

nationalist

II

sovereignty.

when commu-

Maquis groups often

Subsequent

conflicts in Viet-

nam and Algeria, particularly

when violence between the
Front dc

the

la

Secrete

Liberation Xationale

wing Organisation
(OAS) spilled onto the

right

Service dc

the latter

Algerian

(FLN) and
de

1'Armcc

streets,

nothing to improve matters. In the

did
first

Contre

de

et

(SDECE). Legalised telephone

assassinations

own

and

toll

as

distinctive

system of 'counter-terror'.

Other troubles
France

in the

also

1970s.

found

The

their

way

to

seizure of the

Saudi Arabian Embassy in Paris

Palestinian captors neutralised'.

fought each other for future peacetime

and embassies.

>

tapping, semi-official

Ulrich Wegener.

General)

over 201

in

led to the French security services prepar-

ing to

retaliate.

French

However, the numerous

agencies were

counter-terrorist

ineffective

and began

to squabble

among

themselves. Exasperated, the French gov-

ernment decided,
create

November

in

197

an independent counter-terrorist

unit from the ranks

of one of the oldest

regiments in the French Army, the Gendarmerie Xationale.

After training and

in the

to transfer to

then

a successful

period

Gendarmerie, candidates may apply

scanned

GIGN. Their
for

before they are granted

All have to

records are

disciplinary
initial

offences

interviews.

complete basic parachute and

155

SAS

THE

ART

WAR

OF

Left:

May

Embassy

SAS storms

The

1980.

the Iranian

London and establishes

in

itself

one of the world's top hostage-rescue

as

units.

Responsibility for domestic hostagerescue within the United States

the FBI,

Known

lies

with

which maintains its own HRU.

as the Hostage Response Team,

the 50-strong unit

among
The Bureau also

reputed to be

is

the best in the world.

maintains small counter-terrorist teams in

each

US

state,

although localised hostage-

resulting

rescues,

from purely criminal

be dealt with by

activity, are likely to

county or

city police

and Tactics (SWAT) teams. Other

teams

intervention

terrorist

state,

Weapons

Special

anti-

main-

are

tained by the Secret Service Executive

Protection Division, the National Park

Police and the United States Marshal's

United

Service.

States overseas

air force bases are

tary Police
tively,

diving courses before selection for the

training course,

which

mental and physical

itself

fitness, strength,

On

courage and marksmanship.

GIGN

emphasises

raw

average,

9000 rounds of pistol

and 3000 rounds of rifle ammunition on
agents

fire

the range annually.

They

are

expected to

moving target at 25m (82ft) or more

in two seconds; faced with multiple targets they must hit a vital spot on six

at

De

to

swim up

track

Combat swimmers managed

Punt.

running close

to the

and attach heat detectors and

listen-

a canal

ing devices to the outside of the

These enabled the planners

train.

to establish

the precise whereabouts of the

gunmen

prior to the final assault.

targets at

25m

(82ft)

within

five seconds.

Diver training continues in the unit

men

become combat
swimmers, spending four hours a week
and the

underwater.

ducted
as

at

progress to

Much

of the training

is

con-

murky conditions,
shown that the best

night and in

experience has

time for the insertion of swimmers during a hostage-rescue operation

is

under

GIGN SUCCESSES

GIGN

enjoyed

success

at

Djibouti in February 1976, when, in con-

junction with

the

of the

paratroopers

2eme REP,

Foreign Legion's

it

rescued

in

in

May

swimming
when

1977,

combat swimmers were deployed during

a train hijack! A Dutch train was seized by
South Moluccan terrorists, who halted it
156

after

GSG
at

was formed by Colonel

US

Special Forces

had served with the SAS

Under Beckwith

's

in

com-

the Delta Force structure, selection

and philosophy closely mirrored

However,

that

of

he relinquished command these have

been further refined to take into account

seized a deputy
officers.

The

it

Clairvaux prison

at

warden and two prison

with precision
to

sniper

fire,

which did

enhance the GIGN's reputation

uncompromising action

terror.

And when French

team had arrived

surrender.

In

late

rescuing

all

1994,

when

airliner

at

of

diplomats were

that a

GIGN

the country con-

terrorists that

achieved success

in the face

news

in

vinced the

rorist-held

Delta's

more

it is

thought that since

specialist role.

incident ended successfully

Salvador, the 'leaked'

expertise

it

the early 1960s.

mand

Opera-

Delta Force.

hostage-rescue mission

successful

who

Special

November 1977

Activated in

veteran

1st

called

intervened

inmates

This allows the individuals to get used to

proved invaluable

Detachment,

tional

held bus. In January 1978,

when two

taken hostage at the French Embassy in El

The GIGN's

of the Army's

sibility

the SAS.

ing to the heavy- barges passing overhead.

are.

abroad,

a terrorist-

for

and closer than they actually

operations

including hostage-rescue, are the respon-

French school children from

men for night diving, the team sits on the

muddy bottom of the River Seine, listen-

larger

9.

Charles Beckwith, a
greatest

its

much

which appear

GSG

Counter-terrorist

Mogadishu,

cover of darkness. To help prepare the

the sound of passing ships,

and Security Police respec-

the latter reputedly having been

trained by

9's

hit a

army and

protected by the Mili-

it

it

was time to

GIGN

again

stormed

a ter-

Marseille airport,

the hostages from the hands

of Algerian extremists.

DELTA FORCE
All

potential

attend

transferees

to

Delta must

lengthy and very searching inter-

view with a number of serving officers

and NCOs of the group, and must undergo psychological assessment before they
are

even accepted for selection. This

ensure

that

they

are

self-assured

is

to

and

mature enough to endure the hours, possibly days,

invariably

of extensive monotony which

precede the few minutes of

naked aggression which mark the

stages

final

of most hostage rescues. Training

HOSTAGE-RESCUE: THE MUNICH LEGACY

of conventional soldier-

a stage, as the

with particular regard being paid to

at the Iranian

covers

aspects

operation to end the siege

Embassy in May 1980.
The details of the siege and its outcome have been described in an earlier
chapter, but it is worth recounting some

phones and surveillance devices in the

chimneys and walls of adjoining buildings. A large-scale model of the embassy

refuelling

incidents in the operation to illustrate the

racks

size

SAS's hostage-rescue

The SAS had

Park,

ing,

all

weapons and deep

more

the handling of foreign

reconnaissance, together with the

esoteric

skills

of vehicle

theft,

aircraft

and hostage reassurance. The

and organisation of Delta is secret,

although

it is

considered to have an estab-

skills.

an 'immediate assault plan', but

would

this

was constructed by the Royal Engineers

at

Corps of Transport bar-

the old Royal

in

Albany

which

also

quarters for the

Street,

godsend when the caretaker of the

lishment of approximately 400 personnel,

have meant storming the building with-

had

of whom about half are combat operators

out knowing the precise whereabouts of

building was able to provide

organised

two squadrons.

into

Delta's

most famous action was Operation 'Eagle

Claw', the ill-fated attempt in 1980 to
rescue the United States hostages from
Iranian hands.

As

direct result, a top-

made of

was

re-evaluation

level

which

new

Control

Special

Joint

Operations

given

an

opportunity

to

formulate

PRINCES GATE
Intelligence

is

the key to

all

successful

also essential

hostages have to be rescued. As the

negotiations
tasked with the for-

is

went on

building and

its

at

briefing

Princes Gate, the

surrounds were thor-

late a

imagers were used to determine which

floor

Regiment formally adopted

the

the

rooms were

many

in occupation,

individuals.

Further

and by

how

intelligence

added by Scotland Yard's C7

Technical Support Branch using micro-

was

steadily

therefore able to

formu-

plan for the rescue of the hostages

rorists (again intelligence

overseas heads of state. The

Counter Revolutionary Warfare (CRW)
Wing at Hereford was officially created in
1973 with a permanent staff of 20 when
friendly

thorough

in stun grenades to disorientate the ter-

for

to

interior.

down the rear of the building to the

ground and first floors while a second
team would enter the building from the
front. The teams would use frame charges
to effect their entry and would then lob

oughly scrutinised by the SAS. Thermal

of training teams

its

which had an excellent chance of succeeding. Four-man teams would abseil

protect

mation

on

The SAS was

turned

SAS were

detailed 'deliberate assault plan'.

when
THE SAS AND CRW
In 1969, the SAS was

this

out to be unnecessary, and the

military operations, and

Fort Bragg.

at

ber of casualties. Fortunately,

all

counter-terrorist resources, after

(JSOC) was established

num-

the hostages, a blueprint for a large

Regent's

near

became the secure headSAS. And the Regiment

it

was discovered

came

into play,

that the front first-

windows were bulletproof; they

would not have succumbed to sledgehammers like those at the rear). As was
standard

operation

team members were

procedure
to

(SOP),

be dressed in

counter-terrorist role in response to the

Munich Olympics massacre, although the

SAS had in fact been exploring this area
of operations

before

Northern Ireland

made

It

sense

hostage-rescue

had

always

applied

to

it

to

to

SAS

CRW

the

Regiment
responsibility. As

as

the

CRW

SAS.

involve infiltrating areas

air;

sent

give the

brief,

the

was

in 1969.

missions

by land,

sea or

collecting intelligence about the loca-

tion

and movement of enemy

guerrilla

ambushing and harassing insurgents; undertaking demolition and sabotage operations; border surveillance;
implementing a 'hearts and minds' policy;
and training and liaising with friendly
guerrilla forces. Hostage-rescue was now
added to the list.

forces;

Of
the

has

the operations carried out by

all

SAS

since

captured

its

the

re-establishment,

imagination

world, nor been carried out

Right:

One

on

none

of the

so public

of the terrorists is brought out of

the Iranian Embassy. The

SAS operation has

deterred any other hostage takers.

157

ART

SAS

THE

WAR

OF

was soon discovered that hostage-

Left: It

ed

high-powered cannon capable of

rescue units required specialist equipment,

breaching walls with water-filled

such as abseiling

thermal lance designed to cut through

rigs.

shells, a

prison bars in seconds and a range of new

of the

assault; to

would have
deaths).

Once

troopers

off the operation

call

resulted

inside the

showed the

more hostage
building, the SAS

in

of the

effectiveness

Regiment's hostage-rescue training.

Carefully and deliberately they

moved

through the building in search of the

They meticulously

rorists.

cleared

throw

and

the

shoot off the lock, kick in the door,

it.

The weapons

skills

clothes

during

troopers

been

the

THE HRU BROTHERHOOD

The SAS has close links with
across the globe,

exchange of

in the fight against inter-

of the six
were located, shot and killed

has 7 (NL) SBS, the Special Boat Section

escaped

because

hostages.

The

he

hid

among

entire operation

the

took no

of the Royal Netherlands Marine Corps,

which

Combat

remaining

almost complete secrecy.

on 23 May 1977 when, after a threeweek siege, its members stormed a Dutch
train which had been hijacked by South
Moluccan terrorists. SAS advisers, who

NEW EQUIPMENT FOR RESCUES

stun grenades to the Marines for their

terrorist

SAS extended
civil

HM

the scope of its

powers

when

it

suc-

warder held

at

Prison, Peterhead. In

the process they demonstrated a powerful

new

Heckler

&

Browning

High

Power

pistols.

Following the deterioration of the situation

the

inside

embassy,

the

terrorists

murdered one of the hostages on 5 May.

The SAS was ordered to bring the siege
to and end, and the assault went in.
Unfortunately, the

were unable

to

SAS men

detonate

at

the rear

their

frame

commander had got

caught up on his harness. They were

charges

forced

entry

their

as

to

(in

use sledgehammers

tant thing

is

to

effect

a situation the

most impor-

to maintain the

momentum

such

Right: In hostage-rescue operations the

rescuers wear black assault suits, which

gives the team a psychological edge.

158

WorkDutch Close

has an enviable reputation.

ing in conjunction with the

more than 17 minutes. The

knife point in

and

ideas, tactics

national terrorism. Holland, for example,

cessfully rescued a prison

bulletproof jackets

HRUs

terrorists

In 1987 the

suits,

other

this interaction has

also manifested themselves: five

support to the

and would be armed with

Koch MP5 submachine guns

and

and equipment

Unit,

it

hostage-rescue armoury. This includ-

demonstrated

its

exper-

tise

had been invited

respirators,

would have

and evaluated
beforehand by the Regiment's Operations Research Wing at Stirling Lines.

resulted in the

hostages and
were evacuated from
the by now burning building, allowing
the SAS to depart as they had come, in

and

rescue,
tested

room

inside the building, while the sixth only

black anti-flash

thoroughly

worn by SAS

of the SAS

in a stun grenade, enter the

clear

ment, plus

ter-

building using standard room-clearance

drills;

of equip-

disabling gases. All these piece

assault,

had offered

but in the event the terrorists were

distracted

over the

The

to the scene,

by fighter

aircraft

flying

low

train.

interchange of information be-

tween the various counter-terrorist units

is now immense. During the planning

HOSTAGE-RESCUE

of Operation Eagle Claw, for exam-

stages

CIA. not
hampered by the

for the

ple, the

(HUMINT)

GSG

9 offered to

assets

United

States

Red

Italian

agencies.

intelli-

minister Aldo

Moro

conducted by

infiltrate

team of

1978,

In

the

Brigades killed former prime

on the ground.

of human

lack

gence

tune, was

first

MUNICH LEGACY

THE

after a

mock

trial

so-called 'people's

for Moro was

SAS was helping

operators, using the cover of a television

being conducted, the

team, into Tehran to establish the where-

the Italians to create a specialist anti-ter-

abouts of the

hostages.

Although

ulti-

mately the offer was rejected, the very

that

to
to

it

fact

was made demonstrates the extent

which one Western country will come

the aid of another in the fight against

their

common

The SAS

CT

units. In

enemy.

its

efforts to

freely

keep tabs on

cells

internation-

exchanges intelligence with

and positively encourages the

hosting of exchange officers from, among
its

allies,

others,

unit.

Siairezza

Nucleo

Operative

(NOCS).The

Italians

quick learners, and today

Central

di

were very

NOCS.

with

its

GIGN, GSG

9 and the various

Delta

Philippines'

Commando,
Group.

Sri

Aviation

Pakistan's

Lanka's

Squadron, Malaysia's Special Strike Unit.

U-Group, Jordan's
Oman's Sultan's

Bahrain's

and

in the country.

latively,

over 10 per cent of all

tions have

which the SAS is

held that numerous allied governments
have asked it to help them establish their
own counter-terrorist units. Spain's Grnpo
Especial de Operationes (GEO), NOCS,

Services

Army Commando

Force

TRAINING FOREIGN UNITS

Security

Special

provides the principal intervention unit

is

units.

Force, Singapore's Police Tactical

Unit,

Forces Battalion,

Such

aircraft

been the

establishment of crack anti-terrorist

50 members drawn from the Carabinien.

has strong links with other

over 300 active terrorist

ally, it

rorist

A member of GSG 9 practises

assaults. The legacy of Munich has

tri-

While the hunt

bunal'.

Above:

able assistance

the esteem in

This

is

set

CT forma-

up with the consider-

of Hereford.

testimony to the excellence of

the SAS, but to maintain

Regiment needs

its

position the

to constantly tram for

hostage eventualities;
its

Special

GIGN. Cumu-

Morocco's

been

Special

members through

it

all

does so by putting

the 'Killing House".

159

SAS

THE

ART

WAR

OF

Training in the 'Killing House'

All

SAS

troopers are rotated through hostage-rescue training at Hereford

of the Special Projects Team. This

building

At

Lines

Stirling

SAS's

UK

ning

down

Hereford,

in

base, there

dow-less building with

the centre.

where many

is

a long,

the

win-

corridor run-

On

one

of the

side

corridor there are a variety of different-

on the other side there

rooms. There are also video

sized rooms, while

two

are

large

cameras and screens to allow interaction

between

different

rooms and

to

record

the action, the footage of which can later

be used
is

in debriefs.

Each day the building

different hostage-rescue scenarios

and 15

soldiers,

the

can be

but for the purposes of an

actual assault to free hostages

divided

in

further

four-man

into

be

will

it

assault

The amount of time a squadron

will spend on hostage-rescue duties will
depend entirely on the Regiment's comteams.

mitments, but every

norm.

months

six

Regiment

the

If

may

though, then a squadron

interval

the

is

stretched,

is

an

face

of 18 months before assuming

anti-terrorist duties

once more.

when they

thousands of rounds of ammunition

they refine their weapons
tion times. This

is

skills

the 'Killing House',

where the Regiment's men perfect

hostage-rescue

their

realistically created.

is

an

SAS 'Sabre'

Squadron on 24-hour standby for

anti-

and hostage-rescue operations.

The squadron
troops

is

divided up into opera-

called

Special

remembers
"House" is
and

his

and often the scenario

that the rescue

darkness

(a

basic

procedure] on
to

Squadron

of corridors, small rooms

full

demands

power

of

impressions: 'The

first

obstacles,

SOP

be carried out

mission

a five

in

[standard operating
for the

is

be cut before the team goes into

a building).

The rooms

but they can be

are pretty barren,

out to resemble the

laid

and layout of a potential

size

THE PURPOSE OF THE KILLING HOUSE'

Each member of the Special Projects
Teams must be able to burst into a room
of hostages and

full

harm

and

kill

terrorists, identify the

them before they can

the hostages. All this has to be

in a matter of seconds.

Such

and so all SAS

undergo training in the

learnt,

A member

Projects

Teams. Each team consists of a captain

A member

viduals.

target.'

Like everything in the Regiment, the

terrorists,

skills.

At any one time there

terrorist

as

and reac-

are part

House', the

'Killing

with SAS soldiers shooting off

filled

tional

means spending many hours

reasoning

done

skill

has to be

soldiers

have to

'Killing House'.

of the SAS describes the

behind the creation

of the

aim is to slowly polish your skills as a team so that everyone

is trained up to the same level, thinking
on the same wavelength and aware of

course in the 'Killing House'

starts

with

Each man will learn how to enter

a room and take out targets to his front nothing complicated. Once he has mas-

basics.

tered this the

more

get

drills

difficult.

Multiple entries will be practised, where-

men

by two or four
and

clear

it

has mastered

working

itself will practise

team
rooms

in a team, the

clearing several

and then

at a time,

room

will burst into a

of targets. Once an individual

whole

floor.

'Killing House': 'The

each other's

The

four weeks and

House' course
is

itself lasts

designed to improve the

personal reaction times of individual

soldiers, to

sharpen team

drills

and

room combat effectiveness.

The staff of Training Wing

SAS

the

as realistic as possible.

rooms

in the building

The

vital to

layout of

together.

partitions

and

putting in chairs and seats an almost end-

all

number of

scenarios can be created,

designed to sharpen the

skills

take

of indi-

Members

of France's hostage-rescue

specialists, GIGN, with

some

of the

equipment they use during rescues.

160

The SAS team

them
hit
is

it

out,

target

in

mixed

will, in a split-

though making sure they

One

any hostages.

to have three or

room with
as

more

favourite

figures in a

their backs to the assault

enters. Suddenly,

all

team

the figures will

move but only one will be armed. The

SAS troopers have no time at all to shoot
the

Left:

one

second, have to identify the terrorists and

trick

less

is

the terrorists and hostages will be

in

can be changed

By moving

that

are

railway carriage, an aircraft fuselage or

cinema.

- something

room, but then the instructors will put

three or more in one room. In another

don't

within

the success of a real operation. At

there will be just

first

room

at

targets

will also increase. This sharp-

ens reaction times

to represent different scenarios, such as a

even

room

number of

overall

charge of the course and they ensure that

it is

clearing, the

each

actions.'

'Killing

ROOM-CLEARANCE DRILLS
men get more proficient

As the

armed

target.

As the course continues added complications are added. The environment

within the 'Killing House'

is

totally

con-

HOSTAGE RESCUE: TRAINING

SAS teams

the

trollable, so

will

with having to shoot in poor

and

light

smoke

complete

in

May

rescue in

in

fire

Embassy

1980, the building caught

during the

fire

bad

Then

darkness.

be added to simulate

will

HOUSE

'KILLING

be faced

light, in

the building (during the Iranian

THE

IN

assault,

filling

smoke, and the SAS team

also

it

with

used

CS

which further added to the poor

visibility )Other distractions include
gas,

recordings designed to simulate the shouts

terrorists and the screams of hostages,
and heavy rock music being played at a

of

high volume

SAS

all

designed to throw the

soldiers off balance.

EVER-CHANGING SCENARIOS
Because the layout of the 'Killing House'

being changed by the

no one knows what to expect

constantly

is

instructors,

each day - everyone

on their
one day

deliberately kept

is

One team might be

toes.

told

going to clear

that they are

house, the next day an airliner and so on.

Even if they practise clearing buildings

two days in a row, the layouts of the
rooms will be entirely different on the
second day. Other problems introduced
by the instructors include ordering team

down

leaders to stand

rescue

is

due

minutes before

to take place, thereby forc-

ing the other team

members

to carry out

an assault on their own.

In addition to the partitions, chairs,

and other physical obstacles, the

House' also has cine-projection

tables

'Killing

screens for sharpening reaction times.

film will be projected onto a screen rep-

resenting a particular scenario.

a terrorist

be shot. The film

is

impacted on

and

at

men

where the shot

'Killing

House'

is

in constant use,

any one time there could be 10-20

practising their hostage-rescue

is

of any rounds going through

no chance
walls.

of each room are covered

absorbent rubber, with

sleepers

skills

Despite the fact that they

are firing live rounds, there

railway

metal,

The

in thick

wooden

and bricks behind, to

In the 'Killing House'

full

combat

kit

operation. This

proof

ballistic
ical

all

the

men wear

thev would if it was

means

flame-

helmet, spare ammunition,

kit, radio,

armour

& Koch MP5

med-

and
submachine gun.

(801b)

bursting into rooms. This

no way around

Training

it,

is

as

a lot,
a

but there

member of

Wing explains: 'We have to train

we fight. It's no use taking

harder than

away the armour

als

to

plates to allow individu-

bend and get through windows and

around other obstacles during

comes

Above:

A GEO member practising

rescue shooting and abseiling

SAS helped establish

hostage-

drills.

The

Spain's CTunit.

plates, pistol

means each man carries 36.3kg

of equipment on him when he is

This

is

Nomex

assault suit, assault vest, respirator,

When

absorb the impact of rounds.

the

live

Heckler

his body.

in the building.

walls

as

then stopped and the

screen examined to see

The

As soon

appears on the screen he will

training.

heavy ceramic

restrictive

to train exactly as you're

plates.

You have

going to

fight.'

Training in the 'Killing House' does

have

its

dangers. Because the

rounds, the building soon

fumes

system

extraction

recently been installed.

duty

use live

with toxic

(bullets are lead lined), despite the

expensive

the

men

fills

It

is

that

has

so bad that

men of

squadron on anti-terrorist
undergo monthly blood tests to
of toxicity. Though respi-

to the real thing they will

check for

have to go through the same spaces and

rators are

around the same obstacles wearing the

absorbed through the skin. Because of

it

levels

worn during

training, toxins are

161

SAS

THE
this,

training

ART

WAR

OF

undertaken outside the

is

building where possible.

Because everyone

heavily 'psyched

is

up' during hostage-rescue training, acci-

discharges

dental

Regiment

happen. The

often

one

has lost

killed

and others
weapons

shot in the feet as a result of

going off accidentally -

a price that has to

be paid for realism.

WEAPONS AND AMMUNITION

The weapons used

9mm

are

the guns that are used by

ing

hostage-rescue

real

House'

in the 'Killing

and submachine guns

pistols

SAS teams duroperations. The

men

targets the

shoot at are old diving

with rags - crude but suffi-

suits stuffed

cient to simulate real people.

The Regiment
House'

also uses the 'Killing

new

experiment with

to

types of

ammunition. Hostage-rescues invariably

take place within confined spaces, such as

rooms and

inside

areas there

is

being killed by

aircraft cabins. In

such

danger of hostages

real

A member

a ricochet.

of

Regiment describes the kinds of

ammunition tried: 'New weapons and
ammunition are continually being tested
the

among the latest

new fragmentation

the "House", and

in

introductions

round.

is

explodes on impact, so

It

has to storm a boat

it

and burst without

heads

if a

team

will hit the bulk-

ricocheting,

unlike ball rounds.'

When

squadron takes over the anti-

terrorist role

it

period, during

put

to

its

has a four-week handover

which time

men

course and introduce those

to hostage-rescue training.

soldiers

training

like

House'?

has a chance

it

through the four-week

A member

his view: 'Initially

the

in

'Killing

B Squadron

of

it's

new members
But do SAS

good

gives

fun, but then

Guys must be able to

bad guys and also prioritise
So, when you go into a room you

able to fire quickly.

Above: Live ammunition

identify the

'Killing House'. This

threats.

unmatched realism and fosters confidence.

- and

want

the gear quickly reduce the enjoyment

point of dominance so you can sweep the

With

the

all

rounds being fired and the special sound

effects

Be

it's

deafening inside the building.'

that as

essential

it

may, the 'Killing House'

required level. But what

is

are never satisfied

to

draw and

reckoning. But

162

it's

his

with times
fire is

An

view: 'We

one

too long

in

sec-

SAS

not just about being

to get silhouetted

take the

room. You shoot whoever shows intent

first.
all

Speed with accuracy,

that's

what

it's

about.'

is

to the

that level?

experienced instructor gives

ond

up

to getting squadrons

used in the

have to clear the doorway - you don't

the novelty wears off. All the fumes and

factor. Also, there's the noise.

is

gives a degree of

EMERGENCY DRILLS
Only

the

'Killing

training

carried

House' allows SAS

out

the

in

soldiers

to

learn the 'tricks of the trade' inside out,

drills

that

can

mean

between success and

the

difference

failure, as

an

SAS

recounts: 'If the front man of the

team has a problem with his primary
weapon, which is usually a Heckler &
Koch MP5 submachine gun, he will hold
it to his left, drop down on one knee and
draw his handgun. The man behind him
soldier

will then stand over him until the problem with the defective weapon has been

Then the point man will tap his

weapon or shout "close", indicat-

rectified.

mate's

ing that he
assault.

Two

is

ready to continue with the

magazines are usually carried

HOSTAGE-RESCUE

TRAINING

HOUSE

KILLING

THE

IN

Above: Pump-action shotguns are part of the

hostage-rescue armoury, being used

door hinges

to

allow access

to

ing hostage-rescue training

real

thing

Since

was

it

unmatched
ing:

in

SAS's primary hostage-rescue weapon: the

MP5 submachine gun.

on

Note the two mags.

weapon, but ^magnetic clips are

used as opposed to tape. Though most of
the rime only one mag is required, having
two together is useful because the addithe

tional

weight can stop the weapon pulling

into the air

when

the 'House' as

part

of the current

Special Projects Team.

The

'Killing

has

at

Hereford

is

honed the SAS's

in

any standards.

the key in

the 'Killing House", using blank rounds

with

terrorists.

rounds, so they do so in training.

unusual for an individual to

It

fire

rounds of ammunition during

not

is

over

his training

SAS

counterproductive. Live rounds increase

live

The

instructors believe that using live rounds

fosters

confidence, especially

hostages are also used.

It is all

when

part

live

of mak-

fire a full

under three seconds

critical,

hostage-rescue the team will be firing

in

the

produces sola skill

Being able to identi-

and

hit accurately

four,

task at hand. In a real

It

it

magazine

of pistol or submachine gun ammunition

is

minds on the

training

can handle weapons with

extraordinary.

around the world. Realism

trooper's speed, reaction rimes, drills until

nature.

who
is

large

is

it

to train inside

House' achieve?

copied by dozens of hostage-rescue units

is

it is

and sur-

anti-terrorist

perfection: and

to

fy,

one's

become second

that

House'

results:

for realism, variety

most realistic hostage-rescue training

ground in existence, and it has been

At the end of the day. all the training

has only one purpose: to refine each SAS
they

the

the danger, and therefore focuses every-

firing.'

'Killing
diers

House'

near to the

built the 'Killing

some remarkable

enough for many teams

at any one rime.
But what does the
in the 'House' with the

as

with regard to hostage-rescue trainit

capability

Above: A trooper

blow

as possible.

has achieved

prise

to

rooms.

The
real

rescue

is

remarkable by
first

seconds of an encounter

however, for a hostage-

real test,

rescue unit

is

troopers 'own' the

its

performance during

attempt. To

date

no SAS

hostage-rescue operation has resulted in

large-scale losses

shows

how

among

the hostages. This

effective the training carried

out inside the 'Killing House'

is.

163

HOSTILE ENVIRONMENTS
Jungle
From very early on

in their

SAS

demonstrated during

One of

the great strengths of the

SAS

anywhere in
the world, a skill shared with few other
special forces units. All candidates hone
their skills in survival during Continuation Training, and thereafter undertake
a 4-6-week jungle training course in the
Far East, usually Brunei, in which they are
is its

ability to operate

taught basic

operating proce-

standard

dures (SOPs) and patrol

culminates in a

final

students must pass.

four-man

164

patrols

skills.

The course

exercise

They

and given

are

which
split

all

into

a specific task

its

wars

Even

be returned to
realises that this

student

who

Regiment
jungle

is

it

newly acquired
can fail and
unit (RTU'd). The SAS
can be a cruel blow to a

has

man

come

jealous of

fighting

so
its

gained

but the

far,

reputation for

during

its

it

heavy

of over 60m
canopy of foliage

little

light penetrates.

lack of sunlight

means

that there

rainfall

and high

humidity. Primary jungle contains trees

is

movement,
but equally the attendant gloom reduces
little

undergrowth

50m

to prevent

(164ft) or less.

Secondary
is

less

thick and sunlight reaches the ground, as

standards.

Jungles are characterised by high temperatures, frequent

so thick that very

The

to a height

forming

visibility to

that

not compromise

grow

(200ft) before

jungle occurs where the canopy

1950s and 1960s, and

adamant

that can

the

in

will

fight in the jungle,

the

Malayan and Borneo campaigns

is

and

has mastered jungle warfare.

test all their

at this stage a

live

of threats. However, as the Regiment

is full

Malaya and Borneo,

in

designed to
skills.

how to

careers, troopers are taught

an environment that saps stamina and

Below: Jungle training

in Brunei. In the

jungle the humidity is oppressive and the

threat of ambush ever-present.

HOSTILE ENVIRONMENTS: JUNGLE

where primary jungle
been cleared by man. Here the
ground is covered in grasses, ferns, vines
on

river banks, or

has

and shrubs which can reach

3m

making

(10ft),

movement slow and

height of
poor and

visibility

arduous.

Individuals sweat a great deal, particu-

when

larly

carrying heavy loads, while

water, although usually plentiful,

contaminated. Disease

and

gle,

operating in

a soldier

to

stantly

guard

it

against

is

often

the jun-

rife in

is

has con-

infection.

However, providing he has become

accli-

knowledge of
where and how to obtain food and water,
and is capable of constructing a rudimentary shelter, he should have little problem
in remaining fit to fight. Physical and
matised, has an adequate

mental preparedness are

swamp

through
kit

Wading

exhausting, yet the soldier must

is

remain

alert at all times,

real

not just to the

of the enemy but to the

possible presence

very

essential.

for long periods with full

dangers posed by insects, snakes

and other wild animals.

JUNGLE BASICS
SAS jungle training starts with the basics.
Upon arriving at their jungle training
camp

the recruits are informed that they

only need two

and one

dry.

sets

The

of clothing - one wet

training staff teD

ones during the

day.

them

and wear the wet

to sleep in the dry set

constantly wet in

It is

the jungle, either from humidity or rain,

so staying dry
tic

is

impossible.

bag keeps the other

set

simple plas-

of clothes dry

to sleep in.

Other SOPs taught

to recruits are sim-

ple but very effective. They include learn-

ing

how

to construct an

on and
under a

to sleep

sleep

Regiment
is

takes

that

it

A-frame
is

sleep will

Thus
liberal
first

imperative to

mosquito
the view that

comfortable and has had

be more

shelter

net.
a

The

man who

good

effective in

combat.

of mosquito repellent

thing in the mornings

clothes and arms.

Then

on

their faces,

they take their

Paludrm anti-malaria tablets.

One of the most important
jungle warfare
properly. This

is
is

learning

how

done by using

aspects of

to navigate
a

compass,

pacing and being able to match features

map

to

how

they actually appear

on

SAS troops

Above:

crossing a river in Belize.

the ground.

Immersion

Andy McNab describes the intricacies

of SAS jungle navigation: 'The jungle
canalises movement. The dense vegeta-

results in being covered with leeches.

tion,

deep

and wide,

gullies, steep hills

fast rivers are

and

ravines,

which

obstacles

make cross-country movement very

diffi-

However, it's got to be done. High

ground and tracks are where every Tom,
Dick and Harry moves, and where
ambushes are laid.
'We navigated across country, using a
technique called cross graining. Up and
down, up and down, not keeping to the
cult.

high ground.

It

took us

travel a small distance,

much

we

better:

much

we

weren't

longer to

but tactically

weren't

ambushed, we weren't leaving

going to

bump

it

was

getting

The jungle

is

full

eat.

The

two hours

again, if there

and then

is

a little

it

is

no

is

reaction

it

SAS

mission.

is

eaten and so on).

lips:

tasted,

is

that could

the risk of catch-

rely

on

which

are

soldiers therefore

the rations they carry and those

air-dropped to them.

FINDING WATER

One
is

ot the crucial aspects

of jungle

craft

the ability to locate and prepare water,

than

not. then after at

not

For one

such sources, which would compromise a

greater

rubbed on the

eat.

ing diseases and stomach complaints from

daily

training staff instruct

reaction: if there

In addition, there

ters.

which

SOP

it is

and snakes to

up valuable time

takes

it

soldier's

of food, and so in

jungle usually

otherwise be spent on more military mat-

any

on what is safe to eat and how

to subject plants and animals to the taste
test (to determine if something is edible.
it is first rubbed on the skin to see if there
least

thing

in the

operations, however,

to catch lizards

and

the recruits

is

water

into

survival situation an individual can find

plenty to

On

in

signs,

opposition."

night's

the troopers are instructed to apply

quantities

on

is

abundance

in

in

indeed, during

comer may

in

the jungle.

water requirement

temperate

up

A
far

climates;

acclimatisation,

require

is

new-

to seven litres (12

pints) per day, plus additional salt tablets,

just to

keep going. Water may usually be

obtained from rivers or streams, being

with

treated

before
sible

it is

water

purification

drunk. Should

jungle

Milbank bag,
the

SAS

lect

water for

still

this

may be

tablets

not be posbuilt,

or a

canvas container used by

since Malaya,

employed

to col-

sterilisation.

165

THE

SAS

ART OF WAR
SAS

Since the 1960s,

Left:

learnt

many jungle

bandanas

to

keep sweat out of the eyes.

member

enemy, each patrol

where he

care

troopers have

such as wearing

tricks,

He

steps.

which

twigs and dried leaves,

when

cracking sound

takes great

has to watch for

have to watch for snakes,

also

make

will

stepped on.

He

will

well as

as

scorpion, ant and spiders' nests. In the sap-

ping humidity of the jungle

To be

above your head,

soldier

Wading through

a rifle

of physi-

a severe test

is

Even out

Wet through

wet.

fit.

on end, carrying

for hours

cal fitness.

SAS

jungle fighter an

has to be supremely

swamp

this calls for

kind of soldier.

a special

you get

ot the water

sweating continuously.

The high humidity soaks clothes through,

and the body's fluid loss is very high. Each

men

can be carrying up to 36.3kg (801b)

enough

in weight,

to sustain

days in the jungle, or ulu as

Regiment

the

("ulu'

the

is

him

it is

for 14

known

Malay word

in

for

Each day is a trial ot strength: get

0530 hours, move for an hour, halt
for a brew, another halt at 1300 hours,
then patrol again until 1600 hours. Then
prepare camp and the one meal of the
day. This routine can go on for up to two
months - each patrol member must be

jungle).

SAS jungle
movement and

training

stresses

superior weapons

silent

dense jungle

skills.

Special

and contacts in
close range - around

Firelights in the jungle,

general, take place at

5m

(16ft)

is

the

norm - and

groups. Noise discipline

vival,

especially

is

forces

where

visibility

soldiers

do

not

through the jungle. They move

and

stealthily.

They move

at

poor.

is

hack

silently

rate

of

involve small

100m

(328ft) an hour,

crucial to sur-

Even,-

20 minutes the whole patrol stops

when moving through

and

listens.

As well

as

sometimes slower.
scanning for the

up

at

extremely

fit.

CAMOUFLAGE
Training

seem

importance of avoid-

stresses the

ing using foliage

like a

good

camouflage.

as

may

It

idea to cut branches and

and bushes and stick them

on webbing and headgear. However, as

leaves off tress

soon

as

fading.

it

It

is

cut foliage

surroundings,

making

out

thumb.

like a sore

The

starts

dying and

then contrasts sharply with

individuals

its

stick

instructors will always stress that

holding ground in

contact has no place

among SAS SOPs.

Therefore,

contact

drills

revolve around the ability to lay

down

a lot

of instantaneous

fire

to allow

the patrol to escape.

The

contact

are the result

Left:

drills

taught in training

of hard-learned lessons

Contacts in the jungle are usually at

ranges well under 50m

(164ft).

require razor-sharp reflexes.

166

and thus

in

HOSTILE ENVIRONMENTS: JUNGLE

Right The group photograph at the end of an

SAS jungle course

in Belize.

SAS jungle

training begins after Continuation Training.

Malaya in the

195<>s

and Borneo

in the

SAS four-man patrols

move in file, one man behind the other.
When contact is made with the enemy, it
1960s. In the jungle

is

ahvays the trooper at the front, the lead

who makes

scout,

contact

first.

Therefore,

the head-on contact drill was devised.

When

a contact

members were

made

is

trained to

the other patrol

more

into posi-

of the lead scout to pour

the enemy Another tactic is "shoot

tions each side

fire at

and scoot"

(see Fighting as a

Four-Man

Patrol Chapter)

WEAPONS
But

SKILLS

for these tactics to

work. SAS

soldiers

weapons to
great effect in a split-second. As a result,
weapon skills are the most important part
of jungle training. SAS soldiers can only
have to learn to

become

fire

their

effective jungle fighters if their

personal weapons

become an

of themselves, almost

integral part

an extension of

like

their bod:

SAS
rifle

M16

soldiers prefer the

which means

it is

The weapon

both easy and comfortable to

atively short

assault
light,

is

- 990mm

makes

it

fire. It is rel-

(39in)

always a

fire

from the

butt

is

Each

men

SAS

clean, they"

is

dead on

Weapons must work first time every

and so SAS soldiers are taught the

The M16*s magazine

time.

importance of keeping their

machine guns

must always be changed

fiequendy to keep their springs working.

target.

and
humid.

rifles

clean. The jungle

is

way

In this
fully

takes

30 rounds, but

only load them with 29.

^ldiers will

the magazine's spring

not

is

compressed. If a magazine has 30

make

ber can cause a stoppage

is

firing.

always in the shoul-

on the

bring to bear.

weapon

trigger guard.

weapon,

a posi-

firing easier.

men how

is

sure they are oiled.

problem with

ningWing

has

his

no good swinging to fire, they

you will miss. When they open

working

soldiers ahvavs use the

double

However, there

member ofTrai-

"

SOPs demand
reach at

is

oil. as

explains: If you oil the barrel,

and don't dry-clean it before you shoot,
the first round you fire will go high
because it will be tight in the barrel. In
addition, it will produce a lot of smoke,
which can be disastrous in an ambush."
Though weapons are cleaned every
day. they are never cleaned all at the same
time. There is always one patrol weapon
that is loaded and ready to fire. And SAS

to pivot to fire at a

teach the

fire.

them

round

of

keeping

proper feeding of rounds into the cham-

Instinctive point stresses that troopers

are told,

an adjustment to ensure that the second

as

have to clean their weapons every day. and

must shoot only when a target is visible.

Wild shooting only wastes ammunition.
Both eyes remain open. The instructors
target. It

maintenance. As well

hip. In the jungle the

leans into his

makes

tion that

their

the spring will not operate properly.

finger used to fire the

ahvays resting

can be a problem with regard to stoppages. Training stresses the importance

rounds and

der, the rifle ahvays ready to

The index

However,

Everything goes rusty very quickly with-

have to learn instinctive point

The

shots fired in quick suc-

out the proper maintenance. Troopers

To do this they must carry their personal

weapons in a different way There are no
rifle slings. Each man holds his weapon in
his hands.

two

usually a split-second.

men

in the jungle.

Contrary to popular myth SAS

men

is

second the trooper must make

easy to bring to bear in

a firefight. It has litde recoil. This

do not

This

cession

in that split

in the jungle.

bonus

tap.

that each patrol

member

all

thoroughly

fatal in a firefight.

taken out of the

is

which

Only one weapon

jungle patrols. This

is

and put

loaded into

is

is

carried by

for practical reasons.

man was issued with a handgun

would mean carrying a different type
of ammunition. The handgun used by the
the Browning High Power, which
If

each

this

is

9mm calibre. The

jungle

the

and then the

barrel pulled through with oil. Magazines

potentially

the weapon.

during cleaning, with

first

Im-

five days, there-

are taken out

in a fresh magazine,

want

parts cleaned

over a long period,

Every

fore, the magazine

weapon, the rounds

weapon within arm's

times. Weapons are stripped

personal

it is full

is

additional

last

thing foot patrols

weight. So

weapon per man. But how good

fact:

drills?

This

it's

one

are

SAS

may be judged by one

not one patrol has been ambushed

while following

SAS jungle SOPs.

167

ART

SAS

THE

WAR

OF

Mountains
Each SAS 'Sabre' Squadron has a Mountain Troop which specialises
winter warfare operations. Fighting

regions are characterised

by high winds, inclement weather,

difficult

terrain

and

no food,
among the most

virtually

shelter or water. They are

inhospitable to places to fight in, but special

forces units such as the

know both how

to live

and

SAS must

fight in

them.

end each SAS 'Sabre' Squadron

Mountain Troop that specialises in
mountain and winter warfare operations.
Mountain regions have severe cli-

To

this

has a

mates, and sometimes the weather alone

can defeat an

elite

warm

kit,

clothing and bivi-

However, once on the

bags.

glacier they

were so buffeted by 80km/hr (50mph)

winds that they were unable to establish
any form of even semi-permanent

They had

shelter.

abandon the mission and be

extracted the next day by helicopter,
when hurricane-force winds threatened
them with hypothermia and frostbite. Just
one example of how the weather can
affect mountain operations.
to

team. During the 1982

Falklands War, for example,

members of D

MOUNTAIN WARFARE TRAINING

To operate

on Fortuna Glacier during Operation

'Paraquet', the codename for the mission

diers

South Georgia. As

operating procedure (SOP),

all

is

standard

the troop-

mountaineering and

French Alps, where the students receive

instruction

ice-climbing techniques,

in

culminating in

a difficult

Mont

cise in the

Blanc

climbing exer-

area.

Those who

move on to the skiing sector, which many of the SAS participants,

some of whom have never skied before
succeed then

in their lives, find the

most

is

and within

weeks students have

six

German

the

Lack

difficult.

of experience

not taken into account,

Ski

Association's

to pass

Instruc-

Those who succeed spend a

weeks on a high
course in the Gran Paradiso region

tor's Test.

must be

cialist

areas,

skilled in a

belaying

and obstacle

Movement through moun-

negotiation.

dangers of rock
present.

falls

and avalanches ever

troopers

All

whereby,

receive

therefore

ly

SAS AND ROYAL MARINES

SAS soldiers also attend training

Royal Marines remain heavily committed

Not only does

their skills in

warfare

NATO
is

on

this great-

conduct

SAS men

attend courses

allies.

One of

num-

the finest

Army

Mountain and Winter Warfare School

Luttensee, near Mittenwald, Bavaria.

course begins with an

week, followed by
delstein.

The

at

initial

at

The

selection

weeks of intensive
Oberreintal on the Wenfive

troops live in tents high in

the Bavarian Alps,

to 10 hours a day

where they spend up

conducting climbs. The

course then moves to

Chamonix

in the

Each SAS 'Sabre' Squadron has a

Mountain Troop that specialises

in

winter

warfare operations and mountaineering.

exercises

The three-week
vival

mountain and

run by the German

rock training

Commando

flank.

Norway, during
which all participants must pass the Arctic
Warfare Training Course, which is also
attended on occasion by SAS soldiers.

run by the Royal Marines, and by

courses

of NATO's northern

to the defence

other things, they

but lessens the likelihood of injuries.

ber of

courses

Royal Marines. The

Britain's

among

reduce noise, which can carry for vast

To hone

by

run

distances in the clear air of the mountains,

Left:

test.

Elements of 3

of, obstacles.

arctic

before returning to Luttensee for

of mountain walk-

learn the need to step over, rather than

top

Italy

skill

instruction in the
ing,

of

the final

techniques, including rock climb-

rappelling,

ing,

alpine

SAS solnumber of spe-

mountain

in

tainous terrain can be hazardous, with the

168

an

it is

in.

further three to four

Squadron's Mountain Troop were landed

to retake

experience

were equipped with climbing

ers

sleeping bags,

in

the high rocks is extremely hazardous, but

SAS has gained much

art that the

Mountain

among

and fighting

Brigade

still

in

course teaches sur-

in arctic conditions,

and

includes elementary skiing tuition given

by the Mountain

(MLs)

and

Military Ski Instructors (MSIs).The

MSIs

Leaders

cold-weather survival and the

of building 10- and four-man shelters

also teach
art

and snow holes, after which the students

spend 1 1 days and four nights in the field.
Ski-qualified

deployed to

personnel

have

not

the previous

who

require any

12 months, and those

form of

who

Norway within

refresher training, undertake

seven-day course, run during the

first

month of

the Brigade's three-month deployment to Norway. The three-month

training schedule includes section and

individual battle

drills,

patrolling,

camou-

and concealment, ambush and antiambush drills, and an exercise in which

flage

HOSTILE ENVIRONMENTS

MOUNTAINS
Left:

Rocky

terrain

on the Jebel Akhdar,

northern Oman, which

A and D Squadrons

conquered

1959.

in

January

more simple because many of

live

the

brigade.

vtme area

It is

among

Italy's

the

men

their 'regular'

not unusual for

be seen

ers to

as

SAS

troop-

rock soldiers.

TRAINING WITH AMERICAN UNITS

The US Marine Corps (USMC) has
cold-weather

due

of conflict

to the possibility

requirement

operational

Korea,

in

the need to be able to undertake 'out of

ly established special

tion role.

USMC's

and the

area' operations,

recent-

operations/interven-

The Corps' Mountain Warfare

at Pickle Mead-

Training Center, situated

ows

in the Sierra

all-year

facility

Nevada mountains, is an
which conducts cold

weather training and skiing

Commandos

the

play both defenders and

month

national service. All complete a

the enemy.

three-month basic training course before

Mountain Leaders are provided by the

Mountain and Arctic Warfare (M&AW)
Cadre, which in time of war also provides

with the brigade to which they are post-

'tactical

reconnaissance' for 3

Commando

undergoing mountain
ed. Training

tor

M&AW

troops.

the world, and

is

course

lasts

warfare

selection

Devon and Cornwall. The

the course
rate

The

specialists.

over eight months and begins

seven-day

the toughest in

a great tester for aspiring

is

SAS mountain
with

among

is

phase

initial

in

part of

so strenuous that a failure

of 60 per cent

not unusual.

is

move

successful candidates then

to

The
the

training

very intensive, with

emphasis placed on physical

Brigade. Selection and training for the

Cadre

is

warfare

much

fitness, a fac-

of obvious importance to mountain

A number

of

men go on

for fur-

ther training as gunners, sappers or radio

operators, but the majority serve

conscription

their

most of

infantrymen.

as

Although the majority of Alpini serve

a very short period,

most

live

for

and work in
skills and

the mountains and retain their

fitness.

with

They

could, therefore, be recalled

comparative

ease,

Mountains, and from there to

Plymouth and ultimately to Rjuken in
Norway where the students undertake

factor

made

in the

winter

mountaineering and high alpine

operations in the summer. Up to 10,000
and

troops a year undertake the 28-day courses

which comprise

instruction,

ski

marches in the mountains

15km

(six

weighing 13- 18kg

miles) with light packs

(29-401b),and

forced

10km

(nine miles) with 22-

32kg (49-70lb) packs - and among those

troops are British

ing

is

extremely

SAS

Marines evacuated with

mountain sickness
All

this

to undertake

with

frostnip

and acute

annually.

training

Regiment's squadrons

where

The trainnumber of

soldiers.

realistic,

ensures

that

are fully

equipped

the

mountain campaigns any-

in the world.

Black

The Jebel Akhdar

the Military Ski Instructor (MSI) course.

Usually the

week

living

students

spend

and training

six

days

in the field. They

learn to survive in sub-zero temperatures,

to break

trails

and

cross obstacles.

course finishes with an

during which the

skills

1 1

The

-day exercise,

learned in the

United Kingdom and Norway

are tested.

Outside the United Kingdom, the SAS

trains
cialists

with other mountain warfare speto

further

Italian Alpini are

the defence of

The

five

hone

its

NATO's

southern flank.

Alpini brigades are largely

up of conscripts

The

skills.

primarily responsible for

who

are

made

doing their

late 1958 and early 1959. A and D Squadrons, 22 SAS were involved in a
mountain campaign in northern Oman, specifically on the Jebel Akhdar,
a mountain plateau surrounded by high peaks and access via narrow passes.
Fresh from the jungles of Malaya, the SAS soldiers had to learn new skills.
These included long-range shooting and climbing sheer rock faces. For those
who took part, the environment was hard on men and equipment alike.
'Lofty' Large was one of those who fought on the Jebel Akhdar: 'Our boots,
which had rubber soles, were worn down so that the screws which had held
the soles on were like football boot studs with rubber washers under them.
The toe caps were mostly worn away and some of us had our toes showing
through. After six weeks a re-supply of boots was most welcome." Despite the
conditions, a combination of supreme stamina and courage led to the SAS

In

storming the plateau

after a gruelling night inarch in the face

of the enemy.

2-

169

ART

SAS

THE

OF

Snow and
The 1982 Falklands War proved that

SAS

WAR

Ice

soldiers could fight in environments characterised by

extremes of cold and wet. Such terrain demands specialised training and equipment
the Regiment's

SAS

soldiers receive intensive training

Arctic

in

warfare,

uncompromising
which the
fatal.

an

area

smallest

of combat

mistake

In polar regions the

operate effectively

as

exacting and

long

can

in

is

cold

numbs

to

and immersion
death

for

in cold

even

the

water can mean

well

protected

in

Cold weather

affects

every aspect of

Shaving, for instance,

latter.

required to withstand the windchill factor

oils that

(the
idity

combination of cold, wind and hum-

which can prove

lethal at

even

rela-

ist

flesh in

over the

tempera-

as its

reaction time required for even the sim-

exposed

the elements. High levels of

and personal hygiene are paramount, though a balance has to be struck

fitness

often discouraged

the brain as well as the body,

tasks.

him from

tect

the soldier's daily routine: the clothing

tively 'normal' temperatures), the special-

of

allow

body can only

increasing lethargy and lengthening the

plest

to

operate at optimum efficiency.

under 20 minutes.

prove

kept within certain limits. Intense

ture

men

The wind can

freeze

minutes, even seconds,

equipment he must take with him, the

food he must eat to maintain

and the

shelter

his strength

he must construct to pro-

as

is

removes natural

it

protect the face from frostbite.

Severe cold can cause frostnip, superficial

or deep

frostbite,

being potentially

and shock, the

latter

two

while wet socks

lethal,

can lead to the incapacitating condition

known as trench foot.

The need to keep

the

whole body

covered, especially the hands and

feet,

is

when operatweather. Not only

of paramount importance
ing in extreme cold

windproof

has clothing to be tough, light,

and waterproof,

down

also

it

has

provide

to

minus 40 degrees C,
while remaining suitable for work in teminsulation

to

peratures above zero. Natural fabrics, such

as

wool and

fur, are ideal for

atures as they trap air

of warm

rier

several layers

air close to the

of

cold temper-

and maintain

body

ing

clothing

relatively thin

should be worn, since not only

a bar-

Ideally

is

insulat-

trapped between the various gar-

air

ments, but they can be added or removed

according to the temperature.

ARCTIC CLOTHING
The SAS has tested
ing

now

a variety

commercially

Choice is
most members of

largely subjective, but

the

of the cloth-

available.

Regiment favour thermal-knit cotton

'long Johns' (although

and

silk

'long-johns'

sometimes purchased priwool and nylon socks, heavy wool

vests are

vately),

or wool/nylon blend trousers, Goretex

smocks, jackets made from synthetic insulation material, gloves

balaclavas.

It

is

and woolly

hats or

customary to wear wool

socks next to the skin and a nylon or

Goretex pair on
Left:

top.

Goretex clothing

is

Well-wrapped SAS soldiers on an

Arctic warfare course in Norway. The beige

berets

170

would not be worn on

operations.

HOSTILE ENVIRONMENTS
expensive, but

its

is

have invested in

privately purchased outer jackets.

mal

liners,

jacket and

comprising

trouser

are

set,

warmth,

the soldier
cal

Ther-

green quilted
occasionally

worn beneath windproof clothing

ply additional

to

considered so beneficial

many servicemen

that

ICE

keep rain out

ability to

while allowing sweat and moisture

escape outward

SNOW AND

to sup-

especially

when

not involved in hard physi-

is

They can be worn with or

activity.

without outer garments, depending on

the level ot protection required, and over.

or instead

of,

long wool/cotton mix issue

underwear.

PROTECTING HANDS AND FEET

worn beneath

Inner mittens are usually

windproof and waterproot outer

although the

is

replaced for

by water-resistant gloves

when working
headgear

may be

latter

periods

short

set.

in

vital in

close-quarter work, such as a target attack

Above:

Arctic conditions, as an

or the completion of routine tasks around

courses

the camp.

as well as here in northern Norway.

estimated 50 per cent of an individual's

body heat can be

ered head.

lost

standard issue Arctic cap

ear

flaps

popular.

is

soldiers have

wearing anything

natural aversion to

which might interfere with their hearing.

Footwear depends on the particular
mission. However, the issue ski-march
boot is fairly basic, and many Arctic specialists

more com-

prefer to invest in the

German Bundeswehr
ski-mountaineering boot. The SAS Arctic
fortable

and

Not

through an uncov-

many experienced

although
a

The

fold-down

with

SAS soldiers attend Arctic

wet conditions. Proper

versatile

snow shoes
The standard SAS

all

in the Arctic

is

con-

ducted on foot, and so the SAS makes

extensive

copters

use

of

when

helicopters

can also

make

Snow

available.

weather and poor

Cats and heli-

However, bad
can often keep
days on end, and

visibility

grounded

for

maintenance of vehicles and

weapons extremely
lubricants

causing
actions.

and cross-country

stripped

indeed in

difficult,

extremely cold conditions

cause

can also

restrict surface traffic. It

the

warfare rig includes a bergen.

skis.

movement

to

it

can even
or

thicken

freeze,

weapon stoppages and sluggish

Weapons have therefore to be
completely

and

thoroughly

which blew snow and

equipment. Very soon
the feed trays of their

its

covered to protect

effective position for ski-mountaineering.

the

The SAS

to an hour. After this period

has a relatively generous budget

and can therefore afford to purchase

equipment privately when it considers an
issue

item to be sub-standard. Equally,

it is

often approached by manufacturers and

asked to

'trial'

new equipment

therefore been able to

inferior

bindings

standard
in

type

taineering bindings.
erallv

small,

and

has

abandon the rather

issue

favour

tourer/downhill

free. It

ski

of
with

Snow

with

cable

Alpine
ski-moun-

an

shoes are gen-

their use

confined to

A weapon

taken into

shelter will sweat for

it

up

must be

become

nents can

becomes

rust.

cal

problem for

all

During

the winter

cross-country

weapon

SAS

soldiers

who

exercise therefore

weapons occurred during the SAS operation on South Georgia

in April 1982. As the men of D Squadron's Mountain Troop struggled across

training

Leith,

around Stromness. Husvik and

they were lashed by high winds.

general electri-

warfare
training.

on

snow

long periods

of stamina. All

deploy to the area on

receive

in-theatre ski

of their Arctic

(AWT) and Arctic

During
skiing

survival

m Arctic

(AST)

two- to four-week
taught snow -shoeing. ta<t
their

and

trail-breaking,

essential to successful special forces

ations

is

shoes,

arrival as part

course they are

military

all

in the Arctic

latter for

reserves

unusable. An example of what Arctic con-

posts

battery

condensation

restricted to specialist skis or

up valuable

Fortuna Glacier to establish observation

compo-

fail,

months almost

movement

uses

to

and

equipment.

although using the

do

brittle

and

thoroughly cleaned before being taken

ditions can

Left

from the elements.

reduced

is

outside again. Otherwise the condensation will freeze, rendering the

it

In the extreme cold certain radio

Snow and ice must be kept out of the

working parts, sights and barrel, which
otherwise

effectively

boxes, raised off the ground and

'Arctic bergen', which has a light tubular

aluminium H-frame, allowing the sac to
be carried high on the back, the most

warmth of a

GPMGs.

removed. Stored ammunition must be

in

strength

will

their

was found in

CARE OF AMMUNITION
Ammunition must likewise be cleaned of
oil, and all ice, snow and condensation

cleaned to remove any excess lubricants.

is

into

ice

ice

rendering them inoperable.

sometimes replaced with an

bergen

warfare

both Bavaria and the French Alps,

in

all

oper-

regions.

171

ART

SAS

THE

WAR

OF

Deserts
The

SAS has

a long association with the desert.

sandy wastes of North

desert, this time in Iraq. The

The

SAS fought

its

first

and

latest

the
desert,
campaigns
in
environment in which it has come to

Operations

entirely at ease.

an
feel

in the desert

demanding. The dangers of

are physically

dehydration, sunstroke and sunburn, coupled with the extremes of temperature

Its first

Africa, while 50 years later

Regiment has learned

mobility, require

the desert.

Most SAS

to

campaign was fought among the

were again fighting in the

soldiers

respect

this inhospitable

particular attention

They tend

encompassed

SAS

to overheat

in standard

combat

in

boots.

to

soldiers therefore favour desert

overheating.

ankle support.

Arabia,
vehicles

and

cross-

SAS to evolve
men not only

fied

its

improve

for

the

desert.

The

conditions

SAS

Oman

high

the

them

combat

to fight. Attributes required in the desert

maintenance than normal; vapour locks

desert driving.

include good water discipline, thorough

occur in the

personal hygiene and a high standard of

come

unreliable,

filters

get blocked by sand and dust.

and stamina. Drinking and

physical fitness

eating the correct quantities

and appetite

thirst

by heat.

It is

consume up

is

crucial, as

are adversely affected

not unusual for

trooper to

water

a day. In

extra

salt

to the distances involved,

Prior to

held exercises in the

addition to plenty of water,

Saudi Arabia. Drivers

must be added to the food to

replace that lost through evaporation.

and coolant

Due

and the need for

good driving skills

the Gulf War, D and

mobility,

of

to 14 litres (three gallons)

versing a dune, to climb

it

Other dangers

the individual derive

to

mal inhabiting the

desert.

Snakes dislike

the cold, and have an unfortunate danger-

ous habit of crawling into

part-open

sleeping bag at night to enjoy the body-

warmth of

the

unsuspecting occupant.

and scorpions

Equally,

spiders

nowned

for crawling into boots,

are

re-

which
must be shaken well before being donned

in the

morning. Lice, mites and

flies

can

carry diseases such as scrub typhus and

dysentery.

Good

sanitation

is

therefore

a minimum. The proper cleaning of cooking

essential to

keep their presence to

and eating

utensils,

and the correct

dis-

and human waste must

never be neglected, however exhausted a

posal of garbage

may be. Feet, which often provide

SAS soldier with his only source of

patrol

the

Right: In a desert environment

have

to

dehydration, sunstroke

172

SAS soldiers

be constantly on their guard against

and sunburn.

effects

men up

to

and helps

exhaustion

which

long-distance

on weapons and ammunimust

be considered. Weapons must be kept

covered

may

G Squadrons

After a

stuck on the top, that the slopes were not

from the various types of dangerous ani-

also

rel

on foot first, to
would not get

the

required,

tion of the relentless sun and sand

are essential.

Empty Quarter of
learned, when tra-

ensure that the vehicle

DESERT DANGERS

The

systems, batteries be-

lead to

United Arab

the

accompanies

inevitably

fuel, oil

and

standards

encountered require greater attention to

and

would

vehicle training in Saudi

Emirates continues to keep the

to survive in the desert but

fuel

though too much

traction,

driving on deflated tyres

boots, with suede uppers, rubber soles and

SAS Land Rover

They

soft.

learned that tyres could be partly deflated

country motorcycles are specially modi-

which permits

too steep nor the sand too

when

and the absence of water, have led the

a lifestyle

environment.

when

not in use

as a

clogged bar-

lead to dangerous malfunctions.

rifle is

cleaned

all

excess oil must

be removed from the working

parts,

oth-

erwise sand will adhere and create an

abrasive paste

the

which

will quickly

weapon. Domestic cling

even condoms, can be used

as a

damage
and

film,

makeshift

HOSTILE ENVIRONMENTS
barrier against sand

The

and dust intrusion.

The Gulf War

desert heat can also adversely affect

radio

equipment. Solder

brittle

and connections

quently, a factor

may become

The 1991

loose. In addition,

more

re-charging

require

batteries

men

fre-

which only

to the signaller's already

serves to add
heavy workload.

desert terrain.

CAMOUFLAGE
less desert.

men and

is

flat,

and should

sown

ideally

as

they are occupied.

in missions in Iraq
sleet,

emergency situations to construct a desert

which will provide sufficient water to

deep wadis should be avoided

construct and can provide up to a

if at all

pos-

Deserts are prone to sudden heavy

floods.

drowned

Special

forces

result

soldiers

However,

it is

SAS

troopers

are

life. Stills

soldiers

on

then covered with

rough outer

side.

The hollow

is

with

a plastic sheet

surface,

with one or two

placed in the centre. Condensation will

form, and drip into the container. Just one

expected to

collect.

hole

is

day.

then dug

one metre (39in) deep and two metres

(6.5ft) wide and filled with old vegetawater, urine and any other

generally a

tion, waste

trained

liquid available.

in

litre

the centre, together with a drinking

tube extending to the

of drinkable water per

have

is

are comparatively easy to

in

chosen where water might be

(1.8 pints)
site

the absence, rather than

is

sustain

flash

in the desert.

the abundance, of water that

problem.

in

SAS

smocks and woolly hats. Hypothermia is usually

mountain and Arctic warfare, but two of the Regiment's men
Sergeant Vince Phillips and Lance-Corporal 'Legs' Lane - died of
hypothermia as they tried to escape from Iraqi troops. The Gulf War brought
home just how unpredictable and dangerous a desert environment can be.

still

downpours which may

who

avail-

features such as caves

dead

sible.

soldiers

and of the whole region being 'worse than the

men was insufficient, and so

and
ground provide protection both
from the elements and prying eyes, but
able, natural

SAS

spoke of the cold and the wet, of being lashed

associated with

binoculars,

Where

was undoubtedly sandy and rocky, the weather was

blankets, gloves, Arctic

which might otherwise glint in the sun.

Harbour areas must be camouflaged as
soon

it

improvisation was the order of the day. In photographs of

them to proThey also prodegree of protection when using

as

triumph for the SAS, but the conditions the

a long way from the popular image of a

operations in Iraq, they are invariably clothed in Goretex jackets, jumpers,

have

into

equipment such

Falklands'.The desert clothing issued to the

feature-

Nets are used to conceal both

vehicles,

hessian or cloth

optical

Though

continually by rain and

crucial in the

vide shade from the sun.

vide a

Gulf War was

faced on the ground were

very cold in western Iraq in January and February. All those

took part

Camouflage

DESERTS

container

is

then placed

of the

tricks taught to

SAS

Below: An SAS Mobility Troop

soldiers.

in the

United

Arab Emirates, one of the countries used by

the Regiment for desert warfare training.

173

INSERTION TECHNIQUES
Over Land
Since the campaign

how to

transport

specialises

The

SAS was among

units
theatre
flict

the

to

the

first

of operations during the

Royal

Marines

onto

UN

con-

Fortuna

in

World War

is

among

pied territory
ic

is

determined by

mission. If speed

is

San Carlos Water.

landing

None of this would

at

have

it

to

comes

its

specif-

of the essence the

may be inserted close to its

When, during the Gulf War, a

attack force

combined US-British

Brigade

when

The method by which an SAS patrol is

to, and removed from, enemy occu-

objective.

Commando

SAS has had

taken

taking of South Georgia, and paved the

for 3

the

the best

Glacier during Operation 'Paraquet', the

way

II

solve the problem of

Today each 'Sabre' Squadron has a Mobility Troop that

land.

and the SAS

allied

SAS preceded
the

North Africa

men on

in vehicles,

be deployed in the Gulf

with Iraq in 1991. The

in

its

strike

force

was

to insertion

and surprise

analysis

SAM missile and

was dropped almost on
and relied upon speed

of an enemy

launcher system,

expert in the art of covert insertion.

top of

its

it

target,

secure

to

objective.

its

Egyptian helicopters of Soviet manufacpainted in Iraqi colours, were used,

ture,

and were so successful

that

upon

of the

rumour

that a sizeable part

Iraqi helicopter fleet

SAS

deception

in their

their return to base their pres-

ence started

tasked with the capture and return for

been possible had the SAS not become

over land.

may be

patrols

had defected.

inserted by a vari-

ety of means, either by land, sea or

Less often they

may adopt

false identities for

In

Aden

disguises

air.

and

undercover operations.

in the 1960s, for example,

SAS

'Keeni Meeni' patrols adopted local dress

to

infiltrate

on foot the

which

provided

groups.

More

cover

SAS

recently,

markets

local

insurgent

for

patrols have

operated in plain clothes in Northern

Ireland, gaining intelligence

ment of

terrorist cells.

tion has always

getting the

been

SAS

on the move-

Land-borne

inser-

popular method of

to their targets.

MOBILITY TROOPS

Many

borders are poorly monitored or

of

consist

terrain,

difficult

facilitating

vehicle-borne covert insertion. In July

1942, the

SAS began
when

ing into battle

made

tradition

call

upon

to each 'Sabre'
a

of rid-

adopted the

Willys jeep. Today, the

Troop attached

may

its
it

variety

of

US-

Mobility-

Squadron
vehicles,

including converted Land Rovers, motorcycles and even specially adapted Range
Rovers (used by hostage-rescue teams).

Where

possible, vehicles are designed to

operate in any climate, although in reality

they are most likely to be used in desert

or open grassland conditions.

Left:

The

1960s.

SAS

Pink Panther',

vehicle blend into

174

first

used in the

The pink camouflage helped the

its

desert surroundings.

NSERTION TECHNIQUES: OVER LAND

Units such

as

SAS and

the

their close

foreign counterparts, the Australian

and the

US

Special Forces,

SAS

which often

operate behind the lines, require light,

which

reliable vehicles

maximum

ing

of giv-

are capable

mobility while carrying

heavy weapons load. The requirements

for lightness

and

and speed on the one hand

maximum

payload on the other are

conflicting,

with the

units have

had to

Thus

result that individual

prioritise their needs.

which does not train to

its weapons mainly
of opportunity, concentrates on

the SAS,

hold ground and uses

on

targets

vehicles capable of transporting the vast

quantities

of food and water required to

carry out long-range reconnaissance deep

inside

enemy

territory.

Other special forces units have developed vehicles for their very different
needs. Thus the French Foreign Legion, as
part of France's Force D' Action Rapidc
(Rapid Reaction Force), is equipped for
combat against all but heavy forces.
Ideally suited to service in Africa and the
Middle East, the armoured cars of its 1st
Cavalry Regiment (Regiment Etranger de
Cavalerie)

and

battalion

of

Regiment served with

Light Armoured Division during

its

1st

the 6th

Infantry

the Iraq

War. At other times the Legion has served

show

to

the French flag

on numerous

high-profile peacekeeping missions and in

a

number of

Never

far

heavily

its

'out

from

of

area'

operations.

logistical support,

armed reconnaissance

it

uses

vehicles

States

began to accept the need for

ded-

icated covert operations road vehicle.

The

according to French military doctrine, for

Chenworth

scouting and screening. As such

developed, and saw considerable service

are

its

needs

wholly different from those of the

in the Gulf, but

usefulness has

its

be accepted by many

British SAS.

(FAV) was

Fast Attack Vehicle

at

still

to

Fort Bragg, the

Headquarters of the Green Berets. Unlike

AMERICAN VEHICLE DOCTRINE

At the moment the SAS is far ahead of
American units when it comes to vehicles.

The United

States has yet to develop

comprehensive land insertion

policy.

US

Green Berets have no

operation and
maintenance. Although Delta Force, the
the SAS, the

specialist courses in vehicle

elite

counter-terrorist unit, received

training in the maintenance of

its

some
FAVs

Until the Gulf War, the Green Berets had

before deployment to the Gulf, the over-

gained most of their experience

all

in

the

jungle and had thus learned to rely on

also

much

ities). It

was only

insertion remains sadly lacking.

however, that

US

It

must be

ability to

launch long-range

road ahead. While

ond

it

offers cover, the sec-

moves forward,

vehicle

lines.

passes

forward.

Thus the

ward, each

it

and

some way

adopts a surveillance position

vehicles leap-frog for-

offering

the

some

other

degree of protection.

Only

US

the

Rangers make full use of

snow and ice areas

vehicle infiltration. In

they

make

excellent use of
skis

and

and other

in the desert

employ jeeps

mount

Snow

Cats,

and snow shoes,

motorised sledges,

flat

terrain

ment, which closely mirror the operating

Operation 'Eagle

procedures of more conventional recon-

'gun jeeps', to provide the short-distance

its

after

vehicle-mounted

SAS the

land operations behind enemy

vehicle capabil-

experience of the jungle,

but had not neglected

attitude towards

the

and interdiction missions. Until recently the Rangers

relied on Ford Ml 51 utility trucks, or

airborne or seaborne insertion (the

had

SAS

US

Above: Heavily armed Land Rovers give

Claw', the abortive attempt to free the

Iranian hostages in 1980, that the

United

said,

Special Forces are

trained in both vehicle tactics

naissance units.

The

and move-

lead vehicle

is

halted

in a surveillance position to observe the

mobility

to

and high

raids

firepower

These might be armed with

required.
variety of

175

THE

SAS

ART

WAR

OF

Left:

1945.

SAS Jeeps in northwest Europe in early

The SAS Willys Jeep had an unrefuelled

range of 460km (285 miles}.

tion with other vehicles, the

has remained loyal, and

Regiment
favours the

still

Land Rover for most circumstances.

During the Gulf War, for example, specially adapted SAS Land Rover 1 10s usually

carried a crew of three, and were

armed with varied combinations of heavy

machine guns, GPMGs, 40mm automatic
grenade launchers, Milan anti-tank missiles

and Stinger surface-to-air

Some of

missiles.

Land Rovers did not have

the

the fixture to

mount

Milans, but this did

as an SAS soldier
homemade bracket
from wood and para-cord and

not worry their crews,

states:

'We used

improvised

strapped to the

7.62mm M60

execute harrying raids against his lines of

machine guns, 90mm recoilless rifles,

M72 Light Anti-Tank Weapons (LAWs)
and Claymore anti-personnel mines.
Currently they employ the High Mobility
Multi-purpose Wheeled Vehicle
(HMMWV), which is designed to operate in all types of terrain and climate.
Through the use of common components and kits it can be turned into a
number of variants, including a cargo-

communication. The Australians turned

weapons, including two

armament

troop carrier,
lance or

TOW

carrier,

ambu-

missile carrier.

TRAINING OTHER UNITS

The land-borne insertion doctrine of the
SAS naturally means devoting huge
resources to training. But this produces
soldiers

who

who

are

world to

and

are experts at their craft,

in

demand around the

other elite units. The SAS,

great

train

for example, has helped establish a land-

borne insertion doctrine of its Australian

counterpart. One of the main tasks of the
Australian

SAS

is

vehicle groups

would

behind the

and

guns front and rear

Australian vehicle training incorporates

many of the

negotiating

skills

taught

inclines,

at

Hereford:

crossing

rivers,

51mm

mortar, a

for individual weapons.

crisscross

the

area.

but their limited payload was found to be

Experience has taught the

SASR

to rely

on the tried-and-tested long-wheelbase

Land Rover. Despite its comparative lack
of sophistication it is one of the few vehicles able to

cope with the

vast distances

anti-tank missile or a

involved, the

Like

most

things

British SAS, the use

concerning

the

of vehicles has been

process of evolution.

The Regiment used

World War II, and

appraise

were relegated

along the border

The Gulf War

tasked with

Scud

Strike

to

reconnaissance

area.
fully tested the various

Special

Forces were

locating mobile

sites

and

static

for Allied air interdiction.

The SAS adopted two methods

to find

which was markedly

than the other. Three

the missiles, one of

more

successful

abandon

to

Light

special forces land insertion techniques.

watch main

176

of Longline

inadequate for long-range operations, and

they

early 1960s. Despite the occasional flirta-

and

required.

Vehicles (LSVs) were taken to the Gulf,

then progressed to Land Rovers in the

rear,

if

attitude towards light vehicles.

its

A number

on the enemy's

in

can-

GULF WAR TESTING GROUND

The adoption of the FAV by the US
Special Forces caused the SAS to re-

provide reconnaissance and intelligence

armed jeeps

30mm

the pulpit instead

of the twin machine guns

heavily

and

Milan or Tube-

ingly brutal desert terrains in the world.

(TOW)

non can be mounted on

Their mission requirements would be to

flanks

launched, Optically-tracked, Wire-guided

Iraqi

them-

81mm

an

winching vehicles over obstacles or out of

soft ground, navigation, and vehicle service and repair. Vehicle tactics, such as
scouting and contact drills, are taught, as
are communications and mission planning. Patrol leaders must become adept at
assessing their fuel requirements and payload priorities, locating checkpoints and
lying-up positions, the location of friendly forces, and the sheer problems of survival in one of the most uncompromis-

operational conditions.

infiltrate

pulpit),

mortar and has mounts

either remain

in

addition to the

(in

twin mounts on the

The SAS and US

lines via the old cattle

stock routes which

in solar

astro-navigation.

amount of kit to be carried

and the need to service the vehicle under

stay-behind positions or
selves

Hereford for instruction

roll bar.'

Although not employed in the Gulf,

the Land Rover Special Operations Vehicle (SOV) aptly provides for the Regiment's future needs. Capable of carrying a
crew of six, it can be fitted with machine

of invasion, SAS

the defence of northern

Australia. In the event

to

road watch patrols were sent into Iraq to

roads. All three patrols

their missions.

had to

INSERTION TECHNIQUES

Above: Nearly 50 years

110s

later,

SAS Land Rover

were transporting SAS soldiers behind

the lines in Iraq during the 1991 Gulf War.

down

loading

vehicles

and ammunition

make them

to

with weaponry

for defence
as

OVER LAND

light

as

and trying
possible

to

extend range and speed).

The SAS

long-range

than

rather

was equally

missions.

successful, but

supplied

or more heavily armed Land Rovers, each

trucks escorted by

armed Land Rovers

from B Squadron. The convoy drove

operations from the beginning.

145km

vehicles

carrying a total of 1525kg (1.5 tons) of

and accompanied by motorcycle

supplies
scouts.

The

SAS's operational area

from Karbala,

80km

of Baghdad, to

Iraq's

border with Syria

and Jordan. The fighting columns had

ficient

ran

(50 miles) southwest

suf-

firepower to fend off Iraqi attacks

and take on

targets themselves

should no

Allied aircraft be available for air strikes

(though

it

was standard operating proce-

dure to keep
as possible).

as far away from Iraqi units

However, the frequent con-

and speedy withdrawals severely

reduced supplies of fuel and ammunition
tacts

(a

perennial problem for vehicle-mount-

ed patrols

is

the

compromise between

fighting

columns were

re-

convoy of 10 four-ton

(90 miles) inside Iraq to establish

The effort was well

SAS fighting columns
achieved some significant results: a numa

replenishment base.

worth
ber

it,

for the

of Scud

(SSM)

sites

missile

and convoys were located and

designated for

opportunity
observation

surface-to-surface

air attack.

Other

destroyed

targets

included

towers, microwave

of

high

repeater

towers and buried fibre-optic cables.

Meanwhile,
undertook

the

US

Delta

a similar role to the

Force

north of

complete

air

The SAS
do

this

superiority over the area of

has the expertise to take

anywhere

in the

because of two things.

service

their

Second,

ities.

Regiment
in

First, it

who

has

can

battle

the need for garage facil-

in

Land Rover the

the

has a vehicle that can operate

any terrain with

the

Land Rovers

also

needs.

its

They can

and repair

vehicles

damage without

minimum of
provide SAS

Mobility Troops with the ideal combination

of mobility, range, payload require-

ments and firepower.

tion over land, the

them

and most experienced.

to undertake short, penetrating raids

world.

highly trained vehicle operators

The limited range of their FAVs

around 400km (250 miles) - forced
the SAS.

to

on re-supply from the air, and its

operations would have been severely
compromised had the Allies not enjoyed
rely

The vehicle patrols were more successful. The fighting columns comprised 12

by

Delta

was forced

Gulf War proved, when

And

as

the

1991

comes to inserSAS is one of the best

it

177

ART

SAS

THE

WAR

OF

By Water
SAS Boat

when

Troops are experts

comes

it

part of David Stirling's original belief that

by land, sea or

air.

Today the

Special Air Service (SAS) and the

The
Special Boat Service (SBS) both

in a

come under

Once

the operational control of the

Director Special Forces (DSF). Although

they

work

and their

closely they are separate units,

roles

should not be confused. In

time of war the SBS,

five-squadron force

drawn from the ranks of the Royal

Marine Commandos, would undertake
reconnaissance, small raids and maritime
and

water
a

sabotage.

coastal

regard

as their natural habitat rather

means of access

their

They

operations

the

than

and many of

place

completely

submerged. They will reconnoitre

beach

prior to an amphibious landing to identify the slope

closely with

buoyancy bag
inside the

its

when submerged.

harbour the divers will

try to use the prevailing currents to drift

from

target

to

target,

thereby avoiding

creating telltale swirls in the water.

The

which the limpets are

depend on the size of the ship

precise position in

placed will

and the configuration of the

which the

of the beach, the depth of the

safely.

divers will have learned to take

Subsequently, during the battle for

SAS personnel arriving by

from Ascension Island with their
equipment were parachuted into the sea
the Falklands,

air

to

be picked up by submarines or surface

vessels. Patrols

reconnaissance

SAS

Boat Troops

are only four

SAS - some 64 men -

in the

yet their contribu-

immense. During Operation 'Paraquet',

example,

by sea along

a hos-

by
Rigid Raider boats piloted by members
shoreline

tile

usually

are

specialist

inserted

539 Assault Squadron,

Royal Marines. The boats themselves

tion to Britain's amphibious warfare effort

is

activities.

patrols landing

of the

SAS BOAT TROOPS

were then inserted by the

boat close to the shore to begin their

hull, factors

into account during training.

There

is

reach their targets

to

maritime counterpart, the SBS.

partly filled with water

weightless

it

should be trained

as

to the land,

take

SAS works

make

to

working with small boats and canoes. This

to

SAS soldiers

of South

5m

(16.4ft)

and

are

long with

glass-fibre

are

hulls,

powered by 140hp Johnson out-

maximum

board engines giving

speeds of

up to 35 knots. Their low silhouette,

coupled with their modified, quiet

water, underwater obstacles, sea conditions

for

and enemy defences. They

Georgia during the Falklands War, they

engines,

undertook

consid-

clandestine infiltration and extraction of

SAS patrols along enemy-held coastlines.

Each 16-man Boat Troop will usually be
carried in three Rigid Raiders. One will

to investigate

go ashore
the composition and gradiwill

the

retaking

seaborne landing

at

ent of the beach, but will avoid contact

erable personal risk in appalling weather

with the enemy unless specifically ordered

conditions. Their boats were overturned,

do otherwise.
To destroy ships in harbour, SBS teams
will carry their equipment and explosives

flooded and suffered damage, and one was

to

SAS person-

swept away to

sea,

nel involved

were eventually recovered

but

all

the

beach

make them

first,

while the others 'stand-off' to

covering

offer

enemy

ideally suited to the

fire

in

the

case

of any

resistance.

Canoes have been

associated with the

SAS since its inception, and are still used

when the employment of Rigid Raiders
is

considered impractical. Wooden-framed

Kleppers have been in service since the

1950s, and

still

remain operational with

SAS and SBS. For example, they were

used by the SAS during the build-up to
the

the raid

on Pebble

May

Island in

reconnaissance team from

1982.

Squadron's

Boat Troop was dropped by Sea King

helicopter on 10 May and had to march
across a ridge at the

Rock

end of the Mare

headland, carrying their Klepper

canoes and bergens with them. Through-

out the next day they watched Pebble

Island for Argentine activity, before pad-

Left:

SAS soldiers in Borneo in

the 1960s

steer their canoes through choppy waters.

Such
178

craft are ideal for silent approaches.

NSERTION TECHNIQUES:

BY

WATER
Left:

Rigid Raider light assault craft are used

by SAS Boat Troops

for fast insertion onto a

hostile shore, as well as for rapid extraction.

The SAS and SBS

have always worked

closely together. In 1972, for example, a

combined SAS/SBS team parachuted

Ocean to deal with a

into the Atlantic

bomb
be

Queen

threat to the luxury liner

Elizabeth

II.

Fortunately

hoax, though

turned out to

did highlight the

it

problems of maritime

it

security.

Today the SAS's Boat Troops are

Counter Measures, which entails providing security for
responsible for Maritime

Britain's oilfields against terrorist attack.

This necessarily means working closely

with the SBS.

The two

units continue to

use the Rigid Raiders for

fast insertion,

but insertion from under the waves

practised. This

dling across under cover of darkness to

during the

Later,

final stages

tle

for East Falkland, the

to

put in

get

was

of the bat-

SAS volunteered

diversionary raid from the sea

to take the pressure off 2 Para

about to

who were

Argentinian

large

The

Ridge.

assault Wireless

tar-

ordnance

depot, and the approach was by a narrow

strip

of water immediately to the north of

the capital, Stanley.

there were about

The

mission was

and around the town. The

tration

team - two

members of
target in

the

risky,

8000 heavily armed

diers in

Squadron, one from

Larger landing

Royal Marine

carry out their mission.

sol-

landing

again crewed by

craft,

assault

the task

tion

and extraction of SAS and SBS

reconnaissance patrols. The Landing Craft

Vehicle/Personnel (LCVP) had

a greater

140km (87 miles) if slower

9.5 knots than the more agile

speed
Raiders, but were more heavily armed
range

and armoured, and were capable of conducting

a fighting

withdrawal

training at Poole in Dorset and in

if

attacked.

also

Horsea

Lake near Portsmouth.

A new

and raiding

squadrons, were also involved in the inser-

is

combat diving

item

of equipment

recently tested by the Boat Troops

submersible recovery

craft,

to

be

is

the

an inflatable

which can submerge and deliver a team

to the target below the waves. It can also
be parked on the bottom and left by the
team until after the mission. This piece of
kit gives
ity

when

SAS Boat Troops

it

comes

greater flexibil-

to clandestine insertion

onto an enemy shore.

infil-

from

Squadron and

six

troops

force's

craft,

Commandos from

involves

SBS - approached

the

Rigid Raiders. They were sup-

ported by naval gunfire from the frigate

Antrim, and by an

SAS

mini-diversion

launched from Murrell Heights on the

northern shore of the harbour approach.

The

were

raiders

searchlights
Paraiso,

which was moored

bour, spotted
attackers
fire.

compromised when

from the hospital ship Bahia

the

the har-

in

Rigid Raiders. The

came under immediate

sustained

Faced with annihilation, they did the

only sensible thing and withdrew.

SAS reached

sustaining three

Right:

The

the safety of the shore after

minor

casualties.

The two-man Klepper canoe, which

was used for reconnaissance prior to

the

Pebble Island raid during the Falklands War.

179

ART

SAS

THE

WAR

OF

By Air
The airborne role of the Special Air Service
as and

when

required. To this

end

all

is to

Squadron has an Air Troop that specialises

SAS

from

specialists

the

Squadrons' Air Troops are

teams

insert

into

and out of enemy

territory

troopers are parachute trained, but each 'Sabre'

in

methods of airborne

delivery.

'Sabre'
fully

all

parachute trained. Before any recruit can

wear the Winged Dagger badge, he must

parachute course

pass the static-line

RAF

Bnze Norton

at

Oxfordshire. All

in

the Regiment's soldiers have to be para-

mem-

chute-trained from day one. Every

ber of the 'Sabre' Squadrons wears the

famous SAS wings on

he

The
and

his chest, indicating

a trained parachutist.

is

is

well

parachute course
held

at least

potential

as

four weeks,

lasts

four times a year. As

SAS

It

is

RAF

by

run

recruits

soldiers,

from the Parachute Regiment

also attend.

Jump

Parachute

and they teach an aver-

Instructors (PJIs),

age of 30 on each course.

STATIC-LINE

The aim
recruits

is

how

from an

DROPS

very simple: the PJIs teach the

to

make

aircraft.

jump
jump is

a static-line

static-line

where the parachute ripcord is pulled

automatically when a soldier jumps from
the aircraft. To pass the course, each
potential SAS soldier must make eight
jumps, including one at night. All straightforward

stuff.

But those who think that they will be

jumping from an aircraft on day one will
be disappointed.

The

best in the world at their

to ensure that each

among the
job. They have

PJIs are

man

is

thoroughly

make

trained and briefed before he can

jump. And

that

means

beginning - on

soft

starting right at the

mats in one of the

how

week consists of learning

make parachute landings. This

first

to

involves practising parachute

ing

lectures

concerning

rolls,

attend-

will

be jumping from.

designed to give the

the physical exercises.

180

zone (DZ)

he

when he

is

fine,

men

a rest

is

wounded

useless because

he

be worse than

'will

he will require looking

Therefore, the

week

first

starts

with

the PJIs teaching the recruits

how

correctly. They are taught the

proper posi-

tion for landing: chin

legs together,

the floor.

the equipment
altitude,

on

chest,

elbows

knees bent and feet

They

to land

flat

in,

to

will then practise rolling

on the mats: rolling

and forward.

to the right, to the left

Then the PJIs introduce them to flight

The men are taught that they must

drills.

after the

opens to check their canopy

lines are twisted they will

parachute

If their rig

have to untangle

them. They are taught the procedure.

hooking-up their 'chutes, checking

equipment and exit drills.

as

their

Exiting an aircraft correctly

The

be making the

go through the

real

drills in

drops from.

They

the aircraft, such

how

make

to get a

look

This

where the students

is

at

they

landings.
really

first

appreciate the hours they put in learning

how

to land and roll.

During the second week the men

will

all

on

consists of a 22.8m- (75ft-) high tower,

from which the men drop. Their harnesses are connected to a wire, which allows
them to drop as they would were they
making a proper jump. As well as giving
them a 'feel' for a jump, it allows the PJIs

from

the type they

crucial.

the procedure using the exit trainer. This

back, and the

aircraft,

is

students are therefore instructed

Hercules transport

the

in all

needed to make a high

low opening (HALO) jump.

talks are

aircraft

The

if

Above: British special forces kitted up

lands then he will be useless to

his unit. In fact,

after.

but

to the drop

also

flight

techniques, the theory of parachute aero-

men

very important to

During the second week the students

are introduced to the aircraft mock-ups.
These are precise representations of the

aircraft

dynamics and the types of

is

him

look up immediately

aircraft hangars.

The

Landing correctly

airborne soldiers. Getting

are

introduced to their equipment. This

includes their parachutes

Mark
chest

the Irwin

- and

PX1

worn on
PR7 reserve, worn on

4 main parachute,

their

the
the

bergens.The bergens are

carried under the reserve 'chute

when

INSERTION TECHNIQUES
men

the

the

exit

During the

aircraft.

descent they are released and are suspend-

man at the end of a

The line is secured to the
chest webbing by way of two hooks. In
this way they hit the ground first. As each
ed underneath each

12m

(40ft) line.

bergen weighs
put

on

it

18.18kg

at least

(401b), to

man's back will substantially

increase his chances of a landing injury. In

addition, there

weapon, which is
on the side of the

his

is

carried in a sleeve

bergen.
to the

The men

life

be introduced

will also

jackets,

they are making a

which

jump

be worn

will

if

near water.

JUMP TRAINING
This familiarisation training takes

of

all

week is when
the men make their first jump. The first
jump is made without any bergen. The
the second week. The third

men

just

reserve.

wear

their

By now

main 'chute and the

they are fully briefed

as

to the procedure.'

Some 20 minutes
order

is

up and check
each

man

man

in front.

tion'

is

The men

stand

their reserve 'chutes.

Then

The command

aircraft.

of the

'action sta-

file

or

the

the rear

They

are located on each

They hook up their
make their jump in two

one from each door.

'sticks',

they leave the aircraft the lines will

automatically

When

open

the

their parachutes.

over

light

then over the

DZ.The

'go, go, go!',

and the

out of the

The

aircraft

is

instructors scream

men throw them-

over, they then prepare

with bergens. The jumps are

made from an altitude of 300m (984ft).
For the SAS on the course this is a gentle
introduction: SAS operational jumps can
be as low as 120m (400ft)!
The rest of weeks three and four are
taken up with the other seven jumps. The
men are briefed on wind speed and direcfor drops

tion, height

have

ofjump,

hit the

visibility

rally

points after they

ground, weather conditions,

and the exact time they

leave the aircraft.

night one with

The

full

final

kit.

some

jitters, as

an

SAS

soldier explains:

'Even in the Regiment blokes are terri-

aircraft.

jump

first

door

each

changes from red to green the

selves

down
at

fuselage.

'chutes. They will

When

men

towards the two doors

of the

lines,

kit.

checks the main 'chute of the

given, and the

aircraft

side

into the flight the

given to check

jump

is

will

the

This does cause

fied

of parachuting

bigger guys.

you

see. If

place, over

at night, especially

They come down

lines

wrong

and water, you can

drown or break your neck. Having said

that, at the end of the day it's the coward's
option to jump. Does that sound surprising? You have to remember that you are
frightened of what people, your mates, are
thinking about you. At the end of the day
it's

easier to

jump, despite the

The main parachuting

broken ankles and

a Light Strike Vehicle,

teams

for airborne insertion.

is

common when

particularly

used by SAS

are

and dam-

aged knees and backs. Leg injuries are

students get

tangled rig lines and attempt to untangle

them by

flailing

around with their

legs. If

they land with their legs apart they risk

broken bones.

Problems
days.

in the air are

Canopies used

When

they

got

wouldn't open.

risks.'

injuries

legs, sprains

lifting

heavier,

they drop you in the

power

the

Above: The Sea King helicopter, seen here

'Roman
and

its

wet

very rare these

be made of

silk.

sometimes

they

The parachute used

candle",

killing

would

to

plummeting

to

wearer. Occasionally

collide in

to

earth

men

the air and get tangled

181

THE

ART

SAS

WAR

OF

Above: A four-man Pathfinder team exits a

high altitude, usually off the back ramp of

make a HALO jump. This is

procedure followed by SAS Air Troops.

Hercules

to

the

at

which meant

death for both of them. A

problem was one parachutist getting underneath another and 'stealing' his

further

air,

C-130

causing the top canopy to collapse.

Hercules, and descend in

low

HALO
will

and landing normally.

altitude

many

has

be able to

invisible to the

The

aircraft

high enough to be

naked eye and

SAM

hand-held

advantages.
fly

systems; the

from

safe

team being

However, all these are freak accidents,

and the SAS has only had one fatality on

inserted will be able to stay together, an

parachute training in

descents; and will be able to descend to a

The

entire

its

history.

Norton is
- testimony to

failure rate at Brize

than one per cent

Once

they

are

squadrons,

SAS

drop on to

targets

(6.8 miles)

above sea

are

to

minimum

Automatic parachute

their

trained

to

from heights of 11km

level.

HALO

consideration

the

are used

deployed

soldiers

important

less

excellence of the tuition.

(high

low opening) is the parachute

insertion technique most commonly used
by the SAS. Patrols leave the aircraft from
altitude,

will

where

(2500ft),

canopy ramair parachutes are

controllable,
to

land

in

and allow SAS team members

close proximity to each other.

at

the

his reserve

fast.

mechanisms

The parachute

possible.

giving

chance to pull

canopy

release

deploy

usually

during night

comparatively

height

about

760m

parachutist

the

should the main

fail.

HALO

jumping

Parachutists

may

has

face

its

risks.

stress-induced

hyper-ventilation and barometric trauma,

caused by the lower

Left: Flat

182

freefall

group, before deploying their 'chutes

as a

air pressure at great

heights. In addition there

is

danger of

plummet at a rate
of 192km/hr (120mph). Ice may form on
wind-chill

as individuals

INSERTION TECHNIQUES:
which may cause
symmetry as he tries

AIR

BY

goggles and altimeter,

the freefaller to lose

rub

to

Should

off.

it

may go

result

he

spin,

with

Parachutes

his load shift as a

into an uncontrollable

fatal results.

HAHO

employed by the SAS.

Exit procedures from the transport aircraft are at about 10,000m (32,800ft) and
standard, with members of the patrol de(27,887ft) after a delay

about

at

glide-ratio

would keep

its

wearer

being dropped from a height of

and would land no more than

However, a fully-laden SAS trooper

5km

(3.1 miles)

from the

HAHO (high altitude, high

using a GQ 360 nine-cell
flat

as

an

aircraft

travel up to 24km (14.9 miles) before touching down. At these high

oxygen will be required for the initial part of the glide, which may
well last from 70 to 80 minutes. Both HAHO and HALO (high altitude, lowopening) SAS parachutists wear oxygen-breathing equipment, helmet with
headset and altimeter as standard, in addition to his two 'chutes. The latter are

wing, can
altitudes

of eight to 10 sec-

equipment

low

ramair main canopy, which has the same aerodynamic properties

Downwards speed will normally be

rate of 8-10m (26-33ft) per second,

density and

its

after

opening) jumping from 10,000m (32,800ft)

8500m

depending on height, temperature,

about 10 minutes

(32,800ft)

release point.

onds.
at a

in the air for

10.000m

(high altitude, high opening)

insertions are also

ploying their parachutes

standard parachute canopy with

fully steerable,

air

carried.

stalled

by

allowing the team to land together. In addition, they can be

on landing

their wearer

troopers, because

to

make

of their parachuting

for a safer landing.

skills,

Many SAS

take part in international events.

HAHO INSERTION
The

HAHO

military benefits of

chuting

unload

its

An

obvious.

are

human

para-

can

aircraft

cargo well outside the

borders of a hostile country, yet the landing area can be well inside.

With the

of remotely steered para-

introduction

dropped with

chutes, containers can be

the parachutists,

who

will

be able to guide

them safely to land. Yet there are

number of attendant risks. There is

also a
a

dan-

ger of the team drifting off course. Chest-

mounted navigation

packs, based

rotary-wing
retrofitted

for

aircraft,

including Chinooks

with air-to-air fuelling probes

long-range

insertions.

During the

Falklands War. helicopters were used

SAS

inserting and recovering

for,

reconnais-

located there. And two Wessex helicopters

of 845 squadron were

patrol

of the

islands.

Squadron, Royal
transport

the

Sea Kings of 846

Navy, were

men

of

Pebble Island to raid the

used

to

Squadron

to

enemy

airstrip

during the

ulti-

trapped

on

South

Georgia's

Fortuna Glacier.

sance and fighting patrols from various

parts

lost

mately successful attempt to recover

it

Though

all

appears

that

SAS

are parachute trained,

parachute insertion has

been down-graded by Hereford in favour

of helicopter insertion. However, there
are

no

plans to drop parachute training.

on the

Global Positioning System (GPS), allow

each parachutist to check his position and

amend

his glide path,

in the face

but can do nothing

of unexpected wind changes

The team must

or thermals.

try to stick

together in order to land in a tight for-

mation.

Some

parachutes

have

panels

emits a dull

luminous material
glow, but even this can be

ficult to see

and mid-air

coated

with

collisions

constant threat. Finally, there

is

(minus

(32,800ft),

be
50

and

as

low

as

Temp-

minus 45 degrees

degrees
layers

dif-

remain

the dan-

ger of asphyxiation and frostbite.

eratures can

that

F)

of

at

warm

10,000m
clothing

are essential if the parachutists are not to

sustain serious injury.

Helicopters are
special forces

the

now

in regular use

by

throughout the world, and

SAS has its own Army Air Corps

The flight employs a number of

flight.

Right: Lynx helicopters

been used
of

such as these have

for the infiltration

SAS personnel,

and exftitration

especially in Ulster.

183

SABOTAGE
Targets
As

well as collecting Intelligence, other

key vulnerable

military

and industrial

team can achieve

men of the SAS

The
use

are masters in the

of demolitions and sabotage. The

Regiment was
in July

1941

created by David Stirling

as a

hit-and-run force, ideal-

ly suited to small-scale raids

lines,

behind the

but equally ill-equipped for conven-

tional battle.

From September 1941

to the

end of the North African campaign in

May 1943 it operated in the desert,
attacking

main supply

routes,

airfields,

SAS missions

results out of all proportion to

ammunition and
target

the

behind enemy lines include sabotaging

targets with explosives. In this

fuel

dumps, indeed any

of opportunity which would cause

enemy distress. During one successful

December 1941, for example, a

raid in

four-man patrol destroyed no

Axis

aircraft at

Agedabia

less

airfield.

than 37

Under

the cover of darkness they infiltrated the

airfield

and placed small delayed-action

charges on the fuselage of each aircraft

before withdrawing unseen.

way a

small-sized

SAS

its size.

From North

SAS moved

Africa the

mately

Although

theatre.

to

its

and

Italy,

Northwest

the

to

ulti-

European

targets altered as the

war evolved its principles were never

compromised. Boldness and surprise
remained two of its basic tenets.
Where possible its members infiltrated
their

targets

covertly,

delayed-

laying

action explosive charges timed to go off

only

after

they had effected their escape.

Occasionally, multiple charges were laid

on

the

same

night, each timed to explode

simultaneously to effect
sion. In

all

maximum

SAS undertook

the

confu-

over 40

independent missions in France between

June and December 1944. Although
many were costly in terms of lives, none
was a complete failure. Whole German
divisions were diverted from the front to
counter the

infiltrators

and their Maquis

(French Resistance) supporters.

than 2000

No more

SAS personnel were employed

in France, yet their contribution, particularly in

terms of disruption to enemy

rail-

ways by sabotage, was immense.

MODERN SAS SABOTAGE

Modern SAS sabotage operations usually
involve the disruption of enemy services,
supplies or industrial output by violent

means. Targets
political, social

may be chosen

for their

or economic impact, or

as

part of a larger military strategy to confuse,

hamper and

in the static

tie

down

defence of

troops engaged

vital installations

or the search for saboteurs. Occasionally

targets will

be non-attributable to avoid

escalation or to prevent the alienation

Left:

Haifa kilo

(11b)

of

ofSemtex plastic

explosive detonates underneath a

standard motorcar during a demolitions

184

test.

SABOTAGE: TARGETS
'

During the covert

neutral third parties.

SAS patrols into Indonesia

during the Borneo campaign in the
1960s, enemy forward bases and supply
infiltration

of

routes were frequently sabotaged, but the

fact

was kept

both

sides

guarded secret by

a closely

avoid

to

the

possibility

of

adversely affecting international opinion.

Later,

during the campaign to recover

the Falklands in 1982, plans were laid to

SAS troop in Chile, from where it

would have moved eastwards to attack
Argentine air assets on the ground. The
plan was eventually abandoned for a
number of reasons, not the least being the
effect that carrying the war to the South
American mainland might have had on
land an

Argentina's neighbours.

SPECIAL FORCES DEMOLITIONS

The SAS, along with other special

forces

most effeccommitted against

units, has discovered that the

tive

sabotage

that

is

strategic targets.

The

risks,

though, can be

very high.

were both founded

Services,

In 1985 France was forced to

concede
of

by

latter

in 1949, the

Golomb and

Eliahu

of the

Above: The tremendous power of modern

Shaul

explosives becomes abundantly clear after

1940s

the dust has settled.

Avigur,

the

the Greenpeace ship Rainbow Warrior in

Haganah

intelligence service, Shai.

Auckland harbour. On that occasion

France took a hawkish stance. Although

quickly developed a remarkable reputa-

tecting

tion for ruthlessness, but without

Often these

secret service complicity in the sinking

defence minister Charles

Henru

resigned

helped to secure the embryonic

and Admiral Lacoste, head of the security

Israel.

was sacked, the government

remained largely unrepentant. When two
agents, Major Alain Tourand and Captain
Sophie Turenge. were arrested, France
threatened New Zealand with economic
sanctions to secure their release. As a
result they were transferred to French mil-

in

services,

itary

custody and deported to the Pacific

island

of Hao to complete their sentences.

Despite

New

Zealand

protests,

Tourand

and Turenge were returned to France on

the grounds of

ill

health and released well

before their sentences were completed.

Both made

The

founders

Mossad

1954,

They
doubt

state

of

suffered a series of reverses

when

number of sabotage

operations within Egypt and Syria ended

in disaster.

However, with

the time top secret,

CIA

and at
support it was
limited,

propensity of Israel to resort to

when

she feels her securi-

age Service, and Mossad leAliyah Beth, the

Institution

for

Intelligence

and Special

size

of the

sible.

like

When

SAS

target, will
this

make

patrols will

intelligence-gathering

security services.
fair to say that

fully

trusts

it,

longer support

French and German

However,

it

is

probably

none of these institutions

and would certainly no
it

in acts

of sabotage.

SAS TARGETS
In a conventional

war SAS

targets for sab-

nuclear release
trol,

bridges,

rail

junctions or even dykes pro-

impos-

be inserted to destroy

all

British

service, as well as the

this

occurs specialist teams

MI6, the

if any; his command, concommunications and intelligence

centres; and his headquarters and vulnerable points along his main supply routes
(MSRs). These may take the form of

well

easily interdict-

However, occasionally
geographical constraints, the presence of
heavy anti-aircraft defences or the small
air.

teams

otage will include the enemy's means of

is

from flooding.

Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and

recover.

known. The

be imperilled

Israeli Intelligence

ed from the

be more

the target from the ground.

to

and Security Services

have always been unorthodox in their
interpretation of international law. Shin
Beth, the Security and Counter-Espion-

ty to

will

Today Mossad receives

help and support from the American
able

'surprising' recoveries.

overt sabotage

low-lying areas

Where circumstances permit, these

may be given multiple missions, not

of them relating to sabotage. Thus, dur-

SAS teams, includTwo Zero", were

helicoptered into enemy territory with
orders to locate and report the movement
of enemy Scud surface-to-surface missiles
(SSMs) along the MSRs. while destroying
ing the Iraq

War

three

ing the ill-fated 'Bravo

the underground communication links

between Baghdad and northwest Iraq.
'Bravo Two Zero* was given a strategic
task in locating and destroying the underground landlines. These landlines were

only way that the Iraqi

Saddam Hussein, had of getting
the

his

dictator,

orders to

Scud mobile launch teams in western

other communications methods

Iraq. All

185

ART

SAS

THE

WAR

OF

Left:

How to blow up a railway line.

course

when

they

such

targets,

important and

all

is

power

bridges and

as

SAS

the Regiment.

first join

Reconnaissance
static

All

and explosives

soldiers attend a demolitions

almost certainly be surveyed

stations, will

in peacetime. Prior to the disintegration

the Soviet Union, for example,

ly believed

it is

of

wide-

Spetsnaz (special forces)

that

teams frequently toured the West in the

and other organisa-

guise of sporting clubs

When

tions.

not participating in

chosen event they would

their

the

into

slip

countryside to examine the perimeters of

proposed

their

tination

and

It

was not

lost

en route

entry.

unusual for such teams to get

to a sports event,

vulnerable

for

targets

means of

points and

to arrive at their des-

having driven suspiciously, and

wholly unnecessarily, close to

had been destroyed by United Nations

aircraft

when

the pylons and transmitters

above ground had been knocked out. The

team was also ordered to destroy the

mobile Scuds if they could. The SAS soldiers decided to do this by disabling the
control centre in the middle of the Scud
launcher with explosives.

The

were to be

by making four or

six

cuts

along the cables and packing each with

explosives, each charge
at different

The

timed to detonate

times over a

charges

would

all

with

number of days.
be

laid

in

one

small

Elsie

booby

anti-personnel

man-

station or other site

of

power

strategic interest.

be

done to stop them, even

though the abuse was well known within
NATO, and it is likely that prior to the

positioned during the period of transition

ending of the Cold War the Soviet Union

mines used

to

trap the actual

hole covers.

Sometimes sabotage teams

to

war,

when

movement
cross the

landlines themselves

destroyed

night,

is

a
still

degree of freedom of
permissible.

They
and

will

house where they will colweapons and explosives. They

could boast

of

plans

some very comprehensive

number of extremely

large

important strategic

centres

throughout

western Europe.

at a safe

lect their

will

will

border unarmed and in plain

clothes, singly or in small groups,

meet

will

Litde could be

then use the period of confusion

which follows

the outbreak of hostilities

to lay their demolitions

and then escape.

NON-LETHAL USE OF EXPLOSIVES

is another aspect to the SAS use of

There

explosives,

and that

is

as

an aid to medical

evacuation and clearing landing

Borneo

the jungle. In

example,

in the

wounded SAS

sites

in

1960s, for

soldiers

were

often extracted by helicopter from land-

ing

sites

had been

that

cleared

with

explosives. Learning to clear landing sites

with explosives

is

taught to prospective

SAS

troopers during the jungle phase of

their

Continuation Training, even before

become fully fledged SAS men.

Andy McNab was one of those who

they have

received

this

more or

less

instruction:

straightaway

'We learned

how

to blow-

and winch holes,

because we might have to do it. If somebody broke his leg, we'd have to stabilize
him, cut a winch hole and wait for the
landing

Left:

sites

[LS]

A destroyed radar installation

in

Kuwait

during the Gulf War. Such targets are high on

the

186

list

of SAS wartime teams.

"When

helicopter.

blowing an LS for

b U

A b

way

the tree

said.

because

DS

the

"The higher

Stafi]

better,

ground the

the

the taller ones

as

explosive pack

and

it

fall they'll

them. The

called "packet echo"

is

wad of

a big

ask

chainsaws and

explosives and augers will be dropped,

enough

blow

to

a site.

"We went

out one

day with explosives to practise blowing

trees."

and

The

use of explosives

a science, as

McNab

both an

is

might require

it

art

discovered after

setting charges to a tree that

though

looked

as

substantial

quantity of explosives: 'There was a massive

explosion that shook the ground. The

tree

went

straight

peared from

up

The Lewes Bomb

in the air

is

In

North Africa during World War

Axis

airfields

behind the

lines. If

II.

David

SAS patrols targeted

enemy aircraft on the

Stirling's

they could destroy

SAS could have a strategic impact on the

Once a team had breached an airfields security and reached the aircraft.
the men needed an effective way of destroying them. One of the original
members of the SAS. Lieutenant "Jock" Lewes, came up with the answer. He
invented a simple explosive device for disabling enemy aircraft. Named after
ground, so the reasoning went, the
war.

him. the Lewes

in a

bomb

consisted of half a kilo (lib) of plastic explosive rolled

mixture of thermite from an incendiary

detonated by means of a
rately

on

nme

bomb and

pencil and detonator,

old engine oil. It was

which were carried sepa-

the approach to the target. The time pencil itself consisted of differ-

ent strengths of acid,

which

ate

the detonator at different rates:

through a wire connected to the plunger of

between 10 minutes and two hours.

and disap-

sight."

QUANTITIES OF EXPLOSIVE
The precise use of explosives
get

[Directing

the smaller ones with

take

for

falls."

long-term base, you can put direction on

the

H b b

very important, and

is

against a tar-

taught to

SAS

from day one. "Bravo Two Zero",

for example, went over the design and
layout of Iraqi Scud missiles and their
soldiers

launch vehicle in

detail.

Above

the

all.

team members did not want to blow up

the missile itself, as its warhead could be
filled

with chemical, biological or nuclear

agents

(the

team did not want

to

kill

themselves in the process of knocking out

the Scuds).

launchers

The

decision to destroy the

control station

fire

demanded

enough explosive to do the job

without damaging the missile itself.
It is a myth that large quantities of

placing

explosives are required to achieve results.

Enemv

example, can be ren-

aircraft, for

dered inoperable bv the precise place-

ment

ot

charges

on

their

nose cones,

engines, propellers, air intakes and undercarriages.

The

trick

is

them

to place

in

such a way that the detonation will cause

the

maximum

damage. This

calls

for prior

intelligence

and assessment of the

so that the

team on the ground

target

will

be

able to achieve the best results. Fortu-

the

nately,

more
first

World War

A wrecked aircraft

kilos of explosives

such as

this to a

much
when it

possesses

explosives than

tried sabotage in

Right:

few

Regiment

effective

II.

control tower.

can reduce a tower

charred

ruin.

187

ART

SAS

THE

WAR

OF

Types of Explosive
SAS soldiers use

Army PE4

a variety of high explosives on operations, ranging from British

to

Semtex. To use such materials requires a thorough knowledge of the properties of the
explosives themselves and detonation sequences.

soldiers are introduced to the use

SAS

during Continuation
and while a proportion of
and troopers will go on to

of explosives
Training,

NCOs

become demolition
undergo the

They
in

specialists,

will

all

introductory course.

basic

by

are instructed

their

own

experts

Hereford and elsewhere, and by outside

drawn from the Royal Logistic

Corps (formerly the RAOC), and from
Royal
Engineers
EOD (Explosive
Ordnance Device) Teams.

specialists

An

explosive

is

defined

liquid substance which,

on

a suitable stimulus (such as an

detonator),

or

as a solid

application of

exploding

converted in a very short

is

time into other, more stable substances,

development of

usually gases, with the

high pressure (an explosion). Explosives

greatly increase the potential for sabotage.

They may be of commercial manufacture

may be adapted to fulfil particular criteria. Thus a simple bomb
or improvised, and

can be given a deadly shrapnel effect by

nator or blasting cap

packing the explosives with

primary charge.

or broken

stones

nails,

However, military explo-

glass.

sives are

used mainly for demolition tasks

and

into

sives

fall

two

categories: high explo-

and low or incendiary' explosives.

produces

Upon

explosive

is

high

explosives

are

with the production of

gas,

a high-pressure,

high-speed shock wave which,

when

is

filled

volatile explosive

nator

now

An

to

be

is

not

detonating cord. Safety fuse

this

about

made

in the

or

explodes the primer, which in

electrical

a non-electrical firing

must be made

effected via a rime fuse

TNT

(trinitrotoluene),

C3 and C4

explosive/PE), Semtex, Amatol,

dynamite have therefore been

designed

not

to

explode

prior introduction of

188

(plastic

PE4 and

specifically

without

primer.

the

deto-

tube

250mm

embedded
blasting

in

cap

types

system detonation

is

connected to

non-electric blasting cap

um

two main

and non-electrical. In

have to be carried to their target they

as

(0.2in)

lines

flexible

is

comprises black powder encased in

itself

Once

material.

covered with
lit,

cord

diameter which

in

a fibre

waterproof

the fuse burns at a rate

of 36-47 seconds per

300mm

Detonating cord, or

required to set off high

explosives. There are in fact

Composition

5mm

wrapping,

tem.

'initiator' is

of initiator,

Tetrytol,

primary

wad of more
'primer'. The deto-

with

may be dropped and

safe to handle.

were carried by SAS teams behind the

during the 1991 Gulf War.

an explosion. In

stored safely in unsatisfactory conditions,

will almost certainly

Above: Elsie anti-personnel mines, which

(11.8in).

'det cord', pro-

vides the second, non-electrical firing sys-

As explosive charges may have

Substances such

sets off the

pro-

FUSES

and

it

turn activates the main charge.

perly harnessed, can be highly destructive.

inert

in the

explodes,

so inert that even this

charge and

detonation,

this

main charge. Occasionally the primary

instance a hole

converted instantaneously to heat and

embedded

shock wave that

sufficient to effect

HIGH EXPLOSIVES

is

When

(9. Sin)

a thin

alumini-

long - which

the explosive charge.

provides

the

be

The

detonating

impulse required to ignite the charge.

fuse itself can either

is

a safety fuse

comprises

It

a small

high-explosive

core protected by six layers of material,

and detonates

at

(19,680-26,250ft)

the

rate

cord, like the safety fuse,

non- electric blasting

the safety fuse

match or
ing

it

it

igniter,

of 6-8000m

per second.

cap.

is

The

det

connected to

However, unlike

cannot be ignited by

but must be fired by tap-

together with two primers and a

detonator,

which

The

a safety fuse

or a

electric

are then set off either

by

or an electrical current. In

firing

systems the blasting cap

SABOTAGE
two wires which

contains

rent

are

cap by a bridge wire.

in the

through

passed

is

OF

EXPLOSIVE

connected

When

the

TYPES

cur-

wires

the

bridge wire becomes hot and ignites the

charge within the cap, thus detonating the

main explosive charge.

Once

placed, charges can be ignited in

one of three ways: by the

firer lighting

the

or detonating the charge in close

fuse

proximity to the target; by means of a

timer,

whereby

ding

to

charge detonates accor-

timing

pre-set

device

(a

by

favourite with the SAS); or detonation

remote control. Timers may be impro-

and

vised or mechanical,

are not always

very reliable.

TIMERS
During World War II, for example,
Lieutenant 'Jock' Lewes invented the socalled Lewes bomb. In this the explosive
was detonated by means of a 'timepencil', in which acid eroded through a
metal wire in the pencil to release

which caused the

spring

explosion.

Variations of wire thickness resulted in

bombs with

of between 30 seconds,

fuses

and 30 minutes, duration. But the time

pencils

on Lewes bombs were notorious-

unreliable.

ly

More

terrorist

groups

'condom

fuse'.

condom which
It

is

Acid

is

introduced

then packed

the

placed inside a

then tied up

is

various

recently,

have

among

by

radio

transmission

detonates

the

charge prematurely.
Despite
electronics

all

the disadvantages, though,

has

revolutionised

They can now be

set for

nine seconds to 99 years.

their capabilities
tial,

they can also

themselves

at

Special Air Service.

It is

burn like a candle

set alight.

if

very inert:

it

will

timers.

any time from

And

Above: PE 4 plastic explosive, as used by the

to increase

and destructive potenlie dormant, restarting

various times in order to

recharge.
activated

At any given time they can be

by a radio signal, releasing a

charge that will

set off the explosive.

Military explosives

and

sizes,

each with

come
a

in

all

shapes

designated

task.

the end.

at

combustible

material and placed against the explosive.

As the acid burns through the rubber

walls

of the

condom

bustible material

main

the

ical

ignites the

com-

in turn detonates

explosive.

Electrical
reliable.

it

which

They

detonators are not always

are susceptible to

mechan-

damage, for example, and need to be

well greased to keep

something

that

is

them waterproofed,
SAS

often difficult for

teams operating in adverse conditions.

short-circuit or a break in the circuit

anywhere
ing

it

will render

them

useless,

advisable to have a back-up

mak-

form of

detonation available. In addition, they are

random frequency hazard

phenomenon by which a near-

susceptible to

(RFH),
Right:

length of detonating cord, one of

the initiators that is required to set off

high explosives.

189

ART

SAS

THE

WAR

OF

explosions. The

wheat

covered by

is

or coal dust, which

by the

vaporised

or

dispersed

is

main charge

flour, gasoline

first

explosion before igniting and saturating

the atmosphere inside the building with

burning material

To achieve

second explosion.

in a

maximum

the

among SAS

favoured trick

effect,

soldiers

to

is

what
means that

place a charge of plastic explosive in

is

known

on the

target the charge

wide. In

it is

down

shape. This

as a 2:1

way

this

is

twice

as

high

as

the shock waves go

into the target. Likewise with the

detonator. If it

placed

is

at

end of a

the

flat

charge, then a lot of the force of the sub-

sequent explosion will be

The most

way

effective

is

lost sideways.

to place the det-

onator on top of the charge so that the

down

shock waves go

into the target and

thus create the most destructive effect.

PICKING THE RIGHT TARGET

knowledge of explosives is not enough

for a special forces operator.

he chooses

that

It is

essential

his targets well to

produce

maximum damage
one

against
its

and inconvenience

much

enemy. Too

the

target

is

wasteful and denies

North Africa, while

of explosive might obliterate

craft,

of smaller delayed-action

series

on

carriage, cockpit or wings,

may

The

maximum

target damage,

to

bon

cause

which includes

charge', placed properly

a fissure

burning as well as cutting.

steel

may produce

in concrete or slice

beam.

It

through

will also prove excellent in

clearing a route through massed barbed

Simple

slab explosive

carefully if

it

is

must be positioned
through steel or

wire

reinforced concrete as intended.

employed

Form-

if fired

to cut

along the ground.

'saddle

charge' funnels

waves to produce

the shock

a cross fracture,

while a

taken to channel the explosive into, and

'diamond charge' cuts at right angles to

the explosives. Shaped charges, such as the
'beehive', concentrate the shock waves

not away from, the intended demolition.

onto

An

ear

ulae are

sufficient explosive

explosion

energy and,
easiest

route

charge

is

is,

if

to calculate that just

is

used, while care

in effect, an escape

allowed

to, will

of escape.

If,

placed in the open

is

of

seek the

a small target area to

tubular

activation o(

therefore, a

charges,

much of its

duces

a lin-

The simultaneous

fracture.

two diametrically opposite

known

twin

produce

as

shock

'counter-force', pro-

waves

which meet

force will be dissipated into the surround-

inside the target to cause internal destruc-

ing atmosphere and away from the target.

tion. Buildings

initiators

long length of explosive, such

190

as a 'rib-

may be

destroyed by dust

which produce two

distinct

the underdisable an

destruction of the

control tower or fuel stocks

the

a slab

a single air-

charges, strategically placed

entire squadron.

Above: Charges will be set

SAS quick-

use against another. As the

ly discovered in

to

used

explosive

enemy of aircraft cover

may

for a

deprive

few

vital

hours, enabling a friendly air strike to be

mounted

ground

against

assets.

section of railway track, unless

on

blown with

a train

tively easily

by teams of track

destruction of track

over
nel,

and

bridge or

it, is

at

it

is

replaced relalayers.

The

multiple points,

the entrance to a tun-

at

however, will maximise the damage

greatly

hinder

lines at least will

action), as

(wrecked

repairs

points and intersections

mean

that

two

be temporarily out of

well as disrupt the

enemy's

communications systems.
Inevitably, such

guarded, and

it

targets

will thus

will

be well

be necessary for

the bomber to be an expert in

Under certain circumstances

infiltration.
it

may be

possible to detonate a small, subordinate

SABOTAGE: TARGETS
some

charge

away

distance

draw the

to

guards from the main target, but

may

this

prove counterproductive, particularly

enemy

causes

rushed to the

reinforcements

if

it

be

to

area.

Faced with

a target

the demolitions expert

such

bridge,

as a

must identity the

weakest points which can be cut with

explosives to topple the structure.

It

is

often not necessary to destroy a bridge to

render

unusable

it

example,

weakened

to

bridge on an
that

it

enemy. For

the

MSR which

is

so

can no longer bear the

weight of armour or tracked

artillery

may

completely close that route to the enemy.

Cutting

the

load-bearing

piers

mav

amount of explobut charges laid carefully on the

require an inordinate
sive,

roadway close to the ends of

bridge

may

pended

a cantilever

cause the collapse of the sus-

span. Equally, the destruction of

the pylon-carrying towers

sion bridge, or the girder

on

suspen-

arms of

con-

tinuous span truss bridge, will cause insta-

and often collapse. Ironically, older

masonry bridges often cause the greatest

bility

problem. Their usually massive piers and

narrow spans require not only

relatively

the application of a considerable

amount

of explosive, but necessitate the charges

being drilled into the fabric for greatest
effect, a

noisy and

cumbersome

exercise

under the eyes of the enemy!

HOW MUCH EXPLOSIVE?

The development of more

sophisticated

demolition methods has meant that

teams

can

explosives

hit

they

more

targets

earn.-

SAS
the

with them. The

aforementioned 'diamond
example, meant that

with

charge",

for

charge weighing

only 1.36kg (31b) has the same explosive

effect as a solid
five

mass of explosive some

explosives carried

with the demoli-

soldiers tasked

able to call

upon

a considerable

where

resources in deciding

Where

their charges.

number of
the target

be overflown and stereoscopic pho-

will

on missions

imagers- analysts to establish

Above:

white phosphorus grenade

detonates. Carried by

SAS patrols,

it

is

device that can cause horrific injuries.

best to place

possible

tographs taken. These will be analysed by

times larger.

High

SAS

tion of a bridge or other structure will be

weak

points

includes

making

dummy

attacks against

power

nuclear and conventional

in the

United Kingdom,

trial facilities

as

stations

well as indus-

on mainland Europe. As well

can be surprisingly inert. PE4, for exam-

in the structure,

which was used by SAS teams in the

1 99 1
Gulf War, can even be set alight
without danger of it exploding. It can be
moulded in the hands, jumped up and
down upon and hit with a hammer. It will

tioning of the guard force. Engineers will

these exercises help in the planning of

then advise on the best position for the

defensive

the saboteur

is

final analysis

the assault team will be

not explode, though, not without a deto-

own,

ple,

means that SAS teams do not

worry about the explosive they

nator. This

have to

are carrying.

charges to be

reliant

earn out
-

its

The SAS

and the strength and posi-

laid.

far

on

However, the world of

from

its

perfect,

skills

and

brushing up on the Regiment's

get

on

has

its

its

men

in

demolitions and sabotage. This training

for

these

establish-

SAS soldier, to
the most out of modern explosives he
to be many things, not least a struc-

tural

must

mission.

measures

skills,

ments. For the individual

in the

and daring to

continually trains

as

engineer and
also

mathematician.

be an electrician to

set

and timers. And he must do

under the noses of the enemy.
tors

He

detonaall

this

191

ART

SAS

THE

WAR

OF

Booby Traps and Mines

SAS

All

soldiers are taught

how to

teams operating behind the

improvise explosives and set booby traps. For small-sized

lines,

it

SAS

teams operating behind the lines

cannot

run

the

risk

of sustaining
with

injuries in unnecessary encounters

the

enemy. They

resort to the laying

of booby

of mines and planting

and suspected
Such weapons are, how-

traps along tracks

supply routes.

ever, totally undiscriminating.

or

kill

often

therefore

will

maim

the

first

weight and

them and

will prove

with the

local, possibly

size

of

to encounter

and

Equally,

will

after the battle has

on,

causing

be placed along the anticipated route of a

reinforcement

patched from
a

party

Bounding Mine, which

the

left

the

AP
by

may

wire,

trip

be employed. The

also

the ignition of a

as

wire will cause

minor charge

of the mine. This will be

It

comes

only

is

when

and not the mine

second vehicle

mine

into contact with the

explodes. Although

that

it

mines were

such

designed primarily to combat

in

flails

front of tanks, they are equally effective

second and subsequent vehicles in

against
a

convoy.
Explosives

in the base

sufficient to pro-

activates the fuse

fashioned by an

can be

expert into very effective booby

traps.

known

moved

perhaps one metre (39in) in length.

of more obvious and conventional demo-

this has

litions.

ger

demolition

will

to

along a route

pel the

second wire,

Once
become taut it will activate a trigmechanism which will cause the mine

who

set

it off,

killing or severely

air,

may even

An

is

He

likely to panic.

be so mesmerised by

to

in buildings

inexperienced soldier finding

on

neutralising

imme-

he

will forget to

but also those in the

tracks

be used by the enemy,

to

the unfortunate victim

it

before

it,

and so intent

it

explodes, that

look for anything

else

unusual in the immediate area. Thus

ANTI-PERSONNEL MINES

may be possible to
as a lump of wood,

wounded

ignite the

will require

almost

tion,

evacuation

immediate attennecessitating

certainly

to

the

rear

area.

it.

The

move

find that he will

his

a vain

attempt to

soldier will be so excited

booby

trap,

the demolition with

the

and possibly

by

wood,
set off

it.

This will

of two of

necessitate the release

his

hide

it

trap

or other object placed

over the demolition in

has never

booby

disguise a

been the purpose of anti-personnel mines to kill. Rather, they are

intended to maim. A soldier who is badly
It

likely

is

diate vicinity.

taken by regular patrols or around the

perimeter of enemy bases. They

mine
itself.

about to be evacuated, or in the vicinity

American Claymore and

may be

of

are activated

slightest disturbance to the

maiming not only

PMN

dis-

to the site

generation jumping mines, such

to explode in the

as

be

to

major demolition. Second- and third-

vary

Russian

camp

base

its

according to circumstance. Pressure mines

such

likely

connected to the base by

inconvenience

techniques

an unwary enemy.

remain

friendly troops advancing.

Mine-laying

generate explosive materials from

These may be placed along

neutral, civilian

they

to

to set traps for

mine into the air, but not ignite

the main charge. The main charge will be

extremely unpopular

charged long
possibly

will

living creature

sufficient

population.

They

be able

is vital to

locally available materials,

his col-

BOOBY TRAPS

leagues to carry him, thus removing three

SAS

personnel from the immediate

percussion detonators for use in impro-

battlefield.

During the 1991 GulfWar the SAS

Two

'Bravo

patrol

Zero' took Elsie anti-person-

nel mines into

enemy

territory, to plant

them on booby-trapped manhole

covers.

Anti-tank mines by their nature are

large,

and

are therefore less

employable in

soldiers are issued

vised explosives or
tially

When

powerful spring drives

resulting

cause havoc, particu-

of second-generation manu-

it

facture

and has been

bler fuse.

is

The

first

fitted

with

which

into

the

a striker

percussion

mini-explosion

log,

primer.
is

or firing-

The

funnelled

through the narrow mouth of the firing

device and into the main charge.

Recently improvised explosive devices

trem-

vehicle to touch the

Essen-

the devices are activated, perhaps

by moving an innocent-looking
pin

(MSR) may

traps.

of

screwed into the explosive charge.

are

tank mine planted on an main supply

route

booby

a variety

these are camouflaged tubes

conventional sabotage. However, an anti-

larly if

with

have made their appearance on the

streets

of Northern Ireland. Typically, the spring

Left:

simple but effective booby

hand grenade on a
to

192

trip wire.

trap.

stick with its pin attached

of an otherwise conventional booby trap

is

secured in place by a poster or other

propaganda item pasted to

a post or wall.

SABOTAGE
and

Right: Inserting a fuse

trip

BOOBY TRAPS AND MINES

wire into a

Claymore mine. Claymores are used by the

SAS

The

for perimeter

poster

spring

down

torn

is

member of

ing

defence and booby

by

traps.

disapprov-

the security forces, the

and

released, the device activates

is

explodes in the face of the hapless target.

In

few instances the spring has been

replaced by a light-sensitive igniter.

poster

removed,

is

and the

bomb

is

The

light strikes the igniter

activated.

Primitive animal traps were adapted as

anti-personnel

devices

Borneo and by both

Concealed

pits,

by the SAS
sides in

in

Vietnam.

lined with punji stakes

and smeared with pig excrement, were

capable of inflicting deep leg wounds,

with the attendant risk of blood poisoning.

Man-traps, activated by a trip wire

and designed to impale an unwary enemy,

were constructed from sharpened bam-

boo or hardwood
scaffolding

spikes

and concealed

mounted on

in the foliage.

During World War II. numerous small

sabotage were undertaken, partic-

acts of

by railway workers in Nazi-occu-

ularly

ammunition dumps. They are easy to

ignite, burn with a very intense heat and
are difficult to extinguish. Most are also
small, and therefore relatively easy to conceal. Military incendiaries

pied Europe. Sand poured into axle grease

sisting

chambers brought rolling stock

collectively

grinding

halt.

coastal defences,

for building

ensured that

and

hollowed out and

tuve.

when

it

filled

Nazi

tailed to

some extreme

in

dissolved in the rain. Logs

rigged to

Later sugar, thrown into the

cement mix destined

set properly,

to

cases

These

of

use a fuse con-

mixture of chemicals

ignite

as

the

easily

'first-fire

mixture*.

fire

mixture'.

By

is

is

consumed, the

On
ion

operations

booby

For example,

a trip

soldiers will fash-

and when required.

wire attached to the

pin of a standard-issue hand grenade

enough

is

to cause severe injuries to a pur-

suing

enemy

track

along

the time the incendiary

SAS

traps as

main charge or 'main-

be

target should

roaring inferno.

suffi-

and slowly reach

combustion temperature which

cient to ignite the

known

device

patrol, as
a

trail.

is

One

a simple spear

of the most

important aspects of being able to fashion

booby

traps

is

an active imagination.

and coal bricks,

with explosive

detonator and match-head

left to

be shovelled into fac-

tory furnaces caused considerable

damage

German economy. There is no reawhy a future resistance movement,

to the

son

properly motivated and trained by such

an invading

enemy

as

wreak havoc among

the SAS, could not

again.

LOW EXPLOSIVES
Low explosives, although less dramatic,
when properly employed are as effective
as

high explosives in the world of sabo-

tage.
as

Low

explosives,

more

usually

known

incendiary devices, are used to

fires

Right:

in

buildings, stores,

start

oil-depots

or

The Claymore mine consists of 350

metal balls embedded

in

a convex charge

of plastic explosives.

193

COMBAT SURVIVAL
Polar Regions
All

SAS soldiers

are instructed

how to

survive in polar regions. This

is

part of their training

against one of the deadliest foes of all special forces soldiers: nature. In the freezing wastes
of polar regions

prospective

All

combat

SAS

receive

soldiers

instruction during

survival

Continuation Training, and throughout

their careers in the

Regiment

will attend

refresher courses so that they can survive

any terrain in the world.

in

environment

snow and

is

One

such

terrain.

ice

Nowhere in the world is the windchill

more potentially lethal than in areas

factor

such

as

the Arctic,

where exposed skin can

freeze in seconds.

The

rules for surviving in such areas

movement should be kept to a

minimum, as a survivor will burn off a
huge number of calories and will sweat
far more than usual. Improvised snowshoes, made of willow or other spongy
are simple:

wood,

are essential.

navigation

difficult.

Poor
In

visibility

summer

makes

the mass

of thawing bogs and swamps will make

movement

difficult,

and

in winter

white-

(when the clouds are so dense that

they cause the sky to merge with the land
outs

cause total disorientation) are

to

mon.

com-

In the Arctic itself the proximity

the Magnetic

of

North Pole makes naviga-

tion by compass impossible.

MOVEMENT
Routes have
avoid

to

natural

Where

be chosen carefully to

obstacles

such

as

bogs.

possible they should follow the

route of a river, as there will be fish in the

life on the banks to eat.
However, the survivor should not attempt

stream and plant

to

make

a raft.

Many

and dangerous, and

It is

unwise to

rely

Arctic rivers are fast

all

are extremely cold.

on landmarks; snow-

Right: In Arctic terrain

SAS soldiers must

guard against hypothermia,

frostbite and,

curiously enough, sunburn

and sunstroke.

194

life

can be extinguished

in a

matter of minutes.

COMBAT SURVIVAL: POLAR REGIONS

falls

and

them

resultant whiteouts can obliterate

in seconds.

It

important to keep the body well

is

covered

times and to protect the fin-

at all

gers (frostbite

is

dangerous enemy and

can lead to gangrene;

it

can be staved off

by wrinkling the face to stop

stiff

patches

forming, dressing inside the sleeping bag,

brushing snow off clothing before entering the shelter and not touching metal

with bare hands).

There

are other dangers besides frost-

such

bite,

as

and

dehydration,

hypo-

thermia (which leads via violent shivering

and

irrationality,

to

of purpose,

loss

unconsciousness and death).

and

it

in

therefore essential that

is

when

survivors,

not easy

of hypothermia

to recognise the onset

oneself,

It is

look

travelling in pairs,

out for the signs in each other. Attention

personal hygiene

to

to

also

essential

if

damp

clothing)

is

is

trench foot (caused by

be avoided.
Arctic

survivors

require

constant

supply of food and water. Water

is abunmust be purified before drink-

dant, but

not to eat snow or

ing. Survivors are told

them

ice if they are thirsty (melt

first),

since this lowers the body's temperature,

and to avoid consuming frozen sea water

unless
ish

it is

and

old, has

turned bluish or black-

shatters easily

then

(it is

salt-free).

FOOD AND SHELTER

hunt for food the SAS survivor

In the

must be

careful

of animals.

Many

are ex-

tremely dangerous and should be avoided

at all costs.

musk ox

Bear, walrus and

in

particular can inflict lethal injuries if pro-

However,

voked.

if

large

animal

is

caught some of the meat should be pre-

example, they will remember that the

Above:

served for future use by freezing, but

superstructure poles must be the strongest

construct improvised Arctic shelters, as well

it is

important to skin and gut the carcass

while

still

warm.

Ice fishing can prove

as

everything else

shelter has

on

been

rests

on them. Once the

built, the

sleep

hole should be cut above deep water, a

or dry grass and not on the ground.

hook

baited and lowered. However, the

should be attached to

avoid

it

a stout stick to

Getting out of the wind and into tem-

possible

is

soldiers are therefore taught

all

as

quickly

essential in polar regions.

how

as

SAS

to build

kinds of shelter from materials avail-

able. If

manufacturing

shelters

a tree shelter, for

about 45 x

cm

use as a

50cm

(18 x 20in) and 10-20

(4-8 in) thick; ideally blocks should be

toilet.

interior temperature
will result in

equipped

permit dig

loss,

and

if

regions.

circumstances

connecting snow cave for

for

snow accuas this may

Inside the shelter survivors should be

Keep the entrance

small as possible to

Watch out

able to see their breath; if not

With

minimise heat

snow and ice

how to

cause a cave-in.

cut from vertical surfaces to reduce strain.

as

find food in

mulating on the shelter roof,

from snow blocks. Again

the rules are simple: each block should be

being pulled into the water.

porary shelter, however basic,

insulating material such as spruce

Survival above the tree line involves

making

how to

instructed on

trooper will

highly successful in the hunt for food; a

line

as

SAS soldiers are

regions,
in

one

it

means the

too warm, which

condensation and melting.

these basics
to

is

live

SAS

soldiers are fully

and survive

in

and to get back to friendly

polar
lines

piece.

195

ART

SAS

THE

OF

WAR

Mountains
Ever since the Jebel Akhdar campaign
fight in the high peaks.

priority is to

Weather

conditions

regions are erratic.

encounter snow,

must
and

also

ice

commonly during

Regiment

occur

winter, usually

falls

most
on the

leeward side of slopes ranging from 30-45

degrees. If caught

in

down

backpacks

and high winds; he

Avalanches

very

mountain

be aware of avalanches, rock

crevasses.

get

is

survivor will

in

But it

an avalanche the

in the late 1950s,

out of danger

advises

towards the

and

its

side.

and

They

their

mouths

may be

they can
the

first

Movement during

to discard their
try

to

work

ibility

or

night

at

is

periods of poor vis-

During

inadvisable.

daylight hours the survivor must survey

keep their heads

the entire area thoroughly and then head

shut. In addition,

for a valley. Glaciers should be avoided if

they should save their strength until the

avalanche loses

and

remain out of harm's way.

are told to turn

their backs to the force,

up and

to

men

skis

SAS soldiers have shown

survive in mountain regions,

difficult to

momentum, when

they

able to dig slowly to the surface.

possible, since the crevasses they contain

naked

are often invisible to the

group SAS

eye. If in a

soldiers will rope themselves

when on Fortuna
on South Georgia during the

together, like they did

Glacier

Falklands War. If a survivor

crevasse speed

but

it

may

always

to

sending the

across

safety.

on

person

man

stomach to

his

weight over

soldiers

them

cross

lightest

doubt one

in

SAS

be wary of bridges over

are taught to

When

him,

take three people to haul an

unconscious person to

crevasses,

into

falls

essential to rescue

is

singly,

over
will

first.

slither

distribute the

a larger area.

CLIMBING AND DESCENDING

In mountain regions zigzag routes are

used on steep slopes, which

and

safer

hill

climb.

is

less tiring

than a straight uphill or

The

down-

should be

lead person

changed frequently, as he has to choose

the route of travel and will get tired more
quickly than the
rules are:

rest.

The

the rear to check the route;

that the lead
all

other travel

keep an experienced person

man cannot

at

do not assume

get

lost;

ensure

items of equipment, especially ice axes,

are secured

whether

in use or not;

a cold night, as
stable

will

and

less

snow and

and

morning

possible travel in the early

ice will

if

after

be more

exhausting, because they

be firmer.

Survivors

attempting

climbing

rock

should conserve energy by keeping the

centre of gravity over the feet, thus pass-

ing the strain to the legs and not the arms.

For the same reason the hands should be

Left:

Mountainous regions are

threatening dangers, such as

full

avalanches, ice and high winds.

196

of life-

snow

MOUNTAINS

COMBAT SURVIVAL
no higher than shoulder level. It is important to watch where the feet are placed
and to keep three points of contact with
the rock, and to think ahead, to move
slowly and rhythmically and always test

ground on the stomach

try to get into

some

holds for

mountain

is

stability.

Mountainous areas are predominantly

snow and ice and offer little help in
the construction of natural shelters. SAS

rock,

soldiers are told to dig into the

there

is

no

shelter

sleep with the

head

snow

if

among

the rocks, to

uphill,

and on stony

fort.

from

a plastic

to

SAS soldiers have

beware of crevasses, as well as keeping

watch

for the

enemy.

side

important point

it is

sort

is

will provide

snow

snow

warmth and

and

may

can

Another

cave.

a fire,

also

be

psychological support.

Food
tains,

is

at all

is little

on the high

to

in

moun-

be had (and

peaks).

SAS

sol-

are

mountain goats and

soldier.

These animals

them

are very

approach. That

difficult to

said,

moving

by

surprised

be

kill

the stealth-like qualities of an

all

downwind when

wary
they

quietly

they are feeding with

However, survivors

their heads lowered.

are told not to chase these animals as they

are

another problem

because there

SAS

If the
it

the building of

mountains

the

sheep on the lower slopes. To

requires

imperative to

of shelter.

covered

be possible to build

none
Below: On the high slopes

bag or other material.

Because of the wind,

which

com-

for greater

sleeping bag can be improvised

extremely sure-footed and

can

this

result in twisted ankles or worse.

major danger

the mountains

in

the threat of being hit by lightning.

diers have their survival packs in their belt

attracted to

kits, but it may be necessary to supplement them. The onlv food to be had in

survivors

exposed

It

is

is

summits and pinnacles, and

told

are

to

and

ridges

water and lone trees in

Overhangs and

summits,

avoid

gullies
a

containing

thunderstorm.

recesses in

cliffs

do not

offer protection against a discharging current,

and wet ropes and metal equipment

thunderstorm

will attract lightning. In a

survivors are instructed to adopt a sitting

position with the knees
the chest,

which

is

drawn up

against

the best protection

against earth currents.

The

soldiers

on Fortuna Glacier had

to

be evacuated by helicopter to save their

lives,

and the advice

mountainous

terrain

is

to

survivors

in

down

to

to get

civilisation as quickly as possible.

Below: The high winds

in the

mountains can

freeze flesh during the winter. Gore-tex

clothing can help prevent this danger.

197

ART

SAS

THE

WAR

OF

Desert Regions
Desert regions are extremely harsh environments, characterised for the most part by high
temperatures and lack of water

SAS survival doctrine teaches

quickly as possible, as well as to stay alive from the

Deserts

25cm

may

potential civilisation, although rescue

sand, although

common

in

physi-

Their average annual

vary from between zero and

and

dictable. Flash

is

completely unpre-

when normally

flooding,

dry streams (wadis)

fill

with fast-flowing

water and empty almost

at

once, are very

and should never be discount-

ed. Vegetation

is

generally

scarce,

but

The low cloud density will compound with the abnormal daylight
skies.

brightness to offer amazing

characteristic

should be ignored

the desert are:

at all times;

wander deep

become

into the desert,

train in desert

of the

their careers, mostly in the

Temperature extremes

are

profound

in

In the

Gobi Desert

may drop

to

Emirates and

common

opportunities to

environments throughout

United Arab

Oman. Wherever

they

On

made

features such as roads, railways

North African Sahara

(136 degrees

F).

highs

These,

of 58

how-

They

pipelines.

all

are

deserts.

For example,

criss-crossed

also contain

by manand

rudimentary

nomadic tribesmen.
be taught to be constandy on the

trails

for the

They

will

local

that distances

seem to
Other travel rules in
avoid the midday sun, travfurther than they

the evening or at night; be

el if possible in

ground

careful if the

movement

add to

is

mounmay make

rocky or

impossible; avoid loose

and seek shelter on the

fatigue;

leeward side of

move through
At night

train,

deserts

to

remember

to

sand or rough terrain, which will only

though, they learn survival principles that

are

and

the untrained eye.

further

DESERT TRAVEL
SAS soldiers get many

ex-

troopers are told

tainous, since a twisted ankle

lost.

most

may experience summer

degrees

hopelessly

where they

China the temperminus 10 degrees C

in

(minus 50 degrees F) in the winter.

the other hand, the

they have

caused unsuspecting travellers to

SAS

not to underestimate the climate or the

may be much

often

may

Travelling in the desert can be

tremely hazardous.

terrain

lakes

they are a source of

as

be some considerable distance away.

and mountains can be 'seen' in

the distance. For the survivor mirages
hills,

presence of water within 0.6-0. 9m (2-3ft)

the desert and vary according to latitude.

which may lead to the forin which non-existent

have

surface.

visibility,

still

mation of mirages

where it does exist may indicate the presence of a high water-table. Cactus and
common sage have no bearing on the
water level, but palm trees indicate the

ature

hand.

look out for these

(lOin)

common

to

ever, will fall drastically at night as the sur-

characteristics.

rainfall

get out of the sun as

face rapidly cools beneath the clear night

other respects they share

cal

to

Not

earth's land surface.

composed of

are

all

men

occupy approximately one-

of the

fifth

its

meagre resources

it

and do not

is

However,

magnetic rock

try to

possible to navigate

moon; by day with

the stars and

pass.

hills

sandstorms.

by

com-

in certain deserts localised

may

piles

able inaccuracy, so

it

is

lead to consider-

important to use

landmarks to prevent walking in

though with the warning

circles,

that local fea-

tures will vary considerably after a sandis imminent troopers are

mark the route a simple stick to
indicate direction will suffice - and above

storm. If a storm
told to

all

what

to look at

want

is

there, not

what they

to see.

DESERT CLOTHING
Clothing

moving

extremely important

is

in desert areas.

especially

the

The

head, should be covered

against sunburn, heat, sand

-----

During SAS
-

'

~7

when

entire body,

and

insects.

desert training, for example,

the instructors

protected

make

much

as

sure that the

as possible

men

hostile

environment. This means

body

covered. Desert camouflage cloth-

is

worn

all

the

and the instruc-

ing

is

Left:

Deserts are very harsh environments in

which

at all times,

to fight,

being subject to wide

temperature extremes and lack of water.

198

are

from the

COMBAT SURVIVAL: DESERT REGIONS

make

tors

down and

sure
legs

that

sleeves

are

covered (not only

rolled
is

sun-

of oases and dry

plants,

such

as

burn painful it's also an offence in the

Regiment). All flesh is covered: hats or
shemaghs (Arab headgear) are worn, and

and carrion flowers,

camouflage cream

are poisonous.

During

is

desert

applied to the face.

training

survival

neck

tion: ensure that the

times; boots

covered

All desert animals are edible but have

ed

at

and socks should be removed

by

lifting

up

stones. If circumstances per-

oughly shaken before being put back on

rabbits

in case a scorpion or spider has crawled

ing a

into them; sunglasses or goggles should be

ible

fire at

trapped, and

their lairs

by build-

the entrance. Snakes are ed-

but are also often venomous.

made by scooping

only to smear soot below the eyes to

filling

with

it

from the

may be

imagination. Boiling pots

little

neglect eye protection in general, even if

damage from

may be

smoked from

Cooking may be improvised with

possible (they can be improvised

from spare clothing or bark); and do not

attract-

night with a small light, or gathered

mit, rabbits and birds

if

may be

to be caught. Insects

first

only in the shade, and should be thor-

worn

eat-

oured sap should be avoided because they

at all

is

make good

also

but flowers that have milky or col-

ing,

the

instructors impart other useful informa-

conventional

lakes. Less

wild gourds, prickly pears

hole in hard ground,

leaves,

and

adding hot stones

(120 degrees F) he will be able to walk no

with water.
Although they take longer to make,
Dutch ovens are excellent and protect the
meat from the unwelcome attention of
flies and birds. Their construction
is
taught to SAS soldiers: dig a hole and
place hot stones in the bottom, the meat
should be placed on top of the coals and

more than perhaps 8km (5 miles) without

collapsing. To preserve water an SAS sol-

covered with

should then be

filled in

avoid

glare.

DESERT CLOTHING
Food and water are crucial
the desert. Without water

man

will die within

to survival in

the strongest

60 hours

in the ex-

treme heat of the Sahara. At 48 degrees

dier

told to remain fully clothed

is

move

as

slowly

as possible, to

ing and to drink in

sips

and

avoid wash-

in the desert frequently flows

underground.

It

flows downhill, encour-

ages vegetation and creates grooves, creek

beds and canyons

when

hours.

When

flash-flooding.

Survivors therefore seek out dry river or

lake beds, locate the lowest point

and then

dangerous animals.

once to allow the water to

Greenery and vegetation often

indicate the presence of permanent water

sources,

and

cacti,

although not indicators

of water, may prove valuable sources of

water in themselves.

The

other desert plants, such

duce

limited

affording

as

leaf stems

of

pigweed, pro-

supply of water while

much-needed

nutrition.

The men are instructed to eat only

when necessary in a survival situation, and
then

avoid

protein-rich

foods

require water for digestion.

produces

many

and

which can be found

dates,

hole

the

can

cause

intense

The

which
desert

edible foods, such as figs

in the areas

skin

humidity sweating

ing fully clothed

at

plants are pro-

which

irritation

if

centipedes and caterpillars,

are poisonous, are

all

to

be

It

effective treat-

and

minimum. Remaintimes will help.

all

Heat exhaustion, caused by an excessive

loss of water and salt, can be fatal if
untreated. The victim should be placed in
the shade, his legs should be elevated and

he should be massaged to return blood to

the heart.

given

Where

caused

stroke,

cool

ability to

potentially

possible he should be

quantities

large

when
itself by

fatal.

The

Heat-

drink.

to

body

the

swearing,

loses

its

equally

is

patient should be

placed in the shade and his

no immediate

it

not always be

will

will nonetheless occur,

a

tasty.

desert conditions,

in

avoid contracting any diseases.

should be kept to

will

avoided by the survivor.

is

When serving

imperative to maintain personal hygiene to

meat

touched. Although most insects are edi-

There

is

apparent.

the desert are occa-

Many

Above:

for sever-

tected by sharp thorns or spines,

some of which

the sand appears wet, digging

collect).

left

sioned by heat, poisonous vegetation and

rock

at

cloth;

and

retrieved the

DESERT CLOTHING
The main dangers in

ble, ants' nests,

(if

damp

not only be tender but often

dig into the ground with a spade, stick or

should cease

filling

only to avoid

wastage and stomach cramps.

Water

al

fire

body temper-

ature lowered as quickly as possible. His

ment for scorpion bites, the effects of

which are immediate. The best remedy is
to remain calm - most adult victims of

sprinkled with water from head to foot.

scorpion bites recover. Likewise with spi-

shelter

der

bites:

although extremely painful, they

are rarely lethal.

Many

varieties

of ven-

clothing should be removed and his

It

is

best time to build a shelter

the

early

energy.

desert.

In

high

major danger

temperatures

in the

and low

morning,

when

wear boots and keep hands away

from crevices (most bites are below the
knee or on the hand or forearm).
is

troopers that

The

night

Dehydration

all

very important in the desert.

is

omous snakes may be found in the desert.

The survivor's best protection is to take
care,

impressed upon

body

way

is

during

evening or

the temperature

cool, in this

By

late

at

relatively

is

the survivor preserves

on
knowledge and survival
soldier is fully equipped
relying

their
kits,

thorough
even-

to deal

SAS

with

all

the hazards that a desert environment can

throw

at

him.

199

ART

SAS

THE

WAR

OF

Tropical Regions
The
skills

SAS was
it

'reborn' in the tropical jungles of

SAS soldiers have

There
Malaya

two SAS jungle

are

is

most important,

the

the SAS's strong

these

reflecting

with that country

ties

people. There are two types ofjun-

and

its

gle,

primary and secondary. Primary jun-

gle consists

of tall

trees

up

in

the early 1950s. The jungle survival

endured. Today the Regiment's jungle survival

to

The

training

Of

Malaya and Belize.

areas:

Malaya

has amassed since then have been the result of many often hard-learned lessons which

60m

(200ft)

first

thing that the

do when the new

is

on

try

to

be their

Everything

is

comes

it

get

many

time in such an

first

environment, and

their

to

acclimatised to the jungle. For

will

this

instructors

recruits arrive

jungle survival course

them

SAS

skills

as

shock.

different: the climate (high

are second to none.

two-week acclimatisation programme.

The instructors collect all the edible
and animals from the jungle

plants, fish

them all out for the men to see. In

this way the men know what they can
and cannot eat. The rules are fairly simple.
and

lay

men

For example, the

humidity), the trees and plants, and the

away from anything

dense jungle canopy that stops sunlight

animals.

As a jungle instructor states:

wet all the time from the humidthe jungle is full of creepyity, and
crawlies. As a result, a lot of people can't

coloured. This

'You're

toxicity.

hack

ground

in

height, with

their

reaching the floor. As

tle

undergrowth,

visibility

jungle

down

is

ground

it is

to

forming

leaves

a result, there

is lit-

dark and damp, with

50m

(164ft).

Secondary

where sunlight reaches the

(usually in clearings

river banks).

As

result

and around

there

is

often

thick undergrowth, with ferns, grasses and

vines
10ft).

growing

to a height

of 2-3m

Moving through such

often slow and exhausting.

it.'

terrain

(7is

how

recruits are taught

water in the jungle.

to find

Though

the

they will be

how

usually an indication of

is

coloured

Brightly

Though

men

the

sheets,

it

is

to live off

provide

These include
and banana

vines,

plants.

drinking water.

bamboo, coconuts

The

instructors will

the importance of purifying water

stress

obtained from streams and the

There

is

also

and

to sleep. Large animals, reptiles

insects use the jungle floor to travel

on. Therefore, recruits are advised to build

enable

a raised shelter to

more

easily

jungle plants are edible, such

are

Many

as tropical

yams, coconuts and papaya. Simi-

fruits,
larly,

some

obtained than others.

They

them

in trees can

crashing
are

will

be instructed

how

to kill

and for larger animals, how to

construct spear and pit traps to catch wild

snakes,

and

coconut

a site.

lethal if

trees

at

Dead
comes

a falling

are

coconut can

kill!

vine that has barbs

leaves,

nests

as

all

costs,

made from

Shelters themselves can be

atap, a

it

down, and hornet and wasp

be avoided

to

be

to sleep off

be advised to

at

elephant

each end,
grass

and

bamboo. Recruits will be taught how to

make them waterproof by arranging the
leaves in a thatched fashion, or

bamboo

by cutting

stems in half and laying them

alternately to interlock with each other.

SAS squadrons about

in

undergo jungle
cedure

is

survival

training, the

as

part

normal pro-

ered the main threats in the jungle, and

of the squadron's

are an important aid to

tropical survival as they contain

bottles

and a survival kit.

Though

snakes and large wild animals are consid-

they are of course ever-present, an

soldier's

main

enemy, are

SAS belt kits

time

dan-

to

for the instructors to construct a

camp

JUNGLE DANGERS
The instructors spend a lot of
impressing upon the men the main
gers they will face in the jungle.

deer.

men

For

Left:

will also

snakes and insects can also be eaten.

The men

pigs

wood

three-lobed

like.

an abundance of food

sources in the jungle, though

to

materials, as well as providing information

on where

look above before selecting

that

bags,

them how

not much of a problem in the

As well as the surface water from
streams, lakes and swamps, there are severis

jungle.

plants

with

issued

are

ponchos and sleeping

the ground.

al

for

frogs,

instance, are extremely poisonous.

the land in the event of an emergency.

Water

stay

brightly

is

construct shelters from locally available

food and

equipped with personal equipment,

urged to

that

the instructors will teach

FINDING FOOD AND WATER

During their 4-6 weeks in the jungle,

imperative that they learn

200

are

water

adversaries, aside

insects that transmit diseases or

have poisonous bites and

threats therefore
spiders,

SAS

from the

stings.

come from

The

fleas,

mam

mites,

mosquitoes, leeches, scorpions,

COMBAT SURVIVAL: TROPICAL REGIONS

abounds with

Right: The jungle

catch

is to

monkey trap

off his

food, the trick

Here, an Iban tribesman

it.

in

shows

Borneo.

even-

wasps, bees and ants. In the jungle

thing thrives, and that includes bacteria

and

infections.

up

to cover

It

therefore imperative

is

to prevent being scratched,

stung and bitten.

In addition, the diseases prevalent in

the jungle pose a constant threat. These

include bilharzia

or bladder),

of the bowel

disease

(a

hookworm

peneamoebic dysentery (transcontaminated water and un(larvae that

trate the skin),

mitted via

cooked food), malaria (an insect-borne

and typhus (transmitted by body

disease),

or

lice

raft fleas).

PERSONAL HYGIENE
Before they go to the jungle the soldiers
are

immunised

against infections, but the

instructors stress the importance of per-

must be
oppor-

sonal hygiene. Scratches and cuts

cleaned and dressed

tunity,

at the earliest

and each man must keep

and clean

area as dry

fungal

In

infections.

his groin

as possible to

addition,

prevent

human

waste must be dealt with efficiently 'We

the recruits to shit in

tell

a river if

fish will eat

it.

they

That way the

can, just like the locals do.

you

Alternatively, if

are in

the jungle, scrape away the earth with

your boot, have

the earth.

afterwards.

a crap,

Some

guys use four-by-two

what we use

rag,

then smooth over

important to clean your arse

It's

to clean the

weapons

with, for toilet paper, while others tear

one of their pockets off and use that.'

By the end of their survival course,

SAS

soldiers will

tropical

be

fully able to live in a

environment. Over 50 years of

jungle warfare and survival experience

has

made

the

SAS one of the

units in the world,

and

surprising

the

that

it is

Americans

Australians send their best

SAS

men

and

to attend

courses in the Far East and Latin

America.
diers

best jungle

therefore not

It is

no boast

who wear

the

to say that the sol-

Winged Dagger

made

the jungle their

Right:

have

own.

golok, the extremely useful long

jungle knife carried by every

SAS soldier

involved in tropical missions.

201

ART

SAS

THE

Survival at
The sea has claimed the

lives of

others due to training accidents.

three-quarters of the earth's

surface

man

is

does not find

ment. However,
it

covered by water, and

it

SAS

a natural

environ-

instructors stress that

possible to survive at sea

is still

hering to

few golden

by adnever

rules. First,

both relax and

actions taken before going into the

water can often be the difference between

living
ing,

warm

and dying. Putting on

wrapping

cloth-

towel around the neck,

taking a torch, and grabbing

some sweets

survival. In addition,

close to

it

Once

is

- and

float

and jumping

in the water a survivor should

body is more buoyswim on the back, which

than swimming face-down. If
a relaxed

try to

less tiring

the water

throwing something

will save precious energy.

keep calm
ant

will

is

cold, survivors are urged to

controlled. For example,

drink nothing on the

it is

advisable to
adrift,

and

then no more than 400cc (14oz) per

day.

day

first

Fluid loss can be reduced by eating mini-

need regular atten-

and resting as much as posDrinking alcohol and smoking

should be avoided; instead, the survivor
should suck on a button to stimulate saliva and reduce the desire to drink. The

such

bleeding off the

as

air if

the

raft

expands in hot weather, and top up the

air

contracts in the cold or at night. If

it

there

no

is

raft,

survivors are urged to

huddle together with other survivors for

warmth, or
gently

and pull them

stomach, which will

the

into

reduce body heat

loss considerably.

DANGERS AT SEA
There

many

are

mally, sleeping
sible.

golden rule

such

at sea,

as

and hypomajor threat in

fish

be used

SAS

group

in a

in the

swimming
never

strokes,

fish. If

that

as bait,

if

Seaweed

act as a violent laxative if the

frantic

move-

irregular

threatened

move

not used to
absorbs

when

rich in nutrition, but

is

it!

water,

RAFTING SHORE

shark off by kick-

or by vigorously striking

it

with

hard object on the snout.

Many

other

fish in

is

sea

of the dangers concerning survival

beaching

is

raft.

SAS

how to make a shore landing on a

which can be more difficult than

doubt leave

unknown

raft,

expected. For example,

if

the surf is strong

a risk that the raft will capsize. If

is

species alone. Jellyfish should be avoided,

this

so the

many of which

that has a sandy, sloping surface

stung

if

in

can

inflict

remove the

painful stings. If

tentacles

from

wound immediately but do not

wound or rub it with anything
Soap,

lemon

even urine

juice,

may

the

suck the
abrasive.

baking powder and

alleviate the pain.

is

is

the surf

is

crew should look for

is

important

not to do so with the sun shining into the

eyes, or to attempt a landing

and rocky

where there

cliffs.

climates landings should only be

sea ice

when

In colder

made on

the floes are large and stable,

while icebergs should be avoided

Left: It is

lost

more men

has on

202

a little-known fact that the

training in the

live operations.

SAS has

water than

it

beach

and where

gentle.

When making a landing it

are coral reefs

most precious commodity, and the survivor must preserve it

Fresh water

at

soldiers are

there

told:

eaten

scarce.

taught

the oceans are poi-

sonous or dangerous to touch. Troopers

are

is

towards,

One

it,

should not be

it

drinking water

it

body

seaweed

In addition, since

succeeded in warding

poten-

they can be attracted to the

may

essential use regular

also

but not in such quantities

not away from, the shark. People have

ing

may

raft.

is

buckles

as

fish

attracts sharks! All birds are

it

food

tial

from caught

stay as quiet as pos-

ments, which remind the shark of an

injured

improvised

water bunch together

and face outwards;

sible. If

rules for dealing

the water are as follows: if

with

night

at

thermia. Sharks can be a

if in

of ed-

full

hooks, and bright objects such

for bait. Offal

tropical waters; the

never drink sea water.

which can be caught by passing

a net under the raft; fish and turtles often
shelter in the shade there. Use a torch to

hostile fish, starvation, thirst

with them

is

ible fish,

attract

dangers

at sea

Fortunately the oceans are

cross the legs

and e+iocolate can increase the odds of

wooden which

must be severely

at all costs. Fluid intake

everyone can be given different jobs to

if

safety.

important

in the raft then

is

do. Rafts themselves

why
The

trooper should not reach

it is

keep the mind

try to

occupied. If a group

tion,

and once secure look

try to get into a raft,

up hope; armed with his resources,

and a degree of luck, there is no reason
give

years, some on operations and

most unforgiving of environments, and the Regiments
accord it a great deal of respect.

the

for other survivors. In a raft

to

Sea

many SAS soldiers over the

It is

soldiers

Nearly

WAR

OF

costs. It

is

ironic that

when

many

at

all

survival fatal-

But

ities

occur

SAS

soldiers always maintain their focus.

salvation

is

in sight.

ARSENAL

AN

SMALL ARMS
Since

its

creation in World

arms, from bolt-action

demanded by

The SAS

is

lines.

It

is

deep behind enemy

therefore imperative that the

weapons carried

are totally reliable.

malfunctioning weapon

may

One

jeopardise

the safety of the whole team. In addition,

the

weapons carried by the SAS must be

capable

of putting down

SAS has made

the

concentrated

use of many different types of small

submachine guns. But the one criterion

small arms is that they are, above all, reliable.

full-automatic

the Regiment of its

unit designed and trained

for operations

War II,

rifles to

firepower in a short space of time, which

requires the

automatic

must

also

weapons themselves

modes. SAS small arms

fire

be able to withstand

harsh treatment, and be able to

being covered

to have

in

a lot

work

of

after

mud, sand and snow.

Small arms must also be compatible

with the team's

role.

volume of

for example, with their high

excellent

are

fire,

hostage-rescue

for

duties but useless for long-range missions

inside hostile territory. In addition, their

fearsome rate of

fire

would

per minute

over 900 rounds

quickly exhaust the

team's supply of ammunition.

Ammunition supply has been a perenproblem for SAS patrols. Whether of

Submachine guns,

nial

short or long duration,

to
air

all

operations need

be re-supplied. This was carried out by

during World

War

II,

when

reinforce-

ments, light vehicles and Jeeps w-ere para-

dropped to troops on the ground. Since

SAS

1945, the

rotary-wing
supply

has

made

extensive use of

supplement the re-

aircraft to

work done by fixed-wing aircraft.

this method of delivery often

However,

compromises the
unit

ability

operate

to

enemy's rear

of the recipient

clandestinely

areas,

the

in

and the more frequent

the re-supply missions, the

greater the

chance that the enemy has of finding the

position of the

SAS

unit in question.

AMMUNITION CONSERVATION
In order to allow the

continue

effectively,

kept to the absolute

effort

is

made

SAS

operation to

re-supply

must be

minimum, and every

to reduce the quantity

of

additional supplies that have to be delivered.

SAS

and

enter the operational

parties

area with as

much equipment

live off the

land as far

bulky and weighty item that

required, however,

expenditure

is

is

as possible

as possible.
is

One

always

ammunition, and

its

generally proportional to

the duration and success of the mission.

One

of the

reasons

for

the

great

marksmanship skills of SAS troopers in

battle is the need to conserve ammuniLeft:

The 5.56mm Colt M4, a shortened

version of the

weapon
204

M16 assault rifle, and a

that is

used by the SAS.

SMALL ARMS

-*

""

Quite apart from the military advan-

tion.

round count", the

tage of 'making every

advantage of expending

logistic

rounds

as possible

constant

few

of the

unit's

Even so. the nature

of modern warfare demands a moderately
high rate of ammunition expenditure.
supplies.

especially in automatic
raises

weapons, and

SAS

the possibility of an

ning out of ammunition

The most
the field
unlikely,

is,

this

party run-

in the field.

the

that

compatible

It

enemy
with

is
's

the

The SAS

is

weapons used

by most actual and potential enemies. This

SAS party
weapons when

allows the

to discard their orig-

inal

they

viceable or run out of

ammunition

replaced

become

unser-

ammunition in the
by weapons and

seized from the enemy.

important factor here

is

The

not just the pos-

of using the enemy's weapons,

which most soldiers would be capable of

sibility

thought, but rather of

SAS WEAPONS SKILLS

This

thought

flexibility of

"^ *-*'

"

"i

Above: An

story
is

great strengths of the SAS, for

are capable not only

one of the
its

also to other

weapons, so that each trooper

of 'force

example of

when

at

this

Mirbat

in

troopers

of adapting to large

numbers of small arms, but

fought

trained, therefore, to handle

be

~l

-J

SAS Land Rover and its crew in

M16 with M203

carried by the trooper standing on the

sic

generally used by the SAS.

to

^~"

"-"-

highly effective manner.

sense, a sort

American, British and German weapons

field,

"

the 1991 Gulf War. Note the

ready source of re-supply in

is

after a little

'

using these weapons immediately and in a

of course, the enemy.

however,

ammunition

<

left.

reduces the need for

replenishment

ammunition

as

doing

'

multiplier".

is,

The

in

clas-

remains the action

Oman

in July 1972.

nine-man SAS team, aided by

some local police and irregulars, fought
off attacks by some 250 communist insura

gents. The key to this success

SAS

was twofold:

Where

advantage

SAS

the

has a significant

the ability of

is

troopers to

its

weapons with both cool determination and great technical skill. The
small arms used by the SAS are, for the
most part, not exotic items, but standard
weapons from which they can extract the
best and most economical performance.
use their

The

of SAS soldiers to

ability

vidual targets at long range

crucial

factor

shooting
tricks

in

that

integral

are

are

and

that
also

SAS

to

hit indi-

often the

tirefight.

But there

first.

is

other

success.

first

These include having tracer rounds as the

last two bullets in a magazine. When the

shots,

first

ate

and second, they were able to opernumber of weapons, including

a

automatically chambered, thus letting the

first,

the

troopers proved their ability

to hit long-range targets with their

machine guns, mortar, and

25-pounder field gun.
is worth emphasising that while the

tracer

know

is

assault rifles,

filer

even

azines but he

It

ability

weapon
tage,

it

to

use

types
is

a
is

in

number of
itself a

different

major advan-

not by any means the whole

in the

get the

fired

that

breech.

it

is

still

SAS

the second round

is

time to change mag-

has another
soldiers

round

know how

left

to

most performance out of the small

arms they

use.

which, combined with

their proficiency, gives

them

the edge.

205

ARSENAL

Rifles
The

ELITE

AN

OF

and Assault

Rifles

SAS makes use of a wide variety of assault rifles, and has an in-depth working knowledge
many foreign nations. Among the most popular rifles currently in use with the
Regiment is the 5.56mm MI6 and its more compact version, the Colt Commando.

of the rifles of

The

most

SAS

common weapon

troopers

is

the

rifle

AK-47

Eflfective range:

both

The Kalashnikov AK-47 was the first

member of a long series of Soviet infantry

Rate of

weapons designed

Feed: 30-round box magazine

The

standard and assault forms.

its

assault

delivers fully automatic fire and, in

its

most modern incarnations, its overall

design as a 'bullpup' weapon, with a
straight line through from the muzzle to

ite

the shoulder, reduces the weapon's length

USSR,

and weight, which improves 'aimability

World

and accuracy

Such

mode.
the standard weapons of

in the automatic-fire

rifles are

the conventional infantryman, but there

a

major difference between the

is

tactical

approach of the infantryman and that of

SAS

the

trooper.

Whereas the infantry-

man

is

rifle

with modest expenditure of

generally trained to

200m

trained to

(656ft),
fire

with the

of 200m
fighting

Muzzle

is

possible

at

individual

of course,

jungle or urban

this impossible.

(2329ft) per

technically illiterate infantrymen of the

AK-47
nature,

its

The

simplicity,

its

satellites

and

any range over

noisiness of

its

'soldier-proof

its

and

combination of

reliability.

limitations are

and Third

great virtues of the

therefore

are

robustness

main

European

clients.

The AK-47's

lack of accuracy at

its

300m

(984ft),

and the

safety/fire selector lever.

AK-74

The Kalashnikov AK-74

the

AKM

round

million were produced,

Calibre:

7.62mm

revised

to

counterpart

5.45mm

the
as

the Soviet

5.56mm

notable

is

for

which make

possible to deliver fully

it

fire

with the muzzle unlikely

move away from

the

firer's

line

of sight,

combination with lower

in

and an improved

recoil

bullet shape, the

AK-74 is a more accurate weapon

the AK-47 and AKM.
Type:

its

muzzle brake and compensator,

effective

forces

the version of

NATO

the

to

The weapon

round.

is

fire

was developed

that

and

trooper

710m

velocity:

second

to

minimum

as

of

and

means that it is
one of the opposition weapons with
which every SAS trooper is familiar.
Type: assault rifle

(656ft) or over except,

make

trained

of the weapon, of which more than 50

possible, at a range

where conditions such

poorly

ammu-

or two/three-rounds bursts)

wherever

perhaps lack

(or

of the

automatic

expenditure of ammunition (single shots

targets and,

attentions

attentions)

(cyclic)

Nevertheless, the ubiquitous availability

SAS

the

the

for efficient use, desp-

(984ft)

600 rounds per minute

fire:

fire his assault

nition at groups of targets within a range

of

300m

used by

rifle in

than

assault rifle

5.45mm

Weight: 4.3kg (9.51b) empty

Length: 0.869m (2ft lOin) with butt
extended, and 0.699m (2ft 4in) with butt

Weight: 3.6kg (7.91b) empty

Length: 0.93m (3ft lin)

folded

Effective range:

Calibre:

400m

(1312ft)

Rate of fire: 650 rounds per minute

(cyclic)

Feed: 30-round

Muzzle

plastic

box magazine

900m

velocity:

(2953ft) per

second

AKM
The Kalashnikov

AKM

is

modernised

AK-47.

It

differs in

damental feature and

is

produced

version of the

forms,

as

and the

Type:

the

AKM

AKMS

with

with

no funin two

wooden

stock

folding stock.

assault rifle

Calibre:

7.62mm

Weight: 3.15kg (6.91b) empty

Length: 0.876m (2ft llin)
Effective range:

Left:

300m

(984ft)

The Russian AK-74 assault rifle.

Designed to

fire

the

5.45mm round,

it is

of the Kalashnikov family of assault

206

one

rifles.

SMALL ARMS: RIFLES AND ASSAULT RIFLES

Rate of

600 rounds per minute

fire:

(cyclic)

Feed: 30-round box magazine

Muzzle

715m

velocity:

(2346ft) per

second

ARMALITE
The Armalite

assault rifle

a close rela-

is

designed in

Ml 6 assault rifle, and was

the USA by Eugene Stoner

during 1956

when he was employed by

tive

of the

Armalite

Inc.. a division

of the Fairchild

Engine and Airplane Corporation. The

production ot the weapon was licensed
to

Colt, and after

type

as

the

new

it

had evaluated the

XM16, the US Army

the

rifle

the

as.

Ml 6

adopted
that

series

entered service in 1967. The basic

Arma-

weapon was produced in modest

numbers as the AR-15 and. because of its
compact dimensions and light weight, is

lite

admirably suited to jungle warfare.

The

weapon was used by the SAS during

Confrontation

Indonesian

(1963-66), and

army

150mm
lighter,

FNL1

series rifle

are the fact that

(5.9in)

and

primary advantages

its

over the standard

British

fires a

the

Borneo.

in

shorter,

it is

2kg

of the

(4.41b)

Below: The Colt Commando assault

rifle.

Compact and

light, it

for

anti-terrorist

missions

in

than the

For

7.62mm

details

bullet

of the LI

series.

of the Armalite, see the

M16

SAS

Northern Ireland.

Above: The Armalite was

SAS

first

adopted by the

during the Borneo campaign,

Regiment needed a

light

when

and compact

the

rifle.

entry below.

some

5.56mm round whose

has been used

bullet offers greater short-range lethality

COLT COMMANDO
The Colt Commando

is
an American
weapon, and the smallest, lightest and
most compact derivative of the basic
Armalite assault rifle. It differs from the

M16

series

mosdy

in

its

telescopic butt

and short barrel, which is fitted with a

removable flash hider. The primary
advantages of this are that in. combat, the

weapon can be brought

get with great speed,
rorist

operations

it is

and handy to use

to bear

and

on

its

tar-

in counter-ter-

both easy to conceal

in a confined space. The

207

ARSENAL

AN

OF

ELITE

An SAS sergeant prepares

Left:

bipod.

his

parachute equipment prior to a jump in

Malaya. His weapon

is

an

Ml

The weapon was designed

Carbine.

and

ations,

is

used most notably by the

German GSG
the accuracy of the

that

felt

FAL was

degraded to an unacceptable degree in

full

mode.

automatic-fire

Type:

Type:

optimised for the

assault rifle

7.62mm

Calibre:

Weight: 4.25kg (9.41b) empty

Length: 1.09m (3ft 7in)

650m

Weight: 8.15kg

(17.971b)

Length: 1.03m

(2130ft)

(3ft Sin)

Rate of fire: 650-700 rounds per

Effective range:

minute

Rate of

(cyclic)

fire:

800m

(cyclic)

Muzzle

Feed: 20- or 50-round box magazine, or

840m

velocity:

(2756ft) per

belt

Rate of fire: 800m

engineering and robust con-

excellent
struction.

weapon

Calibre:

in

under
ical

The G3

virtually

It

weapon

the

US Army

SEALs

in the

retracted

sively

fire:

400m

700-100 rounds per

velocity:

820m

(2720ft) per

Nationale

FAL

Rangers and

USA, and

the

weapon

the

US Navy

SAS

in the

has been exten-

(Fusil
rifle)

assault rifle

Muzzle

was developed from

it

for

army but had the advantage

for the SAS that in its baseline Belgian
form the weapon is capable of automatic
the British

7.62mm

well as semi-automatic

noting, however, that

fire. It is

some SAS

worth

troopers

HECKLER & KOCH G41

The Heckler & Koch G41 is another
German weapon, in this instance essentially the G3 revised to fire 5.56mm
ammunition. Other changes include provision for a fixed or retractable butt, a 30-

round magazine and

capability.

The

made even more

SAS, by

its

low noise signature and

its

dustproof ejector port.

Type:

assault rifle

Calibre:

5.56mm

Weight: 4.1kg
4.35kg

butt, or

(91b)

empty with fixed

empty with

(9.61b)

retractable butt

fixed

400m

(1312ft)

Rate of fire: 850 rounds per minute

(cyclic)

Feed: 30-round box magazine

Muzzle

velocity:

800m

(2624ft) per

second

velocity 780-800m (2559-

LEE-ENFIELD

capable of single-shot, three-round burst

automatic

be adapted to

Other

heavy

three-round burst

retractable butt retracted

HECKLER & KOCH G8

The Heckler & Koch G8 is a German
weapon of considerable versatility: it is

belt.

a
is

attractive to special forces, including the

The SMLE

fully

type

Effective range:

2624ft) per second

and

(2624ft) per second.

Length: 0.997m (3ft 3in) with

butt, or 0.806m (2 ft 8in) with

Belgian weapon that was used by the

series rifle that

208

number

SAS in the Malayan campaign (1948-60).

The weapon is basically similar to the LI

as

attractive to a

used in Northern Ireland.

Calibre:

Automatique Leger, or light automatic

is

and geograph-

this factor that has

Weight: 4.4kg (9.71b) empty

Length: .025m (3ft 4in)
Effective range 400m (1312ft)
Rate of fire: 500-600 rounds per
minute (cyclic)
Feed: 20-round box magazine

second

FNFAL
The Fabrique

UK, where
Type:

(1312ft)

minute (cyclic)
Feed: 20- or 30-round box magazine

Muzzle

is

of special forces around the world, including the

Rate of

climatic

all

Weight: 2.44kg (5.41b) empty

Length: 0.76m (2ft 6in) with butt
extended, and 0.68m (2ft 3in) with butt
Effective range:

an extremely reliable

is

that continues to function well

conditions.

made

5.56mm

(2624ft)

800 rounds per minute

Feed: 20-round box magazine

HECKLER & KOCH G3

The Heckler & Koch G3 is a German
(originally West German) rifle, and has
been the standard weapon of the German
and many other armies since the late
1950s. The most important attributes of
this almost ubiquitous weapon are its

has been used by the SAS

Northern Ireland.
Type: assault rifle

empty with

bipod

second

weapon

as

roles

7.62mm

Effective range:

9 counter-terrorist unit,

well as the SAS.

counter-terrorist and counter-insurgency

assault rifle

Calibre:

specifi-

counter-insurgency oper-

cally for use in

fire

fire,

from

features are

barrel,

and can readily

a magazine or
a quick-change

telescopic

sight

and

(Short Magazine Lee-Enfield)

was the standard British rifle of World

Wars I and II and evolved through five
major variants. One of the finest military
bolt-action rifles ever produced, the

SMLE

was comparatively weighty, but

relatively handy,

had
rate

and for

a bolt-action rifle

high rate of fire. The type was accu-

and

reliable,

and one of

its

main

SMALL ARMS: RIFLES AND ASSAULT RIFLES

attractions

was

magazine holding 10

rounds rather than the

of most other

SMLE
the

rifles

five

of

rounds typical

SAS and

the

The

period.

its

was used in World War

by both

II

Long Range Desert

Group.

Type: bolt-action

738m

lethality

than the

machine guns, but was

Ml

and

M3

sub-

and smaller
than the Ml rifle. Easy to clean and maintain, the Ml Carbine was reliable and
lighter

offered a moderately high rate of

for these reasons

SAS

for

was
use

much

this

fire,

and

favoured by

Malayan
became clear

the

in

'Emergency' (1948-60).

it

It

campaign, however, that the

Carbine was

a far

from

ideal

weapon;

at ranges of more
and the limited lethallow-powered round at all except

had poor accuracy

than

100m

ity of its

300m

velocity:

too light for the powerful

(328ft),

593m

(1945ft) per

one of the world's most

widely used weapons, and came into existence as a result of the US Army's need
for a weapon firing ammunition lighter
than the 0.3in and 7.62mm rounds used
in the rifles of the Ml and Ml 4 series.
The Ml had been the standard American
is

of World War

rifle

developed from

ward

II,

and the

and therefore possessed

and

this

a pistol,

poor

ballistic

combined with

muzzle velocity to

low

result in a rapid loss

of

was

ammunition clip
detachable box magazine

eight-round

replaced by a

holding 20 rounds of the

NATO standard

7.62mm ammunition. The

recoil,

and

smaller,

round meant reduced

which would improve accuracy at

therefore

lighter,

the shorter ranges

becoming

new 5.56mm

typical for

more

larger

number of rounds for a given

as the new rifle would

weight, especially
itself

be lighter than

tion

of a

7.62mm

first

its

two predecessors.

thought

lighter

standard

revealed that this

NATO
rifle,

the direc-

the AR-l<.
to

fire

round, but

employing

the

trials

plastic

Ml 6,

the

as

in 1959.

The weapon was thought

soon convinced the

to

US Army

of the

maintenance

be

self-

that daily

was
and that a thumb-operated
plunger was needed on the right of the
passages

gas

required,

receiver to ensure that the bolt was fully

closed in

muddy

conditions. This turned

the

M16

into the

M16A1. which became

the

first

ly

model of an increasingweapon whose current verM16A2 with a number of

definitive

ubiquitous

sion

is

the

improved

features.

The SAS
ideal for

its

felt

that

purposes

M16A1

the
in

was

jungle fighting

adopted the weapon for the

Confrontation in Borneo

Indonesian

carry a considerably

and was stan-

cleaning, but experience in Southeast Asia

and

to

was

round.

This proved

calibre.

production

for

would be

able

possible,

7.62mm

successful,

which entered service

infantry combat. In addition, the soldier

weapon was
designed by Eugene Stoner

of

that

M14

with the Mi's awk-

it.

The

was based on

it

first appeared in 1955, and

modest numbers were made until 1962.
when the type was followed by the AR15. which fired a high-velocity round in

dardised

Ml 6

The US Army's

bullet

SAS use

The AR-10

(984ft)

the shortest ranges was another drawback.

shape,

and aluminium wherever

the

The Colt

M1 CARBINE
The Ml Carbine was made in very large
numbers in World War II for the US
forces. They needed an intermediatepower weapon that offered greater range

Ml

Weight: 2.48kg (5.51b) emptyLength: 0.905m (3ft)

altogether

(2421ft) per

In

launcher attached under the barrel.

rifle

M16
velocity:

M16A2 assault rifle.

comes with an M203 grenade

Calibre: 0.3in

Muzzle

second

during

Type: semi-automatic

second.

magazine

the

usually

target.

Feed: 15- or 30-round detachable box

magazine

Weight: 4.13kg (9.11b) loaded

Length: 1.132m (3ft 9in)
Effective range: 800m (2624ft)
Feed: 10-round detachable box

and

Above: The

with the

Effective range:

rifle

Calibre: 0.303in

Muzzle

speed and low kinetic energy on impact

(1963-66). The weapon was then used in

Aden (1964-67) and Oman (1970-76),
and later m the Falklands War (1982).

Experience

in the jungles

of Borneo was

not altogether successful, the

that the light weight

the
it

of the

M16Al's standard

ineffective at ranges

SAS

finding

bullet fired

Ml 93

by

round made

of more than 400m

209

ARSENAL

ELITE

AN

OF

Left:

The SA-80, a

rifle that

SAS has

the

tested but found wanting, not least that

safety-catch

is

operated by the trigger

entered service in 1984

as

replacement

L1A1. The type has

for the

its

finger.

suffered a

number of in-service problems,

including

tendency for the magazine to become

detached and the for-end to break, but

the

weapon

excellent in

potentially

is

terms of its light weight, ease of handling,

300m

accuracy up to

and good

The weapon

sights.

range of

is

(984ft),

in limited

service with the SAS, but remains

what suspect because of its

Type: assault rifle

some-

unreliability.

5.56mm

Calibre:

Weight: 3.8kg

(8.41b)

empty without

sight unit

Length: 0.765m
Effective range:
(1312ft),

tion

and

it

was

by twigs and thick

erally

adopted the

pean

SSI 09

prone to deflec-

also

foliage.

round,

even

resulted in a certain loss of

city.

They gen-

slightly heavier

Euro-

though

this

muzzle velo-

This bullet improved the M16Al's

but the weapon's

capabilities in the jungle,

Aden and Oman campaigns

success in the

was notably poor because of its tendency

to

jam under sandy and

dusty conditions;

in addition, the long-range accuracy

of

the light bullet was poor.

The version of the M16A2 used by the

SAS has the capability to fire three-round

Co. in 1973
the

Ml

Garand
than

rather

scaled-down version of

as a

and

rifle

0.3in

The

of the round yield

a signifi-

cant reduction in recoil force,

meaning

pellant load

that

fair

degree of accuracy can be

ing in fully

when

weapon is firautomatic mode, and this is

maintained even

the

important

particularly

three-round burst
fire

capacity for fully automatic fire found in

Type:

Type:

series.

5.56mm

Weight: 3.4kg (7.51b) empty

Length: 1.0m (3ft 3in)
Effective range:

Rate of

fire:

400m

second with the

991m

Ml 93

fire:

300m

Feed:

948m

The L1A1 was the British Army's standard weapon until the advent of the SA80 (L85)

assault

rifle.

It

(984ft)

Muzzle

velocity:

1058m

(3470ft) per

second

Tit

'Sir

is

the assault

rifle

version of

SA-80 weapon

that

Right: The SLR, until recently the standard-

issue

rifle

'soldier's

of the British Army.

weapon',

it

was

real

liked by the SAS.

SA-80
the British army's

14

was otherwise

fully

20- and 30-round box

5-,

The L85A1

The. Ruger Mini- 14 is an American

weapon developed by Sturm, Ruger &

(3085ft) per

SLR

(3250ft) per

round, or

940m

magazines

round

210

and

750 rounds per minute

(3110ft) per second with the SSI 09

RUGER MINI

velocity:

second

(cyclic)

700-900 rounds per

velocity:

Muzzle

5.56mm

Rate of

minute (cyclic)
Feed: 20- or 30-round detachable box
magazine

Muzzle

(cyclic)

Feed: 30-round box magazine

assault rifle

Calibre:

Effective range:

(1312ft)

(984ft)

options.

Weight: 2.89kg (6.41b) empty

Length: 0.984m (3ft 3in)

assault rifle

Calibre:

SAS's

300m

650-800 rounds per

The version of the

Mini- 14 used by the SAS is the AC-556,
which is a selective-fire weapon with sinautomatic

Ml 6

the

for

minute

fire:

counter-terrorist role.

gle-shot,

versions of the

lighter

weight of the bullet and the reduced pro-

bursts as well as single shots, but lacks the

some export

5.56mm

fires a

round.

Rate of

(2ft 7in)

WA

L.I

SMALL ARMS: RIFLES AND ASSAULT RIFLES

Used by the SAS

Right:

Northern Ireland,

in

AUG is reliable,

the Steyr

accurate and very

robust - ideal for special forces operations.

SLR

known

as

after

introduction in the mid-1950s as

its

the

(Self-Loading Rifle)

FAL with

of the Belgian

a variant

shot rather than automatic

The weapon was

single-

fire capability.

and accurate,
and the

reliable

although both the basic

rifle

ammunition were somewhat on

heavy
the

side. It

1960s until the early

early

the

was used by the SAS from

1980s,

proving notably successful in the fighting

of the Aden and

Oman

campaigns (1964-

$7 and 1970-76 respectively), in which

its

and long-range combination of

accuracy and stopping power were highly
reliability

admired.

Type:

assault rifle

Calibre:

7.62mm

Weight: 4.3kg (9.51b) empty

Length: 1.143m (3ft 9in)
Effective range: 600m (1968ft) with

SUIT

(Sight

Unit Infantry Trilux)

Feed: 2u-round box magazine

Muzzle

velocity:

838m

(2750ft) per

second

STEYR AUG
The Steyr AUG (Annec Universal Gewehr.
or army multi-role weapon) is one of the
most advanced weapons currendy
vice.

It

is

in ser-

an Austrian weapon of the

Rate of

SAS

(cyclic)

in

two torms: one has single-short and

fully

automatic capability, and the other possesses

bursts

the ability to

single shots or

fire

of three rounds. Despite

tinctly futuristic appearance,

its

dis-

which might

500m

Effective range:

'bullpup' type that has

been used by the

Northern Ireland in both of its

Rate of

Weight: 3.6kg (7.91b) empty

Length: 0.79m (2ft 7in)
fire:

Feed: 30-round box magazine

(1640ft)

Muzzle

650 rounds per minute

AUG

performance, the

weapon.

Its

is

inbuilt optical sight unit pro-

vides excellent accuracy,

is

rugged enough

punishment

an excellent

that

it

is

reliable

and

to withstand the type

would

of

either destroy or

render inoperative virtually every other

assault rifle.

The

AUG

is

also

extremely

it can be turned into a submachine gun or light support weapon

merely by the change of a few parts.
Type: assault rifle

versatile, for

Calibre:

5.56mm

710m

velocity:

(2329ft) per

second

Feed: 30- and 42-round box magazine

of plastic construction so that the
can see

TYPE 68
The Type 68

firer

how many rounds remain

Muzzle

velocity:

970m

(3182ft) per

rifle

second

the

whose

TYPE 56
The Type 56

is

Chinese

assault

based on the Russian Kalashnikov

and, in

is

automatic

common

rifle

AK-4"

with most other Chinese

SAS troopers are trained to

weapon of indifferent quality

is

fire

Calibre:

cheap manufacture.

Type:

assault rifle

Calibre:

7.62mm

Weight: 3.8kg (8.41b) empty

Length: 0.874m (2ft lOin)
Effective range 300m (984ft)

It

fire.

is

but. while

slighdy

more
its

it

is

more cumbersome.
Type: Type 68

its

of

AK-47. The

longer and slightly heavier barrel,

capable of semi- and full-automatic

assault

that

accurate than the Type 56 because of

that

because of

modelled on

capable of semi-automatic and

use,

is

is

Kalashnikov

weapons
it

another Chinese

action

Soviet

weapon

persuade some that the type was designed

for impressive looks rather than first-rate

600 rounds per minute

fire:

(cyclic)

assault rifle

7.62mm

Weight: 3.5kg (7.71b) empty

Effective range 400m (1312ft)
Rate of fire: 750 rounds per minute
(cyclic)

Feed: 15- and 30-round box magazines

Muzzle

velocity:

730m

(2395ft) per

second

211

ARSENAL

OF

ELITE

AN

Machine Guns
The machine gun

hands of SAS

is

a rapid-fire

soldiers,

weapon

accurate bursts

Despite

its

high rate of ammunition

consumption, which
problem for foot

patrols

weight-carrying

ed

always

is

with their limitcapabilities,

machine gun has always played

nent part in

of

SAS

the

promi-

operations. In the hands

well trained trooper

many

it

can offset

that can use up vast quantities of ammunition. In the

however, the machine gun

to take

out

the

G3

Type:

Calibre:

machine gun

vital

fire-support

machine
weapon: the

machine gun provides support for

the squad, and covers troopers as they
advance, the medium machine gun lays
down sustained fire in an area in which
enemy movement is thus impossible, and
the heavy machine gun provides multiple
capabilities in offensive and defensive
operations. A weapon of this type is fundamental to the typical four-man SAS

light

patrol for fire support in tactical

manoeu-

vres,

providing destructive power in raid-

ing

operations,

and protection

both fixed- and rotary-wing

against

aircraft in all

types of operation.

machine gun, a

(2871ft) per

it

(2750ft) per

after.

weapon

belt-fed, air-cooled

was notable for

accuracy, reliability

its

and ease of maintenance.

second

Type: medium machine gun

BREN GUN
The Bren Gun was

Calibre: 0.3in
possibly the best light

machine gun of all time, and was widely

used by the SAS in World War II and in

Weight: 14.06kg (311b)

Length: 1 .044m (3ft 5in)

Rate of

The weapon was

minute

but

it

was

sion for the

Type: L4A4
Calibre:

chambered

originally

round of the World War

later revised in

7.62mm
light

7.62mm

NATO

its

L4

round.

II

ver-

1510m

Effective range:

the post-war period until the late 1970s.

which was used by the SAS

World War II.

875m

velocity:

838m

velocity:

classic Browning M1919A4 medium

machine gun was often used in the Jeepmounted role in World War II and for a

time

or belt

modernised version of the famous Bren,

in

(1968ft)

BROWNING M1919

Feed: 100- or 200-round box magazine,

Muzzle

600m

520 rounds per minute

fire:

The

(cyclic)

for the 0.303in

light

Rate of

second

1000m (3280ft)
Rate of fire: 900 rounds per minute

era,

Below: The 7.62mm L4

Effective range:

Muzzle

Effective range:

Weight: 8.68kg (19.151b)

Length: 1.156m (3ft 11 in)

Feed: 30-round box magazine

5.56mm

gun

is

ranges.

(cyclic)

rifle.

light

superiority. In this capacity the

of an enemy's numerical

a firearm that can be fired in short,

AMELI
The Ameli looks like a scaled-down
German MG42 machine gun from World
War II, and is based on the same action as

Weight: 5.2kg (11.51b)

Length: 0.97m (3ft 2in)

aspects

is

enemy personnel at long

Feed:

(4953ft)

400-500 rounds per

fire:

(cyclic)

belt

Muzzle

velocity:

860m

(2820ft) per

second

machine gun

BROWNING M2
The

0.3in

Browning machine gun was

complemented in World

often replaced or

War

II

by

its

Browning M2,
is

larger brother, the

a

arguably the finest machine gun ever to

have been produced and which

widespread service.
a vehicle

pod;

it

It

in

weapon mounted on

as a

a tri-

possesses an excellent capability

against light

armour

as

armour-piercing round
tracer.

is still

can be mounted on

or used in the ground role

sustained-fire

at

0.5in

heavy machine gun that

it fires

an effective

well as ball and

as

Browning was used by

the

SAS

the Battle of Mirbat in July 1972.

Type: heavy machine gun

Calibre:

().5in

Weight: 38.1kg (841b)

Length: 1.654m (5ft 5in)
Effective range:

1805m

(5921ft)

212

F*1

SMALL ARMS: MACHINE GUNS

Rate of
minute

450-575 rounds per

fire:

(cyclic)
-

Feed:

belt
'

Muzzle

884m

velocity:

si

(2900ft) per

second

it-k

GPMG
From

the late 1950s, these older

weapons

SAS service by
the General Purpose Machine Gun,
which is the medium machine gun counwere complemented

in

of the LI semi-automatic

terpart

designated L7 in British

GPMG
for

army

extremely sturdy and

is

and

notable

is

accuracy, especially in the delivery

its

of the short bursts that can be so

in

rifle

service. The

SAS. The weapon

is

effective

common

broken engagements

to the

generally used

on

bipod, but can be installed on a tripod for

the sustained-fire role.

Type: L7A2 light/medium machine gun

Calibre:

7.62mm

Weight: 10.9kg (241b) with a bipod

Length: 1.232m (4ft) in the light role,
or 1.048m (3ft 5in) in the sustained role

1805m

Effective range:

Rate of
minute

Feed:

fire:

(5920ft)

750-1000 rounds per

(cyclic)

belt

Muzzle

velocity:

838m

(2750ft) per

second

HECKLER & KOCH 13E

The Heckler & Koch 13E

G3

action of the

three-round bursts
matic

fire,

as

based on the

rifle,

can

fire

well as fully auto-

and can be fed from

drum

double

is

assault

as alternatives to

a belt

or

the stan-

Type:

light

Calibre:

machine gun

fire:

gun, one of the finest

The Light Support

machine gun member of
the SA-80 series of weapons, and differs
from the L85 assault rifle mainly in havAmeli.

Weapon

Weight: 6kg (13.21b) including bipod

Length: 0.98m (3ft 3in)

Rate of

Above: The Browning

Spanish

5.56mm

Effective range:

&

13E, Singaporean Ultimax 100 and

Weapon (LSW), German Heckler

Koch

dard box magazine.

400m

is

and cannot, therefore, be used

rel

Feed: 25-round box magazine

sustained-fire role.

Muzzle

Type: L86A1

950m

(3117ft) per

The weapon

light

machine gun

5.56mm

Calibre:

LSW

Weight: 6.58kg (14.51b)

Length: 0.9m (2ft
in)

including

the

British

Light

Support

Effective range:

Rate of
minute

Feed:

Muzzle

velocity:

SAS soldiers.

fire:

970m

1000m

(3280ft)

700-850 rounds per

'-round box magazine

(3182ft) per

second

very

in the

MINIMI
recent

In

ite

via

(cyclic)

3<

a favourite with

with

rate

more recent years, the SAS has used

small numbers of modern light machine
guns chambered for the 5.56mm round,

built. It is

years

the

Belgian

machine gun has become

second

In

is

accurate, but lacks an interchangeable bar-

(cyclic)

velocity:

heavy machine

the

ing a heavier barrel.

(1312ft)

750 rounds per minute

0.5in

machine guns ever

SAS

foot patrols.

Minimi

firm favour-

It is

light,

accu-

and can take an M16-type magazine

one of its two feed slots. SAS soldiers

do have a couple of complaints about the

Minimi, as Sergeant Andy McNab states:
'The plastic prepacked boxes of ammo
tor the
feature.

weapon are not its best design

As you're patrolling the box is
213

ARSENAL

your body; it can bang against you

Another problem can be that
the rounds are not completely packed in
across

Type:

and

Calibre:

fall off.

you get a rhythmic bangwhich is bad news at night as

the boxes and

ing noise,

more

noise travels

Type:

light

Calibre:

easily'

machine gun

5.56mm

Weight: 6.8kg (151b)

Length: 1.04m (41 in)
Effective range:

Rate of
minute

fire:

(1968ft)

velocity:

915m

(3000ft) per

second

SAS. Reliable, robust and accurate,

remain

is

the light

longer

attached, and

machine gun ver-

AK-47

barrel

combines

the Kalashnikov

assault rifle

and
all

bipod
the virtues of

AK-47 with

the ability

in

SAS use

it

in the

will

well into the future.

5in)

800m

TYPE 56
The SAS

(cyclic)

ber of Chinese and Soviet machine guns.

Feed: 40-round box magazine or 75round drum magazine

The two

velocity:

(2624ft)

732m

(2402ft) per

also trains in the use

belt-fed

weapon optimised

SGM

round provides good range.

Type: medium machine gun

SGM

is

an obsolescent

weapon out

Calibre:

7.62mm

encountered in many parts of the world.

Weight: 7.1kg (15.61b)

Length: .036m (3ft 5in)

Type: medium machine gun

Effective range:

of Russian (ex-Soviet) service, but

is still

7.62mm

1000m

Effective range:

Rate of
minute

fire:

Rate of

Weight: 3.6kg (301b)

Length: 1.12m (3ft 8in)

for the sus-

and the use of a powerful

tained-fire role,

The

of a num-

principal Chinese types are the

Type 56 and Type 74. The Type 56 is a

second

fire:

800m

(2624ft)

700 rounds per minute

(cyclic)

RPK

sion of the Russian

Feed: 100-round
(3280ft)

700-850 rounds per

Muzzle

belt

velocity:

700m

(2297ft) per

second

(cyclic)

Feed: 250-round

to serve as an effective squad automatic

Muzzle

weapon.

second

214

Above: The GPMG, nicknamed 'Gimpy'

Rate of fire: 650 rounds per minute

Effective range:

Calibre:

with

machine gun

750-1000 rounds per

Feed: 30-round box magazine or 200round metal belt

RPK
The

ELITE

7.62mm

Weight: 5kg (111b)

Length: 1.035m (3ft

Muzzle

600m

(cyclic)

Muzzle

light

AN

OF

belt

velocity:

800m

(2624ft) per

TYPE 74
The Type 74
known, but

is

is

still

a useful

comparatively

little

weapon based on

SMALL ARMS: MACHINE GUNS

modified Kalashnikov action.

Type: medium machine gun

~.62mm

Calibre:

Weight: 6.2kg

(13.71b)

Length: 1.07m (3ft 6in)

Effective range: 600m (1968ft)
Rate of fire: 150 rounds per minute
(cyclic)

Feed: 101 -round drum magazine

Muzzle

velocity:

735m

(2411ft) per

second

ULTIMAX 100
The Ultimax 100
bility

and

is

notable for

its

relia-

soft recoil, the latter resulting in

considerable accuracy.

Type:

light

Calibre:

machine gun

5.56mm

Weight: 4.9kg

(10.81b) including bipod

Length: 1.024m (3ft 3in)
Effective range: 1000m (3280ft)
Rate of fire: 400-600 rounds per

minute

(cyclic)

Feed: 20- or 30-round box magazine, or

Gun.

100-round drum magazine

weapon, with enormous

Muzzle

velocity:

970m

(3182ft) per

second

classically

sustained-fire role.

extremely
ble to lay

VICKERS GUN
The final machine gun used by the SAS
in World War II was the 0.303in Vickers

versatile,

down

reliable

The
and

water-cooled

capability in the

Vickers
it

was

Gun

was

Above: The Minimi

used by SAS

indirect fire with

who found it an

excellent weapon.

it.

Length: 1.156m
Effective range:

Calibre: 0.303in

Rate of
(401b)

machine gun was

also possi-

Type: heavy machine gun

Weight: 18.1kg

light

foot patrols in the Gulf War,

minute
Feed:

fire:

(3ft lOin)

2010m

(6593ft)

450-500 rounds per

(cyclic)

belt

Muzzle

velocity:

~44m

(2440ft) per

second

VICKERS

K'

Another weapon used by the SAS in

World War II. generally side by side on
Jeeps, was the Vickers "K" or Vickers GO
gun.

It

usually fired a

mix of

ball, tracer

and armour-piercing ammunition.

Type:

light

machine gun

Calibre: 0.303in

Weight: 9.5kg (211b)

Length: 1.016m (3ft
Effective range:

Rate of
.

fire:

4in)

1800m

(5904ft)

1000 rounds per minute

.ic)

Feed: %-round drum magazine

Muzzle

velocity:

745m

2-i45ft)

per

second

Left:

A World War

II

SAS Jeep

sporting

Vickers K' machine guns, which had a

fearsome rate of fire of lOOOrpm.

215

ARSENAL

AN

OF

ELITE

Submachine Guns
weapon

Primarily a

for

SAS hostage-rescue

teams, the Heckler

& Koch submachine guns

used by the Regiment have a high rate of fire. More importantly, they are superbly engineered
and therefore work first time, every time.

The submachine gun

weapon designed
or automatic

fire,

and

ated with close-range

is

a pistol-calibre

to deliver selective

generally associ-

is

combat and

a firing

position at the shoulder or the waist. In

World War

II,

SAS used

the

subma-

the

chine guns of the period, most notably

the

British

gun

Sten

German weapons of

and

captured

the Maschinenpistole

- which were
extremely popular among SAS soldiers (machine

alongside

pistol)

series

and

rifles

provide

to

pistols

and therefore unsuitable for battlefield

use. Such weapons are characterised by a
short effective range around 200m
(656ft) - and a very high rate of fire (typically 800 to 1000 rounds per minute to
ensure the killing of a terrorist by one

squeeze of the

tion, the

ably

fires

accurate

matic

rifle, first by the semi-autoand then by the assault rifle

with
matic

rifle
its

capability to deliver fully auto-

fire,

rendered the submachine gun

obsolete as a mainstream

weapon

for bat-

Submachine guns were still

produced, generally in modest numbers
and in specialised forms, for deployment
to paramilitary and police forces of several nations. However, a revival in the fortunes of the submachine gun began in the
mid-1960s with the reappearance onto
tlefield use.

the world stage of international terrorism.

This growing terrorist threat persuaded many governments to create specialist

hostage-rescue units

happened in
some of their

or, as

the United

Kingdom,

elite forces

with an anti-terrorist role

addition to their
tasks.

task

more

in

standard military

These new or revised

forces

soon

discovered that they needed a short-range

weapon capable of delivering

ume of fire,

high vol-

one compact enough for

easy concealment and light enough to be
brought to bear on a fleeting target with
yet

only the smallest of delays.

The answer

was, inevitably, the submachine

form optimised
Right:

The Heckler & Koch

216

in a

MP5 submachine

gun, as used by the SAS. This is the

version,

gun

for the anti-terrorist role

which has a retractable

A3

butt.

submachine gun almost

magainvari-

from an open-bolt position in

the type of action in

al'

bolt-action

that the

zine can be emptied very rapidly. In addi-

ment of

however, the general replacement of the

This heavy and

means

sustained firepower

additional

volume of fire in 'conventionfighting. After the end of that war,

trigger).

the
fire

which the move-

reciprocating parts makes

very

difficult.

indicated below, the

SAS

However,

as

has solved this.

As with other types of small arms, SAS

soldiers

friendly

are fully trained

and

some of which

use of

the

in

submachine guns,

hostile

are listed below.

AKSU-74
The Kalashnikov AKSU-74 is the submachine gun counterpart of the Russian

AK-74

assault rifle,

and shares the same

advantages and disadvantages

parent.

The weapon

is

able

and rugged, but

level

of muzzle

blast

suffers

and

round from a short

Type: submachine gun
rifle

as its half-

therefore very reli-

from

flash as

barrel.

it

high

fires a

SUBMACHINE GUNS

SMALL ARMS
5.45mm

Calibre:

Weight: not known

Length: 0.675m (2ft 3in) with stock
extended, or 0.42m (1ft 5in) with stock
retracted

Effective range: not

known

Rate of fire: 800 rounds per minute

(cyclic)

Feed: 30-round box magazine

Muzzle

velocity:

800m

(2624ft) per

second

HECKLER & KOCH 53

A weapon much favoured

by the SAS for

use in Northern Ireland, as

ated as a submachine

the Heckler

rifle, is
is.

in

& Koch

essence, a derivative

revised tor the

can be oper-

it

gun or

5.56mm

an

as

assault

HK53. which
of the

MPS

round.

Type: submachine gun

5.56mm

Calibre:

Weight: 3.05kg (6.721b) empty

Length: 0.755m (2ft 6in) with stock
extended, or 0.563m

(1ft lOin)

with

stock retracted

Effective range:

Rate of

fire:

250m

(820ft)

700 rounds per minute

(cyclic)

Feed: 25-round box magazine

Muzzle

velocity:

750m

(2461ft) per

HECKLER & KOCH MP5

The main submachine gun used by the
SAS for its hostage-rescue operations is
the Heckler & Koch MP5 series. It is
available in a number of forms, and all are
excellent

weapons with the safety and

of good German design

reliability typical

and manufacture. The baseline weapon

the

MPS, which
is

with

with

a sliding

fixed plastic butt

and the

fir-

or retracted on

when

the

altogether a superb weapon.

puDed the

forward

position

meaning

that

bolt

is

against

activation

already in the

the

breech,

of the trigger

merely releases the firing pin to

fire

the

already-chambered cartridge, so there

is

no forward movement of the gun's centre

of mass and thus no disturbance of the
aim. The MP5 is delivered with a good
open sight, but can alternatively be fitted

MP5A3

butt that can be extended

has the advantage of

ing from a closed-bolt position:

trigger

is

a single strut.

The MPS

is

9mm

Weight: 2.55kg (5.621b) empty

Length: 0.68m (2ft 3in) for the
MP5A2; 0.66m (2ft 2in) for the MP5A3
with the butt extended, or 0.49m (1ft
4in)

with the stock retracted

Effective range:

Rate of

fire:

200m

the MP5.

Its

silencer

(656ft)

800 rounds per minute

model designed

ing or easy use in

Calibre:

Effective range:

Rate of

variants of the

MPS

series are the

MP5A2

second

400m

(1312ft) per

the

MPS

paramilitary

and

It is

is

therefore short-

in cloth-

confined space.

9mm

Muzzle

velocity:

muzzle

Weight: 2kg (4.411b) empty

Length: 0.325m (1ft lin)

(cyclic)

The main

its

Type: shortened submachine gun

Feed: 15- or 30-round box magazine

situation.

that

ened to allow easy concealment

red or aiming projector sight to suit the

tactical

for

counter-terrorist use.

with an optical, image-intensifying, infra-

particular

means

velocity is lower than the standard version.

HECKLER & KOCH MP5K

The Heckler & Koch MP5K

Type: submachine gun

Calibre:

Above: The MP5SD, the silenced version of

fire:

200m

(656ft)

900 rounds per minute

(cyclic)

217

ARSENAL
Left:

AN

OF

ELITE

An SAS trooper in Malaya prepares

an operational jump

weapon

in

January

submachine

for

an Australian Owen.

is

The Sten gun was

in World War II
effective weapon that was

guns.

developed and introduced

1953. His

as a

cheap, yet

under extreme weather condiand easy to strip for cleaning or

reliable

INGRAM MODEL

10

tions

Until the adoption of the

the

SAS mainly used

10

MP5

counter-terrorist

for

Although

this

operations.

weapon

comparatively clumsy
inaccurate

especially

that

is

fired

one-handed. The SAS

also

Mk
9mm

Type: Sten

jam

when

used the

still

submachine gun.

II

North-

into the early 1990s in

small overall size

its

it

attractive.

160m

Effective range:

Rate of
(cyclic)

Muzzle

velocity:

366m

STERLING
From 1956
Sterling

retracted

reliable

40m

from

(131ft)

the Sten was replaced by the

submachine gun.
gun,

The L34A1

service.

(cyclic)

bleed off propellant

366m

velocity:

The weapon
useful

The Owen submachine gun was used by

the SAS during the Malayan 'Emergency'

moderate length and

fore designed so that the bullet

pellant gases leave the

muzzle

at

(1948-60).

because

subsonic

from

Australian

because

Type: silenced submachine gun

positions.

fire:

empty

(6.391b)

(lft lOin)

EfFective range:

Rate of

200m

Muzzle

800 rounds per minute

5- or 30-round

velocity:

box magazine

285m

ready

supplies

(935ft) per

second

suitable,

availability

and

partly

overhead magazine made

The weapon was

it

ambush

also

reliable

Effective range:

Rate of

fire:

sion of the basic

cartridge
bullet,

MP5

is

firing the

which, with

had

Muzzle

significantly

a ver-

are subsonic.

barrel enclosed in

its

cumbersome phy-

Calibre:

Sterling

Mk

4 submachine

9mm

Weight: 2.72kg (61b) empty

Length: 0.68m (2ft 3in) with the butt
extended, or 0.483m (lft 7in) with the

fire:

200m

(656ft)

550 rounds per minute

(cyclic)

Feed: 34-round box magazine

Muzzle

(492ft)

700 rounds per minute

the standard

9mm

velocity:

421m

velocity:

390m

(1280ft) per

second

THOMPSON

greater

Ameri-

Owen

the propensity of the barrel to climb as a

second

Parabellum round.

STEN GUN
Older weapons used by the SAS included
the British Sten and Sterling, the

The Thompson,

or 'Tommy', gun remains

one of the most celebrated weapons of all
time. An accurate and reliable weapon, its
main drawbacks were its considerable
weight, the tendency of the bullets to
move around noisily in the magazine, and

(1380ft) per

10mm

hollow-

stopping power than the bullet fired by

218

Type: L2A3
gun

Rate of

150m

that

those

presence.

Effective range:

Weight: 4.815kg (10.61b) empty

Length: 0.813m (2ft 8in)

that

(cyclic)

HECKLER & KOCH MP5/10

The Heckler & Koch MP5/10

point

sical

butt retracted

9mm

Mk V

based on

sound suppressor, and the result is a very

weapon whose main drawbacks are

Type: submachine gun

Feed: 33-round box magazine

Auto

also has

and accurate.
Calibre:

(656ft)

(cyclic)

Feed:

its

its

easy to use in low-lying jungle

9mm

Weight: 2.9 kg
Length: 0.55m

of

partly

speed.

Calibre:

was particularly

It

and pro-

so

gas,

emerging from the muzzle

(1200ft) per

is

shorter barrel with perforations

OWEN

intended for special forces' use, and there-

Sterling

Feed: 32-round box magazine

HECKLER & KOCH MP5SD

The Heckler & Koch MP5SD

the

rugged and
been retired

was the silenced version. This

second

is

has only just

it

Rate of fire: 1090 rounds per minute

Muzzle

specifically

(1200ft) per

second

second

MP5

(525ft)

550 rounds per minute

fire:

Feed: 32-round box magazine

Weight: 3.46kg (7.631b) loaded

Length: 0.548m (lft 2in) with stock
extended, or 0.269m (llin) with stock
EfFective range:

silenced version of the

a ten-

magazine.

in the

9mm

Calibre:

(1230ft) per

of accuracy and

for rounds to

Weight: 3.7kg (8.161b) empty

Length: 0.762m (2ft 6in)

it is

and high rate of fire still made

Type: submachine gun

375m

a lack

utes important in the counter-terrorism

ern Ireland, where

velocity:

were

Calibre:

Model 10

Muzzle

that

failings

dency

The weapon's primary

purposes.

repair

can be fitted with a silencer (both attrib-

role),

Feed: 15- or 30-round box magazine

Model

compact weapon

is

in 1980,

the Ingram

can Thompson, and the Australian

SMALL ARMS: SUBMACHINE GUNS

Above: An old photograph of two

soldiers

SBS

its

coming ashore from a Klepper

canoe. The

weapon

is

overall

variants

the

is

The two main

fired.

were the original

classic

Ml 928

with

drum magazine holding 50

rounds, and the definitive

Ml

with

its

magazine

is

in the grip.

Type: submachine gun

a silenced Sterling.

Calibre:
sustained burst

compactness and ease of use in

the dark, as

9mm

Weight: 3.70kg (8.161b) empty

Length: 0.65m (2ft 2in) with butt
extended, or 0.47m (1ft 7in) with butt

retracted

Effective range:

Rate of

fire:

150m

(492ft)

600 rounds per minute

(cyclic)

Feed: 25- or 32-round box magazine

Muzzle

velocity:

400m

(1312ft) per

second

box

magazine.

Type: submachine gun

Calibre: 0.45in

Weight: 4.74kg (10.451b) empty

Length: 0.813m (2ft 8in)
Effective range:

Rate of

fire:

150m

(492ft)

700 rounds per minute

(cyclic)

Feed: 20- or 30-round box magazine

Muzzle

velocity:

280m

(920ft)

per

second
UZI

The two

other submachine guns of west-

ern origin used by the

SAS

are the Israeli

Uzi and the American Ingram. The Uzi

is

an extremely reliable weapon, notable for

Right:
Uzi.

A French frogman armed

with a Mini-

The standard version of the weapon has

been used by the Special Air Service.

219

ARSENAL

AN

OF

ELITE

Handguns
The SAS has come a long way from the aged Webleys its men used to carry. The modern
handguns used by the Regiment are high-powered semi-automatics that have large magazine
capacities - ideal for counter-terrorist work.

The

SAS

has always used pistols or

in two widely differWorld War II, the handgun

handguns, but
ent forms. In

was carried

arm

in

standard role

its

as a side

for personal protection, but in

recent years

become

has

it

more

weapon

asso-

ciated with counter-terrorist operations

terrorists
and rescue of
There has been considerable
argument about the relative merits of the
submachine gun and handgun for this

of

(killing

hostages).

role,

some arguing

gun

offers greater capability

higher rate of

submachine
through

its

and single-shot accur-

fire

Others point to the advantages of the

acy.

handgun's rapid

up

that the

to

more

30m

fire

capability at ranges

easy 'portability', and

(98ft),

effective single-handed use. Critics

of the handgun

also aver that the pistol

has so high a recoil force that any second

shot

is

first,

but the

generally

less

SAS

problem with

accurate than the

has circumvented this

specialised training.

Recently, there has been speculation

that the SAS has taken possession of a
new handgun produced by the Belgian

firm. Called the Five-seveN,

it

reportedly

has around 20 times the range and penetrative

tary

power of the most powerful

handguns currently

round can punch through 48

has a magazine capacity of 24

One

interesting point about this

new handgun
lets

of

at

muzzle velocity
rounds.

layers

200m (656ft), has a

of 650m (2132ft) per sec-

Kevlar armour

ond and

The

Five-seveN are impressive:

details for the

its

mili-

in service.

Above: The Browning High Power handgun,

in

Belgium by Fabrique Nationale and now

the standard handgun of the SAS, is one
of the

classic

pistols

of

all

time.

entered service in the 1930s. The

It

first

weapon

still

used by SAS hostage-rescue and anti-

terrorist

Muzzle

teams despite
velocity:

maga-

C0LTM1911

The High Power has been produced

and used in a number of forms, but the

Since World

erable stopping power,

and

a large

zine.

current model

BDA (Browning
which the hammer

the

is

Double Action),

in

designed Colt

M1911A1 and Browning

weapon, or alternatively the hammer can be cocked and

the weapon fired by continuous pressure
on the trigger.
Type: FN BDA semi-automatic pistol

dock

gun

is

fired to

modest

recoil.

One

thing

is

certain, the

Five-

seveN's smooth shape and lack of levers,

which means

it

when

makes

ideal for

it

ations in

less likely to

is

clothing

it is

catch on

pulled from clothing,

SAS

plainclothes oper-

Northern Ireland (should the

tortuous peace process collapse).

(830ft) per

handguns, most notably the American-

and the design, which enables the gas

the

253m

War II, the SAS has used a

number of American and European

High Power, and

when

age.

has a semi-automatic action, very consid-

can be cocked manually before the trig-

cancel each other out, has only

its

second

that the lightweight bul-

is

pressures created

220

BROWNING HIGH POWER

The Browning High Power, made

ger

is

pulled to

Calibre:

fire

the

9mm

M1911A1

is

large

on

reliable in the

is

and heavy weapon

semi-automatic action. The weap-

with

for cleaning,

extreme, easy to strip

and possesses very consider-

able stopping power.

Weight: 0.905kg (21b) empty

Length: 20cm (8in)
Effective range:

the European-designed

and SIG-Sauer weapons. The Colt

40m

(131ft)

Feed: 14-round box magazine

Type: semi-automatic

pistol

Calibre: 0.45in

Weight: 1.13kg (2.51b) empty

Length: 21.9cm (9in)

HANDGUNS

SMALL ARMS
40m

Effective range:

(131ft)

Feed: eight-round box magazine

Muzzle

velocity:

253m

(830ft) per

second

GLOCKGUNS
Made

and notable for their

from the use of a
high-strength polymer material for the
in Austria

light weight, resulting

receiver, the

Glock range of handguns

are

very well suited to the anti-terrorist role;

they do not have a conventional safety
catch, but rather a safety system built into

the two-pressure trigger mechanism.

The

Glock 17 is a semi-automatic 9mm

weapon with a 17-round box magazine,
and the Glock 19 is a smaller and lighter
version of the Glock 17 with a 15-round
box magazine. The Glock 18 is a development of the Model 17 with full automatwell as semi-automatic

ic as
ty,

capabili-

fire

well as provision for larger

as

The Glock

zines.

18

is

to special forces use, as

sive training in

it

proper

its

maga-

only suited

really

requires intenuse.

Type: Glock 18 automatic and semiautomatic pistol

Calibre:

9mm

Weight: 0.636kg (1.41b) empty

Length: 22.3cm (9in)

50m

Effective range:

Rate of

fire:

trigger devices

17-, 19- or

33-round box

magazines

Muzzle

rescue missions. This

velocity:

360m

the SAS:

no

SIG-SAUER GUNS
ily

ot

handguns

SIG-Sauer fam-

notable for

extreme

its

excellent

reliability

number of models, including

P226 and more compact P228 semi-

There
the

is

and

are a

automatic weapons of the single- or double-action types. SIG-Sauers are

SAS

use.

They

because they

risk

fulfil

handgun by

reliability, safety (there

must be

of an accidental discharge before

an assault takes place), good magazine

in Switzerland, the

manufacture

is

aU the criteria looked for in a

(1181ft) per

second

Made

firers.

There seems little reason to doubt that

the SIGs will eventually replace the High
Power as the handgun used on hostage-

1300 rounds per minute

(cyclic)

Feed:

and magazine catches that

can be reversed for left-handed

(164ft)

now

in

are very reliable; indeed, in

one famous Royal Canadian Mounted

Police test, 10 separate P226s discharged a
total of 150,000 rounds. The malfunction
rate was an incredible 0.007 per cent.
There are other reasons why SIGs are so
popular with units such

as

the SAS. For

one thing, they are compact, easy to point

and shoot, and all have double-action

capacity, compactness, suitability for

left-

and right-handed

firers,

rapid

both

maga-

zine change function, speedy operation

work under adverse

Above: The SIG-Sauer P228 handgun, one of

the excellent series of
the

Swiss

firm,

weapons produced by

which are now

in

SAS

use.

WEBLEY
During World War

II,

the standard pistol

of the SAS was the British army's Webley

revolver,

which

was

strength, reliability

used by
at

SAS

notable

for

its

and accuracy. Widely

officers

during that

conflict.

Webley represented the

there was in handgun design. The

the time the

best

maufacture was of an

extremely

high

weather conditions. The only challenger

and the weapon could take a lot

of punishment. Its only fault was the six-

seems to be the Five-seveN

round magazine, which was often

and the

ability

to

(see

page

standard,

opposite).

cient for the task in hand.

Type: SIG-Sauer P226 semi-automatic

Type: Webley

pistol

pistol

Calibre:

9mm

50m

(164ft)

Feed: 15- or 20-round box magazine

Muzzle
second

velocity:

MkVI

revolver

Calibre: 0.45in

Weight: 0.75kg (1.651b) empty

Length: 19.6cm (8in)
Effective range:

Pistol

insuffi-

350m

(1

148ft) per

Weight: 1.09kg (2.41b) empty

Length: 28.6cm (11 in)
Effective range:

40m

(131ft)

Feed: six-round revolving cylinder

Muzzle

velocity:

199m

(653ft) per

second

221

ARSENAL

OF

AN

ELITE

Sniper Rifles
SAS uses

The

sniper

rifles

the mission, only the best

is

during field operations and for anti-terrorist duties. But whatever

chosen, and

sniper

sniper
The SAS uses the highly
different

roles.

The

first is

two

rifle for

and

contrasting

in 'conventional' warfare,

rifle

that

Calibre:

is

in

Accuracy

the

7.62mm

Weight: 6.5kg (14.31b) empty

Length: 1.124m to 1.194m (3ft Sin

and demands that the sniper be capable of

3ft 11 in)

operating in the field to score a

first-

Effective range:

round

on

Feed: 10-round box magazine

hit (but

head-sized

or

(984ft),

not necessarily

target

at

a kill)

range of

a torso-sized target at a

International

1000m

914m

weapon of improved accuracy was now

required, and the SAS investigated three
to

(3280ft)

The second

Calibre:

velocity:

(2998ft) per

and places less emphasis on movement and concealment skills, but more on
that

may be

as

short as

100m

at a

range

ACCURACY INTERNATIONAL PM

Effective range:

the

Feed: five-round rotary magazine

Calibre:

SAS

PM.

Effective range:

rifle

with

as

the

under the stock so

on the

Bender

monopod

that the rifle can

target for

out tiring the

bolt-

a plastic stock, a light

bipod under the barrel and

laid

L96A1

firer,

be

Schmidt

&

telescopic sight providing accura-

cy out to

range of

Type: L96A1 sniper

1000m
rifle

(3280ft).

800m

velocity:

(2624ft)

860m

(2820ft) per

800m

is

a bolt-action rifle

notable for

its

Muzzle

Calibre: 0.223in, 0.243in or

velocity:

838m

(2750ft) per

rifle

7mm

Weight: 3.27kg (7.211b) empty

Length: 1.01m (3ft 4in)

second

SSG69
Although the L42

550m

Effective range:
rifle

was used up to

and during the Falklands War (1982), it

had become clear that a more modern

(1804ft)

Feed: 4-round box magazine

Muzzle

velocity:

900m

(2953ft) per

second

SSG 3000
The SSG 3000
a

Swiss weapon, and

as

product of the SIG Sauer company

is

notable for

weapon
a

its

is

excellent manufacture.

has a bolt action and

is

fitted

The
with

bipod.

Type: SSG 3000 sniper

rifle

Calibre: 0.308in

Weight: 6.2kg (13.71b) empty

Length: 1.18m (3ft lOin)
Effective range:

650m

(2130ft)

Feed: 5-round box magazine

Muzzle

velocity:

750m

(2461ft) per

second

PM sniper

Left:

The Accuracy International

rifle,

currently in service with the SAS. Its

accuracy

222

is

number of

ability to fire a

ammunition types.
Type: Tikka M55 sniper

(2624ft)

of

Finnish design and manufacture, and

Feed: 10-round box magazine

long periods with-

and

Muzzle

M55
The Tikka M55

rifle

7.62mm

decided on the Accuracy International

entered service

7.62mm

L42
oldest sniper rifle used by the SAS is
L42A1, which is a conversion of the
SMLE No.4 bolt-action rifle with a heavier barrel chambered for the 7.62mm

used in

reliability

The

Weight: 4.43kg (9.71b) empty

Length: 1.181m (3ft 11 in)

It

its

Weight: 4.6kg (10.141b) empty

Length: 1.14m (3ft 9in)

Type: L42A1 sniper

action

notable for

rifle

all

an Austrian

is

rather than 0.303in round.

(328ft).

After evaluating several weapons, the

were

and very considerable accuracy.

Type: sniper rifle

second

ations,

than hit

bolt-action

Muzzle

revolutionary and counter-terrorist oper-

a first-round kill rather

that

SSG 69

range

for use in counter-

is

European weapons
small numbers. The

300m

of between 600 and 1000m (1968 and

3280ft).

PM the Regiment has a

one of the world's top models.

is

outstanding.

SMALL ARMS

Combat Shotguns
armoury the SAS has found a use for the combat shotgun. Totally
room full of terrorists and hostages, it is an effective tool for blowing
open doors and the like to allow SAS teams entry.

In the anti-terrorist

unsuitable for use in a

SAS
The
during

first

used shotguns in action

Malayan 'Emergency'
using the Browning
auto-loader, a civilian weapon which
worked well under jungle conditions and
(1948-60),

the

initially

proved effective in close combat. Shotguns were also used in Borneo in the
1960s, though there were problems with
cartridges. They

were paper and tended to

humid atmosphere. Even

them in a plastic bag didn't solve
problem. The only way round this was

swell

up

in the

carrying
the

to use plastic cartridges.

for the lead

man

be armed with

in a

was customary

It

four-man patrol

to

him

to

shotgun, allowing

good spread of shot if contact

was made with the enemy. This would
hopefully keep enemy heads down, giving enough time for the other patrol
members to return fire. The SAS now
release a

uses

the

shotgun for counter-terrorist

operations, principally

door hinges

blowing off

for

moment

the

at

an assault

team moves into a room to kill terrorists

and free hostages. Modern military shotguns are optimised for
through their
different

this

type of role

ability to fire a

number of

cartridges, including buckshot,

armour-piercing,

CS

gas,

removing) and others.

Hatton (hinge-

The

three types of

Weight: 4.2kg (9.251b) empty

Length: 0.93m (3ft lin) with stock

Above: The Remington 870 pump-action

extended, or 0.71m

rooms during a hostage-rescue mission.

Rate of

fire:

50m

two Franchi Special-Purpose Automatic

Shotguns (the SPAS 12 and SPAS 15), and

Feed: seven-round

Muzzle

(164ft)

24-30 rounds per minute

(practical)

Remington

SAS to gain

entry to

Feed: six-round internal magazine

Muzzle

velocity: dependent on the

type of round used

internal

magazine

velocity: dependent on the

REMINGTON

870

The Remington 870

type of round used

870.

shotgun, used by the

folded

Effective range:

shotgun currently used by the SAS are

the

with stock

(2ft 4in)

is

the main

combat

shotgun of the SAS, and having been

FRANCHI SPAS 12
The SPAS 12 has a

skeleton butt with a

device that allows single-handed firing, a

choke
(2ft

that ensures a short spread

11 in) at a

range of

40m

of 0.9m

(131ft),

and

provision for semi-automatic or automatic fire (the latter at

per second). There

an
is

initial

four rounds

also provision for a

muzzle device that ensures an early spread

of the shot for indoor firing.

Type: combat shotgun

Calibre: 12 gauge

FRANCHI SPAS 15
The SPAS 15 is a development of the
SPAS 12. It has a box rather than a tubular

magazine, and can be operated in

semi-automatic or pump-action modes.

Type: combat shotgun

Calibre: 12 gauge

Weight: 3.9kg (8.61b) empty

Length: 0.915m (3ft)
Effective range:

Rate of

fire:

(practical)

50m

(164ft)

24-30 rounds per minute

designed for

this task

is

considerably

more

robust than any shotgun designed initially for civilian use. It

is

also

used by the

US

Marine Corps.
Type: Remington 870 combat shotgun
Calibre: 12 gauge
Weight: 3.6kg (7.941b) empty
Length: .06m (3ft 6in)
1

Effective range:

40m

(131ft)

Feed: seven-round internal magazine

Muzzle

velocity: dependent on the

type of round used

223

SUPPORT WEAPONS
Anti-Tank
Modern hand-held
of

SAS patrols.

anti-tank

weapons are

that

its

primary

tasks

have been

hit-and-run raids and deep reconnaissance,

it

may seem

that the

SAS

had,

and continues to have, little need for antitank weapons. During World War II, however, the SAS operated anti-tank weapons
in small

numbers

for area defence

ideal tools for significantly increasing the firepower

SAS foot and

M72 and Milan

During the 1991 Gulf War,

such weapons as the

Given

Weapons

and

in

ambush

operations.

Since

vehicle

teams made

1945, light-

weight anti-tank weapons have been used

to provide a capability against light

oured vehicles and

In

World War

capability

II,

arm-

field fortifications.

the primary anti-tank

of the SAS was provided by

two pieces of British

artillery,

effective use of

anti-tank systems.

namely the

6-pounder dedicated anti-tank gun and

the
25-pounder gun/howitzer; the
British PIAT anti-tank projector; and one

American anti-tank rocket

two
weapons were generally used in

specialised

launcher, the so-called 'bazooka'. The

British

the course of the

SAS

reconnaissance and

blocking operations undertaken in France

Low

and the

when SAS

Countries

after June 1944,

were parachute-landed

parties

in strategic areas.

They

established a base

from which they could contact and

organise the local resistance forces and

German

harry the

tion to prevent the

lines of communicamovement of German

reserves to threatened sectors

Given

that a

measure of

of the

front.

local security

could be provided by the local resistance

elements, and that the weapons could be

by

delivered

ammunition
the

such

artillery

them

advantages

potential

that

ing

and maintained with

same route, it was felt

air

via the

to a

outweighed the

German

of using

risks

of los-

attack.

6-POUNDER ANTI-TANK GUN

The British 6pdr anti-tank gun, more formally known as the Ordnance, QF, 6pounder 7cwt, was introduced to service
September 1941 and proved an effec-

in

tank

tive

killer for

only

a short time.

The

type was thought suitable for allocation to

the

SAS

in

first-line

in 1944, as

service

more powerful

it

had been replaced

by the altogether

17-pounder anti-tank
easily by air,

could be delivered

gun.

It

was

light

enough

for

straightforward towing by

Left:

comparatively

SAS Jeeps, and

The 25-pounder field gun manned by

Corporal Labalaba at the Battle ofMirbat.

is

224

now on permanent display at

It

Woolwich.

still

provided

WEAPONS. ANTI-TANK WEAPONS

useful capability against

armoured

lighter

U P P

and

vehicles

soft-

all

skinned vehicles.

Type: Ordnance. QF, 6pdr 7c\vt

medium

anti-tank

Calibre:

57mm

IV

(2.2in)

Weight: 1112kg (2,4711b)

Projectile weight: 2.84kg

Muzzle

Mk

gun

velocity:

823m

(6.281b)

(2700ft) per

second

Armour
at

915m

penetration:

68.5mm

(2.7in)

(3001ft) at a 20-degree angle.

25-POUNDER MKII

was applied to give the

numbers of the 25-pounder
field guns, more formally known as the
Ordnance, QF. 25-pounder Mk II. This
similar rationale

SAS

small

was an extremely capable weapon able to

provide a
bilities,

ity

full

capa-

artillery

facil-

type was used in very small

num-

The

SAS

bers by the

enjoyed

its

Mirbat in
single

range of field

including a limited anti-tank

in

World War

II.

but

great success in the action at

Oman on

example of

19 July 1972,

this

when

weapon was used

to vers- considerable effect to help a small

party of

SAS men, supported by some

and

later

it

become

heads also had

and other

fortifications

linked

to

his

name

in

the

Regiment s folklore. The Fijian Corporal

Labalaba manned and fired the gun for
most part single-handedly before
being mortally wounded, but his efforts
the

Con-

obstacles.

Type: Ordnance. QF. 25pdr

gun/howitzer

87.6mm

Mk

II

field

(3.45in)

84mm
is

It

SAS

trooper, with a for-

somewhat short-range capabilall

but the most heavily
armoured tanks. The weapon of this type
ity

last

round

factor being generated by the Carl

well as an anti-tank round.

as

Some

indication cf the weapon's tactical flexibility

is

to

tool,

modern systems.

range: 1000m (3280ft)

penetration:

400mm

(15.75in) at any range

if

against

most generally associated with the SAS

since the later 1950s has been the Swedish
Carl Gustav M2-550 recoilless gun. This
is sturdy, reliable, accurate and versatile,
the

Carl Gustav anti-tank

an effective anti-armour

though heavy compared

Maximum

Gustav's ability to fire an anti-personnel

saved the day.

Calibre:

weapon.

Armour

midable

forever be

Above: The

field

today provide the infantrymen, and for

group of commuDuring that battle one

man ensured that the 25-pounder would
insurgents.

war-

the evolution

that matter the

nist

on

development has since gone into

of such weapons, which

siderable

police and irregulars, to drive off a considerably larger assault

clear that such

a devastating effect

provided by the

War

fact that

during

LAW 80

LAW

The
shot

weapon with

tube,

and

firing

another single-

is

discardable launcher

M72

like the

signature

suffers

from

a large

terms of noise and

in

smoke. The type

main

and produced by

80, designed

Hunting Engineering,

is

designed to tackle

and the fact that this

requires a substantial warhead means that
the LAW 80 is a somewhat weighty and
cumbersome item of equipment.
Type: LAW 80 man-portable single-shot
battle tanks,

Weight: 1800kg (39681b)

Maximum range: 12.255km (7.6miles)
Projectile weight: 11.34kg (251b) for
the HE round

the Falklands

Muzzle

destroyer!

Weight: 9.5kg (20.91b)

Length: lm (3ft 3in) closed, or 1.5m

Type: Carl Gustav M2-550 mangun

Rocket weight: 4kg

velocity:

532m

(1745ft) per

second

Gustav

his Carl

first

Royal Marine used

to shoot

down

Argentine helicopter, and then put

though the

side

plate

of an Argentine

portable anti-tank recoilless

CARL GUSTAV
It

was the hollow-charge warhead, relying

on chemical

factors rather than kinetic

energy for the penetration of armour, that

Calibre:

84mm

Weight: 15kg (33.11b)

Length: 1.13m (3ft 8in)
Round weight: 3kg (6.611b)
hollow-charge projectile

provided with an anti-armour capability.

second

Muzzle

velocity:

380m

anti-tank rocket launcher

Calibre:

(4ft

lin)

94mm

(3.7in)

extended for firing

Armour
at

(8.81b)

500m

(1640ft)

penetration:

600mm

Effective range:

(3.31 in)

emerged from World War II as the lightest

and therefore best way for infantry to be

an

hole

(23.6in)

any range

for the

M9 BAZOOKA
(1247ft) per

The

'bazooka' was an American

weapon

based on the concept of delivering the

225

Above: The
Carl Gustav.
its firing

LAW 80,
It

the replacement for the

has an effective warhead, but

signature

is

Armour

penetration: 119.4mm

Above: The M72, a one-shot, throw-away

(4.7in) at

any range

anti-tank

weapon

carried by

very visible.

that is light

enough

to

be

SAS foot patrols.

M72
s?

me

type of hollow-charge warhead

as

warhead performs its

armour-penetration 'trick' most effectively when not spinning and moving at the
lowest possible velocity, so the Americans
decided that the best way to deliver it was
not in the form of a horizontally fired
mortar bomb (as in the PIAT) with all its
weight and considerable recoil, but on the
front of a rocket that could be fired from
a hollow tube and thus generate no recoil
at all. The weapon was originally delivered in 1942 as the 2.36in Rocket
Launcher Ml, but by 1944 this early version had been replaced by the tactically
improved 2.36in Rocket Launcher M9 in
which the reloadable launcher tube could
be broken down into two sections for
the

PIAT. This

ease of transport.

M9

man-portable anti-tank rocket launcher

60mm

velocity:

83m

(270ft) per

second

Maximum
226

Carl Gustav was unnecessarily complex,

too heavy and also too expensive, and

Muzzle

there were

that a reloadable

many

result

weapon such

as

the

as a

countries developed single-

shot weapons of the anti-tank type: once

the launcher had been fired the

empty

tube was discarded, and the operator then

picked up a fresh unit, delivered

round ready

tified

two weapons of
with the

as a

cer-

for battlefield use.

The

this

type to have served

SAS have been

American
Accurate and

the

fitted

and British LAW 80.

with a potent warhead, the

light

enough

M72

that several

disadvantage, shared by

the same type,

is

M72

is

complete units

can be carried by a single man;

its

main

many weapons of

prominent

operator

weapon and
the
far

M72

firing signa-

640m

(2099ft)

is

discharged

has

the

discarded the spent launch

SAS

godsend, and

foot patrols

its

advantages

outweigh any bad points.

Type:

M72A2

man-portable single-shot

anti-tank rocket launcher

66mm

(2.6in)

Weight: 2.36kg

(5.21b)

Calibre:

range:

he

after

tube. Nevertheless, for

(2.4in)

Weight: 6.01kg (13.251b) empty

Length: 1.55m (5ft lin)
Rocket weight: 1.53kg (3.41b)

Muzzle

many who

Length: 0.655m (2ft 2in) closed, or

0.893m (2ft 11 in) extended for firing
Rocket weight: 1kg (2.21b)

felt

ture that forces a rapid departure of the

Type: 2.36in Rocket Launcher

Calibre:

During the 1960s

velocity:

145m

(475ft) per

second

Maximum
Armour
at

range: 1000m (3280ft)

penetration:

305mm

(12in)

any range

MILAN
With

their

low

velocities,

such rockets are

highly susceptible to atmospheric condi-

such

tions

least

degraded

change

and being

crosswinds,

as

unguided, they can

in

also

be defeated, or

effect,

in course

after the rocket has

at

by any sudden

by the target vehicle

been fired. It is for this

reason that guided missiles were devel-

oped

for use in the surface-to-surface role

against

tanks.

capabilities

sed

The

sophistication

and

of these weapons have increa-

dramatically

since

they

were

introduced in the 1950s, but the

size

first

and

weight of such systems generally precludes their use by fast-moving, lightly

equipped units such

as

SAS

patrols,

would run rather than stand in the

main battle tank opposition.

who

face of

SUPPORT WEAPONS; ANTI-TANK WEAPONS

The one weapon of this type that has
been used by the SAS is the Euromissile

no great liability.
Type: PIAT man-portable anti-tank

in the

Milan

projector

be loaded with

Weight: 14.52kg (321b) emptyLength: 0.99m (3ft 3in)

Grenade weight: 1.36kg (31b)

oversize hollow -charge warhead.

Muzzle

Type:

(Missile d'Infanterie Leger Anti-char,

or light infantry anti-tank missile).

numbers

small

in

fired

War while

Falklands

during

the

SAS provided

the

main

diversion for the

was

It

British

amphibious

landing on the eastern side of San Carlos

Water. During the Gulf

War SAS Land

Rover columns would often engage

with

targets

Iraqi

vehicle-mounted

their

Milans.The great advantage with the

tem

is

that

compared

reduced noise and

its

flash

to other systems. In addition,

the fact that the missiles are wire-guided

means

that

they are not vulnerable to

The Milan

electronic countermeasures.

launched from
that can

ground-based

difficult);

command

and uses semi-automatic

is

firing unit

be reloaded without

per second

Armour
at

to

based on a firing tube

a slim

rocket carrying an

There

is

with an anti-personnel war-

RPG-7

man-portable anti-tank

rocket launcher

range:

685m

penetration:

(2247ft)

110mm

(4.33in)

Calibre:

40mm

(1.57in) for the

launcher tube

Weight: 7kg (15.431b)

Length: 0.99m (3ft 3in)
Rocket weight: 2.25kg

any range

RPG-7

The SAS. as

It is

head.

sys-

difficult to detect in battle

it is

because of

also a rocket

velocity: 76- 137m (250-450ft)

Maximum

world.

with sight and trigger group, which can

part

of its standard practice of

training with enemy weapons that may

become available to SAS parties behind
the enemy fines, also has experience of

(4.961b) for the

anti-tank type

500m

(1640ft)

penetration:

400mm

Effective range:

Armour

(15.75in) at any range

Soviet anti-tank rocket systems, most particularly the

service in

RPG-7

that entered Soviet

1962 and has since become one

of the most ubiquitous anti-tank weapons

Below: An SAS Land Rover and

its

crew

photographed behind the lines during the

Gulf War. Note the Milan on the roll bar.

line-of-sight guidance: the operator has

merely to keep the target

the

in his sight

and

subsystem

fire-control

launcher's

tracks the missile

and generates guidance

commands

that

are

missile

via

trailing

transmitted to

the

wire system.

The

is widely used and has been developed through three main variants with
longer range and improved warheads.
Type: Euromissile MILAN ground-

Milan

launched anti-tank missile

Diameter: 90mm (3.5in)

Length: 0.769m (2ft 6in)
Weight: 6.65kg (14.661b)
Speed: 720km/h (447mph)

Maximum
Armour

range: 2000m (6566ft)

penetration:

650mm

(25.6in)

PIAT

The only

other British anti-tank

used by the

PIAT

SAS

in

(Projector.

World War
Infantry.

II

weapon
was the

Anti-Tank).

This superseded the Boys anti-tank

in the early part

anti-tank

of the war

weapon of

as

rifle

the primary

infantry units, and

was based on the spigot mortar principle

to fire a short-range grenade earning a
hollow-charge warhead. Despite

its

obvi-

and clumsiness, the

weapon was used with some success by
the SAS in the Northwest European campaign of 1944-45. usually in the type of
ambush situation in which the weapons
limited effective range of 91m (298ft) was
ous

obsolescence

Ill

ARSENAL

AN

OF

ELITE

Mortars
SAS teams
tar

generally operate far beyond the support capability of friendly

has become, and

will

continue to be, an important support

weapon

in

artillery,

so the mor-

both offensive and

defensive operations.

As

designed for operations deep

a unit

in the

enemy's rear

areas, the

SAS

um

and heavy support

Light

fire

sup-

replaced in the late 1970s by the

port was provided by the Ordnance,

ML,

mortar.

Mortar, which

cannot rely on support from the heavier

2in

weapons of associated units. It is optimised for speed and agility to minimise

the chances of interception by heavier
enemy forces, and always operates in the

British service in

fire.

was

1937

as a

adopted

for

development

ECIA and entered

and service in 1938. The
weapon was developed through a large

mortar

field artillery. The

heavy mortars or

SAS

as
is

intended primarily to provide a reconnaissance

it

requires light

51.2mm

Calibre:

of its subordinate

Weight: 3.32kg

The mortar

traditionally associated

is

with the provision of close

for infantry

Such

fire

units

to

support

battalion size.

but the

as a basic

availability

of the

element of the infantry

unit offers greater flexibility and a faster

response time.

Maximum range: 320m (1050ft)

Bomb weight: 1.02kg (2.251b) for
HE round

In

MORTAR

World War

3in

the

SAS used

three types

of mortar for the provision of light, medi-

MORTAR

designed

as a

that could

simple light support

be operated by
essentially

is

weapon

a single

man.

an improved

and smoke) to

a greater range

and

with superior accuracy.

Type:

51mm

Calibre:

1920s to equip infantry battalions

Royal

Mortar

light

support

(94mm)

pack howitzers in the infantry support

could be re-equipped with heavier

weapons and thereby become more versatile field regiments. The most important
of these weapons was the 3in Mortar Mk
II, which was a useful piece of equipment
in terms of the weight of bomb fired, but
was generally inferior to contemporary
German and Italian mortars in terms of
range, even after the introduction of more
advanced propellants boosted the maximum range from the original figure of
1465m (4805ft). The weapon was accurate
but somewhat heavy, and was
Left:

SAS.

The
It

81mm mortar currently used by the

was used by D Squadron

Pebble Island raid

51.25mm

Weight: 3.25kg

(2 in)

(7.21b)

Maximum range: 800m (2624ft)

Bomb weight: 0.79kg (1.741b) for
HE

the

round

Artillery's light regi-

ments, then equipped with 3.7in

role,

228

Mortar was replaced

by the Mortar, ML, 51mm, which was

flare

the

The medium support weapon of the SAS

in World War II was the Ordnance, ML,
3in Mortar. This weapon was developed
so that the

II,

mm MORTAR

In the 1970s the 2in

mortar

in the
2in

(3in)

and updated version of the 2in Mortar,

firing a useful assortment of bombs (HE,

(2in)

(7.31b)

support can also be provided by

field artillery,

mortar

up

fire

51

The weapon

support weapons to increase the chances

units' survival.

76.2mm

Calibre:

Weight: 57.2kg (1261b) in action

Maximum range: 2.5km (1.5 miles)
Bomb weight: 4.54kg (101b) for the
HE round

occasion. For this reason,

cannot carry

medium

II

production

and intelligence-gathering
capability, and as such should avoid major
engagements with the enemy, but is
inevitably required to stand and fight on

it

organic heavy support weapons such

Mk

support mortar

of a Spanish design by

numbers of variants for a host of applications, and remained in service until 1980,
when it was replaced by the 51mm mortar. The primary versions used by the SAS
were the Mk II, Mk VII and Mk VIII
weapons, which could fire high explosive
(HE), smoke and flare rounds.
Type: 2in Mortar MkVII light support

lightest possible condition;

Type: 3in Mortar

81mm

during the

in the Falklands War.

81mm MORTAR
Over much the same

period, the

3in

Mortar was superseded by the Mortar,

ML, 81mm,
This

is

known

otherwise

an advanced

weapon

bombs

delivering

its

long range

as a result

as

the L16.

capable of

accurately over a

of

its

nicely engin-

eered barrel and the use of a plastic sealing

ring

to

behind the

trap

bomb

the

with

propellant

minimum

gases

leakage.

This weapon was used to support the

SAS

on Pebble Island in the Falklands War.

Type: 81mm Mortar medium support
mortar
Calibre:

81mm

(3.19in)

Weight: 34.6kg (76.281b)

Maximum range: 5.65km (3.5
Bomb weight: 4.26kg (9.391b)
HE round

miles)
for the

SUPPORRT WEAPONS

Surface-To-Air Missiles
Because of their weight, SAS

foot patrols in general

do not carry hand-held surface-to-air

missiles (SAMs). However, vehicle-mounted patrols, such as those in the 1991 Gulf War, have

found they are compact enough

important
The most
currently

pon

is

provide defence against air attack.

wea-

anti-aircraft

used by ground forces

the surface-to-air missile

infantry units

SAM. This

(SAM), and

type generally issued

particular

the

to

to

the shoulder-launched

is

compara-

usually comprises a

(with solid-propellant

tively small missile

rocket propulsion and an infra-red guid-

ance

package)

carried

in

^>^_~

disposable

\ 1^^

sealed container/launcher tube.

In general,

SAS

patrols are

not equipp-

ed with such weapons for three reasons.

SAS

Firstly,

operate from

rarely

and rotary-wing warplanes: even

fixed-

when such
to

patrols

bases that require defence against

static

a base

is

used,

SAS

practice

camouflage the base so that

invisible

tively

SAS

patrols

to

their

ability

to

skills

lightweight

SAMs would

move

rapidly

compromised. Thirdly, the

camouflage

is

effec-

warplanes. Secondly,

carrying even

shoulder-launched

it is

find

severely

and

fieldcraft

of the SAS make the use

SAMs

of shoulder-launched

fare,

notably in arctic and desert war-

shoulder-launched

SAMs

are useful,

especially for vehicle patrols.

Maximum
Maximum
JAVELIN

weapon comes

in

Shorts Javelin

the

Blowpipe

with

monocular

and then

it

sight, fires the missile

to the target

development of

to

more

deal

battlefield targets

such

as

is

tor acquires the target visually

troller

with

is

designed

container,

(28.71b),

The

aircraft.

an 8.9kg (19.6lb) aiming unit. The opera-

guides

has

The

with

his

thumb con-

before discarding the launcher tube

helicopters,

new-pattern

greater range

is

warhead. Targeting

at

aided by the use of semi-

command

carried by

SAS Land

STINGER
The General Dynamics FIM-92

miles)

clipoed to

as diffi-

high-speed crossing

weighing 13kg

Mach 1.5
4km (two

and

proved in combat against targets

cult as

speed:
range:

sealed

weapon

was

Rover patrols during the 1991 Gulf War.

which may launch

their anti-tank missiles at ranges of more
than 4km (two miles). To provide the necessary range, a more powerful sustainer
rocket motor is fitted, and destructive
capability is enhanced by the provision of

capable

is

Above: The Stinger surface-to-air missile

(SAM), which

effectively

BLOWPIPE
Shorts Blowpipe

and

blast/fragmentation

combat

The

(4.851b) proximity-

impact-fused shaped-charge and

generally

superfluous in mobile operations. Occasionally,

Warhead: 2.2kg

all-aspect

engagement

Stinger

capability,

greater performance and manoeuvrability,

an IFF system and enhanced resistance

to

electronic

countermeasures.

It

ally

successful with

homing

passive

infra-red

Foe (IFF) system, the

fication Friend or

Snnger-POST
model.

its

system. Incorporating the Identi-

It

is

the current production

has a Passive Optical Scanning

Technique seeker

to provide better dis-

crimination between the target and the

guidance, requiring the operator merely

ground for low-altitude engagements.

Type: General Dynamics FIM-92A

keep the target centred in his sight.

Type: Shorts Javelin man-portable point

tactical surface-to-air missile

automatic

to

line-of-sight

to

and clipping on another round.

defence

Type: Shorts Blowpipe man-portable

point defence tactical surface-to-air

Length: 1 .39m (4ft 7in)

Weight: 11.1kg (51b)

missile

Warhead: fragmentation

Diameter: 76mm (3in)

Length: 1.39m (4ft 7in)
Weight: 11.1kg (24.51b)

Maximum
Maximum
miles)

Stinger man-portable point defence

Diameter: 70mm (2.75in)

Length: 1 .52m (5ft)
Weight: 10.1kg (22.31b)
Warhead: 3kg (6.61b) proximity-fused

tactical surface-to-air missile

speed: supersonic
range: more than

blast

4km

was

introduced in 1981 and has proved gener-

(two

fragmentation

Maximum
Maximum

speed: more than

range:

5km

Mach

(three miles)

229

GRENADES & EXPLOSIVES

Since World

War

II

the

SAS has made

use of explosives

in its

operations,

and today

all

SAS

troopers are trained to use a wide variety of explosives and grenades, both for defence and

weapons such as

offence, plus perimeter defence

small bomb designed

The begrenade
thrown by hand and generally
is

to

charge con-

comprises

a small explosive

tained in

thick metal casing that shatters

into a large

number of fragments on

detonation of the explosive charge.

casing

is

fitted

with

a delay

mechanism

may

duced by the Haley

&

The

fragmentation

types

use

specialised grenades pro-

include

Weller company.

and

always

that pro-

their use

pyrotechnic
terised

crack

of an

electric

rather than
is

charac-

by an enemy-warning
the priming lever is

released,

the

fuse:

latter

as

while the former

is

fizz

or

most grenades is between 0.5 and 1kg

(1.1 and 2.21b), and their blast/fragmentation effect possesses a lethal radius in the

10-20m

In the course

SAS

has

(33-66ft).

of

career to date, the

used too large

grenade types to be
the types

its

number of

listed conveniently, so

mentioned below

are

convey an impression of the

possessed by those most

meant

to

capabilities

commonly

used.

special forces such as the

tion,

resistant to heat

is

initiated

burns

between

is

and humidity, and

at

supersonic speed

2000 and 8500m/

6566 and 27,887ft per second)

released

gases

relatively

premature detona-

insensitive to prevent

(anything

is

by

high explosive. This

is

over the British army's standard grenades

throwing the bomb. The mass of

range of

SAS,

The

create

so that the

shock waves that

shear and shatter nearby objects.

High explosive

is

initiated

by

electrical

or non-electrical means. In the electrical

silent.

method, the passing of a current through

vides time for the thrower to find cover

after

ably used

when

mass expand evenly from the

is

thought that the SAS

incendiary, and their primary advantage

usually corrugated or otherwise

point of detonation; the grenade

also

number of the

the

scored to ensure that fragments of basically similar

It is

the Claymore mine.

EXPLOSIVES

The

wires in the blasting cap ignites the small

use of explosives has been associated

with the SAS since

David
Stirling's original concept for the unit was
the sabotage of installations and vehicles
of all types behind the enemy lines. There
its

origin;

are two basic types of explosive, namely

low explosive and high explosive. Typical
of low explosives, which burn at subsonic speed, is gunpowder. The type of

explosive generally used today, and invari-

charge within the cap to

set off the

charge. In the non-electrical

time fuse

(perhaps black

cap

firing

connected to

is

main

method,

powder

in

wrapping) whose ignition again

fibre

off the

non-electric
a

sets

main charge.

The SAS and

other special forces gen-

erally use the plastic type

of high explo-

RDX

and PETN. The

basic explosive material is mixed with a
sive,

such

as

PE4,

plasticising agent that

improves the mix

and resistance to factors such as

shock, heat and humidity (high explosives
can be hit with a hammer and set on fire
stability

without exploding). High explosive of

this

type

is

being constantly improved,

to meet the ever more

demanding needs of special forces. The

particularly

result

is

series

of new high-explosive

compounds which combine lower

ume

with greater destructive

vol-

effect.

good example of this is provided by the

American PAM (Penetration Augmented
Munition) programme, which has produced an aluminised RDX of which
some 15kg (33.11b) can achieve the same
bridge-destroying effect as 90kg (198.41b)
of previous-generation

Left:

C4

The Claymore anti-personnel mine.

an ideal weapon

for perimeter defence,

well as for use in ambushes.

230

explosive.

It is

as

GRENADES AND EXPLOSIVES

CLAYMORE
The Claymore mine was used by SAS
troopers in the Indonesian Confrontation

(1963-66) and
tor*.-.

hand or

(by

in the

still

is

SAS

inven-

Initiated electrically or mechanically

ground with

When

Claymore is an
on the

tripwires), the

oblong weapon that

is

located

face towards the enemy.

its

fired, the

weapon

some 350

hurls

metal balls outward in a fan shape to a

100m

range of

one

way

in the

and veloc-

(328ft), the size

of these metal

ity

is

ensuring that any-

balls

shredded.

L2

The SAS

use

currently

the

standard

army grenade, the Grenade, HandAnti-Personnel, L2, which was

British
Rifle,

designed for delivery by hand-throwing

or

latter

problems

although

projection,

rifle

with the

mean

that the grenade

only used in hand-thrown mode.

weapon
can

copy of the Ameri-

basically a

is

M26

grenade and thus of the typical

Although

'pineapple' configuration.
a

smooth outer casing of tinned

interior

filled

is

coiled wire

with

2.39mm

it

has

3.175mm

every

unscrewed the end

cap. pulled the string

and

initiator thus revealed,

threw

finally

Above: PE4 plastic explosive, as used by the

SAS, and the agents needed

grenade, but in general the tactical utility

80
type of British grenade, used with

later

SAS

considerable success by the

in

the

M79 outweighs its disadvantages.

M79 single-shot grenade launcher
Calibre: 40mm

of the

Type:

Aden and Oman campaigns of the 1960s

and 1970s, was the Grenade No.80
Mk 1. This is filled with white phos-

Weight: 2.72kg

phorus and was

provide

Length: 0.737m

smokescreens, but also proved effective in

Effective range:

170g (6oz) explosive filling which occupies the centre of the grenade.

In

WP

designed

The

the anti-personnel task.

36

World War II. the SAS used mainly the

Grenade No.36M and the

British

German

Srielgranate

24.

it:

NO

to ensure even fragmentation

NO

detonate

detonating cord and electric detonator.

and dispersion on the detonation of the

(0.125in)

to

the grenade.

plate, the

long length of

(0.094in) in diame-

notched

and

ter

is

The

The No.36M

on

to

type

is

based

tinned plate body of cylindrical

delay of between two and

shape,

and has

a half

and four seconds.

2.95kg

(6.51b)

area targets or

unloaded and

(61b)

loaded
(2ft 5in)

350m (1148ft) against

150m (492ft) against point

targets

Muzzle

velocity:

76m

(250ft)

per

second

grenade was of the standard 'pineapple'

type with a four- to seven-second delay
fuse,

weight of 0.773kg

dimensions that included

0.055m

(2.2in)

and

(1.71b)

and

diameter of

of 0.097m

a length

(3.8in).The Srielgranate 24. on the other

hand, was of the typical

German

'potato

M79
The M79. which was used operationally
by the SAS in Oman during the 1970s, is
a single-shot weapon of American design
and manufacture. The gun is of the breakopen breech-loading
of

masher' type with a four-and-half-second

first

delay fuse, weight of 0.506kg (1.31b) and

with the

dimensions that included

70mm

diameter of

and length of 0.356m (1ft

2in).This German weapon was based on
a

(2.75in)

hollow wooden handle with the screw-

on warhead
cap

at

at

one end and

a screw-off

the other. To prepare and use

it,

the

thrower removed the warhead, inserted

the

detonator,

replaced

the

warhead.

its

type,

and was the

breed to be designed for use

40mm

fin-stabilised

grenade.

M203
The M203 was designed

assault rifle,

can be

has a

under the barrel of any

The

of

effect

this installation

that the operator

weapon

the firing of

that can

40mm

of the

M203

be used between

grenades, and that

it

dedicated single-role weapon, which

out detriment to the squad's convention-

One
a

and being

is

M16

M203PI

numbers of men within each squad

can be equipped with this weapon with-

capable of lobbing

is

recoil

although the current

fitted

assault rifle.

weapon

moderate

had become

attachment under the barrel of the

feature

sessing only

after the tactical

M79

apparent, and was therefore conceived for

Relatively light, strong and accurate, the

has the added advantages of pos-

of the

limitations

its

grenade over cover.

major disadvantage

means

that

ing the

its

rime

operator
it

takes

is

is

the fact that

defenceless durto

load

fresh

larger

al

firepower.

fire

The M203

is

light,

and can

an assortment of grenades, including

231

ARSENAL

Type:

M203

ELITE

AN

OF

Above: Used by the Regiment

single-shot grenade

launcher

introduction of the M203, the

40mm

Calibre:

launcher was both accurate and

Weight: 1.63kg (3.61b) loaded

Length: 0.38m (1ft 3in)

400m
Muzzle velocity: 76m

Effective range:

SB 40 LAG
The Santa

(1312ft)
(250ft)

per

second

Barbara 40

19

The SAS

is

not a major user of the autoas it is

generally

and weighty, but troopers are

trained in the use of this type of weapon,
which has been used operationally on
occasion, such as mounted on SAS Land
Rovers in the Gulf War.
The Mark 19 is an air-cooled and
fully-automatic American grenade launbulky

cher, that

Used by SAS soldiers,

it is

a typical

fragmentation anti-personnel grenade.

and buckshot. The last is perhaps the

most important single round, for it pronel

vides the relatively inaccurate

M203

with

an effective capability against personnel

and other soft-skinned targets. The M203

will remain in SAS service for many years
to

come because

it

substantially increases

can

variety

fire

of

40mm

ability to use left-

is

is

mainly operated

LAG

Calibre:

40mm

Weight: 30kg (66.1kg) for the gun,

22kg (48.51b) for the tripod, and 10.5kg
(23.151b) for the cradle

Length: 0.98m
fire:

mount

(3ft 3in)

1500m

(4920ft)

200 rounds per minute

(cyclic)

Feed: 25- or 50-round linked

usually fed

from

20- or 50-

round ammunition container.

Type: Mk 19 automatic grenade
Calibre:

40mm

Effective range:

ing in hostile territory, and also gives

Muzzle

them an anti-armour

minute

fire:

such

5in)

1600m

(5248ft)

(cyclic)

239m

(785ft) per

239m

belt

(785ft) per

second

zles

325-375 rounds per

velocity:

velocity:

GRENADES

Grenades can

Weight: 34kg (751b)

Length: 1.028m (3ft

Rate of

Muzzle

RIFLE

launcher

as

automatic

and anti-personnel. The

is

its

grenade launcher

blowback-operated,

'gun', which is
mounted on a tri-

is

or right-hand feed

Type: Santa Barbara 40

Rate of

is

as

field.

the situation demands.

Effective range:

minute

232

weapon

Another advantage of the weapon

grenades, including high explosive, anti-

the firepower of small-sized teams operat-

capability.

general-purpose weapon in the

personnel and dual-role armour-piercing

pod, and
high explosive, anti-armour, anti-person-

is

belt-fed grenade launcher that, as a result

matic grenade launcher

Above: The British Army L2A2 hand grenade.

LAG

light.

designed and produced in Spain, and

of its modest weight,

MARK

until the

M79 grenade

also

of standard
rifle

be

fired

rifles, as

from the muz-

noted above, and

grenades help to provide small

patrols

with

power

for the support role.

1960s

MECAR,

developed

a significant increase in fire

Belgian

During the
company,

number of grenades

that

could be fired with the aid of conven-

GRENADES AND EXPLOSIVES

tional

ammunition, whereas

ball

early

rifle-launched grenades required the use

of blank cartridges.

of the

in the tail
bullet's

MECAR's

(BTU) system

Universal

rifle

energy

kinetic

grenades

is

to

MECAR

The

grenade.

grenade and uses the

currently

propel

the

of

rifle

range

the

best

in

the

range

Nationale Nouvelle Herstal with

Bullet-Through
advantage of

such

for units

The

series.

this series
as

the

of

FN

particular

rifle

SAS

its

is

smoke, via blast/fragmentation for use

the

against light structures, materiel

sonnel;

dual-purpose

and per-

anti-armour and

but

rifle,

muzzle the

is

retracted

the

the grenade to be launched through a

Bullet-Through

and

incendiary with the ability to penetrate a

light structure before

duce

a fireball

MECAR
to shoot,

6m

between

rifle

skilled sol-

grenades can be highly

tail

its

spring-

The

FN

series currently includes

and smoke

MECAR series can

effectively over a range bracket

minimum of 25m
maximum of 300m (984ft).
The

is

into alignment of

anti-personnel

grenades, and like the

be used

grenades are accurate and easy

by

pin and detonator.

anti-vehicle,

The

and in the hands of a

dier such

firing

detonating to pro-

(20ft) in diameter.

When

loaded mechanism and the weapon

armed by the bringing

it;

type.

the grenade leaves the

as

tail

tion with a four-second delay allowing

detonate inside

individual

extended and placed over the muzzle of

anti-personnel; delayed blast/fragmenta-

light structure to

of the

rifle

grenade concept

plex for effective use

at

of about

fire

300m

their payloads to a range

(984ft).

The SAS grenade

launchers are listed above. But they are

not the panacea for

all ills:

the main prob-

cally

required for use, the grenade has

soldier to carry several

the

designed to

the light

and comprises a range of

grenades for tasks from anti-armour to
extensive,

which permit

the early

lems with the grenade launcher are basi-

weight and compact dimensions of the

grenades,

in

grenades

and is produced for use on

7.62mm and 5.56mm rifles.
The current range is moderately

world,

combat, and thus

in

level

1960s there emerged grenade launchers

Another Belgian company with a

of rifle grenades is Fabrique

Bullet Trap

traps the bullet

As such, they

effective force multipliers.

are attractive to units such as the SAS.

(82ft)

and

the

of the

trajectory

flat

which cannot,

grenade,

fired

therefore,

pass

more complicated fusweapon, which generally

over cover, and the

ing

of the

means

that

grenade

is

about

two-thirds

of the

occupied by fuse and only the

remaining one-third by explosive. Despite

these

two disadvantages, however, the

grenade launcher has developed into an

extremely popular weapon, largely
result

form
lay

of the
it

is

fact that in

its

fully

as

developed

an automatic weapon that can

down

an

effective

barrage

of

blast/fragmentation explosions in situations such as an

ambush.

Below: An SAS Land Rover and its crew

is

too

com-

the instinctive

behind the lines

Mark

in the Gulf War.

Note the

19 grenade launcher on the vehicle.

233

COMMUNICATIONS
To

be effective behind enemy

equipment

to

stay

state-of-the-art

of
One
by

SAS teams need

reliable

and secure communications

communications hardware

is

equipped with

to fulfil its mission.

the primary roles undertaken

SAS

the

tion

lines,

contact with their operational base. Today the Regiment

in

in

war

of the enemy's front

the penetra-

is

line so that hid-

den observation posts can be established

enemy

in the

rear areas.

troops observe the

of the enemy's

sitions

From

SAS

these,

movements and dispoand send the

forces,

information back to headquarters, where

helps

it

up

build

to

impression

as

complete

as

possible

of the

an

enemy's

strength and location; this in turn helps to

reveal the

enemy's intentions.

Within the context of this operational

role, good communications equipment is

SAS

in trans-

mitting timely intelligence. Such

commu-

the success of the

vital to

equipment must be rugged and

reliable under all field conditions, and
must also offer the capability for wholly
secure transmission of messages. This last
nications

factor

is

particularly important, for secure

transmission capability

is

main key

the

to

spectrum

sustained operations in the enemy's rear

overall

without electromagnetic detection.

'regions' ranging

Radio equipment has therefore been

is

divided arbitrarily into

from the lowest to the

highest frequencies and comprising the

an essential part of the operational equip-

radio, infra-red, visible light, ultraviolet,

ment used by the SAS since its establishment in 1941. Before considering such

X-ray and

equipment, however,

RADIO FREQUENCIES
The radio frequency region, which

it is

useful to estab-

most basic possible terms the

workings of a radio system for military
purposes. Radio equipment works in the
electro-magnetic spectrum, which is the
frequency range of electro-magnetic radiation between zero and infinity. Matter of
every kind emits, reflects and absorbs
lish in

the

gamma

used for radar and navigation

aids,

is
is

also

sub-

divided into nine frequency bands. These

bands are Extra

with

Low

Frequency (ELF

frequency between

300Hz and

3KHz

mainly for 'long-wave'

state.

directly

proportional

to

Electro-magnetic radiation

both measured and

classified

by

its

its
is

wave-

length (measured in metres) and by the

frequency of

its

oscillation

(measured in

Hertz, one Hertz being one cycle per sec-

234

decreases,

and vice

versa.

This

and

civil

radio

set, the

standard

Army and SAS tactical radio

seen here

in action in

set until

Aden.

Medium Frequency (MF

300KHz and
3MHz and a wavelength between 1km

quency

is

energy

fre-

1978,

with

ond): as the wavelength lengthens the fre-

quency

whose

radiation,

British

munications;

ray regions.

and a wavelength between 1000

100km) used for communication
with submerged submarines; Very Low
Frequency (VLF with a frequency
between 3 and 30KHz and a wavelength
between 100 and 10km), again used
mainly for communication with submerged submarines; Low Frequency (LF with
a frequency between 30 and 300KHz and
a wavelength between 10 and 1km) used

electro-magnetic

Above: The A41 wireless

com-

frequency between

and 100m) used mainly for 'mediumwave' civil radio communications; High
Frequency (HF with a frequency between
3 and 300MHz and a wavelength
between 100 and 10m) used mainly for
'short-wave' civil radio communications

over long ranges

as

the signals can travel

ground wave and a sky wave,

the latter bouncing between the Earth
and the ionosphere;Very High Frequency
(VHF with a frequency between 300 and
300MHz and a wavelength between 10

by both

and lm) used mainly for television, civil

short-range radio communications, and
military short-range
tions at

radio

low command

communica-

levels as

it is

easily

COMMUNICATIONS
1
J

l^^M

MM

iM*i

Above: British Pathfinders using a Magellan

tions

Global Positioning System receiver in the

Firstly,

field. It is

also used by the SAS.

two major disadvantages.

have

radio transmissions (of either the

and jammed; Ultra

intercepted

can be

direct or satellite-relayed types)

enemy

intercepted by the

High

according to user requirements.

ESM

using

Monitoring) systems

Signal

(Electronic

GPS receiver. The

Above: The hand-held

positional information can be displayed

ond

in a pattern

known

only to

itself

and

(UHF with a frequency

between 300MHz and 3GHz and a wavelength between lm and 10cm) used for

based on broad-band receivers that can be

the receiver radio. The system

turned to

proof, however, for

wavelengths. These receivers are linked to

can eventually discern the pattern of the

com-

powerful signal processors and computers

apparently

Frequency

communications

military

mand

levels as

it

at

higher

has a tighter and there-

containing

the

enemy's

a library

specific

all

known

way

ESM

of

radio

emitter

jammable beam whose range can

be increased by bouncing the beam off

working

the troposphere in the 'tropospheric scat-

finding equipment, can rapidly locate and

phenomenon; Super High Frequency

(SHF with a frequency between 3 and

identify the source

30GHz

nerable

fore less

ter'

and

wavelength between

lcm), otherwise
ric

known

as

and

the 'centrimet-

band' or 'microwave band' and increas-

ingly used for military communications,

despite the fact that

it

is

largely

suited

for

its

fine

unjammable and

satellite

nal.

with direction-

association

in

systems,

of any given radio

sig-

Secondly, radio transmissions are vul-

ECM

to

(Electronic

Counter

Measures) of the type that can deceive or

drown

the

latter

by using high-power

relay

beam,
is

as

ideally

purposes; and

MESSAGE TRANSMISSION
The

initiative

does not

lie

exclusively

with the signal interceptor, however, for

random frequency hops, and

enemy

use of intercepted

secure system.
in any one of
most common is voice
transmission, which suffers from the twin
disadvantages of possible misunderstanding between the sender and receiver, and

Data can be transmitted

the increased probability of the enemy's

300GHz and

ECCM

longer

known

as

the 'millimetric band'

number of
Counter-Counter

Measures) to reduce the chance of his

being

transmissions

intercepted

or

and used for short-range military communications as many of its sub-bands are

jammed by

weakened by the atmosphere.

Communications are wholly

enemy. The main method of preventing

essential

to

modern

to

be admitted that radio communica-

military operations, but

it

has

the

intercepted,

interception

enemy

being

is

or, if the signals are

understood by

'frequency

the

hopping', in

which the transmitting radio automatically

changes frequency

many

communica-

though the encrypted messages use

much greater bandwidth than any non-

interception

erwise

the fact that fre-

takes

tions,

the signal transmitter can use a

wavelength between lcm and 1mm), oth-

is

up many frequencies. The encryption of communications

is an
important means of denying the
quency hopping

(Electronic

modern computers

another disadvantage

Extremely High Frequency (EHF with

frequency between 30 and

not fool-

several forms. The

continuous-wave transmissions.

needs an unob-

structed line of sight for

it

characteristics. In this

is

times per sec-

of the

it lasts.

transmission

the

The most common method

of avoiding these twin

pitfalls

is

the use of

which is in essence a
mini-computer into which the transmission is entered in alphanumeric or Morse
a data entry device,

form.

The

data

entry

device

is

then

attached to the radio transmitter and the

message

is

sent in compressed or 'burst'

form whose extremely short duration

235

ARSENAL

AN

OF

ELITE
Left:

PRC 319 radio system currently

It was designed with long-

The

used by the SAS.

range reconnaissance forces

on

erected

a rotor

another was

3m

in mind.

(10ft) pole,

generator driven by

and

a small

two-cylinder steam engine powered by a

boiler suspended over a brazier.

GLOBAL POSITIONING SYSTEM

The SAS also uses the American-developed Global Positioning System,
which signals from a series of satellites
fixed orbits are processed

hand-held unit

(in

by

in

a lightweight

the case of the

SAS

the

GPS NAV 1000M known

Magellan

in

in

military terms as the Small Lightweight

GPS

Receiver) to provide the operator

with

25m

(82ft).

read-out of his position to within

The GPS

receiver,

by measur-

ing the time interval between the trans-

mission and the reception of a

signal, calculates the distance

user and each

satellite. It

satellite

between the

then uses the dis-

tance measurements of at least three satellites

determine the exact position of

to

on the ground.

the user

in

The system proved extremely reliable

the Gulf War (1991), in which most of

the 400 receivers available to the British

forces within the

were allocated
deep

in Iraq,

pinpoint

United Nations

to the

SAS

effort

for operations

where they were used

enemy columns and

locations.

to
It

was particularly useful for navigation in

mapped areas of
Kuwait and Iraq, where sandstorms often
reduced visibilty to zero. The SLGR is
soon to be replaced by the Precise
Lightweight GPS Receiver, which is
the featureless and poorly

makes interception highly problematical.

In World War II, the activities of the
SAS were hampered to a modest degree
by the sheer size and weight of the radio
equipments of the time. Based on

under 5kg

(111b),

and was generally car-

ried as a backpack. The

A41

in

Aden

Confrontation

SAS

operated the

(1964-67), the Indonesian

and

(1963-66)

weigh up
batteries

which could

transmitter

30kg (66
that powered
to

lb),
it

and the

large

were generally

dispersed throughout the patrol to

make

the signaller's load manageable.

A41 WIRELESS SET

In 1960 the SAS started
equipment that remained
service

radio

236

until

to use the
in British

1978. This was a

equipment which

EUREKA BEACON
The S-Phone was generally

The
SAS

A41
army

tactical

weighed

just

used with the

Eureka beacon, which was

radar transponder that served as

(53ft).

indicator.

equipment available
World War II was the

best radio
in

was

as

homing

looked

it

to the

MCR

otherwise

portable

Both the
S-Phone and Eureka beacon were powered by 6-volt batteries, and the recharging of these units was entrusted to any
one of several systems developed by the
British in the course ofWorld War II: one
was a wind-driven generator powered by

beacon and paradrop

16m

MCR1

(1970-76).

thermionic valve rather than transistor

technology, a

accurate to

Oman

known

installed

like a

1,

as the 'biscuit receiver'

in

Huntley

container that

&

Palmer biscuit

equipment entered service late in

the war, and was based on five miniature
tubes for long-range communication. The
equipment was supplied with two or
three batteries, each able to provide 30
tin. This

hours of operation, and four interchangeable

coil

units that

were plugged onto

COMMUNICATIONS
end of the receiver

pins at the

to provide

PRC 320

operability in different frequencies.

unit of the British army's clansman tac-

communications system optimised

all geographical and climatic conditions, the PRC 320 is a backpack radio weighing only 5.6kg (12.31b)
tical

N0.11

WIRELESS SET

for operation in

The No. 1

1 Wireless Set was used by the

army between 1935 and 1945. and
its size and weight made it wholly unsuitable for use by men on foot. The equipment, whose transceiver alone weighed
26kg (571b). was therefore restricted to
Jeep-mounted SAS operations close to
the front line as its range was only a poor

British

19km

(12 miles).

N0.22 WIRELESS SET

The No. 22 Wireless Set was used by
SAS in North Africa and

16km

the

the

weapon, and

(10 miles), and the

and

(361b) transceiver unit

power

16.5kg

9kg

five

is

more

power per

transmission

kilogram of weight than any other mili-

The whole equipment com-

tary radio.

prises four detachable units (transceiver,

electronic message unit, and

tuners),

and

also possesses a

two antenna
0.7kg

(1.51b)

pocket-sized electronic message unit that

can be removed from the radio for inde-

The

PRC

powered by
a small battery carried internally, and can
store messages for up to 500 hours. Other
tactical features include the storage of up

pendent

use.

319

20 pre-set channels in

to

memory and

a burst

capability, the latter

are

loaded

and use

carriage

of

free for

personal

features include a choice of

280,000 frequencies, a ground-wave
range of 40km (25 miles) and a sky-wave
range of between 50 and 2000km (31 and
1243 miles).

S-PH0NE

microprocessor-based and offers

times

radio can also be

(201b)

unit.

PRC319
The most modern radio equipment in
service with the SAS is the PRC 319 set,
which

The

hand generator, and possesses a 3km (1.86-mile) remote operation

facility*. This
is
an important item of
equipment which is admirably suited to
the needs of the SAS: its small size and
off a

weight leaves the operator's hands

1943, and was also bulky and weighty. The

whole equipment included

can be recharged.

worked

the

Mediterranean region between 1941 and

range was only

and using nickel-cadmium batteries that

provide a 1 2-hour working life but which

via

is

its

electronic

message transmission

sending messages that

keyboard, displayed,

checked and then sent by the operation of

As the SAS evolved from deep-penetration missions in an assortment of wheeled

vehicles towards truly clandestine operations,

with the members of the SAS party

dropped by parachute and later receiving

reinforcements and essential supplies by
the

same method,

nication system

lightweight

became

commu-

essential. It

realised that lightweight, secure

was

and com-

SARBE (surface-to-air rescue

Above: The

beacon), a radio used for communications

between

aircraft

and people on the ground.

pact communications systems were need-

ed for SAS teams behind German lines. It

was also imperative for the men on the
ground to be able to link up with the aircraft

dropping supplies or reinforcements,

beam and

using a narrow emission

ultra-

which could not be detected

by the enemy. The result was the SPhone. which was developed in World
short waves

War

II

as a

radio-telephone, aircraft

hom-

ing beacon and paradrop indicator in

6kg

(13.21b)

container

package

only

in

0.51m

an aluminium
(1ft

8in)

long,

SARBE
In the mid-1950s, the

turn in the

last

equipments for the

SARBE
fife

new

(surface-to-air

equipment,
tery

SAS was

of its World War

if

able to

beacon

1.45kg (3.21b)
rescue

beacon)

75-hour batthe voice facility was

beacon with

(less

II

which allowed supporting

link up accurately with ground

used),

aircraft

to

patrols.

The equipment's range was

highly depen-

dent on the type of terrain in which

was used and the

altitude

it

of the receiving

aeroplane, but typical figures were a range

rain. It

20cm (8in) wide and 25cm (lOin) deep.

The S-Phone could be used to contact an
aeroplane flying at 150m (500ft) at a
range of 20km (12 miles) or at 3050m
(10,000ft) at a range of 100km (62 miles).
The S-Phone was usually used in con-

can also be dropped by parachute and

junction with the Eureka beacon, which

8km

were both used

height of 305m (1000ft). In jungle terrain

single

key; the

message can

encrypted before transmission.

things

which makes the

bonus

for

SAS

qualities. It

tion, dust,

patrols

PRC

is its

can withstand

immersion

in

ground -

all

be

319 such

'soldier-proof

salt

contamina-

water and

take being roughly handled

the

also

One of the

by

soldiers

on

important attributes for

special forces missions.

to guide in aircraft

during

95km (60 miles) with an aeroplane at

3050m (10,000ft) or between eight and
24km (five and 15 miles) with an aeroplane at an altitude of 305m (1000ft) in
the beacon mode, or in the voice mode
of

(5

miles)

SARBE

operations in northwest Europe through-

the

out 1944-45.

stranded

SAS

with an aeroplane

has been

at

the salvation of

soldiers.

237

VEHICLES
Light Vehicles
World War

In

II

light vehicles

the SAS perfected the use of specialist light vehicles for its operations. The
used by the Regiment today consist of Land Rovers, which give the SAS a

combination of range, good payload capacity and

The SAS
from

essentially

designed

delivery

is

but

ally

for

by land,

areas

sea or

on

operate

in light vehicles

scope and

an infantry unit,

very beginnings was

its

air.

operational

into

SAS

troopers usu-

foot or, wherever possible,

which

increase the speed,

of their

flexibility

activities

and

demands

on

POL

Oil

(Petrol,

ultra reliability.

and

Lubricant) supplies that were generally

on operations, usually in 'Jerry

which were copied from captured

carried

Cans',

German equipment.
The primary vehicle used by

the

LRDG was the 30-cwt Chevrolet truck, a

machine gun, and sometimes with a
Browning belt-fed machine gun as
well. Standard equipment on these vehi-

man

teams to launch simultaneous attacks

cles

crossing areas

Range Desert Group (LRDG)

sand

targets.

LRDG

altogether a bad thing, for the

considerable
clandestine

had

experience in long-range,

movement behind

the enemy's

and had an intimate knowledge of

lines,

the

for trans-

This was not

best

possible

routes

and from

to

enemy targets. The cooperation

between the SAS and LRDG was effecpotential

tive,

and

also

allowing the

had the beneficial

SAS

up

to build

effect

of

own

its

knowledge of motor transport. The SAS

made good use of this in the hinterland of
North Africa, and it came into its own

when it acquired its own

The SAS decided that
cles

that

it

needed vehi-

would be thoroughly

reliable

and weather conditions,

could be cannibalised in emergency

under
that

vehicles.

all

terrains

situations to
ation,

Right:

keep other vehicles

and that would make

A Land Rover 90.

in

Several of these

vehicles were used by the

SAS

in the Gulf

War, nicknamed 'Dinkies' by the men.

238

oper-

minimum

0.303in

included a sun compass, radio equip-

water supplies,

its

ment, metal sand mats and channels for

on up to 30 different targets. Until mid1942 the SAS was reliant on the Long
port to and from

was necessary

often behind

founder of the SAS, believed that

could operate in five-

it

0.3in

Lewis machine gun or Vickers 'K' drum-

men who

when

fed

4x2-drive vehicle armed with

trained

used on operations

numbers of men or greater

quantities of supplies, were generally used
to move supplies from the SAS's rear area
depot to forward-area bases, which were

the overall efficiency of the reconnais-

this

the primary vehicles for operational pur-

poses and the trucks, although sometimes

sance or sabotage unit. David Stirling, the

method of operation combined minimum manpower with maximum surprise

to make feasible a force of 200 highly

mid-1942, the SAS began to

its own motor transport in the
form of Jeeps and trucks. The Jeeps were
In

acquire

of

soft

densers to minimise

tyres,

ingress

and

of dust.

sand, water con-

demands on external

a larger radiator

and

fan,

special filters to reduce the

to

move

larger

enemy

lines.

SAS LAND ROVERS

The other light vehicle most famously
associated with the SAS is the Land
Rover, which replaced the Jeep during
the 1950s. It is an eloquent testimony to
the overall capabilities of the
especially in

Land Rover,

terms ol payload-carrying

VEHICLES

LIGHT VEHICLES
The Land Rover

Left:

patrol vehicle. The

used for operations

smoke

doors,

110,

SAS
was

the standard

whole SAS 110

in the Gulf

fleet

War in

1991.

and an

canisters,

overall

pink colour scheme designed to make the

vehicles blend into the typically pink haze

often encountered in the deserts of North

Africa and the Middle East.

The

that particularly

features

attract

SAS, and of course other military

the

the

operators, to

power and

vehicle's

muddy and
high

sandy conditions, relatively

speed

for

power/weight
ance,
result

good
of

Land Rover are the

agility at low speed in

road

ratio,

traction

its

excellent

travel,

good ground clearon soft surfaces as a

evenly distributed weight,

very high level of serviceability. Finally

aluminium bodywork can take

the

of punishment before crumpling

than breaking

and

SAS,

an air-portable artiDery tractor and obser-

can choose from any such vehicle in

vation post vehicle. In 1984 production

the world, has opted for so long for the

switched to the renamed Land Rover 90

capability

who

reliability,

British-made Land Rover

The

that

the

and Land Rover 110

series.

Land Rover 4x4 vehicles for

military use, the Land Rover Series I,
were built between 1948 and 1958 inifirst

tially in

petrol-engined variants, but later

From 1954 the

original short wheelbase Land Rover was
complemented by a long wheelbase
model offering significantly increased
in diesel-engined models.

payload capacity. Introduced in 1958, the

Land Rover

Series

II

introduced

num-

which

also uses the stretched

130

an ambulance and

as

Shortly

Kuwait
the

UN

'Desert

as

II

range in 1968 and,

last model introduced

cut-down wings and removable panels as
a means of reducing weight to the point
at which the vehicle could be carried by

the Airportable, the

medium-lift helicopter.

III,

Offering a better ride, greater stopping

power and an improved turning

of January-

Defender

incorporates

the

the designation currently in use

during the mid-1990s.

The armament of
Rovers

on

a lighter scale

While the standard vehicle of the British

Army has generally been the short wheelbase variant of the relevant Land Rover
series, largely

because

SAS

it

so

is

manoeu-

has mostly used the long-

wheelbase variant because of

payload-carrying

its

greater

The most

capability.

fit usually comprises one

Browning heavy machine gun (of
World War II vintage), one 7.62mm
Minigun, or two 7.62mm GPMGs on

rearward-facing

power-assisted mountings with a swivel

seat.

Further armament capability seems

Special

Operated since the early 1960s,

the 'Pink Panther' is a long-wheelbase

combines

Land Rover

load of the Land

The main

variant of the Series

III

standard utility vehicle was the Forward

One Tonne type that was produced between 1975 and 1978, mainly as
Control or

general-

0.5in

the Regiment's long-range desert patrol

tions.

is

than that used on the

ofWorldWar II. The forward-facing

armament is generally one 7.62mm
General Purpose Machine Gun, and the

to satisfy Ministry of Transport regula-

major change was the reloca-

the specific

Jeeps

THE PINK PANTHER'

tion of the headlamps to the front wings

sole

Land

SAS's

the

varies according to

mission being undertaken, but

ly

civilian

front-wheel disc brakes and

famous SAS customisation

Panther', which has served

whose

suspension

coil-spring

pioneered by the Range Rover

its

series,

circle

than their predecessors, the Defender 110

revised steering system.

vrable, the

Between 1971 and 1983 production

switched to the Land Rover Series

uses a

of short-wheelbase

Storm' campaign

known

the Lightweight, the Half- Tonne and

modest numLand Rover

Defender 90 vehicles nicknamed 'Dinkies', and a larger numbers of long- wheelbase Land Rover Defender 110 vehicles.

The SAS currendy

ber

vehicle,

February 1991, Land Rover renamed

is

would generally be the

bodywork.

as

response that culminated in the

which

to the Series

artillery tractor.

the Iraqi invasion of

August 1990, which sparked

ered in both petrol- and diesel-engined

lightweight version was added

Land Rover

before
in

military vehicles in the

Land Rover

the current mainstays of the

force in service with the British forces,

ber of improved features and was delivmodels.

with short and

series

long wheelbases respectively, and these are

case with steel

a lot

- rather

is

the 'Pink

faithfully as

vehicle.

Series

mounted over

II

the

with
front

wheel
bumper, no

a spare

to be in the offing with the probability

the SAS's adoption of the

of

Land Rover

Operations Vehicle (SOV). This

the

firepower

of the

Light

Strike Vehicle (see below) with the pay-

Rover

in

machine based on the Defender

six-man
1 1

0,

with

239

ARSENAL

ELITE

AN

OF

Left:

The Longline Light Strike Vehicle

(LSV),

which was tested by the Regiment in the

Gulf

War but suffered mechanical problems.

reconnaissance, forward observation and

and

laser designation for artillery

operating in the anti-tank

mand and

control. In the

aircraft

and com-

role,

armed

role, the

'dune buggy' carries some 601kg (13251b)

of equipment and
water

food,

petrol,

including

supplies,

and

up

295kg

to

of ammunition in the form of

(6501b)

2000 small arms rounds and 500

larger

grenade rounds.

THE LSV'S ARMAMENT

The LSV has wishbone suspension,
wheel drive and

the

turbo-charged

intercooled,

The

massive

and rearward-facing weapons)

two 7.62mm machine guns

and

diesel

armament comprises
standard machine gun fit (forward-

engine.

of

a variable fit

armour Weapon),

51mm

(2in)

LAW

81mm

as

well as

in the 'pulpit'

(Light Anti-

(3.2in) mortar,

mortar, two personal wea-

pons, two submachine guns, two grenade

launchers and ammunition for

weapons. The SOV's

also

be used to carry

all

these

can

'pulpit' position

25mm

cannon or

an anti-tank missile launcher for weapons

such

as

the Milan or

TOW.

Type: Land Rover Defender

10 4x4

lar

US

vehicle was also used by

simi-

special

tube for great structural

steel

integrity

and strength. The

LSV

whose

tions

individual

include the 0.5in

members can

GAU-19

three-barrel

origins can be traced

heavy machine gun, the 0.5in Browning

to the requirement

of these forces in the

machine gun, two 7.62mm

machine guns, the 40mm Ml 9 grenade
launcher, a 25 or 30mm cannon, a Milan

1970s for a small and very light

early

vehicle optimised for the reconnaissance

or deep attack
siderable shift

con-

anti-tank missile launcher,

FIM-92

of emphasis from the type

er surface-to-air missiles,

and an 81 or

This marked

roles.

of heavily laden Jeep and Land Rover

by the SAS and

vehicles traditionaUy used

similar units

would

heavy

toward

cheaper type that

offer significant advantages in fea-

51mm
the

problems

suffered a

number of mechanical

in the Gulf.

Type: Longline Light

Strike Vehicle light

tures such as easier air portability, simpler

multi-role vehicle

concealment

Payload: driver and up to one passenger

Engine: one 1.9-litre Volkswagen four-

in the field, the ability to

operate on smaller tracks, the

its

crew

facility to

if necessary, a

cylinder inline petrol engine

lower visual silhouette, and smaller ther-

Performance: speed 129km/h

mal and electromagnetic signatures as a

result of its open-frame type of construc-

(80mph); range

(6ft Bin)

tion. Trials
driver,

and up

to eight

ian

passengers or freight

Engine: one Rover

engine delivering

3.528-litre petrol

(128hp) to

litres

(17.5

imp

gal)

Performance: speed 121km/h (75mph;

748km

of vehicles adapted from

buggies'

(465 miles); ground

its

revealed

all

civil-

WILLYS JEEP

these

More

considerably smaller

load-carrying capability was a major disadvantage.

four wheels

Fuel capacity: 79.5

'dune

advantages, but

95.4kW

The 'dune buggy'

is

unable to

Sin)

LIGHT STRIKE VEHICLE

limited use of the Light Strike

Vehicle (LSV) 'dune buggy' light attack

240

Jeep was one of the most important light

vehicles of World War II. and as such was
the Western Allies, especially after

1943. Production totalled 639,245 vehi-

therefore

restricted

to

is

comparatively

buggy' can effectively undertake

(8.

known as the Truck,

M38, the American Willys

formally

Utility 4x4,

vital to

and

supplies,

SAS made

0.216m

(250 miles)

carry large loads of fuel, water, weapons,

In the 1991 'Desert Storm' campaign, the

clearance

401km

ammunition and other

Resupply is,
of course possible from the air, or from a
larger and therefore less mobile and more
visible 'mother truck'.
Despite its limitations, the 'dune

range

Sting-

(3.2 or 2in) mortar. Unfortunately,

LSVs

Weight: 3050kg (67251b)

Dimensions: length 4.669m (15ft 4in);
width 1.79m (5ft llin); height 2.035m
Payload:

can carry

wide assortment of weapon combina-

its

and

forces units,

be manhandled by

truck

utility light

vehicle for reconnaissance duties.

four-

frame fabricated from

seamless

an

short missions from

its

base.

num-

ber of roles including weapons' carriage,

cles, and the first reached North Africa in

June 1942, entering service with the SAS
soon after.
The origins of the vehicle can be

found

ment
design

in

the

US

for a 'go

Army's 1940 require-

anywhere'

competition

was

field car.

The

won by

the

Bantam Car Company with

vehicle

LIGHT VEHICLES

VEHICLES
many components

using

was too small

derived from

company

to

For service

its

automobile. Bantam

runabout

pre-war

produce the

in

northwest Europe from

the middle of 1944, the

what

different version

SAS

used

some-

of the Jeep without

very large numbers of such vehicles under

provision for the water condenser system

consideration by 1941, however, and the

and a reduced complement of on-board

equipment and supplies. This was possible

production programme was entrusted to

the

WiUys Overland Company, which

incorporated into the Bantam design

number of

the

best

features

from

unsuccessful contender in the 1940

petition.

Ford

later

a
its

com-

joined the production

and delivered some 277,896 of

effort

because

SAS was

bases behind the

operating

German

also supplied

from the

which

used

converted

Halifax

bombers

SAS

these excellent vehicles.

the

over

shorter ranges (generally from concealed

parties that

lines)

air

and was

by the RAF,

Handley

Page

to para-drop Jeeps

to

had established bases and

Although intended primarily for use as

reconnaissance and liaison vehicle, and

linked up with the local resistance forces.

Browning Ml 91
pintle-mounted machine gun, the Jeep

an improved version of the Jeep with a

windscreen that could stop the standard

armed with
was so

0.3in

versatile that

was

it

into service as a frontline

of conversion

types

also pressed

ambulance (two

kits

were

used),

mobile observation post, military police

vehicle, radio

and cargo

vehicle, recovery vehicle,

carrier. In this last capacity, the

Jeep was produced in an alternative

amphibious form, with a boat-hull body

modelled on that of the

ious truck, and a

DUKW amphib-

power take-off

to drive

rear-mounted propeller. The Jeep could

also be used to tow the Trailer, Ml 00. This
a

weighed 256kg (5651b) and could carry a

load of 340kg (7501b) on roads, or 227kg
(5001b) across country.

Late in 1944, the

rifle bullet, a

SAS began

covering of

to receive

amour over

the

forward half of the vehicle, provision for

wire-cutting

device

projecting

upward

from the front bumper, and provision for

a

more

varied assortment of on-board

weapons. The

was two
0.303in Vickers forward-firing machine
guns, two 0.303in Vickers rearward-firing
machine guns, and one 0.303in Bren forward-firing machine gun for the driver,
but some vehicles had one 0.5in
Browning forward-firing heavy machine
standard

fit

gun and one 0.303in Lewis rearward-firing machine gun; also included in the
armament fit were the crew's personal

weapons, large numbers of grenades, and

considerable quantities of ammunition for
the machine gun and personal weapons.
Type: Willys Jeep 4x4 utility light truck
Weight: 247kg (27501b)
Dimensions: length 3.55m (1 1ft lin);
width 1.60m (5ft 2in); height 1.32m (4ft
4in) to top of steering wheel in open
condition, or 1.77m (5ft lOin) overall
1

with cover erected

Payload:

and up to three
363kg (8001b) of freight
across country increasing to 544kg
(12001b) of freight on roads
Engine: one Willys four-cylinder inline
driver,

passengers or

44.7kW

petrol engine delivering

(60hp)

to four wheels via a gearbox (one reverse

and three forward

ratios)

with two

transfer speeds

Fuel capacity: 56.8

litres

(12.5

imp

gal)

standard

Performance: speed 88.5km/h

363km (225 miles)

460km (285 miles) in North

(55mph); range
increased to

African vehicles with enlarged fuel

tankage; ground clearance
(9. 25in);

fording 1.88m

0.235m

(6ft 2in)

with

fording kit

Below: An SAS Jeep

War II.

Its

Vickers

in

North Africa in World

armament includes Browning and

'K'

machine guns.

SAS WILLYS JEEPS

As used by the SAS

World War

II,

the

Jeep was considerably revised from

its

in

production standard. The fuel tankage was

enlarged to provide
action,

all

removed
it

larger

radius

of

non-essential equipment was

to reduce

weight and to enable

to carry specialised

equipment (water

condensers, sand mats and channels, and

POL), and provision was made for the

two or three men and their food and
water,

together

with

the

required

weapons and their ammunition. The onboard weapons initially comprised up to

four 0.303in Vickers 'K' guns, but these

were later supplemented by a single 0.3in

Browning machine gun.
In North Africa the Jeep proved high-

somewhat uncomfortable,
main operational attributes, in
addition to its four-wheel drive and great
reliability, were its speed and agility.

ly effective if

and

its

241

ARSENAL

ELITE

AN

OF

Trucks
The trucks of the Long Range Desert Group were used
their targets in

North Africa

in

World War

truck transport for

Once

it

started

vehicles in
initially

found

itself with

trucks that were not

all

II,

North

down

Africa,

(67201b) payload over a range of

SAS

(170

at

maximum

80km/h (50mph).

ideally suited to

engine, which delivered a

from other

was gradually whittypes

which experience suggested were

best

to the small

miles)

70.8kW

It

had

274km

FordV-8

When new

limited

The Ford F60 and Bedford QL were

used in the largest numbers. The Ford F60
was based on the Canadian Military

trucks were designed to replace the vehi-

3048kg

load (between four and five tons rather

ratios.

had survived the war, considerwas placed on greater pay-

than between two and three tons), and

Below: A Chevrolet truck of the Long Range

Desert Group in North Africa in World
II.

These vehicles transported

War

SAS teams.

larger wheels

and

tyres

of

became standard

drive

for

improved

than petrol engines provided better fuel

of

suited for the role of the SAS.

Pattern Chassis, and could carry a

and from

make use

petrol

maximum

Although they were generally successWorld War II operations, the trucks

of the period were limited by the power
of their engines and their comparatively

able einphasis

to

cross-country mobility, and diesel rather

ful in

cles that

to

of

speed

(95hp).

size/payload

SAS teams

vital logistic tasks.

own

number of

tled

mundane but

an assortment of

vehicles, generally inherited

to transport

Regiment has continued

the

its

the SAS's task. This miscellany of medium

units in

and

the

to acquire

World War

II,

which provided

ground clearance and improved

to traverse rough terrain. All- wheel

consumption and a reduced risk of

from low-volatility diesel fuel.

fire

BEDFORD MK
Having decided

RL

to replace the

MK

chose the Bedford

was

Bedford

army

in the early 1960s, the British

a military

civil truck,

to replace

it.

It

version of another Bedford

TK. The

the 4x2

entered production

as

the

military type

MK

with 4x4

drive and was taken into service as the

FV138

of which the two main

series,

variants

are

and

FV 13801/ 13802
FV 13803/ 13804 cargo
the

cargo
truck

greater

truck,

ability

which has a 3500kg (77161b) capacity

winch and 76m (250ft) of cable. Both of
these basic variants can be converted into
flat-bed models,
facility for

and another feature

is

the

the single-tyred rear wheels to

be replaced by twin-tyred wheels for

improved traction under adverse

cross-

country conditions.

Based on
coil-spring

steel

front

frame

spring rear suspension, the

man

fully

chassis

with

and

leaf-

suspension

MK has a two-

enclosed cab with

separate

body covered with a removable tilt

carried on bows and with access provided

steel

by

drop gate

at

the

rear.

A spare' wheel

is

carried under the chassis to the rear of the

silencer box on the
Type: Bedford

near-side.

MK utility medium

truck

Weight: 9650kg (21,2751b) loaded

Dimensions: length 6.579m (21ft 7in);
width 2.489m (8ft 2in); height 3.404m
(lift 2in) to top of tilt; body internal
dimensions include a length of 4.28m
(14ft lin) and width of 2.01m (6ft 7in)
Payload: driver and up to two
passengers in the cab and a variable

numbers of passengers or 4000kg

(88181b) of freight in the body
Engine: one 5.42-litre Bedford six242

TRUCKS

VEHICLES
cylinder inline diesel engine delivering

79k

W (106hp) to four wheels via

gearbox (one reverse and four forward

ratios)

Fuel capacity: 150 litres (33 imp gal)

Performance: speed 73km/h (45mph);

563km

range

(350 miles)

BEDFORD QLT
The Bedford QLT, or more formally
4x4, Troop

3-ton,

Lorry,

Carrier,

the

was

introduced in 1941 and remained in service

until

well

World War

after

II.

Production totalled 3373 vehicles, which

had

General Service-type body over

boxed wheel

arches. Constructed of a
welded steel tube with sheet metal panels,
it had a hardwood floor, a detachable tilt

and bows, two forward doors that opened

inward with

below, and

a fixed step

full-

width rear doors with an arrangement of

two hinged steps for maximum ease of

boarding and debussing. Folding seats
were installed along the sides and on a

Engine: one

support frame extending along the cen-

cylinder inline petrol engine delivering

treline for a

maximum

of 29 passengers,

with one more passenger to the

left

of the

driver in the fully enclosed cab. There was

a

hip ring in the roof of the cab over the

passenger's seat to permit the use

machine gun

of

and
gunner's platform with a

in the anti-aircraft role,

an anti-aircraft

gun mounting and

roof hatch in the

Payload:

driver,

and up to 30 passengers

53.7kW

Bedford

3.518-litre

soldiers during Selection Training.

six-

(72hp) to four wheels via a

gearbox (one reverse and four forward

Performance: speed 61km/h (38mph);

range

371km

clearance

(230 miles); ground

0.305m

could be folded and the central

support frame removed and stowed on

the off-side.

under the

spare

chassis

wheel was carried

frame

at

the rear of the

The SAS made

utes

extensive use of this

One of its most

important attrib-

was the 4x4 drive

that

generated

have

that

tonne Truck and the

The Bedford

the
as

RL

or 4-

MK 4-tonne Truck.

RL

was introduced to

1952 and was subsequently

in

developed in

number of spethe FV13101

Cargo Truck, FV13105
large

forms

cialised

seen

SAS, have been two

the

Bedford products, namely the

service

vehicle.

vehicle.

well as with

including

General Service

excellent mobility under adverse cross-

Cargo Truck

country conditions, but could also be

FV13109 General Service Cargo Truck,

FV13112 Cargo Truck (dropside), and
FV13142 Cargo Truck (dropside, airportable). The RL can also tow several

switched to 4x2

mode

for

reduced tyre

and gearbox wear on paved roads.

Type: Bedford

QLT

utility

medium

of

truck

types

Dimensions: overall length 6.65m (21ft

lOin); width 2.29m (7ft 6in); height
2.05m (9ft 8in); internal body
dimensions included a length of 4.83m
(15ft lOin), width of 2.17m (7ft 1.5in)

enhances

and height of 1.83m

(6ft)

When

(dropside

trailer,
its

and

logistic

operators such
first

is

carried

The two

as

and

with

this

winch),

considerably

tactical utility for

the SAS.

issued, these useful vehicles

were classified in the 3-tonne type, but in

1968 the classification was uprated to the
4-tonne type. The truck was derived from

and production up

73,135 vehicles.

It

is

frame chassis with coil-

steel

spring front suspension and leaf-spring

which

BEDFORD RL
vehicles

chassis,

totalled

It

enclosed cab with

widest service with the British Army,

side seats

1969

rear suspension.

(12in)

of

payload other than personnel, the

commercial

based on a

forward part of the body. For the carriage

a

to

with two transfer speeds

ratios)

Above: Modern British Army Bedord trucks.

They are used to transport prospective SAS

or 3048kg (67201b) of freight

has a

two-man

a separate steel

covered with

on bows, and with

fully

body

removable

tilt

access provid-

ed by a drop gate at the rear. A spare

wheel is carried under the chassis to the
rear of the silencer box on the near-side.
Type: Bedford RL utility medium truck
Weight: 8800kg (19,4001b) loaded

Dimensions: length 6.36m (20ft llin);

width 2.39m (7ft 9in); height 3.11m
(10ft 3in) to top of tilt; internal body
dimensions include a length of 4.237m
(14ft) and width of 2.178m (7ft 2in)
Payload: driver and up to one passenger
in the cab and a variable number of
passengers or

4000kg (88181b) of freight

body
Engine: one

4.93-litre

in the

Bedford

six-

cylinder inline engine delivering

96.9kW

(130hp) to four wheels via

gearbox (one reverse and four forward

ratios)

Fuel capacity: 18 litres (26 imp gal)

Performance: speed 75km/h (47mph);
1

range

401km

(250 miles)

243

'

AND BOATS

SHIPS

Each SAS 'Sabre' Squadron has a Boat Troop that specialises

in all

~j

aspects of amphibious

warfare. This usually entails operations with small assault craft, though on occasion the

Regiment's soldiers have had to

Despite

the fact that

conducted

its

it

on land

fully

down

SAS

within the context of a land war, the

is

occupation in 1982.

access

provided by the

on or under the

either

SAS may
enemy in an

the

surface.

sea,

Moreover,

also find itself fighting

riverine transport

in

surface

73 to

is

movement

rier.

have

the

Squadrons includes

that specialises in
all its

the light fleet

disposition in the Falklands. They also car-

carrier,

and then

an anti-submarine car-

embarked the whole of

No

Brigade, but in fact sailed

UK

from the

was certainly the case in the Indonesian

Confrontation of 1963-66, for example).
As a result, each of the Regiment's four
'Sabre'

as

II

was completed only

In the Falklands War, Hermes could

Commando

(such

as

Royal Marines,

with only
a

company of

number- of Special Boat

Service (SBS) personnel, and a small party

men who were

of SAS

Boat Troop

amphibious warfare in

Atlantic

reinforced in mid-

by the delivery of additional

flown to Ascension Island and then

aspects.

men
lifted

by helicopter to Hermes.

AIRCRAFT CARRIERS
The largest vessel from which
operated

is

the

aircraft

The
the

SAS

carrier

Landing)

UK

Sea Harrier

Short Take-Off and Vertical

STOVL warplanes

Sea King helicopters, and

Hermes, which was the flagship of the Task

Force despatched from the

BAe

ship also carried

multi-role

has

HMS

it

andWestland
was the

latter,

operated by 846 Squadron, that inserted

to recap-

HH

Eh
FT

!v# J

W?^sP^I
V^m
-o

t!

s'

'

..

0%r
$0 Mnm^H r jgjpK?ff^
^^^'i*^"^>
"-^r
"

J^^

%M

ried part of

Squadron, 22 SAS, for the

Pucara attack aircraft on Pebble Island.

Type: Hermes multi-role aircraft carrier
Displacement: 23,900 tons standard
and 28,700 tons full load
Dimensions: length 226.87m (744ft
4in); width 48.77m (160ft) over
flightdeck; draught 8.69m (28ft 6in)
Armament: two quadruple launchers
for Seacat short-range surface-to-air
missiles

Aircraft: six
1

multi-role

BAe

Sea Harrier

STOVL

FRS.Mk

warplanes and

seven Westland Sea King helicopters out

of a maximum possible 37 aircraft

Propulsion: four boilers supplying
steam to two

sets

of geared steam

turbines delivering

56,675kW

(76,000hp) to three shafts

Performance: speed 28kn

Complement: 1350 men, including

air

group

DESTROYERS
During the Falklands War, the SAS also
operated from a number of Royal Navy
destroyers, even though these comparatively large vessels

were designed mainly

and

for the anti-submarine

anti-aircraft

without the capacity to carry or

support ground forces. The exigencies of
roles

the situation, however,

'County'

ced

destruction of several Argentine air force

HMS

Squadron, 22 SAS, for recon-

naissance of the Argentine strength and

commando

adapted in 1976

an

of the

part

inhospitable

which
method of

world
best

is

ship was laid

in

where the

the world, including places

of

part

The

1959 as the Hermes. It was reconstructed in 1964-66 with an angled flightdeck

and missile armament, converted in 1971-

ous capability for operations anywhere in

securest

World War

in

carrier Elephant, but

aware of the need for an amphibi-

of larger naval vessels.

from Argentine

ture the Falkland Islands

has generally

operations

make use

as

class

that the

destroyer

Antrim, which possessed an advan-

command and
the

demanded

guided-missile

control centre, be used

leader of the

force

detailed

recapture South Georgia Island

as a

to

pre-

Left:

244

^gm^'

_rfj|jii_.a~_afl

The multi-role aircraft carrier Hermes,

which was used as a base

for

SAS

operations during the Falklands campaign.

SHIPS
cursor to the

main

on the Falkland

assault

Islands. In this capacity the

fore

became

AND BOATS

Antrim there-

the mobile base and head-

quarters for three types of troops in the

form of 22 SAS's D Squadron, a party of
SBS and No 42 Commando's
Company, nicknamed 'the Mighty Munch'.

Type: Antrim guided-missile destroyer

Displacement: 5440 tons standard and
6200 tons

load

full

Dimensions: length 158.65m (520ft

6in); beam 16.46m (54ft); draught 6.25m
(20ft 6in)

Armament: two 114mm

dual-

(4. Sin)

purpose guns in one twin mounting,

two

20mm

cannon in single
Exocet antitwo twin mountings, 32

anti-aircraft

mountings, four
ship missiles in

MM. 39

Seaslug

Mk

missiles

launched from one twin

2 long-range surface-to-air

launcher, and 32 Seacat short-range

surface-to-air missiles launched

from two

quadruple launchers
Aircraft: one Westland Wessex
helicopter

Propulsion: two boilers supplying

steam to two

of geared steam

sets

turbines delivering

22,370kW

(30,000hp) and four English Electric G.6

gas turbines delivering

(30,000hp) via

22,370kW
(COmbined

COSAG

Steam And Gas turbine) arrangement

to

three shafts

Performance: speed 30kn; range

6440km (4000 miles) at 28kn

Complement: 480 crew

GEMINI

F0LB0T
The SAS

has also

light assault craft

made

extensive use of

of various types. The

of these was the Folbot, which was

man canoe
a

used in World War

wooden frame

the

two-

inside a rubberised fabric

lapsible for easier stowage,

ever, collapsed

first

This had

II.

and although designed

cover,

Above: The County' class destroyer

For the operation to retake South Geor-

to

be col-

was seldom,

and usually had the joins

if

in

wooden frame bound with heavy-

gia Island in the

SAS

1982 Falklands War, the

used the Gemini with

bottom
and inflatable sides. The Gemini comes in
three sizes with a length of 5.2m (17ft
lin) to carry 12 men, 3.8m (12ft 6in) to
carry ten men, and 1 .6m (5ft 3in) to carry
eight men. They can be powered by a
13.4 or

29.8kW

and

its

(5ft)

long

rudder could be operated by

lines

running to each of the two paddler positions.

but
that

The

its
it

across

type was moderately effective,

main

tactical limitation

was too

mud

was the

lightly built to

fact

be pulled

in the fully laden condition.

served

in the

Falklands War.

a rigid

The boat was 2.6m (8ft 6in)

when inflated and weighed 28kg
(621b); when deflated it could be fitted

conditions.

long

into a canvas bag measuring

by 0.56m

7in)

(1ft lOin)

KLEPPER CANOE

INFANTRY RECONNAISSANCE BOAT

The Infantry Reconnaissance Boat, of

Klepper canoe, and

The canoe

which

ufacture,

the

In

small

middle years
able

1.1m

by 0.23m

(3ft

(9in).

(18 or 40hp) outboard

petrol engine.

duty tape to prevent any accidental disconnection. The boat was 1.52m

Glamorgan, which, with her sister Antrim,

numbers were used

of World War II, was

in

the

inflat-

and made of black rubber, with

hand pump for inflation. It could carry six

men, but was unmanoeuvrable in windy

type

1950s

the

SAS adopted
this

is still

the

in service.

is of German design and manand is a two-man collapsible

made of ash and birch with a coverwoven with hemp for the

ing of cotton

deck, and of polyester-reinforced rubber

for the hull. The skin

is

slack until the

two
245

ARSENAL

OF

AN

ELITE
SAS

frequently by the

especially during the

undertaken
after July

Sicily

in

in

World War

II,

amphibious landings

and southern

Italy

1943, were the Landing Craft

Infantry (LCI) and Landing Craft Assault

(LCA). The
(Large)

who

Landing

was designed

Craft

Infantry

to transport troops

bow

disembarked over the

via

external ramps or, in later vessels,

two
one

inboard ramp. Production of the LCI(L)

was undertaken

913

vessels

in the

Navy) completed
fied

USA, and

totalled

(220 of them for the Royal

personnel

another 337

as

to the originally speci-

transport

standard,

gunboats,

flotilla

and other special craft.

Type: LCI(L) infantry

and

leaders

assault vessel

Displacement: 387 tons loaded

Dimensions: length 48.26m (158ft
4in); beam 7.09m (23ft 3in); draught
1.47m (4ft lOin)
Armament: up to five 20mm cannon
Above: The Gemini inflatable assault

seen here

in

craft,

French Foreign Legion use,

is

used by SAS Boat Troops.

air

under each gunwale

sponsons

inflated,

are

which produces a length of 5.2m

and width of 0.68m (2ft 3in).

(converted Ford) diesel engines

delivering

96.9kW

(130hp) to two shafts

Performance: speed 7kn; range 129km

Propulsion: eight

(80 miles)

delivering

Complement:

4-5 crew

LANDING CRAFT INFANTRY

LANDING CRAFT ASSAULT

The Landing Craft Assault was

World War

II

specialised

amphibious warfare

In

designed to take on

its

small

load of

troops from a larger ship offshore and

then to make the run into the assault

beach, where the troops were disgorged

over

single

armoured

bow

ramp, which

provide

to

short-range direct

fire

for the

was

from

protection

embarked

troops during the run in to the beach.

The

type was built in large numbers, and

was notably uncomfortable.

Type: LCA infantry assault

craft

Displacement: 13 tons loaded

Dimensions: length 12.65m (41ft
beam 3.05m (10ft); draught 0.69m

6in);
(2ft

3in)

Armament:

three 0.303in

machine

guns (two Lewis guns forward and one

Vickers 'K' gun

aft)

and, in

some

craft

during 1943-44, two 2in (51mm)

mortars

Payload: 35 troops and 363kg (8001b)

of freight

Propulsion: two Thornycroft

246

the

period between the middle of

in

full.

The two

diesel engines

(2320hp) to two

Performance: speed 14.4kn;range

14,805km (9200 miles) at 12kn

and the present, the SAS has

operated from too many different types of

mention

1730kW

shafts

(17ft lin)

vessel

Payload: 205 infantrymen and 32 tons

of freight

vessels to

types used most

Complement: 24-28 crew

Below: In SAS use since the 1950s, the twoman Klepper canoe is ideal for a clandestine
approach onto a hostile shore.

SHIPS AND BOATS

LANDING PLATFORMS
SAS troopers used a number of considerably more advanced and capable ships in
the Falklands War. The most sophisticated
of these was the
Intrepid,

LPD

which

'Fearless" class assault ship

is

formally classified as an

(Landing Platform. Dock),

as

the

stern of the vessel can be flooded to allow

landing craft to use

into

built

the

was planned for the car-

'Fearless' vessels

riage

and

assault delivery

for the control

de round the

of a brigade, and

command

facility

of the land, sea and

air bat-

possesses an integrated

Type:

docking well
Each of the two

a large

stern.

assault beach.

Intrepid assault vessel (landing

platform, dock)

Displacement: 11.060 tons standard

and 12.120 tons

full

load

Dimensions: length 158.5m (520ft);

beam 24.38m (80ft): draught 6.25m I

ft

Type: Vesper

motor torpedo

~2ft class

Above: Intrepid under attack

in the Falk-

boat

lands. During cross-decking to Intrepid the

SAS

suffered

four quadruple launchers for Seacat

Displacement: 47 tons
Dimensions: length 22.1m (72ft 6in);
beam 5.87m (19ft 3in): draught 1.68m

own

hangar.

short-range surface-to-air missiles

(5ft 6in)

displacement

Aircraft: five Westland Wessex or four

Armament: two

Wesdand Sea King medium-lift

machine guns, and two

helicopters as well as three Aerospatiale

torpedoes

6in)

Armament: two 40mm

aircraft

Bofors anti-

guns in single mountings and

0.5in and four 0.303in

533mm

Gazelle or Wesdand Lynx light

Propulsion: three Packard petrol

helicopters

engines delivering

Payload: 370 troops normal, but 670

troops maximum, together with 15 main

three shafts

barde tanks, seven 3-tonne trucks and 20

Complement:

3020kW

(4050hp) to

Performance: speed 40
12 crew

Land Rovers or 2100 tons of stores:

these are

all

delivered by four

carried in davits and four

REPLENISHMENT SHIPS
During the Falklands War. the SAS

LVCPs

LCM(9)s

also

Propulsion: two boilers supplying

made use of three other types of ship, all

of them operated by the Royal Fleet

steam to two

Auxiliary.

carried in the docking well

sets ot

turbines delivering

geared steam

ment

16,405kW

two shafts
Performance: speed 21kn: range
9250km 5750 miles) at 20kn
22,

bp

663. including an

hese were the fleet replenish-

ships Fort Austin

of the

"Fort" class,

the Resource of the 'Resource'

to

Complement:

class,

and

the landing ship logistic Sir Galahad of the

'Sir

Bedivere'

class.

The

full-load displacement

air

detachment of 25. and 88 Royal Marines

is

designed to

earn.-

Fort Austin has a

of 22.800 tons and

up

to

3500 tons of

palletised stores in four holds, served

MOTOR TORPEDO BOAT

three

The SAS also made occasional use in

World War II of the motor torpedo boat

there are also

for the high-speed delivery

ries to

of small par-

the coast, generally in darkness.

type that can be taken

as

of the breed was the Vosper 72ft

which 26 were

built.

generally typical
class,

of

by

10-ton and three five-ton cranes:

two

designed to
sives,

(21 in)

its

greatest loss of the war.

The

Resource has a full-load

of 22.890 tons and is

carry ammunition, explo-

food and general

arma-

stores. Its

ment comprised two 40mm Bofors antiaircraft guns, and up to four Wesdand Sea
King helicopters, the latter on a platform
on the after superstructure. Both of these
ships were used for the movement of the
SAS to the Falklands operational region.
The Sir Galahad was designed for the
delivery of all the weapons and equipment required by landed troops to stabeach-head and begin

bilise a

extension into
ship

on

ferry

roll-ofF)

bow

of the 'ro-ro'

therefore

is

movement of

straight-through

vehicles and other equip-

ment. There was

troopers

The
(roll-

type with stern and

allowing

doors

inland

its

secure lodgement.

SAS
when it

small party of

on board the

ship

received direct hits from Argentine attack

aircraft

near Fitzroy

subsequent

fires

Inlet.

Although the

gutted the main

pan of

sliding-stay constant-

the ship and resulted in the loss of 45

tension transfer rigs to allow the simulta-

neous underway replenishment of two

men. most of them Welsh Guardsmen,

and injuries to another 150. the SAS

on each beam. The ship has

20mm cannon and
four Wesdand Sea King heli-

troopers escaped major injuries are they

were located near the bows of the ship.
Type: Sir Galahad assault vessel (logistic

warships, one

an armament of two
provision for
copters

on

a large aft

platform with

its

landing ship)

247

ARSENAL

OF

AN

ELITE
Galahad burns after being

Left: Sir

by

hit

Argentinian aircraft near Fitzroy on 8 June,

which

killed 48 of those on board.

30 tons of ammunition

Propulsion: two Mirrlees

7010m

delivering

diesel engines

(9400hp) to two

shafts

Performance: speed 17kn; range

14,805km (9200 miles) at 15kn

Complement: 68 crew
RIGID RAIDER

One

of the most important

assault craft

currently in service with the

strong and

fast

men and

can carry eight

104kW

SAS

is

high

its

ideal for the delivery

it

the

powered by

(140hp) outboard engine;

speed makes

is

Rigid Raider. The type

and

of small teams, and for the

extraction

resupply of stay-ashore parties.

Displacement: 3270 tons light and

5674 tons full load
Dimensions: length 125.6m (412ft
lin);beam 18.24m (59ft lOin); draught
3.96m (13ft)
Armament: two 40mm Bofors antiaircraft

guns

in single

mountings

Aircraft: three Westland Wessex or two

Westland Sea King medium-lift

SUBMARINES

helicopters, or alternatively three

During World War

Aerospatiale Gazelle or Westland

Lynx

II,

SAS made some

the

use of submarines for the landing of small

on

The Regiment

light helicopters

parties

Payload: 340 troops normal, but 534

troops maximum, together with 16 main

has since maintained a capability for land-

battle tanks,

of

POL

34 mixed

(Petrol,

vehicles,

120 tons

Oil and Lubricants) and

hostile coasts.

submarines, which

ing from

have

the

advantage of being able to reach an operational

more

area

and with

rapidly

greater level of secrecy than

ible for a surface vessel.

is

ever poss-

Moreover, while

the submarine's capacity to carry addi-

men

tional

SAS

the

parties

is

is

strictly limited, the fact that

designed to operate in smaD

means

that the

submarine was, and

remains, a viable

also

method

for

the

delivery of small parties of elite soldiers

onto

a hostile shore.

In

modern

conditions, the

SAS

has a

choice of delivery by nuclear-powered or

conventionally-powered submarine.
lear

Nuc-

submarines have considerably higher

sustained underwater speed and can carry

a

larger

However,

and
this

better
is

at

noise; because of

equipped

party.

the expense o( greater

its

considerable

size, it is

unable to close well into the coast in areas

where the continental

shelf

is

shallow.

Conventional submarines can move close

into the coast extremely quietly, with a

smaller and

Left:

more

lightly

equipped

party.

The Rigid Raider assault craft. Able

carry eight soldiers at speed across the

water,

248

it is

used by SAS Boat

Troops.

to

SHIPS AND
Right: The

Submersible Recovery

BOATS

Craft,

which can transport teams of combat divers

both above and below the waves.

The

of fleet

'Trafalgar' class

(attack) boats,

of which seven were commissioned

between 1983 and 1991, are typical of the
nuclear-powered submarine type used for

SAS

purposes.

Type: 'Trafalgar' class submarine

Displacement: 4700 tons surfaced and
5210 submerged
Dimensions: length 85.395m (280ft
2in); beam 9.78m (32ft lin); draught

8.2m

(26ft 11 in)

Armament:

533mm

five

Mk

tubes for 25

torpedo

(2 lin)

24 Tigerfish and

Spearfish wire-guided torpedoes, of

which up

to five can

be replaced by

UGM-84

Sub-Harpoon submarinelaunched anti-ship missiles, or up to 50

Mk

5 Stonefish or

Mk

6 Sea Urchin

mines

Propulsion: one Rolls-Royce

PWR-1

pressurised water-cooled reactor

supplying steam to two

sets

of General

Electric geared steam turbines delivering

ll,185kW (15,000hp)

to

one pump-jet

propulsor

Performance: speed 20kn surfaced and

32kn submerged; diving depth 400m
(1312ft) operational

maximum;

and

600m

(1968ft)

range effectively unlimited

Complement: 97 crew
The 'Upholder'
submarines

is

class

of patrol

(attack)

good example of the con-

ventionally-powered submarine type used

Spearfish wire-guided torpedoes, of

submerged

by the SAS. The successor

to the classic

which up

to four can

Complement:

of conventionally powered

UGM-85

Sub-Harpoon submarine-

'Oberon'
boats,

class

the

'Upholder'

class

is

highly

advanced by conventionally powered sub-

marine standards, and can remain sub-

merged through the use of its 'snorting'

system, in which only the head of a mast
carrying the

air inlet

and exhaust valve

is

launched anti-ship

RPA-200 SZ

current to one
delivering

depth

300m

9in)

400m

(1312ft)

tubes for 18

Mk

533mm

(2 lin)

torpedo

24 Tigerfish and

GEC

4030kW

electric

44 crew

SUBMERSIBLE RECOVERY CRAFT

or

diesel generators supplying

extended above the surface of the water.

six

missiles,

up to 44 Mk 5 Stonefish
and Mk 6 Sea Urchin mines
Propulsion: diesel/electric arrangement
with two Paxman/GEC Valenta 1600
alternatively

Type: 'Upholder' class submarine

Displacement: 2160 tons surfaced and
2455 tons submerged
Dimensions: length 135.6m (230ft 8in);
beam 7.62m (25ft); draught 5.41m (17ft

Armament:

be replaced by

motor

(5400hp) to one

the Submersible

Finally, there

is

Craft (SRC),

which can operate

speed surface

craft

mersible.
to

The whole

submerge

and

it,

in the 'snorting'
inlet,

or

as a

boat

it

mode

'parked'

range more

than 14,805km (9200 miles)

snorting and

315km

at

8kn

(195 miles)

at

3kn

is

flooded

down

with only the

air

The SRC can be

bed during missions,

the surface of the water.

maximum;

high-

exhaust pipes and divers' heads above

Performance: speed 12kn surfaced and

snorting, and 20kn submerged; diving
and

as a

lower-speed sub-

can also be operated

shaft

(984ft) operational

Recovery

on the

sea

the crew exiting and entering as divers, and

propulsion

is

provided by one

67.1kW

movement or two 24-volt electric motors for

submerged movement.
(90hp) piston engine for surfaced

249

HOSTAGE-RESCUE KIT
Clothing
Rescuing hostages from flame-filled buildings with enemy bullets
specialist

that

When
murdered by
1 1

Israeli

equipment

men has

its

competitors were

Palestinian terrorists

of the 'Black September' group

1972 Olympic Games in Munich

the

at

in

sou-

for

SAS

counter-terrorist teams. The

the best clothing

The

first

where the

and breathing equipment there

response of West Germany,

atrocity

GSG

thern Germany, the repercussions around

UK,

the Western

counter-terrorist operations

world

were considerable.

It

regarding

security-

now

apparent

was

emerged

that terrorism

had

major weapon

in the arsenal

finally

'liberation fighters',

threat to the security

and was

as

of so-called
a

very

real

of every country.

experience

place,

as

primary counter-terrorist
the

was
the coun-

had taken

the establishment of
try's

flying

unit. In the

of the

SAS

in

during the

Malayan 'Emergency' (1948-60) made the

SAS the inevitable choice for the development and implementation of a similar
British capability. Several senior SAS officers

around demands

Regiment has therefore ensured

do the job.

is to

such a capability since the

in

late 1 960s, and

1973 the SAS was formally instructed

to develop a full counter-terrorist capa-

The Counter Revolutionary War-

bility.

Wing was formed

fare

the Regiment's

at

wing has a permanent

staff of about 20 men, and on a rotational
Hereford

base. This

basis, trains

each of the Regiment's 'Sabre'

Squadrons in every aspect of the counterterrorist role.

had advocated the development of

THE REQUIREMENT

Two

of the key techniques to be mastered

by everyone involved

in counter-terrorist

operations are rapid entry into any build-

ing occupied by terrorists, and the rescue

inside. These are tasks

of any hostages held

and refined
by exercises in the 'Killing House', a series
of specially-built rooms where SAS
that are constantly practised

troopers

rehearse

they

scenarios

may

encounter during counter-terrorist operations. Early

shown

has
ings

(and

which

and continuing experience

that the entry into such buildalso

the

are often filled

rooms),

individual

with smoke and

or other similarly incapacitating

order to overpower or

kill

CS

gas, in

terrorists

and

demands not only

exceptional human skills, but also a wide
range of specialised equipment and
rescue their hostages,

weapons. The

lives of the counter-terrorteam and the hostages depend on the

weapons, which must work reliably, first
ist

time and every time; they must also be

light

and handy,

same

strictures

worn by
Left: All

efficient

apply

and rugged. The

to

SAS assault suits

clothing

are manufactured

from flame-resistant materials

protection against heat,

250

the

the counter-terrorist team. Early

fire

to

provide

and smoke.

HOSTAGE-RESCUE
SAS

Underneath his assault suit an

Right:

CLOTHING

KIT:

hostage-rescue trooper wears assault

underwear to increase overall protection.

experiments revealed that standard British

Army

clothing was too bulky for

entry into a building,

on items such
and was

The

as

door frames,

as splintered

also flammable.

response of the

ation, also

at

SAS was

the cre-

Hereford base, of the

its

Operations Research Wing. The

men of

but highly professional organi-

this small

sation

fast

tended to catch

it

test,

evaluate and design every type

of specialised equipment needed by the

Regiment's counter-terrorist teams.

The

counter-terrorist role

two main

into

falls

categories: the rescue of host-

ages and the killing of terrorists, usually of

on the British mainand the tackling of the Irish

Republican Army (IRA) and, to a lesser
foreign nationality,

land,

the

extent,

Whatever the
maintains

its

National

Irish

Army (INLA),

Liberation

Northern

in

Ireland.

political situation, the

SAS

counter-terrorist capability

very high level of instant response,

at a

with work on improved weapons, equip-

ment and techniques continuing

ter

mat-

as a

of the highest priority

THE REGIMENT'S CT ROLES

The very secret nature of

the

counter-terrorist

is

enhanced by

SAS's
greatly

of concrete
weapon, equipment
techniques. Even less has been
its

targets' lack

information about

and

about

revealed
aspects
ties.

capability

its

this

facility

than

other

of the SAS's operational capabili-

The

modern world

fact that the

is

faced with the problem of countering

terrorism has spawned
international

industry

moderately large
to

of counter-terrorist

needs

most

that

one can

say

the

forces.

The
SAS

that the

is

probably uses the best of

service

requiring the trooper to hide for days on

as possible in

cramped and highly uncomfortable 'hide' to watch for terrorist movements and observe arms dumps), uniformed or plain clothes operations on the
streets of Northern Irish towns, and, on
occasion, ambushing Republican units.

ists

end

in a

number of its
may be pure
SAS improvements or alterations to com-

ASSAULT SUITS
If an SAS team has

mercially available products.

the very real problems of the heat,

own

developments, which

The

SAS's two primary counter-ter-

rorist roles

capabilities.

demand a number of different

The Northern Ireland task

possible to use their weapons. Until the

building has been secured and

rorists

the ter-

always

remains the possibility of hostile counterfire.

Each member of the SAS

suit

to

make an

a terrorist-held building,

blast

it

is

assault

faced with

and smoke generated by the

not to mention the bullets

terrorists.

The team

on

assault

and

fired

fire,

assault,

by the

seeks to secure the

and underwear made of flame-resis-

tant material.

The SAS

currently

made of Nomex and

regiment

itself

G.D.

which

is

reinforced by the

with Kevlar

inserts to pro-

vide additional protection to the knees

on

utmost

tactical surprise in the assault,

and

and elbows (Kevlar

then to

move through

fast

very high tensile strength -

the building as

the

uses

Specialist Supplies assault suit,

sustained surveillance in rural area (often

places a considerably greater emphasis

all

captured or killed, there

rescue team, therefore, wears an assault

this industry's

products, together with a

an effort to keep the terror-

off balance and as poorly placed as

is

synthetic fibre of
far

greater

251

ARSENAL

OF

ELITE

AN

Left:

Despite the weight penalty,

wear ceramic plates

troopers

SAS

in addition to

Kevlar layers during an assault.

Useful

as

the combination of assault

underwear, assault

suit

gloves certainly

provides no protec-

tion as such

ments.

is, it

from

bullets

Body armour

tive in this role,

and

fireproof

and flying

frag-

moderately effec-

is

but only

at

the expense of

considerable weight and a major reduction in the mobility of the wearer.

BODY ARMOUR
Body armour, which had been
feature of medieval warfare

appeared in

its

so

much

and only

final vestigial

forms

at

outset of the Industrial Revolution,

its

reappearance in World War

I.

dis-

the

made

Steel hel-

mets were worn to protect the wearer

from the fragments

many

lives

the

(and saved

shells

and

in the process). Sappers

troops

assault

by

generated

overhead detonation of

were issued with

armour made of overlapping

torso

plates

to

protect the upper and lower torso and, in

some cases, the upper part of the thighs.

Comparable armour was issued to the
crews of early tanks, which suffered much
from high-velocity

spall

(fragments flaked

off the interior of the tank's

armour by

the impact of a projectile outside

splash

(hot

between

lead

plates

impact with the

penetrating

after

it)

the

and
gaps

being liquefied by

tank's exterior surface);

tank crews were also equipped with face

armour against the same threats.

With the exception of the helmet,
armour disappeared once more in the
period between the wars, but was then
revived in World War II in the form of
were issued to
'flak jackets', which

bomber

crews. These consisted of steel

an upper-body garment,
and were both weighty and limited the
plates carried in

than steel

which can be woven

into a

tough cloth that provides armour protection in bulletproof vests; with an

resin

epoxy

Kevlar can be moulded into solid

sheets of lightweight armour. Originally

developed for the

is

also

ture).

It

US

space programme,

widely used in

aircraft

it

manufac-

incorporates an integral respirator

hood and flame

barrier

elbow and knee

sections.

felt

pads in the

Together with

the Kevlar inserts, this padding offers pro-

252

tection against sharp objects

and

also per-

mits the wearer to crawl over hot surfaces

without suffering
tection afforded

increased

as

injury.

by the

the

suit. It is

wearer's

assault suit

can be

demands by
underwear under

standard to wear fire-

MODERN BODY ARMOUR

Armour became more widespread after
World War II with the development of
'soft' armour made from fibreglass and

proof gloves to protect the hands and

ballistic

and also to ensure a continuous

grip on miscellaneous items of equipment
as well as weapons.

than the

wrists

movement.

basic pro-

situation

wearing items of assault

the assault

The

nylon. Such
'flak jacket'

the wearer's mobility.

armour was

lighter

and did not impede

It

worked by reduc-

ing the velocity of the impacting body,

HOSTAGE-RESCUE
Right: The

KIT:

CLOTHING

SF10 respirator incorporates a

microphone mounted

in front of the lips for

radio transmissions during a rescue.

whose momentum was reduced by being

spread over many layers. 'Soft' armour
worked moderately well against lowervelocity items such as shell

and grenade

fragments, but was significantly

less effec-

against high-velocity items such as

tive

rifle bullets.

Greater capability was provided against

high-velocity items by the invention of
Kevlar, which is a lightweight fibre of
immense tensile strength and highly suitable for the creation of tightly woven

material that

both

is

and able to

flexible

absorb the impact of bullets. The

SAS

uses

Kevlar body armour with ceramic inserts

to

provide

against

high level of protection

types of bullets, including high-

all

velocity rounds and even armour-pierc-

ing rounds.

The type of body armour used by the

SAS for the hostage-rescue role is the
Dowty Armourshield vest. Available in
two

styles, for

general-purpose wear and

restricted-entry

tasks,

both these types

incorporate the so-called blunt trauma

shield,

which

designed to prevent the

is

wearer from suffering serious injury from

round that fails to penetrate the armour.

normal vest, the bullet may be prevented from reaching and penetrating the

In a

wearer, but this

may be

achieved only

the expense of a depression in the

at

armour

amount of shock

so deep

that a large

energy

transferred to the wearer as the

is

type of blunt trauma that can cause seri-

ous injury or even death. The blunt trau-

composite plates can be worn over the

was designed for

ma

basic

which provide protection

against all NATO and Soviet (now
Russian) high-velocity and armourpiercing rounds. The weight of this addi-

modular and lightweight construction

which

shield,

armour

vest,

is

worn underneath

the

absorbs and dissipates the

energy of the incoming round, though

the impact of the round

down and wind

may

knock

still

tional protection

the wearer.

DEFEATING ENEMY ROUNDS

The SAS

currently

use

the

Dowty

Armourshield General-Purpose Vest 25.

which

is

18mm

(0.7in)

thick, including

the blunt trauma shield. This offers

around protection, and

wrap-

also features

under-arm protection

that

wearer to

arm without

raise his firing

of exposing

a vulnerable

vest,

allows

area.

high
the
fear

Ceramic

is

considerable, however,

Dowty Armourshield
around 4kg (8.81b),
although these can be replaced by 3kg
(6.61b) plates of Protec Armour System's
'uparmour plate', a ceramic tile over an
inner layer of laminate and under an
outer layer of rubberised foam.
Another British company producing
such armour protection is Meggitt
Composites, whose Type 18 armour jacket
plate

armour

weighs

forces'

use.

permits a high level of mobility, and

fitted

with

plates

that

level

double-curvature
offer

Its

it

is

ceramic

higher-than-average

of protection.

At present there

of

for each

special

is

race

between

manufacturers of body armour and small

arms, which the latter appears to be winning. During the Eurosatory '96 at Paris
in

comnew Five-seveN

996, for example, the small arms

pany

FN

displayed

its

handguns (see Handguns section). Its

5.7mm round is designed to defeat targets
on the battlefield of the future. For example, while a 9mm round (used in the
253

ARSENAL

AN

OF

ELITE
Left:

The ACIOO/1 composite helmet currently

used by the SAS.

provides protection

It

enemy bullets and falling

against

debris.

Protection for the head was therefore

considered

as a

matter of urgency, an early

conclusion being that standard military

helmets were unsuitable for the hostagerescue role as they were too heavy, pro-

vided only an inadequate level of protec-

and tended to become dislodged or

skewed during the assault. Manufacturers
tion,

therefore set about the conceptually simple,

but practically

difficult, task

of design-

ing a lightweight helmet that could be

worn over

a gas

mask, was

lodge or skew, offered

difficult to dis-

high level of pro-

when worn with

tection and,

a visor or

gas mask, prevented dust, tear gas,

smoke,
and debris from getting into the eyes,
nose and mouth. The main difficulties
grit

with such headgear, however, are their

general clumsiness, especially in the preassault

team

phase of the mission

tries to

as

the assault

get into position silently, and

the limitation

imposes on the wearer's

it

all-round vision.

majority of today's pistols and subma-

chine guns) will dent but not penetrate

Kevlar helmet

5.7mm

the

met

at a

distance of

at a

10m

(33ft),

bullet will penetrate the hel-

range of

200m

(656ft). In addi-

tion, the cartridge will also penetrate

to

48

of Kevlar

layers

whereas

9mm

more than

six

at the

round

same

distance,

at

counter-terrorist

areas such as

SAS

uses any

of

operations

Northern

several types

point-

Though there is speculation

SAS will be equipped with the

AC 100/1.

it

could
If

also get into the

it

hands

hostage-rescue

does,

teams will need better armour vests and

shield

from the manufacturers.

en by the SAS was that of those persons

Front

tionary

for

Arabistan during

was

five

CT100E

elecear-

It

includes the

phone and a socket for the CT100L

body-worn microphone, which has a
large

but

is

front-mounted press-to-talk button,

disabled

when

the

(with inbuilt microphone)

254

SFK)
is

respirator

worn.

Liberation

The

1980.
all

of the

while the sixth was

after

defender headset with

the

May

considerable success:

its

London by

of the Democratic Revolu-

The communications system used by the

SAS for counter-terrorist operations is

ear

fabricated

composite materials. Such construction

major hostage-rescue undertak-

captured. Assessment

tronic

is

from multiple

first

were freed and

Communications CT100 har-

it

HELMETS

COMMUNICATIONS

ness system.

be worn over

to

respirator,

The

killed,

the Davies

Designed

and

headset

six terrorists

pistol,

in

the Courtauld

is

Aerospace Advanced Materials Division

that the

terrorists.

SAS

used by the

the hostage-rescue role

'walkie talkie' systems with covert ear-

held in the Iranian Embassy in

new

of small

ASSAULT HELMETS
The helmet currently

pieces and microphones.

blank range.

of

in

Ireland, the

up

will not penetrate

or seven layers

For

open

of

rescue

the hostages
six terrorists

wounded and

of the

operation

completion looked closely

at

ways

which the equipment of the SAS could

be improved, and an early conclusion was
that some form of head protection was
needed. In the Iranian Embassy operation
the assault team had worn anti-flash
hoods that provided limited protection
against heat, dust and smoke, but no proin

tection at
falling

all

against bullets, fragments

masonry.

and

offers a

layers

of

ballistic-resistant

higher level of protection against

ammunition than the standard

which is of single-layer

small arms

military helmet,

construction, and the helmet

comfortable

as possible

by

its

is

made

as

completion

with webbing and support elements of

natural

fibres

The helmet

and high-quality
also

has

an

leather.

inbuilt

high-

impact trauma system liner to dissipate

the energy of impacting rounds before

it

can be passed to the wearer's head.

RESPIRATORS
The nature of a
demands

hostage-rescue operation

the utmost speed to throw the

terrorists off balance

disoriented

SAS makes
shotguns

state,

and keep them

and for

this

in a

reason the

extensive use of explosives,

and sledgehammers to gain

HOSTAGE-RESCUE
Right:

KIT

CLOTHING

The SF10 respirator gives the wearer

protection against gases

and smoke, and the

design stops fogging inside the mask.

and then uses

access,

CS

stun,

gas

and

smoke grenades as the assault team moves

in. This means that the room(s) or airlin-

^^

er fuselage will generally be filled with

and smoke, particularly

dust, debris, gas

k.

if

&5i

any flammable materials are ignited during the assault;

it

is

"\3Htij?r ^-

standard procedure,

however, to cut off the electricity and gas

^t

K7

supplies to an occupied building. Survival

and continued operational capability

-5

^^H

Br

in

'

Ifc^^

these conditions can only be ensured by

wearing

a respirator.
^

THE SF10
The respirator currently used by the SAS
is
the Avon Polymer Products SF10, a
product that entered service in

British

1986

S6

in succession to the

This unit provides

eyes,

full

respirator.

protection for the

nose and mouth, and

terised

^vvV

by low breathing

also charac-

is

resistance,

which

reduces the physiological burden on the

wearer and

is

decided advantage in any

operational situation.
able

on

The

filter

(mount-

either the left- or right-hand sides

according to operational dictates or personal preference) protects against gases,

and smoke; the small oral/nasal

aerosols

chamber
very low

that exhausts used air leaves only

levels

of carbon dioxide behind,

and the nose-guide channels indrawn

up the

sides

air

of the face and over the eye-

pieces to minimise fogging. The eyepieces

themselves are of sturdy polycarbonate

construction resistant to scratching and
attacks

be

by chemical or solvents, and can

fitted

externally

with

flash-resistant

combined

protective lenses (this tinting,

with the black colour of the other clothing

worn by each SAS

hostage-rescue

trooper, supposedly adds

to

impression of menace, and

is

the overall

thought to

provide a psychological edge). This respirator allows

two types of communication:

direct speech at short range,

at

and by radio

longer range through use of a micro-

phone mounted
Right:

in front

of the

lips.

New hostage-rescue clothing is

continually subjected to rigorous tests to

ensure

it

will perform well in action.

255

ARSENAL

OF

AN

ELITE

Support Equipment
As

well as proper clothing,

SAS hostage-rescue teams must have hardware

to

allow them

to

gain entry to buildings, boats and aircraft to reach the hostages. Fortunately, Hereford has

equipped

An

assault

which

offers the best

the

is

its

generally launched from

roof of an occupied building,

chance of assem-

bling the team in secrecy.

An

window

accurate and

men

with a whole range of hostage-rescue support equipment.

the rope, the harness

trooper,

worn by

and the descendeur

the

SAS

that connects

the harness to the rope and allows control

of the

rate

of descent. Descendeurs cur-

or door from

rently available include the Rollglis lock-

and here abseiling equip-

ing-brake system that can be operated

equipment

with one hand to allow the other to be

comprises three main units in the form of

used for a weapon. The Inter Risk Abseil

speedy

arrival at a

the roof

ment

is

is

vital,

generally used. This

3 Speed Descendeur

is

medium

pre-set slow,

automatically

hand operated

or

brakes

speeds of up to

5.5m

when

wearer

the

IKAR AS1

released; the

for

descents, but

fast

allows descent

per second.

(18ft)

AMMUNITION
weapon made, the
team then has to choose the
ammunition to be used. The ammunition
With

the choice of

assault

must be powerful enough to stop individual terrorists before they can

harm any of

the hostages or the assault team, yet not so

forceful as to pass right through the ter-

possibly hitting a hostage behind

rorist,

the real target.

From

the beginning of the

SAS's counter-terrorist role

was

it

clear

ammunition was not suited

largely because any round suf-

that standard

to the task,
ficiently

send

its

powerful to halt a terrorist could

through him or her to

bullet

strike a hostage, either directly or after a

ricochet.

Specialised

ammunition was

required by the

SAS

as

much

clearly

by

as

all

other counter-terrorist and armed law-

enforcement agencies

in the world.

The

one standard type of round that could be

retained was the high-velocity round used
by sniper rifles. With a velocity of more

900m

than

rounds are

per second, such

(2953ft)
fired

with extreme delibera-

tion, preferably to the

head or

torso, to

cause the type of massive tissue damage,

followed by hydrostatic shock, that

in almost instantaneous death.

results

The

skills

of the sniper are all-important with

this

type of ammunition, for the bullet almost

invariable passes through the target

with high residual

shot

is

vital

velocity.

not only to the

any hostage

target,

in the vicinity.

For

down-

Abseiling equipment is often used to

allow teams

to

descend from above unseen

to force entries during

256

but also

this rea-

son, therefore, the sniper prefers a

Left:

body

The choice of

a rescue.

HOSTAGE-RESCUE
ward shot that will continue into the
floor and not into hostages.
Most of the specialised ammunition
devised

counter-terrorist

for

use

in

weapons of 5.56mm or 9mm calibre falls

into two basic categories: one with a bullet that breaks up in the body, and the
other with a bullet with some sort of hollow-point or unconventional shape that
will

tumble in the body and thereby lose

The

velocity very rapidly.

design of such

from the

bullets has profited considerably

ROUNDS

on

based

produce

manufacturers

Several

the

in

of

entirely

bullets

Hydra-Shok principle
USA. Made almost

the

developed

with

lead,

hemispherical

recess in the nose, they have an upstand-

nose for

mushrooming of the
massive damage and rapid decel-

eration.

The

ing peg to ensure

developed
filled

Glaser

in the

Safety

USA,

Slug,

inanimate

thin

without

objects

breaking up. but on impact with

sue, fragments into
tiles.
I

also

has a thin casing

with compressed bird shot that pen-

etrates

The

brass

KTW

core.

soft tis-

some 330 sub-projec-

has a Teflon coating over

The French cone-pointed

copper Arcane

is

capable of penetrating

body armour and walls.

The Arcane round is made of
copper,

cone-pointed and has

is

propellant

means

it

short-barrelled pistols.

solid

a special

charge which gives

velocity This

it

high

can be fired from

through anything, though

major draw-

back with regard to hostage-rescue work

is

that against soft targets

will cause severe

pass straight

The
stack

wound

such

as flesh

cavities

it

but will

through the body.

THV

French)

of bollard-shaped sub-projectiles

to

provide excellent penetrative power, but

The
Ammunition

then very rapid deceleration.

Cobra High

Safety

British

incor-

porates a

number of flechettes which

released

from

impact with the

their

they cannot abseil

down

members of

entry point, the

to their

the assault

team often have to climb up to

is

it,

and

casing

only

it

in this situation that the assault ladder

into its own. The SAS uses the W.

Clow series of sectional assault ladders
made in the UK. The sections are fabri-

comes
J.

cated of lightweight aluminium and are

deeply serrated to provide the best possible grip for the

hand and foot and also

There is also a

against walls or airliners.

and other

troopers

at

include a

hooked top

time,

six

features

for additional grip.

The ladders can be carried on a large

number of vehicle types, can double as
bridges and sniper platforms, and can be
readily assembled into units

length.

The SAS

of the right

(together with

other

European special forces) maintains a database of the height of the windows of vulnerable buildings, the wings of the main
airliner types, and the doors of airliners
and trains. Assault ladders may seem a
trivial item, but it was the silent placing of
rubber-coated

assault ladders against the

Boeing 737
October 1977

fuselage of the hijacked

liner at

Mogadishu

in

GSG 9 operation.
Among the tools carried

that

the

team can be

by the

assault

sledgehammers, bolt

as

cutters, glass cutters,

wrecking bars and grappling hooks.

EXPLOSIVES

Once

are

after

target. Finally, the British

it is

incapacitates all those in close proximity.

well as standard industrial hollow metal

wrapped
foam which can be bent

doors, and uses charges

in soft

flexible

to the

desired shape.

GRENADES
As the explosive charge works and the
team enters the building, train or airliner,
it
is
common practice to throw either
stun or

SAS
optimum method for

in place for the assault, the

team decide on the

effecting a fast entry into the building; if

cannot be achieved with

hammer

emits a blinding flash and loud bang which

number of comparatively

simple yet highly effective items such

axes,

sledge-

CS

deafening bang and blinding

now

a
is

and the main European manufac-

of the 'frame

turers

of this device are the German firm

PPT and

selected point of entry

The two

best-

types of 'frame charge' are those

manufactured

in

France by

USA by Accuracy

system

ing through the target.

ing open hollow or solid

based on

and an

SNPE

Systems. The

Conjoy CBX Low Penetration type loses

between 65 and 100 per cent of its energy on hitting the target to cause an enormous wound with no possibility of pass-

a cutting

adhesive

and

in

SNPE

detonating

explosive

strip

charge. Accuracy Systems offers an explosive

flash. It

available in single- or multiple-bang

Ordnance

is

essentially

types,

to exactly the right configuration for the

cord

is

diversionary device that explodes with

charge' type that can be bent and shaped

the

gas grenades. The stun grenade

was devised by the SAS, and

or other basic tool, they usually

resort to explosives, usually

known

When detonated it

Above: The stun grenade.

air-

played a significant part in the success of

this

contains

(also

When

go

will literally

It

ASSAULT LADDERS

double-width ladder that can support

use of composite materials.

SPECIALIST

SUPPORT EQUIPMENT

KIT

door cutter system capable of blow-

wood

doors,

as

the British

and

companies Royal

Brocks

Pyrotechnics.

PPT's range includes the Type A. which

produces

loud bang

as

well as an intense

light that lasts for 15 seconds, the

that issues eight

Type

B.

loud bangs in quick suc-

and the Type C that has no bang.

There are few details of the Royal
Ordnance stun grenades, which include
cession:

the

G60

type optimised for the loudest

possible bang,

and the Brocks' grenades

257

ARSENAL

AN

OF

ELITE
The Browning High Power handgun

Left:

not be the most modern around, but

endears

reliability

it

to

may

its

SAS users.

under the

barrel of most rifles, submachine guns, shotguns and pistols to

project a small but powerful line along the

weapon's line of

fire.

Typical of the latter

American Law Enforcement

International LEI-100 unit and the
the

are

British Electro Prismatic Collimators sys-

tem, both of which project a

laser light

along the line of

beam of red

fire.

WEAPONS
Once

has entered the target structure

it

and temporarily disoriented or incapaci-

SAS

tated the terrorists, the

assault

team

has to be ready to engage any resistance

with their personal weapons. Given that

such operations almost invariably take
place at short range and within a confined
area, the

choice of weapons

maximum

by

of

rate

fire,

firer (the shortest possible

weapon length and

the fewest possible

on

features that can catch

is

high

minimum encum-

utmost accuracy) and

weapon

constrained

magazine and the

large

brance to the

the

is

lethality (requiring a

clothing, etc., as

brought to bear). In these

SAS weapons
Koch MP5 submaRemington 870 pump-

circumstances, the preferred

are the

Heckler

chine gun, the

&

Browning High
Power and Glock 18 semi-automatic pistols, all of which are examined at greater

action shotgun, and the

length in the Small

When

weapon. These
with

simultaneous

five

and bangs, the MX7 which delivmix of flashes, bangs and smoke, and

flashes
ers a

MX8, with

the

a rapid series

of eight very

loud bangs.

The
orient

stun grenade
the

grenade

is

is

terrorist(s),

designed to dis-

but the

CS

gas

intended to put him or her out

range or in

confined space can have

long-term adverse

SIGHTS
Aiming the weapons accurately is also of
paramount importance in situations
involving hostages. This is made more difficult as the structure

is

likely to

be with-

out power, and will therefore be dark, or

coughing and

at least

of the

of breathing with

The CS

The

fire

MPS

attributes in the

order of priority:

compactness,

capability

full-

and good bal-

submachine gun meets

all

these requirements.

of action by causing severe lachrymation,

difficulty

automatic
ance.

effects.

are, in

accuracy,

reliability,

MX5

section.

weapon, the SAS

number of

looks for a

include the

Arms

selecting a

gloomy The two most common

One

of the most important members

of a hostage-rescue team

is

the sniper. The

sniper gives a team the opportunity of

resolving the siege with
a siege the sniper's

track targets.

need

job

one
is

shot.

During
and

to identify

Both the sniper and

to have certain qualities.

his rifle

Hostage-

sighting aids are the torch type and the

rescue snipers are selected for their stabil-

grenade can be very useful, but has to be

aiming dot type. Typical of the former

ity,

used with caution

an American

tightness

as

258

much

as

as

chest.

it

gas

affects the hostages

the terrorists, and at short

item, the

is

Laser Products

Sure-Fire Tactical Sight that can be added

calmness, patience and marksmanship.

In addition, they

and gather

must be able

to observe

intelligence, for their optics

HOSTAGE-RESCUE

KIT:

SUPPORT EQUIPMENT

Spanish GEO personnel practising

Right:

with Heckler

& Koch MP5 submachine

guns,

the favoured hostage-rescue weapon.

and vantage points give them access to

information that the team on the ground
is

denied.

standard operating proce-

It is

dure (SOP) for snipers to be trained in

one

pairs:

other

two

acts

the observer and the

as

the shooter. This

is

can

rotate

duties,

means
thus

that the

lessening

somewhat.

fatigue

Snipers always use the same

this

way they can

and

characteristic. In addition,

be

learn

its

he needs to

skilled in covert infiltration so

unexpected

the

deliver

deadly

The

effect.

rifle itself

have certain characteristics to

role.

These

adjustable

trigger

its

barrel,

capacity

pull,

must

fulfil

free-floating

are:

he can

shot with

first

sniper

In

rifle.

even- feature

for

bipod and monopod. good accuracy over

long ranges, excellent optics and

ability to

withstand rough treatment.

The

SAS

current

sniper

Accuracy International

PM.

rifle

is

the

a bolt-action

model of 7.62mm calibre (sniper rifles

have traditionally been bolt-action models, though increasingly many hostagethroughout the world are

rescue

units

using

highly

which allow
targets

accurate

semi-automatics.

snipers to deal with multiple

during an

assault).

WEAPONS FOR ULSTER

For counter-terrorist operations in Northern Ireland, where outdoor operations

were more the norm,

a larger

assortment

of weapons were used by the Regiment,

including the

Colt

L1A1

commando

(or

SLR)

rifle,

the

assault rifle, the silenced

version of the Sterling submachine gun.

Koch 53 submachine gun

and the Ingram submachine gun. as well
the Heckler &:

as

number of

Kalashnikov
assault rifle

weapons

the

habitually

IRA and INLA. including

used by the

AK-47

and

Ml

assault rifle.

carbine.

the

Armalite

SAS

soldiers

even experimented with the Ingram sub-

machine gun. though

it

was found

to

be

slightly erratic.

Right:

At the end of the day a successful

rescue

is

a blend of training, the right

equipment and accurate firepower.

259

AIRCRAFT
Fixed-wing Aircraft
Fixed-wing aircraft have always played a crucial part
for the delivery of

SAS
The
with

has always

been associated

the use of aircraft for the deliv-

enemy

ery of parries behind

lines, either

by parachute or by landing on extempo-

of reinforce-

rised airstrips, for the receipt

ments, supplies and other equipment, or

end of

for extraction at the

when
all

mission

required. Initially the aircraft were

of the fixed-wing type, but since World

War II
become

rotary-wing aeroplane has

the

increasingly important in mili-

tary operations.

now one

It is

of the most

important methods for the delivery of

SAS

parties,

from

lected

who

rotor

copter's

can be landed or collarger than the heli-

sites little

diameter

the

failing

or,

of

men and

ramps to

fixed-wing aeroplane needs several

make

specific attributes to

the needs of the SAS.

It

range potential (which

it

suitable for

must have longis

now

provided

by inflight-refuelling techniques) so that

remote spots can be reached

closer sites can

directly,

be approached by

cuitous route to avoid

and radar coverage;

Off and Landing)

enemy

STOL

air

or

a cir-

defences

(Short Take-

means

capability

that

the aeroplane can operate into and out of

short airstrips that are often in areas such

as

jungles, with

tall

trees

airstrip's

approaches.

that will

accommodate

Right: The

limiting

the right

number

Armstrong Whitworth Albemarle,

used by the SAS as a troop carrier

in the

weeks

June

260

the

sizeable fuselage

after the

D-Day landings

in

1944.

equipment

with doors and/or

facilitate

is

vital,

the loading and unaircraft

many jungle regions.

The aircraft initially allocated to the
SAS in World War II seldom managed all
or even many of these attributes, for they

dropping of supplies

to

designed for the transport role in general,

if

not the airborne or special forces roles

war the introducLockheed Hercules answered

in particular. After the

tion of the
all

the requirements of the SAS.

tactical

classic

airlifter,

It

is

with long range

and moderately high speed, genuine

STOL

capability, a large fuselage accessed

by lateral doors and a ventral ramp and

door arrangement that can be used in
flight, and is also enormously reliable and
rugged.

were generally superannuated bombers

ARMSTRONG ALBEMARLE

converted for

they were available and possessed the abil-

The Armstrong Whitworth Albemarle

was used for the delivery of SAS parties

the required load in terms of

into occupied France after June 1944, and

they were not perfect in

was originally designed as a reconnaissance bomber. It was notably underpow-

numbers

fully integrated part

their
fitted

must be rugged and reliable enough to

operate safely and effectively in conditions ranging from the extreme cold of an
Arctic night to the scorching heat of the
desert day, via the oppressive humidity of

chute training

an

SAS's operational doctrines, either

loading of bulky items. Finally, the

ity to

of the Regiment's Continuation Training.

all

and should be

of such a site, abseil to the

ground from the hovering helicopter.
Each of the SAS's 'Sabre' Squadrons
has one Air Troop that specialises in all
aspects of parachute operations, and paraavailability

is

in the

men and equipment to the zone of operations, or the

men on the ground, especially in jungle terrain.

lift

weight, even

the

if

purpose.

terms of access and egress and

dation. Later in

accommo-

the war, the situation

improved with the

of

Essentially,

availability

aircraft

that

ered for

this

demanding

role,

and was

of larger

therefore adapted for the associated roles

been

of glider towing and paratroop dropping.

had

RAFT:

FIXED-WING AIRC
-

'<'

^^^^^B

'

ground patrols which were of 10 spearheaded by SAS troopers.

Type: Auster AOP.Mk 9 two/ three-seat
tactical reconnaissance and air

1
-

i^

^rffra'
^,

Aden, Borneo and Malaya. Here, a close

system was evolved so that visual
sighting of insurgent forces was relayed to

liaison

^^KW-

* \i-

observation post aeroplane

Powerplant: one Blackburn Cirrus

^^3

bombardier 203

wW*wSol^

134kW

rated at

inline piston engine

(180hp)

Dimensions: span 11.10m (36ft 5in);

length 7.23m (23ft 9in); height 2.57m
(8ft Sin)

Weight: empty 663kg (14611b);

maximum take-off 966kg (21301b)
Performance: maximum speed
204km/h (127mph) at sea level: range

*.:'--'

"'"

"'

* : ~- "''

'"-.."'

Above: The Blackburn Beverley, a heavy

Armament: nvo

transport aircraft used by the Regiment in the

guns in the dorsal turret

support role

in the 1950s

and

Payload: up

1960s.

L3" >3in

'

'"

396km
5640m

(246 miles); service ceiling

(18,500ft)

Armament: none

Vickers 'K*

Payload: none

to 10 paratroops

BRITISH AEROSPACE

The

paratroops were carried in the fuse-

lage,

and launched themselves from

a cot-

fin-shaped exit hatch in the belly ot

unit. The shape

of this

exit

this

and the nature

of the airflow beneath the Albemarle's

fuselage

had to be approached with great

care if the dropping

man was

broken nose or the

fer a

which was known

The Albemarle had a

not to suf-

of

loss

his front

'ringing the

teeth,

as

bell".

notional capac-

ity

ly

of

men, although

this

reduced to just four or

was general-

five

AUSTER
The Auster
service in

The

up

to the

The
1

AOP.Mk

operating

and was designed

series

in

9 variants by

against

remained

in

(Hawker

Siddeley/Avro) Andover was widely used

by the SAS from the

late

960s to the

1970s, especially in the Middle East.

type was designed as a

civil

late

The
by

transport

Avro. and was then developed into the

Andover

for the

STOL

military transport

960s. and the type was

found especially useful

and

the military

as

of tactical reconnaissance and

observation.

service

II

of the Taylorcraft braced

light planes,

for the roles

air

light planes entered

World War

counterpart

high-wing

of

series

AND0VER

Aerospace

British

its

AOP.Mk

SAS

insurgent

troopers

forces

in

Below: The Beaver

utility aircraft,

SAS

light

reconnaissance and

which was used

to

support

operations in the Middle and Far East.

men when

they were fully laden with operational

equipment. Production of the Albemarle,

which was

built largely

of non-strategic

wood, totalled
600 aircraft.
Type: Armstrong Whitworth Albemarle
materials such as steel and

Mk

II

five-crew paratroop transport

Powerplant: two Bristol Hercules XI

radial piston

1185kW

engines each rated

at

(1590hp)

Dimensions: span 23.47m (77ft): length

18.26m (59ft 1 lin): height 4.75m (15ft
Tin)

Weight: maximum take-off 16.556kg

[36,5001b)

Performance: maximum speed

427km

at 3200m
2092km (1300 miles);
5485m (18.000ft)

h (265mph)

(10,500ft); range

service ceiling

261

ARSENAL

ELITE

AN

OF

383km/h (238mph) at 1735m (5700ft);

371km (230 miles) with

radius

maximum payload;
4875m (16,000ft)

service ceiling

Armament: none
Payload: up

94 troops, or 70

to

paratroops, or 20,412kg (45,0001b) of

freight

BRISTOL BOMBAY
The Bristol Bombay was designed
meet

to

1931 requirement that reflected

the parsimonious nature of British aircraft

procurement
single
roles

which dropped SAS teams

in

role. It

had low-pressure

operations from poor

floor, a

allowing

tyres to facilitate

strength-

airstrips, a

longer fuselage, a raised

incorporation

the

into

BLACKBURN BEVERLEY
The Blackburn Beverley was an
thoroughly

heavy

utilitarian

ugly,

tail

aeroplane designed by General Aircraft

Ltd before

take-over by Blackburn.

underside of the rear fuselage of clamshell

The

doors providing straight-in access to the

construction, with a high-set wing,

and

hold,

landing

gear

whose height

could be adjusted on the ground to place

the

fuselage

any

of several

facilitate

the loading

floor

truckbed heights to

at

but

transport

the

its

type was notable for

its

all-metal
tail

unit with endplate vertical surfaces, and

two
was of

and equipment

large clamshell rear doors, each

paradropping of men and

equipment.

Type:

Siddeley/Avro) Andover

three/four-crew

(Hawker

C.Mk

tactical transport

Powerplant: two Rolls-Royce Dart

RDa.12 Mk 20 1C turboprop engines
each rated

at

2420kW

(2280hp)

in the pod. Access

containing an inset door, and

dation for

British Aerospace

men was

ported the

tail

and

1950,
totalled

47

unit.

in the

The

production
aircraft that

vice until 1968.

accommo-

boom

type
for

that sup-

first

flew in

RAF

the

remained in

The SAS used

it

ser-

in the

Middle East and the Far East, mainly for

the delivery of men and vehicles into

Dimensions: span 29.95m (98ft 3in);

length 23.75m (77ft lin); height 9.17m

poor

(30ft lin)

Type: Blackburn Beverley C.Mk 1 fourcrew tactical transport

Powerplant: four Bristol Centaurus 273

Weight: empty 12,569kg (27,7091b);

maximum take-off 20, 185kg (44,5001b)
Performance: maximum speed
486km/h (302mph) at 4570m

602km

(15,000ft); range

with maximum payload;

7255m (23,800ft)

(374 miles)
service ceiling

to

44 troops, or 30

paratroops; or 18

262

litters, five

total

of 50

RAF

first

flew in June

eventually received

aircraft that

remained

airstrips

STOL

where the

capability

radial piston

2125kW

Beverley's semi-

proved very

useful.

engines each rated

at

(2850hp)

Dimensions: span 49.38m (162ft);

length 30.30m (99ft 5in); height 1.81m
1

in ser-

War
number of

vice until the middle years of World

The SAS used

radial piston

753kW

the type for a

engines each rated

at

(lOlOhp)

Dimensions: span 29.18m (95ft 9in);

length 21.11m (69ft 3in); height 6.07m
(19ft 11 in)

Weight: empty 6260kg (13,8001b);

maximum take-off 6096kg (20,0001b)
Performance: maximum speed
309km/h (192mph) at 1980m (6500ft);

1416km (880 miles) with standard

3589km (2330 miles) with
additional tankage; service ceiling 7620m
range

fuel or

(25,000ft)

Armament:

single 0.303in Vickers 'K'

machine guns in the manually operated

nose and tail turrets, and up to 907kg
(2000 lb) of bombs carried externally
Payload: up to 24 troops or freight

(38ft 9in)

Armament: none
Payload: up

The prototype

1935, and the

unit with twin

and fixed tailwheel land-

vertical surfaces,

ing gear.

tail

North African operations.

Type: Bristol Bombay Mk I three-crew
bomber and transport
Powerplant: two Bristol Pegasus XXII

the

artillery

in flight for the

whose hold was accessed by

unit. The fuselage

pod-and-boom type, with accommodation for men, vehicles, pieces of light

wheels on each

was via

rear doors could

a fuselage

large port-side door, a

II.

be opened

and the

of troop transport and freighting, but

fixed tricycle landing gear, including

and unloading of bulky items. The fuselage was large enough to carry light vehicles,

demanded

Middle East. The result was an angular

machine of all-metal stressed skin construction, with a high-set cantilever wing,

World War II, and later Malaya.

Europe

ened

casualties

northwest

into

It

would still be capable of undertaking

bombing in lesser theatres such as the

and three attendants; or

6350kg (14,0001b) of freight

Above: The legendary Douglas Dakota,

the time.

at

type that was optimised for the

seated

Weight: empty 35,941kg (79,2341b);

maximum take-off 61,236kg (135,0001b)
Performance: maximum speed

DE HAVILLAND CANADA DHC-2 BEAVER

The de Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver
was designed

in

Canada

as a

braced high-

AIRCRAFT: FIXED-WING AIRCRAFT

Basically of all-metal

cabin, trailing-edge flaps, tailwheel land-

maximum

operations

ing gear with retractable main units, pro-

Performance: maximum speed

that required a highly reliable engine, the

vision for de-icing, and a powerplant of

plane's sturdy construction allowed oper-

two

371km/h (230mph) at 2590m (8500ft);

range 2414km (1500 miles); service
ceiling 7070m (23,200ft)

wing monoplane.
construction

for

'bushplane'

and out of primitive airstrips

It was also able to

ations into

with heavy payloads.

operate on

or

skis

floats as

an alternative

to the standard wheels. The type

in

flew

1947, and secured moderately good

sales to military forces

by

first

STOL

field

attracted

service

1942

in

October 1941

respectively.

built in

and January
More than 10,000 were

World War

II,

some surviving in
and more than

Armament: none
Payload: up

to

paratroops, or

28 troops, or 20

3538kg (78001b) of freight

HAND LEY PAGE HALIFAX

The Handley Page Halifax was designed

ability to

1900 of these were transferred to the

as

RAF. under the terms of the Lend-Lease

Act, in four variants. The type was widely
used during and after World War II for the

bomber ofWorld War

the

1970s in Aden, Borneo.

by such machines.

Type: de Havilland Canada DHC-2

Beaver one/two-crew utility STOL

military service to this day,

Powerplant: one

Pratt

& Whitney R-

985-AN-6B/14B Wasp Junior

piston engine rated at

336kW

(450hp)

5485m

was developed

in specialised

forms for

the support of airborne forces after the

primary heavy bomber role had been

assumed by the Avro Lancaster. The fuselage of these specialised models was

and supply of SAS, and was

from British service in 1970.

Type: Douglas Dakota Mk I three-crew

transport, glider tug and paratroop

revised for the carriage of

who
bomb

up

to 16 para-

aeroplane

troops

exited via a floor hatch, and

Powerplant: two Pratt & Whitney R1830-92 Twin Wasp radial piston engines

the

bay

paradropped freight items such

at

895kW

(1200hp)

(16ft llin)

Dimensions: span 14.62m (48ft); length

9.24m (30ft 4in); height 2.74m (9ft)
Weight: empty 1294kg (28501b);
maximum take-off 2313kg (51001b)
Performance: maximum speed
257km/h (160mph) at 1525m (5000ft);
range 1180km (783 miles); service

UK's second four-engined heavy

II. Later in the war

retired

Dimensions: span 28.96m (95ft);

length 19.66m (64ft 6in); height 5.16m

radial

it

the

delivery

each rated

transport

ceiling

variable-pitch propeller.

The DC-3 first flew in December 1935,

and the C-53 and C-47 entered military

geographical

all

Northern Ireland and Malaya operational areas in which the SAS was re-supplied

piston engines

performance, and

and climatic conditions. The British Army

bought 46 of these aircraft with the designation Beaver AL.Mk Land these saw seruntil

each driving

radial

capability,

operate under any and

vice

cowled

goods payload

reliability,

its

who were

fully

take-off 14,062kg (31,0001b)

Weight: empty 7650kg

(16,8651b);

was

altered

to

carry

as

equip-

ment and even light vehicles like Jeeps.

The Halifax was used extensively in the
later stages of the war for supplying SAS
parties with additional weapons, ammunition, equipment and vehicles. The main

(18,000ft)

Armament: none
Payload: up

to seven passengers or

613kg (1350kg) of freight

DOUGLAS DAKOTA
The Douglas Dakota was
counterpart of the

the

US Army

British

Air Forces'

Douglas C-47 Skytrain and C-53 Skytrooper, themselves military developclassic Douglas DC-3, the
may be said to have ushered
of modern air transport. The

ments of the
airliner that

in the era

type was of all-metal construction with a

cantilever

low-set

wing.

Among

its

advanced features were the combination

of an enclosed cockpit and

fully

enclosed

passenger accommodation in a separate

Right: The Hercules long-range transport

aircraft,

support

which the SAS currently uses

its

to

long-range operations.

263

ARSENAL
were the

variants involved in these tasks

Halifax
Halifax

A.Mk

A.Mk III that was a conversion of

B.Mk III bombers; the Halifax

which 378 were built, and

which was the glider-tug development of
the Halifax B.Mk VII bomber; and the
Halifax A.Mk IX. a more fully optimised
post-war airborne forces variant, of which
VII, of

45 were delivered.
Type: Handley Page Halifax

unloading, and

A.Mk IX

are

made

130 prototype made

August 1954, and the type has been

in

C-130H

that introduced a sig-

aircraft

Some of

been adapted
as

Dimensions: span 31.75m (104ft 2in);

21.82m (7ift 7in); height 6.32m

aircraft

tankers), the Hercules

(21ft 9in)

16,

Weight: empty 18,031kg (39,7501b);

maximum take-off 29,484kg (65,0001b)
Performance: maximum speed
459km/h (285mph) at optimum altitude;

inflight-refuelling

1851km (1150 miles);

ceiling 7315m (24,000ft)

Armament: two
machine guns

0.5in

in the

equipped

but later

the

4.57m/ 15ft

improved

to

(six

inflight-refuelling

as

C.Mk

more

IP (an

aircraft

probe

range), the Hercules

the aircraft

C.Mk IK

the Hercules

length

with

and these

have performed

the core of British tactical

have since

forms such

range

with

Hercules

Browning

by

to increase their payload to

C.Mk 3P

(Hercules

C.Mk

transports revised with an inflight-refu-

power-operated

tail

elling probe).

The Hercules

is

the type

Payload: up to 16 paratroops and

most generally associated with current

SAS operations, and this situation is cer-

freight

tain to

turret

continue with the

Hercules

LOCKHEED HERCULES
The Lockheed Hercules, now

It

product

of the combined Lockheed Martin Cor-

has a

nation,
tional

II

new

new C-130J

version ordered by the PvAF.

engine and propeller combi-

more advanced
electronics,

and

flight
a

and opera-

host of other

poration, was the airlifter that in the early

improvements,

1950s introduced the definitive

Type: Lockheed Martin Hercules

airlift

configuration.

It

tactical

has a high-set

wing
on

carrying powerful turboprop engines

its

leading edges, and a combination of

ailerons

and

trailing

edges for

flaps across the full

STOL

span of its

capability.

With

fuselage of considerable diameter

incorporate a large hold, which

surised for high-altitude flight.

upswept

tail

it

is

It

can

pres-

has an

unit allowing the rear fuse-

lage to be fitted with a ventral

ramp and

door arrangement

for straight-in loading

and unloading,

well

as

as

the paradrop-

ping of large loads or paratroops in

The

landing gear

is

flight.

of the multi-wheel

tricycle type that keeps the fuselage level

and close to the ground for loading and

The Sky van was used extensively by
SAS during its campaign in southwest
Oman as a troop transport.
Right:

the

264

at

3661

kW

(4910hp)

Dimensions: span 40.41m (132ft 7in);

30.01m (98ft 9in); height 11.66m
(38ft 3in)

3911km (2430

(30,000ft); range

with

maximum

13,075m

miles)

payload; service ceiling

(42,900ft)

Armament: none
Payload: up

to

92 troops, or 64

paratroops, or 74
attendants, or

litters

plus

two

20,820kg (45,9001b) of

freight

3 (30 aircraft

lengthened

fuselage

an

longer

for

C.Mk

initial

128 troops or 92 paratroops), and the

service

T56-A-15

Weight: empty 34,827kg (76,7801b);

maximum take-off 79,379kg (175,0001b)
Performance: maximum speed
592km/h (368mph) at 9145m

transport capability.

at

Allison

turboprop engines each rated

66 examples of the C-130K British ver-

as

engines each rated

five-crew tactical transport

length

wonders

(1675hp)

Powerplant: four

development and production ever since.

From December 1966 the RAF received

dropping aeroplane

1249kW

first

its

nificantly uprated powerplant,

XVI

The Cin

C.Mk

radial piston

no inroads
flight

Hercules

Bristol Hercules

units retract

into internal volume.

five-crew paratroop transport and supply

Powerplant: four

whose main

into external blisters so that

sion of the

ELITE

AN

OF

SHORT STIRLING
The Short

was the

Stirling

first

service in

World War

II,

but was soon ren-

dered obsolete by the advent of the more

capable Handley Page Halifax and Avro

Lancaster bombers.

The

type was there-

fore adapted to the airborne forces role as

successor to the Albemarle, and was used

mainly to tow
also

gliders,

although

carry 22 paratroops

who

it

could

dropped

a floor hatch. A number of the

were adapted for the carriage and

through
aircraft

paradropping of vehicles, and

C.Mk

four-

engined heavy bomber to enter British

were useful

to the

as

such

SAS. The main variants

FIXED-WING AIRCRAFT

RCRAFT:
were
579 of which were
built with nose and tail turrets, and the
Stirling Mk V, of which 160 were built
with no armament.
Type: Short Stirling Mk IV six/sevenfor the airborne forces support role

the Stirling

Mk

IV,

crew transport
Powerplant: four Bristol Hercules

L230kW

At-

XVI
"

engines each rated

radial piston

^yjg ^

'

fM

at

(1650hp)

mm^mmJmr

Dimensions: span 30.20m (99ft lin);

length 26.59m (87ft 3in); height 6.93m

It

(22ft 9in)

Weight: empty 21,200kg (46,9001b);

maximum take-off 31,790kg (70,0001b)
Performance: maximum speed
434km/h (270mph) at 4420m

3240km (2010 miles);

5180m (17,000ft)

(14,500ft); range

Payload: up

service ceiling

litters

Armament: two and

tail

turrets

VICKERS VALETTA

Payload: up to 22 paratroops or 6364kg

TheVickersValetta

(14,0001b) of bombs

as a

ed
SC.7

SKYVAN

with

full

as a

STOL

first

flew

in

utility light transport

capability and although

not adopted by the RAF, was bought in

small

numbers by the Sultanate of Oman's

Air Force, which used

of
;

it

for the support

parties involved in defeating the

communist insurgency

medium-range

transport and remain-

in service until the

mid-1960s.The type

in the

southwest

set cantilever

wing and

wheel landing

gear,

port

SAS

and

Oman

and was used

a large unit

Powerplant: two

Bristol Hercules

1473kW

parachute operations.

Dimensions: span 27.20m

Powerplant: two Garrett TPE33 1-2-

A turboprop
533kW (715hp)

engines each rated

Dimensions: span 19.79m

at

(64ft 11 in);

length 12.60m (41ft 4in); height

4.60m

Weight: empty 3357kg (74001b);

maximum take-off 6577kg (14,5001b)
Performance: maximum speed
325km/h (202mph) at 3051 >m
(10,000ft); range
a

ceiling

386km

6705m

(22,000ft)

5.94m

579km

(10,000ft); range

maximum payload;
6765m (22,200ft)
Armament: none
Payload: up

to

(360 miles)
service ceiling

service

high

on each side by a Vee

machine gun armament

strut. It

carried

and could be

with stub 'winglets'

fitted

for the carriage

of light bombs.

It

entered

service in 1938, but was soon revealed as

wholly obsolete. Production continued to

January 1942. The type was then used for
the

support

which

its

of special

STOL

operations,

in

and slow-flying capabil-

were useful for clandestine opera-

and the Low Countries.

Type: Westland Lysander Mk I cooperation and special operations aircraft
Powerplant: one Bristol Mercury XII
tions in France

engine rated

at

664kW

(890hp)

Dimensions: span 15.24m (50ft);

length 9.30m (30ft 6m); height 3.51m
(1 lft (Sin)

Weight: empty 1844kg (40651b);

maximum take-off 2685kg (59201b)

Performance: maximum speed

352km/h (219mph) at 3050m

100ft); range 966km (600 miles);
service ceiling 7925m (26,000ft)
1

1,1

Armament: two

34 troops, or 20

0.303in Browning

fixed forward-firing

machine guns, one

paratroops, or freight.

0.303in Lewis trainable rearward-firing

WESTLAND LYSANDER

bombs

machine gun, and up

(240 miles)

2268kg (50001b) payload;

Armament: none

height

Weight: empty 11,274kg (24,8541b);

maximum take-off 16, 556kg (34,5001b)
Performance: maximum speed
415km/h (258mph) at 3050m
with

(15ft lin)

with

in);

oddly

its

set in the

position and braced

radial piston

(89ft 3in);

(19ft 6in)

transport

201

230

at

(1975hp)

length 19.18m (62ft 11

two-crew

four-crew

engines each rated

ramp and door arrange-

3M

was characterised by

It

shaped wing, which was

ities

C.Mk

ment

STOL

had

on the

located

lage with a rear

utility

it

the tailplane.

Type: Vickers Valetta

radial piston

Type: Short Skyvan

to sup-

port side of the fuselage, just forward of

ing gear, and a rectangular-section fuse-

facilitating

low-

retractable tail-

despite the fact that

only one door,

transport

the,

operations in Borneo, Malaya

country (1970-76). The type has a

high-set braced wing, fixed tricycle landof

SAS

role.

flew in June 1947

first

was of all-metal construction with

The Short SC.7 Skyvan

January 1963

probes on

respectively in

the power-operated nose and

SHORT

inflight refuelling

RAF Hercules means that they can

deploy SAS parties anywhere in the world.

British

(5000kg) of freight

four 0.303in

Browning machine guns

Above: The

to 19 passengers, or 12

and attendants, or 2268kg

The Westland Lysander was designed

STOL

type

for

the

as a

army cooperation

to

54kg (1201b) of

carried extern.ilK

Payload: up to one passenger and

when

used

in the special

stores

operations role

265

ARSENAL

OF

ELITE

AN

Helicopters
Since their introduction into military service during the 1950s, helicopters have had a major

impact on the

teams

into

any

battlefield.

terrain,

The helicopter has revolutionised special forces

warfare.

Its

ability to take

low

off and land vertically, hover and fly at

speeds makes

the

SAS

ideal for inserting elite

enemy

teams into

copters

it

in

used by

territory. First

Malaya

the

in

1950s, heli-

have been used in

Regiment's campaigns ever

cessful has the helicopter

replaced parachuting

as

all

of the

since.

So suc-

been

that

has

it

SAS

the primary

airborne insertion technique (during the

Gulf War,
ed by

air

for example,

SAS teams

insert-

were done so by Chinook

copter; there were

no parachute

heli-

drops).

AEROSPATIALE GAZELLE
The Aerospatiale Gazelle (now supported
by Eurocopter France) was designed

as

successor to the highly successful Alouette

series
first

of multi-role
flew

in April

machine with
the

light helicopters,

1967.

is

and
trim

a fully enclosed fuselage

pod-and-boom

into the vertical

fin.

The

forms for operational

as

tail

rotor set

SAS

in

the

Falklands

to the

and

means

number of

well as training

and has been used by the

and extract

to insert

Regiment as fixed-wing

Northern

aircraft.

an all-weather

tactical helicopter

and

first

flew in April 1965 before entering large-

Ireland.

Type: Aerospatiale Gazelle AH.Mk 1

two-crew light multi-role helicopter
Powerplant: one Turbomeca Astazou
IIIN turboshaft engine rated

at

scale

production for French and export

sales.

There

is

that

little

is

remarkable in

the basic design, although modestly high

440kW

performance

provided by the type's

is

(590hp)

clean lines and retractable tricycle landing

Dimensions: main rotor diameter

10.50m (34ft 6in); length 11.97m
(39ft 3in); height 3.18m (10ft 5in)
Weight: empty 920kg (20281b);

gear.

maximum

Type: Aerospatiale Puma

take-off

was adopted by the

It

designation

insertion

1800kg (39681b)

Puma HC.Mk

RAF

with the

for the tac-

which includes the

and extraction of SAS parties.

transport role,

tical

HC.Mk

Performance: maximum speed

one/three-crew multi-role

264km/h (164mph) at sea level; range

360km (223 miles) with a 500kg
(11021b) payload; service ceiling 5000m

Powerplant: two Turbomeca Turmo

(16,405ft)

990kW

Armament:
provision
firing

is

generally none, although

made

for a fixed forward-

cannon, or machine gun and/or

rockets pods, or air-to-surface missiles, or

anti-tank missiles

Payload: up

to four passengers or

700kg

(1540kg) of freight

type was adopt-

ed by the British forces in

liaison roles,

of

type, twin-skid land-

ing gear and an anti-torque

and

It

For the SAS, they have provided the

and today they are as important

medium

helicopter

IIIC4 turboshaft engines each rated

Dimensions: main rotor diameter

15.00m (49ft 3in); length 18.15m (59ft
7in); height 5.14m (16ft 11 in)
Weight: empty 3615kg (79701b);
maximum take-off 6400kg (14,1091b)
Performance: maximum speed
258km/h (160mph) at optimum altitude;

550km (341
4800m (15,750ft)
range

miles); service ceiling

AEROSPATIALE PUMA
The Aerospatiale Puma (now supported

Armament:

by Eurocopter France) was developed

pintle-mounted weapons can be

as

at

(1328hp)

generally none, although

installed

in the cabin doors

Payload: up
and

to

20 troops; or

six seated casualties;

six litters

or 3000kg

(66141b) of freight

AGUSTA A109A
Two examples of the

Agusta

A 109 A

were

captured from the Argentine forces in the

Falklands

War and

allocated to the SAS,

which now operates

of the same type. It

additional machines
is

a trim, light heli-

copter of Italian design and manufacture,

with high performance

advanced

landing gear.

Left:

The

as a result

rotor, clean lines

The

type can be used in

its

Puma has been used by the SAS for

transport duties in Northern Ireland.

carry up to 20 fully equipped troops.

266

of

and retractable

It

can

AIRCRAFT: HELICOPTERS
number of unarmed and armed roles.
Type: Agusta A 109A Mk II two-crew
light utility helicopter

Powerplant: two Allison 250-C20B

turboshaft engines each rated at

258kW

maximum

(346hp)

Dimensions: main rotor diameter

11.00m (36ft lin); length 13.05m (42ft
9.8in); height 3.30m (10ft lOin)
Weight: empty 1560kg (34391b);
maximum take-off 2600kg (57321b)
Performance: maximum speed
285km/h (177mph) at optimum altitude;

593km (368
5485m (18,000ft)

range

Armament:

miles); service ceiling

185km

take-off 24.494kg (54,000lb)

(115 miles) with

Armament:
provision

is

maximum

6735m

for

pintle-mounted

machine guns
Payload: up to 55 troops, or 24 litters
plus two attendants, or 12,701kg

assortment of fixed

on four hardpoints under two optional

BRISTOL BELVEDERE
The Bristol Belvedere was

outriggers

dem-rotor helicopter developed

to six passengers or

the

first

in

with indifferent

turboshaft engines each rated at

(22,100ft)

generally none, although

made

RAF

between 1961 and 1969, supporting SAS operations in Aden and Borneo.
Type: Westland Belvedere HC.Mk 1
two-crew short-range tactical helicopter
Powerplant: two Napier Gazelle NGa.2
success

Performance: maximum speed

302km/h (1 88mph) at sea level; radius
payload; service ceiling

helicopters of this type were

operated by the

(28,0001b) of freight

a large

and disposable weapons can be carried

Payload: up

UK, and 26

Dimensions: rotor diameter, each

18.29m (60ft); length 30.18m (99ft);
height 5.68m (18ft 7.8in)
Weight: empty 10,475kg (23,0931b);

tan-

the

969kW

(1300hp)

Dimensions: rotor diameter, each

14.83m (48ft 8in); length 16.56m (54ft
4in); height 5.26m (17ft 3in)
Weight: empty 5167kg (11,3901b);
maximum take-off 8618kg (19,0001b)
Performance: maximum speed
222km/h (138mph) at optimum altitude;
range 121km (75 miles) with maximum
payload; service ceiling

5275m

(17,300ft)

Armament: none

180kg

(26011b) of freight

BOEING CHINOOK
The Boeing Chinook

is

RAF's medium/heavy-lift
as

such

type
still

is

first

currently the
helicopter,

flew in September 1961 and

development and production.

in

and

very important to the S AS. The

notable for

its

is

It is

tandem-rotor design, fixed

quadricycle landing gear, and rectangular-

whose internal volume is

maximised for payload by the location of
section fuselage

the fuel tanks in external pannier fairings.

Access to the hold

is

through forward

doors and a rear ramp and door arrange-

ment
is

that can

be opened in

flight.

There

provision for the carriage of external

on up to three hooks. The baseline

model is the Chinook HC.Mk 1,
based on the CH-147 version of Canada's
CH-47C. This has been revised, firstly
with an uprated powerplant as the
Chinook HC.Mk 1A, and secondly, with
loads

British

number of CH-47D
Chinook HC.Mk 2.
Type: Boeing Chinook

features, as

the

HC.Mk 1A

two/three-crew medium/heavy-lift
helicopter

Powerplant: two Lycoming T55-L-5 12

turboshaft engines each rated at

3356kW

(4500hp)

Right:

Used

to insert

SAS road-watch patrols

during the Gulf War, the Chinook

is

an

important asset in the Regiment's armoury.

267

ARSENAL
Payload: up to 8 troops, or 2722kg
(60001b) of freight
1

and armament

OF
fits.

It

WESTLAND DRAGONFLY

stantial

TheWestland Dragonfly was the Britishbuilt version of the American Sikorsky S51. Of the pod-and-boom design, with a
three-blade main rotor and fixed tricycle

AH.Mk

ed

capabilities,

tions in

but supported

SAS opera-

Malaya during the 1950s with

supply and casualty evacuation

facilities.

Type: Westland Dragonfly HC.Mk 4

one-crew utility helicopter
Powerplant: one Alvis Leonides 50
radial piston

engine rated

at

410kW

(550hp)

Dimensions: main

rotor diameter

14.94m (49ft); length 12.50m (41ft);

height 3.94m (12ft 11 in)
Weight: empty 1726kg (38051b);
maximum take-off 2495kg (55001b)

flew in

first

March

1971 and entered service in 1977. Since

that time the type has

landing gear, the Dragonfly offered limit-

ELITE

AN

been

built in sub-

numbers, and the baseline Lynx

2 for the British

upgraded

Army

in several forms.

used the Lynx

AH.Mk

has been

The SAS

has

7 for operations in

Northern Ireland.
Type: Westland Lynx AH.Mk 7 twocrew multi-role light helicopter
Powerplant: two Rolls-Royce Gem
42-1 turboshaft engines each rated

835kW

at

(1120hp)

Dimensions: main rotor diameter

12.80m (42ft); length 15.165m (49ft
9in); height 3.505m (lift 6in)
Weight: empty 2787kg (61441b);
maximum take-off 4536kg (10,0001b)
Performance: maximum speed
259km/h (161mph) at sea level; range

630km

(392 miles); service ceiling not

gear

as

Wasp

the land-based counterpart of the

naval helicopter,

which had quadri-

The

cycle landing gear.

type entered ser-

Borneo and

poses in Aden,

Armament:

Type: Westland Scout AH.Mk twocrew utility light helicopter

Powerplant: one Rolls-Royce Nimbus
1

102 turboshaft engine rated

Dimensions: main rotor diameter

9.83m (32ft 3in); length 12.29m (40ft
4in); height 2.72m (8ft 11 in)
Weight: empty 1466kg (32321b);
maximum take-off 2404kg (53001b)
Performance: maximum speed
21 lkm/h (131mph) at sea level; range

505km
4085m

(314 miles); service ceiling

(13,400ft)

Armament:

provision for machine

guns, rocket launcher pods and light air-

several types

of trainable

and fixed guns can be carried in cabin

doors and on the sides of the fuselage,

wide assortment of disposable

be carried on optional

Payload: up

to three passengers, or four

(two external), or freight

litters

WESTLAND SEA KING

(13,500ft)

and

stores can

The Westland Sea King

Payload: up to three passengers, or two

outriggers

licence-built

Payload: up

or freight

or six

WESTLAND LYNX

model had twin-skid landing gear, and

the naval model had fixed tricycle landing
together with

to 10 troops or paratroops;

plus

one attendant; or 907kg

different

electronic

was

series. It

anti-submarine

WESTLAND SCOUT
The Westland Scout was

US

sky S-61 that serves the

H-3

the

is

British

development of the Sikor-

service with the

(20001b) of freight

The Westland Lynx was designed in the

1960s in two versions. The land-based

gear,

fitters

511kW

at

(685hp)

Armament: none
litters,

pur-

the Falklands.

to-surface missiles

available

Performance: maximum speed

166km/h (103mph) at sea level; range
not known; service ceiling 4115m

SAS

vice in 1963, and was used for

initiaUy

Fleet Air

role,

forces as the

developed for

Arm

in

the

but has since evolved

into airborne early warning, search-and-

the

first

turbo-

rescue, land-based tactical transport,

and

shaft-powered helicopter to enter British

sea-based tactical transport forms. The Sea

Army

King

service,

and had twin-skid landing

HC.Mk

retains

the

4 (used

as

marine transport)

amphibious

capability

and

folding rotors of the naval variants, with

the fixed tailwheel landing gear of the

Commando

land-based

derivative.

The

Sea King has been extensively used by the

SAS, especially

in the Falklands

Type: Westland Sea King

two/three-crew

War.

HC.Mk

tactical transport

helicopter

Powerplant: two Rolls-Royce Gnome

H. 1400-1 turboshaft engines each rated
at

1238kW

(1660hp)

Dimensions: main

rotor diameter

18.90m (62ft); length 22.15m

height 4.72m (15ft 6in)
Left:

The Sea King

is

(72ft 8in);

one of the finest

tactical transport helicopters in service.

was used by the SAS in

268

the Falklands.

It

AIRCRAFT: HELICOPTERS

Weight: empty 6201kg (13,6721b);

maximum take-off 9525kg (21,0001b)
Performance: maximum speed

some

208km/h (129mph);

Payload: up

1230km (764
1220m (4000ft) on

range

miles); service ceiling

helicopters were fitted with a

7.62mm Bren

machine gun

Above:

in

one

to three passengers, or

two

light

door
litters,

Armament:

generally none, although

WESTLAND WESSEX

provision was

made

The Westland Wessex was

pintle-mounted

generally none, but

provision was

made

sky S-58 that served the

Payload: up to 28 troops, or 3629kg

(80001b) of freight

HSS,

baseline

In 1951, the Westland

first

The

Sycamore was the

of British design

practical helicopter

to enter service with the

RAF.

It

remain-

ed in use until the mid-1970s, and supported

SAS

operations in Borneo, Malaya

quently associated with

were the Wessex

HU.Mk

410kW

(510hp)

Dimensions: main
14.81m
2in)

rotor diameter

14.07m (46ft
height 3.71m

(48ft 7in); length

with rotors folded;

Armament:

generally none, although

HAS.Mk

1,

operations

which was

HAS.Mk

better

3 and Wessex

5 both had a powerplant of

two

WESTLAND WHIRLWIND
The Westland Whirlwind was
sky S-55 that served the

tactical transport helicopter

Powerplant: one Napier Gazelle

Mk

K)81kW

161 turboshaft engine rated

(1450hp)

Dimensions: main rotor diameter

17.07m (56ft); length 20.04m (65ft 9in);
height 4.93m (16ft 2in)
Weight: empty 3447kg (76001b);
maximum take-off 5715kg (12,6001b)
Performance: maximum speed

US

type was used to support the

forces.

SAS

The

in the

Malaya and Borneo campaigns, generally

and evacuation roles.

Type: Westland Whirlwind HC.Mk 10

in the re-supply

Rolls-Royce)

one/three-crew anti-submarine and

the British

development of the Sikor-

licence-built

Northern Ireland.
Type: Westland Wessex HAS.Mk 1
for operations in

NGa.13

as

to 16 troops; or eight

Powerplant: one

and

machine guns

or 1814kg (40001b) of freight

three-crew

at

available

litters;

Rolls-Royce Gnome 110/111 turboand were used in the Falklands War

Weight: empty 1728kg (38101b);

maximum take-off 2540kg (56001b)
Performance: maximum speed
204km/h (127mph) at sea level; range
(317 miles): service ceiling not

Payload: up

shafts,

(12ft 2in)

510km

SAS

Borneo campaign. The

Type: Westland Sycamore HC.Mk 14

two-crew utility light helicopter
Powerplant: one Alvis Leonides 73
at

num-

operated in stripped-out transport form

the

for

well as rocket launcher pods

American model's piston engine.

type was developed through a

equipped Wessex

engine rated

forces as the

and CH-34. The Wessex had a

powerplant in place of the

and Oman.

radial piston

US

the

ber of forms, but the models most fre-

in

RAF service.

is still in

Armament:

pods

WESTLAND SYCAMORE

Wessex

its

Westland

British

licence-built

HUS

in the 1960s, the

development of the Sikor-

machine guns and/or rocket launcher

turboshaft

used by the SAS during

212km/h (132mph) at sea level; range

628km (390 miles); service ceiling
4300m (14,100ft)

or freight

one engine
for

First

Borneo campaign

tactical light helicopter

engine rated

Bristol Siddeley (later

Gnome H.1000 turboshaft

at 783kW (1050hp)

Dimensions: main rotor diameter

16.15m (53ft); length 19m (62ft 4in);
height 4.76m (15ft 7.5in)
Weight: empty not available; maximum
take-off 3629kg (80001b)
Performance: maximum speed
I40km/h (104mph) at optimum altitude;
range not available; service ceiling

4815m

(15.800ft)

Armament:

generally

Payload: up

to eight troops, or freight

none

269

CLOTHING
The right clothing

is

trained to fight in

essential to the success of special forces operations.

any

terrain in the world,

equipment

Although

it

is

not

'glamorous'

as

as

other items of his equipment, the

importance of using clothing and equip-

ment

best suited to the

recognised

by

campaign

SAS

every

is

fully

trooper.

Numerous experiences have confirmed

that the success
level,

of any mission,

can suffer or even

fail

any

at

from the lack

of the right clothing and personal equip-

The SAS knows

centrates

SAS

to

on

it

equip

the kit currently used by the

and climatic regions in which it works.

The three main dangers faced by any

on

special forces trooper

active duty are

the threat posed by the enemy, disease and

and the dangers posed by the envi-

ronment
last

in

which he

type of threat

is

is

operating.

The

divided into two sub-

(back-carried rucksack) for the carriage

of large

to

categories: 'thermal insult' in the forms of

degrees

extremes of temperature, and 'nutritional

degrees

geographic and climatic extremes, and

insults' in

accordingly places very great importance

food and water. SAS training teaches that

on the

it

is

likely

selection of the right clothing

and

personal equipment for each mission. At

the time of

its

wore standard

creation in 1941, the

British

variations of this,

and

Army
also

SAS

clothing or

used standard

personal equipment, but from

its

revival

end of the war has become

increasingly free to select what it deems
best. While this is often standard British
Army kit, sometimes it is not.
This section cannot hope to list all the
types of clothing and personal equipment
ever used by the SAS, and instead conafter

the

the

form of lack or

there are three 'containers' in

dier can carry the

equipment

toxicity

SAS
fore

him-

items are carried in the seams and

pockets of smocks, but not of the trousers,

as this inhibits
is

the belt

kit,

movement. Secondly, there

which is an important car-

is

ment attached

together with the equipto

it,

his

waist). Thirdly,

there

it
is

round
the bergen

tight

-34

The

protection

is

there-

the

against

of cold and wind. This protection

promotes

by wearing multiple

a free circulation

this helps to

layers

worn

in layers

of the blood,

prevent frostbite, which

the freezing of

body

exposed

parts

to

temperatures below freezing point.

Arctic conditions

over his shoulders

rather than having to have

provide

items. Loose-fitting clothes

is

it,

to

best afforded

and

and hang

to

which can

F),

of clothing, rather than thick weighty

hot weather the trooper can take off

belt

down

degrees F)

(-30 degrees

trooper in Arctic conditions

effects

rying tool (braces are essential so that in

his

(7

primary task of the clothing worn by the

a sol-

is

C
C

freeze exposed flesh in 30 seconds.

that defends

which

against these threats. Firstly, there

self:

of

loads.

ARCTIC CLOTHING
The snow and ice of polar regions offer
two main threats: extreme cold and harsh
winds. The 'windchill' factor drives air
temperature down: a 32km/hr (20mph)
wind will reduce a temperature of -14

undertake demanding missions in areas of

ment.

is

'Sabre' Squadrons.

its

for operations in the geographical

injury,

Because the SAS

requires a wide variety of clothing and personal

tion of the
feet,

hands and

face.

extreme Arctic

in

demand

the protec-

whole body, including the

The

keys to survival

conditions

of the clothing,

cleanliness

as

are

the

dirt

and

grease block air spaces and thus reduce

ventilation, the avoidance

tion
it

sweat can freeze

can evaporate

of over-exer-

more

rapidly than

the looseness of the

clothing to promote a free circulation of

air,

and the avoidance of moisture on the

of the clothing.

interior or the exterior

Next

to

the skin, the trooper wears

green cotton 'long Johns'. These are tight

from the ankle to the knee, and baggy

from the knee to the groin so that a layer
of insulating air is trapped. Over the
upper part of the body he wears a highLeft:

For an

SAS four-man patrol,

clothing on

operations must provide protection against

the cold,

270

wet and high winds.

CLOTHING
wear a

Right: In polar regions all troopers

white nylon cover over

berg en

to

aid camouflage.

necked cotton

with long sleeves and

vest

and thus

elasticated wrists to trap the air

prevent heat

The

loss.

of keeping the

task

warm and

dry

is

wear two

generally

of mountaineering socks:

pairs

woollen pair

both

feet

particularly difficult in

conditions. Troopers

Arctic

and

all their clothing

is

worn next

to the skin

sweat builds up inside a waterproof boot,

and cotton

wool

as it

worse than

significantly

is

more

absorbs moisture

readily

and the foot becomes colder). Worn over

the socks are seals of Gore-tex.

which

is

breathable material that allows the exit

but not the entry of moisture. Over the

Gore-tex

drawn the boots, which

of the Berghaus mountain

seals are

typically

are

These boots

type.

are preferred because

they have an outside cleat that allows the

use of Gore-tex gaiters

capable of carrying a ski and

The

SAS

trousers of the

the Royal

Any

if desired.

boot used by an SAS trooper must

snow

be

shoe.

trooper are

DPM

Marine cotton

also

(Disrup-

Pattern Material) trousers, as these

tive

have

Velcro-closed slash between the

and the knee to allow

ankle

quick

change, and also have Velcro-closed pockets

and large buttons, the

for ease of use

by gloved

In general, the

SAS

latter

fingers.

trooper in Arctic

conditions wears a Gore-tex

a

hood

shirt.

has

for

When

designed

smock with

head protection instead of

a patrol

stopped,

is

moving slowly or
jacket is worn

'fitzroy"

under the smock, and white

nylon

light

smock and bergen cover

worn over the whole kit.

are

trousers,

of fingers to

loss

thern

Ireland

gloves, even

glove

The

frostbite.

Nor-

options here are the standard-issue

or commercial

ski

though these present some

problems with weapon firing because of

the thickness of the fingers, or superim-

posed

pairs ot thin cotton gloves

white nylon gloves.

wear

a pair

Some

under

troopers like to

of mittens over

be yanked off very rapidly.

The two types of headgear most

fre-

in Arctic

conditions are a woolly hat and a bala-

being

clava, the latter

less

popular

footwear

and

to

quendy used by SAS troopers

as

it

muffles the wearer's hearing. Face masks

they help the foot to sweat,

as

also rot very quickly in these

tions. It

wrap

is

not

uncommon

their feet in

pulling

on

most

suitable for desert operations

as

of two-layer construction with

silk

feet to breathe, are

next to the skin under an outer layer of

cotton.

Snow

blindness

is

also a

problem

masking tape before

It is also worth

noting that sandals, which might be considered

and

are

they are loose and therefore allow the

leave the

are

the skin to lay their eggs.

same as those worn in the desert, but

are camouflaged with white tape. Finally,
the worst effects of sunburn are mitigated
by the

liberal application

chapstick to

all

they

seriously, those that

The

trousers

usually

or,

burrow beneath

worn

in

the

desert are the lightweight cotton desert

of sunblock or

exposed areas of the

especially the lips, nose,

as

feet liable to

sunburn, and open to biting insects

more

the

worn

never

upper part of the

in Arctic conditions,

and tinted goggles

therefore standard. These goggles are

condi-

for troopers to

their boots.

are also standard, especially at night,

and

face,

eyelids.

DESERT CLOTHING
For desert operations the SAS has generally
is

Gloves are absolutely essential to prevent the

the torso with a length of tape that allows

it

worn two

types of footwear, although

should be noted that during the

Oman

campaign of the 1970s individual members of the Regiment tended to purchase

commercial footwear. The
standard types

is

first

of the

the ankle-length desert

which is comfortable but has a

marked tendency to split along the seams.
The second, and that currently preferred
by the Regiment, is the high-neck desert
boot,

boot. Socks are never

worn with such

their gloves,

although they must be prepared to rip off

Right: Desert clothing

the right mitten if they have to

body

fire

their

weapon. Some men attach the mitten

to

to

must cover the whole

prevent sunburn, and the wearer also

needs protection from sand and

dust.

271

ARSENAL

AN

OF

ELITE
Left:

An SAS trooper in Borneo

Note his floppy

in the 1960s.

a favoured item of

hat,

clothing in the Regiment for jungle missions.

wear shorts in the jungle, but rather long

trousers of cotton DPM that are loose,
baggy and fitted with a drawcord waist
allow for the inevitable loss of weight

(to

on protracted
button

DPM

shirt

of cotton

also

is

with but-

material, long-sleeved

toned

and

cross-overs

patrols),

The

flies.

cuffs and, like the trousers, baggy.

The
which

headgear for jungle

favourite

operations

DPM,

Tropical,

floppy item of the 'banana leaf

is

Hat,

the

is

and generally attached to the

short with a length of nylon

variety

smock or

SAS

cord.

troopers also have a penchant

for lengths

of olive green

worn round

running into the

DPM

type; nylon

never

is

worn

as

it

becomes extremely hot. The DPM trousers are loose and give the wearer excel-

worn on

protection for the neck.

also large

enough

generally avoided in favour of tinted goggles,

which

are less likely to slip or

any sweat to cool the

these circumstances

noting that the desert can

is

also

worth

become very

The

dense jungle, heavy

sible for the

as possible,

themselves

desert shirt

is

long-sleeved cot-

and the reasoning behind

this choice is exactly the same as that for
the trousers. The cold of desert nights is
ameliorated by wearing the desert 'woolly pully' and the 'fitzroy' jacket, the latter
being made of green nylon with a holtype,

low-fill stuffing,

and generally carried

in a

bottom of the bergen. A

of gloves is also used, the two most

stuff sack at the

variety

popular being

Nomex, and

US Army

pilot's

gloves of

fingerless mittens.

With sunburn and sunstroke a constant threat in the desert, some form of
headgear is vital. Probably the most effective

type

which
272

is

is

the local shemagh head cloth,

often dyed yellow.

It

traps a layer

the

SAS

is

rainfall,

by
extreme

humidity and very high temperatures. In

than shorts for the retention of warmth.

DPM

which

trained to operate are characterised

local

The

or alternatively

down

over the torso.

TEMPERATE CLOTHING
With

wider range of terrain and climat-

ic possibilities

gle,

tropical regions in

cold at night, and here trousers are better

ton

running

eyes,

the neck to prevent sweat

than any of the extremes

represented by the desert, Arctic or jun-

JUNGLE CLOTHING

It

fall off.

as

they expose the legs to sunburn and also

promote the wearer's tendency to lose
water. Sweat evaporates rapidly from exposed skin, whereas skin covered by loose
trousers is surrounded by a body of insu-

wearer more efficiently

is

worn round

material

impro-

vised shelter if required. Sunglasses are

seldom worn on operations

lating air that allows

The shemagh

to be used as an

of the

generally during stand-down periods, but

arc very

over the head and provides

air

occasion,

lent protection against the effects

sun. Shorts are also

of cooler

veil

the head to prevent sweat

SAS

which

populations.

stings,

from

however,

it

might seem sen-

trooper to wear
is

as little

the standard for the

In

order to

scratches,

SAS

protect

bites

troopers

have

and
to

wear extensive clothing. The combination

of exertion, heat and humidity causes
men to sweat and their clothing soon
becomes saturated. The impossibility of
drying the clothing effectively inevitably
causes

it

to rot.

First-class

footwear

gle operations, for

it is

is

essential for jun-

the boots that offer

the best protection against scorpions, spiders, leeches

and centipedes. The type

generally used

is

of rubber and canvas

manufacture, often with

metal plate

inserted in the sole as protection against

sharp (or indeed sharpened)

sticks.

Because of the threat of infection from

bites

and scratches, SAS troopers never

SAS

the temperate zone presents the

more

trooper with a

choice of

difficult

clothing options to counter conditions

that

may

include heat, cold, heavy or

intermittent rain and wind.

The boot most commonly used

standard

British

some men buy

Army

Of

own.

their

the

mercial types, the most popular

Danner boot, which

leather

is

the

but

type,

issue

comis

the

made of full-grain

is

and cordura nylon, with

Gore-

tex lining. The trousers are most frequently the standard British

Army

proof tight-weave cotton

smock

is

DPM

variety,

wind-

and the

also the standard British

Army

DPM

combat smock that is baggy, big

and loose. Some form of headgear is also
common, the most popular type being
the peaked camouflage combat cap.
Members of the SAS Regiment also
operate in civilian clothes on some covert
operations on occasion, most notably in
Northern Ireland.
Trained to operate for extensive periods behind

enemy

lines,

or alternatively

to secure tactical advantages

ability to

move

far

and

fast

from

their

before engag-

CLOTHING
men of

ing in a major firelight, the

SAS Regiment have

acquired

the

consider-

able and thoroughly justified reputation

for self-sufficiency in the field.
also

They

are

respected for their ability to carry

of the equipment and supplies

which they cannot be self-sufficient,
most notably ammunition, explosives and
communications gear.
large loads
in

BERGENS AND BELTS

The two key

items for carrying major

loads over long distances are the bergen

and the belt, the former being used for

equipment and supplies, and the latter for emergency items. The bergen is a
back-packed rucksack, and while the
basic

British

Army

uses the

PLCE

(Personal

Load-Carrying Equipment) bergen, the

SAS prefers either of two commercial
square-frame

external

equipments, the
Cyclops and the 80-

60-litre (13-gallon)
i,

litre

date,

and

tend

troopers

bergen with
its

as

However,

Crusader.

(17.5-gallon)

individual

much

load

to

as it will

the

accommo-

weight then becomes one of

the constraints

on

the trooper's ability to

move far and fast over a sustained period.

The order of priority for loading the
SAS bergen is ammunition, water, food
and clothing. Any spare space is fiDed by
spare radio batteries (patrol signaller), a

medical pack (patrol medic), explosives

and

detonators

demolitions

(patrol

machinegun ammunition.

expert), extra

Claymore mines, mortar bombs and. only

exceptionally, a laser designator.

Rations are an important part of any

trooper's load,

men

on patrol
14 days and the knowl-

and

with rations for

start

edge that two days' food can be squeezed

out of

aDocation

a single day's ration

necessary.

Most of the food

is

if

of the high-

escape and evasion pouch, a survival and

knife,

utility

water bottles

two or three aluminium

and a water filter, a pouch

for the 'bivvy bag', a bayonet,

ammunition pouches.
British combat training
ical

attendant places a higher priority on

life

support (airways, breathing and circu-

load and

The

make

food,

packed

in plastic

the packs easier to open.

mostly

rice

and

stew-type

meals, are pre-cooked so that they only

need

to

be heated, rather than cooked, or

may be eaten
The belt is

cold.

divided into a clear front

an aid to movement) and

(as

load-carrying

from hip to hip. On the left are the

pouches for spare ammunition magazines,
and on the right are a compass pouch, an
rear

than

lation)
(arterial

burns),

and

medical

this

kit. It

atric

mucus

from

trauma

to

broken

management
bones

reflected in the standard

is

extractor (used to suck debris

a

blood volume expander,

wound and burn

clip

dressings.

off bleeding arteries, a

suture kit and fracture straps. There

a

pharmaceutical

pack which

lines.

and injection forms,

is

pre-packed and pre-dosed counter-NBC

injections, pain killers (aspirin

also

includes

and mor-

phine), flamazine cream to prevent infection of burns,

The

and

generally includes a paedi-

wound),

infusion fluid,
forceps

on

bleeding,

range patrol behind enemy

antibiotics in tablet

med-

for the

con-

is

to

contain all the equipment needed for a long-

and two

tainers rather than tin cans to lighten the

energy type, and

Above: Bergens must be big enough

ly life-saving,

SAS

and anti-fungal creams.

survival kit

and

troopers.

is

It

is

small, but potential-

therefore carried by

emergency rations for two

compressed plastic sheets,
operational area,

and weights,

snares,

steel, a utility knife,

a

days,

vacuum-

map of

compass,

all

ready-to-eat

contains

the

fishing line

nylon cord, flint and

marker chemicals, and

pencil.

273

APPENDIX

SAS

Organisation

units, 21 and 23 SAS, are part of the UK Special

commanded by the Direcor of Advanced Forces, a London-based post.
This position was formerly titled the Director of Special Forces.

22nd Special Air Service Regiment and the TA

Forces Group, which

is

SPECIAL FORCES GROUP

ROYAL MARINES
SBS

21 SAS
REGIMENT

22 SAS
REGIMENT

(TA)

OPERATIONS
RESEARCH

HEADQUARTERS
PLANNING AND

WING

INTELLIGENCE

A SQUADRON

23 SAS
REGIMENT

63 SAS
SIGNALS SQUADRON

(TA)

(TA)

CRW

SABRE'

TRAINING

WING

SQUADRONS

WING

B SQUADRON

SQUADRON

SPECIALIST

SQUADRON

UNITS

SQUADRON

SQUADRON
(RESERVE)

SQUADRON HEADQUARTERS

MOUNTAIN
TROOP

274

BOAT
TROOP

MOBILITY

AIR

TROOP

TROOP

FOUR-MAN

FOUR-MAN

FOUR-MAN

FOUR-MAN

PATROL

PATROL

PATROL

PATROL

ATTACHED

264 SAS
SIGNALS

APPENDIX

II

Badges and
Like
the

Insignia

all other regiments in the British Army, the SAS has its own badges and
Winged Dagger badge is probably the most famous military badge in the
worn by the Australian and New Zealand SAS Regiments.

SAS
one of the most
The
capable and respected

other units, especially the Australians and

where

drawn.

feels that as

elite units

in the world,

distinction in the

and other

and

its

as

form of

insignia.

little

need of

special badges

the rest of the British Army, and

only

distinguishing

features

are

its

beret and badge. In fact, these are seldom

seen outside the Regiment's barracks

Stirling Lines as

New

Zealanders, and so
It

it

was replaced by

cap and then

at

concealed identities are

essential for the safety

beige beret.

of individuals and

PARACHUTE WINGS
The

SAS's parachute ('Sabre') wings were

by Lieutenant

originally designed

Lewes

in late 1941.

He

idea after seeing a fresco of an

wading bird with

'Jock'

supposedly got the

ibis, a

long curved

bill,

large
in an

War II,
members of the SAS who had made
parachute drops behind enemy lines

Egyptian hotel. During World

BEIGE BERET

were allowed to wear the wings over the

left breast pocket instead of on the sleeve,
which was the standard British military

three

is

the standard British

beret, although uniquely

it

is

formed

unit

was

first

However,

this

colour was

Army
The
when

beige.

SAS's beret was originally white

the

also

is

was with-

those

beret

and

a khaki forage

the success of the regiment as a whole.

The

world,

The Regiment's rank

badges are therefore the

specialist

same

has

it

any-

Of these,

insignia.

in

1941.

custom at the rime. They

on the right shoulder.

are

now worn

derided by

REGIMENTAL COLLECT
'O Lord, who

didst call

to venture

to

all

win

on Thy

men

all

disciples

to

Thee,

Above: The

SAS Winged Dagger badge. The

members of the
Special Air Service Regiment, may by our
works and our ways, dare all to win all,

blade, just

below the

and

the blade

is

grant that we, the chosen

doing so render special service to

Thee and our fellow men in all the world.
in

Through

the

same Jesus Christ, Our

Lord, Amen.'

dagger is meant

be the sword Excalibur.

to

reportedly invent-

1941.

North Africa
ger

The

On

the beige beret

shield,

is

worn

the famous

badge. This

on which

is

a pale

is

black

gold dagger

with two upswept pale blue feathered

wings

supported

by red

centres.

The

wings extend from the upper part of the

Left:

competition for the

is

in

at

new

unit in

the end of 1941. The dag-

meant

fact

be the sword

to

Excalibur, the symbol of truth and justice.

WINGED DAGGER
Winged Dagger

choice of a badge for the

ed by the founder of the SAS, David

Stirling, in

and lower down

black ribbon bear-

ing the motto 'Who Dares Wins' in the

same pale blue as the wings. The badge
was reportedly the creation of Sergeant

Bob Tait, who won

SAS MOHO
'Who Dares Wins' was

hilt,

a scrolled

A modelled photograph

of the

SAS

colours of the wings are

and Oxford

blue, so

the original

L Detachment

Lewes

Langton for Cambridge.

The Winged Dagger

badge of the

New

is

also

the cap

Zealand and Australian

SAS. In addition, it is worn by members

of the Belgian Para-Commando Regi-

ment, though

it

is

sported on a

maroon

New

Zealan-

beret, not the khaki

Army field dress.

ders and Australians.

British

'Jock'

had rowed for Oxford and Lieutenant

beige beret and Winged Dagger cloth badge

worn with standard

Cambridge

chosen because in

of the

275

APPENDIX

III

Selection and Training

Becoming an SAS soldier takes over six months, and requires determination and high levels of
intellectual and physical stamina from every student. Most don't make it, which suits the
Regiment fine - it wants only the best of the best.
accepts
The SAS Regiment
those
and

for train-

ing only

ranks

who

selection

weed out

men

have passed
procedure.
the

It

highly rigorous
is

unsuitable,

designed
leaving

strength, self-reliance,

gence to work
regardless
in

to

only

with the qualities that the Regiment

believes to be essential: physical

tal

other

officers

his

and men-

and the

way through

intelli-

problem

of the situation and conditions

which he finds himself.

The Regiment considers only those

men who

have volunteered after service

Below: Pen-y-Fan, the highest peak

in the

Brecon Beacons, which prospective recruits

to the

276

SAS must conquer on

Selection.

with

a regular unit

of the British Army.

This immediately eliminates civilian vol-

who

unteers

the

offers

might think

sort

that the

SAS

of 'glamour' previously

attached to units such

as

the French For-

eign Legion or even mercenary organisations.

the

As

SAS

is

a result

of this unalterable

generally faced with

rule,

and

still

with

of the

at least three years

months of service

left

man with

the resourceful-

SAS

appreciates

the realities of the physical and mental

task ahead,

time

as

and

is

likely to

spend

possible in preparing his

mind before he

is

summoned

as

much

body and

to the train-

ing programme.

men who

are in their mid-twenties, already versed

in the basic skills required

Naturally, any

ness to volunteer for the

soldier,

and three

from the time they

SELECTION TRAINING

The

Selection

which

lasts

for

Training

one month,

Training Wing of 22

SAS

at

programme,
is

run by the

Hereford, and

based on the programme designed in

pass Selection Training.

is

The course is run twice a year, once in

summer and once in winter, and each

1953.

weeks for

volunteer must wait until he

other ranks), for although each volunteer

upon

to

fill

vacancy

in the

is

called

programme.

It starts

with

officers

must have been

build-up period (two

and three weeks

certified as

fit

bv

his

for

own

APPENDIX

III

send and receive Morse code

ability to

minimum

the

which includes the

standard,

Signaller

at

of eight words per

rate

minute. Other elements of

prelim-

this

med-

inary stage of training include field

and basic demolition skills.

With these fundamental abilities taken

icine

on board, the student moves forward to

the Combat and Survival Training pro-

gramme

for instruction in every aspect

environment

survival in a hostile

of

(shelter

building, the finding of food and water,

laying traps and

making

fire).

The

training

ends with an Escape and Evasion exercise,

in

which the prospective trooper

has to

avoid capture by an 'enemy' (generally a

battalion of locally based infantry).

At the

end of the exercise every man still at liberty must 'surrender' himself for transfer
to an interrogation centre for a 24-hour
'Resistance to Interrogation' exercise. In
this

Above: Selection Training

about mental

is all

and physical stamina. The SAS is looking

men who can

think even

when

that

it is

only sensible and

fair to

SAS

feels

give each

chance to come up to the Regi-

ment's physical requirements. During the

first

week, therefore, volunteers

of road runs

series

that

start

with

increase

in

at their initiative

and others through rejection by the selectors. Thus

exhausted.

regimental medical officer, the

man

for

have dropped out, some

it is

embark on
Week. This

only a smaller number

the final stage,

is

known

an intensive weeks of

and assessments culminating

in the

Drag' or 'Fan Dance', which

is

who

as Test

tests

20 hours no mat-

Battle Fitness Test in the time allotted for

infantrymen and paratroops, but

fully

over the week. Each volunteer

must be capable of passing the standard

SAS

this

is

and any man

ter

completed

the

Dance', the

'Fan

trooper's

that fails the test

is

rejected.

Survivors to this stage next undergo

Jungle training, which

weeks and

Far East

in

particularly

is

would-be

part of the

training,

the highest points in the Brecon Beacons.

must be completed

men

designed to make

difficult

and

It

subjected to a wide range of

stresses

(37-mile) land navigation exercise over

what the weather conditions may be

and these conditions may be appalling
even in the summer. Once he has success-

length

is

yield information. This

'Long

60km

he

mental

six

(typically

between four

lasts

undertaken

in the

Brunei), the

object

is

being to teach the student basic jungle

survival capabilities such as the construc-

tion of a shelter, the finding of food and

water, and navigation in the jungle.

The

course ends with an exercise that must be

would-be SAS trooper has passed Selection, he will be one of five or six out of

successfully

completed

Selection Training

go forward

to parachute training at

No. 1

the

every hundred.

Parachute Training School

RAF

Brize

minimum. As the
programme continues,
volunteers are sent on a number of

seen by the

as a

Norton

strenuous cross-country marches over the

Black Mountains and the Brecon Beacons

of South Wales. The object

assess

ities

in

physical

their

resilience,

is

not only to

condition

and

but also to prove their capabil-

map

reading and navigation. At

programme, the men are

divided from their original pairs and are
individually assigned marching and map
this stage in the

reading

tasks,

with bergen packs steadily

increased in weight from

to 551b).

These

tasks

to

25kg (24

must be completed

within time limits which are

unknown

to

the volunteers.

At the end of their two- or three- week

build-up period, many of the volunteers

CONTINUATION TRAINING
The next hurdle, Continuation
which

lasts

14 weeks and

teach recruits basic

SAS

is

tional

The

new

be integrated successfully into

patrol (the smallest

designed to

skills.

are those required for any

The
Training,

skills

troops to

These Standard Operating

(SOPs) include movement

units).

Procedures

through hostile

territory, the arcs

of fire of

each patrol member, and contact

drills.

Each student also receives training in the

art of signalling, which is vital to the task
of four-man patrols. All students must
achieve the British Army's Regimental

at

is

to

in Oxfordshire.

training

static-line

four weeks. All students must

course

make

of eight jumps, including one

though those

recruits

who

night,

at

are

lasts

a total

already

parachute trained are excused the course.

four-man

of the SAS's opera-

the student

if

It is

of

only

at

the successful completion

this stage that

his 'Sabre'

ford,

is

the student

finally

accepted

member of the SAS.

is

is

awarded

wings and, on return to Herea

as

'badged'

His training, though,

only just beginning.

He

goes on to

receive intensive training in both patrol

and

troop

skills.

Furthermore,

all

SAS

troopers are rotated through counter-terrorist training at Stirling Lines.

277

APPENDIX

SAS

Operations: World
1941

IV

War

II

Sirte airfield

Location: outskirts

December 1941
L Detachment

Date: 8

Unit:

'nit:

December 1941

Commander: Captain

L Detachment

Location:

Commander: Captain

North Africa

Location:

Unit:

Unit:

December 1941

Location:

Outcome: only two

Axis

Outcome: 24

destroyed

aircraft

Axis

Benina

I 'nit:

L Detachment
'Jock'

Lewes

Gulf of Sirte, North Africa

Location:

Axis

Objective: to destroy

Outcome: no

aircraft

aircraft at airfield;

Italian vehicles

some

destroyed

Commander: Captain

Dare: 23 January 1942

Location:

L Detachment and

Special

Boat Section
Commander: Captain

airfield

Date:2\ December 1941

Unit:

Date:2\

the harbour

Unit:

the harbour

March 1942
L Detachment
Commander: Major Fraser
Location: Gulf of Sirte, North Africa

CR44

aircraft

fighter-bombers destroyed

Axis

Objective: to destroy

Outcome: only one

airfield

December 1941

trucks

and

several

knocked out

Benina

North Africa

Axis

aircraft

aircraft at airfield

airfield

December 1941

March 1942
L Detachment

airfield

Dafe:13June 1942
Unit: L Detachment
Commander: Major Stirling
Location: Gulf of Sirte, North Africa

Unit:

Commander: Captain

Stirling

Gulf of Sirte, North Africa

Objective: to destroy

Axis

Outcome: no

present

aircraft

aircraft

Berka

North Africa

airfield

Date: 8

Objective: to destroy

Axis

Outcome: 27

destroyed

aircraft

March 1942

L Detachment
Commander: Captain Mayne
Unit:

and

aircraft

several

airfield

Dafe: 13 June 1942

Unit:

L Detachment

Commander: Lieutenant Zirnheld

Location: outskirts

Berka

Axis

aircraft

workshops destroyed

Date: 8

L Detachment

Commander: Captain Mayne

aircraft

Benina

Outcome: two

airfield

Location:

Location:

aborted

Objective: to destroy

Location: Tripolitania,

278

aircraft

aircraft

L Detachment

Commander: Major Fraser

Unit:

coast

Axis shipping in

Outcome: dinghies damaged, mission

Barce airfield

Outcome: 37

Tamit

Stirling

North African

Objective: to destroy

Unit:

Date: 24

Commander: Captain

destroyed

Date: 8

Outcome: no

1942

Location:

North Africa

Objective: to destroy

May

L Detachment

warehouses and petrol tankers

Axis

Unit:

aircraft

destroyed

Stirling

on North African coast

blow up shipping in

Benghazi

Objective: to destroy

Date: 24

Axis

five aircraft

Objective: to

Location: Cyrenaica,

Marble Arch

Objective: to destroy

Location: port

L Detachment

Commander: Lieutenant Fraser

Italian

Stirling

Gulf of Sirte, North Africa

Outcome:

Outcome: no shipping in harbour, several

Agedabia

March 1942
L Detachment

Bouerat

Unit:

Commander: Lieutenant

airfield

Date: 25

1942

December 1941

SAS canoe damaged,

mission aborted

destroyed

aircraft

airfield

Date: 14

coast

Axis shipping in

the harbour

aircraft

aircraft

Stirling

North African

Outcome:

Unit:

Agheila

mid-March 1942
Detachment

Objective: to destroy

Gulf of Sirte, North Africa

Objective: to destroy

North Africa

Objective: to destroy

aircraft

Benghazi

Location:

L Detachment

Location:

Commander: Captain Mayne

destroyed

aircraft

Commander: Captain

December 1941

Commander: Lieutenant Lewes

L Detachment

Axis

Outcome: 15

Date:

Nojilia airfield

airfield

Objective: to destroy

Unit: L

Date: 26

Date: 12

aircraft

aircraft

Outcome: unsuccessful

Tamit

Axis

Outcome: unsuccessful

Axis

Objective: to destroy

Stirling

North Africa

Objective: to destroy

Stirling

of Benghazi,

North Africa

Date: 25
Sirte airfield

to the present

of Benghazi,

North Africa
Objective: to destroy

Axis

Outcome:

destroyed

1 1

aircraft

aircraft

'

'

APPENDIX
Derna

airfield

Dare: 13 June 1942

Unit:

IV

Objective: to destroy

Axis

Outcome: 22

destroyed

aircraft

aircraft

L Detachment

Outcome: unsuccessful

Operation 'Sarcissus'

Commander: Captain Buck

Dare: 10 July 1943

Sidi Barrani airfield

SAS

men)

Location: Cyrenaica,

North Africa

Date: 12 July

Unit: 2

Objective: to destroy

Axis

L Detachment
Commander: Captains Warr and Schott
Location: North Africa

Commander: Major Scratchley

Unit:

aircraft

Outcome: party betrayed before

it

reached

the airfield

Axis

Objective: to destroy

Martuba

aircraft

L Detachment
Commander: Captain Tourneret

Bagoush

Unit:

North Africa

Objective: to destroy

Axis

Dare: 26 July 1942

Operation 'Chestnut'

L Detachment
Commander: unknown

Date: 12 July 1943

aircraft

Location:

Unit: 2

North African

aircraft

Outcome: unsuccessful

airfield

L Detachment
Commander: Major Stirling
Location: North African coast
Objective: to destroy

Axis

Outcome: 37

destroyed

Sidi

aircraft

Haneish

Dare: 26 July 1942

aircraft

unsuccessful overall

Operation 'Baytoum'

Objective: to destroy

Axis

Outcome: 40

destroyed

aircraft

aircraft

Date: 3 September 1943

Raiding Squadron

Unit: Special

SAS

(1

temporarily renamed)

L Detachment

Commander: Captain

Jellicoe

North Africa
Axis

Outcome: failed to breach

defences; a

enemy communica-

Outcome: parties widely scattered,

L Detachment
Commander: Major Stirling
Location: North Africa
Unit:

airfield

Objective: to destroy

northern Sicily

tions while Allies invaded the island

airfield

Date: 7 July 1942

Location:

Captain Bridgeman-Evans
Objective: to disrupt

Unit:

Unit:

SAS

Location:

Date:! July 1942

Daba

battery to

Commander: Captain Pinckney and

coast

Axis

Objective: to destroy

El

enemy

an

support Allied landings

airfield

Unit:

Outcome: unsuccessful

Bagoush

Objective: to seize

were present)

Date: 13 June 1942

Location:

Location: southeast Sicily

Outcome: successful (though no guns

Outcome: unsuccessful

airfield

(40

Benghazi

Commander: Lieutenant-Colonel Mayne

Date: 13 September 1942

Location: Bagnara, southern Italy

Unit:

airfield

number of trucks

L Detachment

Commander: Major

aircraft

destroyed

Location:

North African

Objective: to destroy

German

Objective: to disrupt

communications in southern Italy

Outcome: Bagnara was captured, though

Stirling

coast

Axis shipping in

enemy remained

in

immediate area

the harbour

Fuka

Outcome:

airfield

Date: 7 July 1942

SAS column

shot

up before

reaching port

L Detachment
Commander: Captain Mayne

Unit: 2

Unit:

Location:

Axis

Outcome: 14

destroyed

aircraft

Operation 'Snapdragon
Date: 28
Unit: 2

Daba

Commander: Captain

'

Location:

1943

SAS

Jellicoe

of Pantelleria

Operation 'Begonia'
Date: 2-6 October 1943

Axis

aircraft

airfield

SAS

men)

Outcome: unsuccessful

L'ir:2

Operation 'Marigold'

Commander: Lieutenant McGregor

Location: between Ancona and Pescara,

Date: 30
Unit: 2

May

SAS

1943

(eight

(61

eastern Italy

SAS men

plus three

SBS men)

Date: 12 July 1942

Commander: Captain Dudgeon

Detachment
Commander: Major Stirling
Location: North Africa

Location: Sardinia

Italy

Outcome: successful

Objective: reconnaissance

Outcome: unsuccessful

Unit:

Spezia/Genoa. northern

Objective: to cut railway lines

North Africa

Objective: to destroy

Fuka

May

Location: island

L Detachment

Location:

943

Commander: unknown

airfield

Date: 11 July 1942

Unit:

and Dudgeon

Objective: to destroy

El

September-mid-November
(14 men)

SAS

Commander: Captains Pinckney

1943

North Africa
aircraft

Operation 'Speedwell
Date: 7

Objective: to collect

escaped Allied

POWs

Outcome: because of poor planning only

50

POWs

were rescued

Objective: to snatch a prisoner for

intelligence purposes

279

'

APPENDIX
Operation 'Devon

Objective: to cut rail

Date: 3 Octber-5 October 1943

(

hit: Special

IV

communications on

Kaiding Squadron

Outcome: railways attacked successfully.

men

though many SAS

Commander: Lieutenant-Colonel Mayne

captured

Army

British
(

Termoli

sustained

to help

break the Termoli line

though only

Outcome: port taken,

enemy

after

Operation 'Pomegranate'
Date:
(

'nit:

SAS

kit: 2

Objective: to destroy

October 1943

Outcome: seven

between Ancona and

Pescara,

round up

large

numbers of

POWs

destroyed

Date: 27 October-2

SAS
between Pesaro and Fano,

Outcome:

(six

men)

Location: south

support Anzio landings by

vital

of Carentan, France

Objective: to fool the

Germans

taking place

Outcome: unsuccessful

bridge destroyed

Operation 'Cooney'

Commander: Major Farran

Location: east coast

of

Date: 6 June- 10 August 1944

between

Pescara

Unit:

SAS and

(56

Outcome: railway severed and roads mined

Operation 'Saxifrage'

November 1943

Phantom

patrol

men)

towards

Vienne

area,

disrupt

Outcome:

number

ot railway lines cut

enemy movements

Normandy beachhead

very active

between Ancona and

4 SAS (54 men)

Commander: unknown
Objective: to sever railway lines

southern France

Outcome: limited successes, Germans

Commander: Major Farran

Unit:

Location: Brittany, France

Objective: to

SAS

Commander: Captain Tonkin

Location:

Date: 21 October-1

Dare: 7 June 1944

Operation 'Bulbasket'

Italy

Objective: to cut railway lines

Operation 'Gain'

Date:! June- 15 August 1944

Unit:

SAS

Commander: Major Fenwick

Pescara,

of

Operation 'Dingson'

Location: southwest

Objective: to sever local railway line

Dare: 6- 18 June 1944

Objective: severing railway lines

Outcome: railway cut in several places

A SAS (160 men)

Commander: Commandant Bourgoin

Operation 'Sleepy Lad'

Location: Vannes, Brittany

Date:\8 December 1943

Objective: to organise

eastern Italy

Unit: 2

SAS

German

Date: 23 June- 18 July 1944

Operation 'Houndsworth'

Comniander: Major Elwes

Date: 6 June-6 September

Ancona and

Unit:

much damage

inflicted

SAS

944

(144 men)

(eight

men)

Objective: to establish contact

with

'Dingson' party

of Dijon, France

Objective: sever railway lines

SAS

Location: Brittany, France

Commander: Major Fraser

Location: west

1944

many

Operation 'Lost'

Outcome: limited success

and

of communications

Maquis and interfere

enemy movements

road communications between

Pescara

France

Outcome: railway lines cut on

Unit: 4

road and

lines

Paris,

occasions

Location: Italian east coast

Objective: to disrupt

enemy

Unit:

with

Commander: Major Scratchley

Outcome:

into

believing a full-scale drop was

SAS

Ancona and

and Fowles

Commander: Lieutenant Laws

severing strategic railway line

November 1943

SAS

Unit:

Commander: Lieutenants Poole

Objective: to

Location:

Operation 'Titanic'

eastern Italy

Operation 'Candytuft'

aircraft

aircraft

Operation 'Baobab'

Location:

Outcome: complete disaster

I 'nit:

Maquis security

airfield, Italy

Axis

Date; 30 January 1944

Unit: 2

eastern Italy

freed

Outcome: party scattered owing to poor

Date: 6 June- 10 July 1944

Commander: unknown

Object ire: to

the

beachhead

SAS

Location:

Unit: 2

men)

San Egidio

Location:

(six

German forces
Normandy

prevent

moving towards

2- 17 January 1944

northern Brittany. France

Objective: to

Commander: Major Widdrington

resistance

Operation 'Jonquil'
Date: 2-12

944
A SAS (116 men)
Commander: Captain El Blond
Unit:

Location:

Location: Italy's Adriatic coast

Objective: to capture

Operation 'Samwest'
Date: 6-9 June

Italian east coast

Outcome: very successful; large-scale

damage

and disrupt

inflicted

on the enemy

enemy communications
Operation 'Maple'
Date: 7 January
[

'nit:

944

SAS

Outcome: railway lines cut and 220

Germans

killed or

wounded

Operation 'Haft'
Dare: 8 July- 11 August 1944
(

'nit:

SAS

(seven

men)

Commander: unknown

Commander: unknown

Location: Italian east coast

Location:

280

Le Mans, northwest France

'

APPENDIX
and

Objective: to collect intelligence

establish contact

IV

Outcome: useful intelligence gathered

Unit: 5

SAS

(23

sever their lines of communication

men)

Outcome:

Commander: Lieutenants Debefre and

October 1944
Unit: 3 SAS (65 men)
Commander: Captain Fournier
Location: Nantes/Saumur. western France
Objective: to sever railway lines and

Location:

northwest of Le Mans. France

Objective: to harry retreating

Germans

Outcome: harried Germans and helped

rescue

50 downed Allied airmen

Outcome: good; railways cut, 500

enemy

and 200 vehicles destroyed

targets attacked,

but

Date: 3-1 5 August 1944

Unit: 5

SAS

(22

SAS

(24

944

men)

Commander: Captain Le Blond

of Limoges, southern

Date: 19 July-23 August 1944

Objective: to

road

traffic

and

bolster local Maquis

Commander: Lieutenant Kirschen

2 SAS (22 men)

August-27 September

Unit: 3

Objective: to disrupt

men)

Location: Chartres. west

Outcome: moderately successful; 100

Germans

of Paris

harry retreating

enemy

killed

forces

Outcome: damage inflicted and

Commander: Captain McGibbon-Lewis

Operation 'Samson'
Date:

France

Operation 'Defoe'

Operation 'Marshall'
Date: 11-24 August 1944

intelligence collected

Normandy

Location: Argentan.

few

Location: west

Operation 'Bunyan'

gather intelligence

Unit:

overrun by advancing Allied forces

Limbosen

Operation 'Dickens'
Date: 16 July-7

killed

Germans and

Objective: harry retreating

Operation 'Shakespeare'
Date: 31 July- 15 August 1944

with Maquis

Unit: 3

SAS

(32

men)

Objective: reconnaissance

Operation 'DunhilV

Commander: Captain Wauthier

Outcome: unsuccessful

Date: 3-24 August 1944

Location: Correze. southern France

Unit: 2

SAS

(59

men)

Objective: to raid

Operation 'Rupert'

Commander: Captain Bell

Date: 23 July- 10 September 1944

Location: eastern Brittany France

SAS

men)
Commander: Major Symes
Location: Metz area, eastern France
Unit: 2

(58

Objective: to cut as

many

Outcome: unsuccessful

Outcome:

SAS

(seven

944

breakout overran the

SAS

and they were withdrawn

Unit: 2

Marshal

Rommel

Outcome: unsuccessful

SAS

(91

men)

Date: 3 August-5 October 1944

Location: Vosges, eastern France

SAS

Objective: gather intelligence

(48

around

Poitiers,

attack

southwest

the

Outcome: limited; large

number of

troops in area

enemy

communications
Outcome:

and

enemy

German

Objective: disrupting

of Paris

Operation 'Loyton'
Date: 12 August-9 October 1944

Commander: Lieutenant-Colonel Franks

France

Commander: Captain Lee

and

Operation 'Moses

Location:

Location: Rambouillet. southwest

units

Outcome: very successful

men)
Commander: Captain Simon

men)

Objective: to kill Field

US

soldiers

Unit: 3

Unit: 2

enemy

Maquis

Objective: collect intelligence

railway lines

as possible

Operation 'Gaff'
Date: 25 July- 5 August

stiffen

Operation 'Barker'

much damage

inflicted

on

enemy

Date: 13 August- 19 September 1944

Unit: 3

SAS

(27

men)

Commander: Lieutenant Rouhan

Operation 'Hardy'
Date: 27 JulyUnit: 2

SAS

(56

September

944

men)

northwest of Dijon. France

Objective: gather intelligence

Objective: to disrupt

SAS

enemy movements

and support the Maquis

Commander: Captain Conan

Location: Finisterre. Brittany
Objective: to

Outcome: intelligence gathered and

enemy

Location: Saone-et-Loire. central France

Unit: 3

Commander: Captain Hibbert

Location:

Operation 'Derry'
Date: 5-18 August 1944

hinder

Outcome: inflicted large-scale damage.

including 3000

enemy

casualties

enemy movements

and stop destruction of two viaducts

Operation 'Harrod'

Outcome: both objectives achieved

Date: 13 August-24 September 1944

Operation 'Chaucer'

Operation 'Haggard'

Date: 28 July- 15 August 1944

Date: 10 August-23 September 1944

Commander: Commandant Conan

Location: Saone et Loire, central France

attacked

Unit: 3

Unit: 5

SAS

(22

men)

Unit:

Location:

SAS

(53 men), reinforced later by

troop from 3

Commander: Captain Hazel

Le mans, northwest France

Objective: to harry retreating

Germans

Outcome: party dropped too

late

SAS

Commander: Major Lepine

Location:

between Nevers and Gien.

SAS

(86

men)

enemy movements and

Objective: disrupt

bolster Maquis

Outcome:

enemy

targets destroyed: very

successfiil

France

281

APPENDIX

IV

Operation 'Kipling'

Operation 'Wallace'

Operation 'Bergbang'

Date: 13 August-26 September 1944

Date: 19 August- 19 September 1944

Date: 2-\2 September 1944

Unit:

SAS

(107 men)

Unit: 2

Commander: Major Marsh

Location: west

of Auxerre, central France

Objective: to aid Allied airborne landings

in the

Orleans Gap

Outcome: caused

and

(60

men)

Unit: 5

casualties,

surrender of 3000

(41

men)

Location: Vosges mountains, eastern

Location: Liege-Aachen-Maastrict,

Belgium

France

bases

SAS

Outcome: very successful, including 500

killed or

Objective: to aid Resistance

and sever

enemy communications

and attacking Germans

Germans

troops

SAS

Commander: Captain Courtoy

Objective: strengthening existing

many enemy

assisted in

German

SAS

Commander: Major Farran

Outcome: unsuccessful

wounded
Operation 'Brutus'
Date: 2-15 September 1944

Operation 'Snelgrove'

Operation 'Wolsey'

Date: 13-24 August 1944

Date: 26 August-3 September 1944

Unit: 3

SAS

(28

men)

Unit: 2

around Creuse, eastern France

Objective: to disrupt

(60

men)

enemy movements

and bolster Maquis

Location:

Unit: 5

SAS

(19

men)

Commander: Captain Blondeel

Commander: Lieutenant McDevitt

Commander: Lieutenant Hubler

Location:

SAS

around Soissons and

of River Meuse, Belgium

Location: east

up with Resistance and

Objective: to link

Compiegne, northeast France

other

SAS

troops

Outcome: unsuccessful

Objective: to gather intelligence

Outcome: successful

Outcome: very successful

Operation 'Jockworth'

Operation 'Abel'

Date:6-\\ September 1944

Date: 15 August-9 September 1944

Date: 27 August-22 September 1944

Unit: 5

Operation 'Caliban'

Unit: 3

SAS

(58

men)

Unit: 3

SAS

(82

men)

Commander: Captain Hourst

Commander: Captain Sicand

Location: southeast France

Location: Vosges

enemy movements and

Objective: disrupt

organise Maquis

Germans

forces in conjunction with

Operation 'Noah'

Maquis and troops of French

Army

(42

First

SAS

men)

Unit: 5

Outcome: very successful; additional

Commander: Lieutenant Kirschen

on enemy

(seven

Location: near

Objective: to collect intelligence

German

Date: 17 -26 August 1944

movements

1,

2 and 5

SAS

(102 men)

on

troop strengths and

enemy deployments

collected.

northwest of Paris, France

Objective: to

harry retreating

Germans

Operation 'Newton'

Commander: Commandant Bourgoin

Date: 19 August- 11 September 1944

Location:

Unit:

(58

men)

Champagne/Burgundy

area,

central France
Objective: to harry retreating

Outcome: casualties inflicted

282

around Bourges, central France

damage on

retreating

Germans
Outcome: very successful, including 2500
prisoners taken

Germans
on enemy

SAS

(five

March 1945

men)

Commander: Lieutenant Kirschen

around Arnhem, Holland

Location:

dispositions

andV-2

sites

Outcome: useful intelligence gathered

4 SAS (318 men)

Objective: to inflict

Commander: Lieutenant de Roquebrune

Location:

Operation 'Fabian'
Date: 16 September 1944-14

enemy

Date: 29 August- 14 September 1944

SAS

population hostile

Objective: to collect intelligence regarding

Operation 'Spenser'

Outcome: partly successful

Unit: 3

men)

enemy communications
between Rivers Rhine and Moselle
Outcome: partly successful, though local

Unit: 5

Outcome: detailed information regarding

Commander: Lieutenant-Colonel Franks

Location:

(51

Amiens, northeast France

Operation 'Trueform'

Unit:

SAS

Objective: to cut

Dare: 28 August- 1 September 1944

Objective: to gather intelligence

inflicted

Unit: 2

Location: Alsace/Lorraine, eastern France

Operation 'Benson'

French Ardennes

damage

Operation 'Pistol'
Date: 15 September-3 October 1944

Commander: Captains Scott and Holland

men)

Commander: Captain Blondeel

Location:

Outcome: mostly unsuccessful

Gap

Date: 16 August-13 September 1944

SAS

of the

Outcome: numerous attacks against

German

Unit: 5

German

Objective: to sever

communications west of River Meuse

France

Belfort

Belgium

Location: northeast

and Jura mountains,

Objective: to assist Allied capture

Outcome: major damage inflicted on the

SAS

Commander: Lieutenant Limbosch

Operation 'Gobbo'
Date: 27 September 1944-17
Unit: 5

SAS

(seven

March 1945

men)

Commander: Lieutenant Debefre

northern Holland

Location:

Objective: to gather intelligence

Outcome: unsuccessful

APPENDIX
December 1944-25 January

SAS

(186 men)

Commander: Captain Puech-Samson

Ardennes

Location: Belgian

support

Objective: to

much

left

of US

flank

December 1944-15 February

1945

men)
Commander: Captain Walker-Brown
Location: between Genoa and La Spezia,
(35

northern

Objective: disrupting

enemy

communications and

liaising

and

a large

number of

troops tied

down

Operation 'Canuck'

Operation 'Apostle'
Date: 12

SAS

Unit:

Commander: Captain McDonald

Objective: disrupt

Date: 3 April-8

enemy communications

Unit: 5

December 1944-15 January

Objective:

German

offensive

SAS

1950-60

Holland and into

Objective: to recce for the

Canadian

Corps

1945

Date: 17 February-31

Date: 6 April-6
Unit:

SAS

(13

Significant dates are as follows:

November 1950-February 1952: the

northern

Canadian 4th

Italy

block the railway line leading

Brenner Pass

Operation 'Tombola'

March-24 April 1945

(50 men)
Commander: Major Farran

New

Zealand and Parachute Squad-

rons of 22

SAS

help defeat the

NOVEMBER 1958-JANUARY

Date: 8-16 April 1945

and 4 SAS (700 men and 18 jeeps)

Commander: Colonel Prendergast
Location: Groningen, Coevordon and
Unit: 3

Germans

First

and

war

Squadrons

Resistance and harry

Germans

are based

plateau.

1959

committed

to the

Oman who

on the formidable Jebel Akhdar

On

27 January 1959 the SAS

establishing

storms the plateau and brings the rebel-

advancing

lion to an end.

Army

SAS harried
enemy and inflicted 270 killed, 220
wounded and 1 87 captured

1963-66

The SAS

is

heavily involved in the suc-

cessful British effort to defeat rebel

rillas

and Indonesian forces

of Borneo

enemy dead

are

against rebels in northern

Outcome: mostly successful.

Italy

Outcome: very successful; 600

prevent

Canadian

around La Spezia and Bologna,

war

Operation 'Amherst'

a defensive line against the

SAS

northern

Communist

February 1952-February 1958: A, B, D, the

only partially successful

Objective: to

Date: 4

Objective: to stiffen

B and C Squad-

Terrorists in the jungle interior

casualties;

Zwolle, northeast Holland

Location:

(A,

rons) operate against

guerrillas in a long-range jungle

Outcome: unsuccessful

Unit: 2

Malayan Scouts

Oldenburg, northwest Germany

men)

Location: Verona,

to the

1945

Armoured Division
SAS suffered heavy

Commander: Captain Littlejohn

Objective: to

May

SAS

Outcome:

March 1945

which

which the SAS was reformed and proved highly effective.

Objective: to recce for the

Operation 'Cold Comfort'

in

were heavily committed to

defeating the threat of communist insurgency, undertaken largely by disaffected
Chinese elements, resulted in major jungle operations for

Location:

Unit: 2

The Malayan 'Emergency',

British forces

Commander: Lieutenant-Colonel Mayne

Outcome: successful

German

following end of

Outcome: successful

Operation 'Howard'

supporting British armoured

units during

disarm 300,000

Objective: to

1945

Outcome: moderately successful

Ardennes

Norway

Location:

Norway
World War II

Commander: Captain Blondeel

Location: the

HQ

(845 men)

Commander: Captain Blondeel

II

SAS

May-31 August 1945

and 2 SAS,
SAS Brigade

troops in

May

enemy

Commander: Brigadier Calvert

Location: Italian Riviera

Germany

1945

the

Date: April 1945

Location: northeast

Operation 'Regent'

upon

inflicted

Operation 'Larkswood'

Germans

Unit: 5

objective

with

Outcome: extremely successful; casualties

Date: 27

its

of Alba overrun

partisans

inflicted

the Apeldoorn Canal

Outcome: some damage and casualties

Outcome: partisans equipped and garrison

Italy

with enemy
movements and capture bridges over

advance of British 21st

Army Group

of Ijsselmeer, Holland

Objective: to interfere

Germany

Unit: 2

SAS

SAS

Unit: 2

Commander: Major Druce

Location: south

of the River Rhine to Kiel,

Outcome: achieved

Operation 'Galia'

Unit: 2

Date: 11-18 April 1945

Franks

Objective: to assist

reconnaissance and

fighting undertaken

Date: 27

March-3 May

Location: east

VIII Corps

Outcome:

Date: 25

Unit: 1 and 2 SAS (430 men and 75 jeeps)

Commander: Lieutenant-Colonel Brian

1945
Unit: 4

Operation 'Keystone'

Operation 'Archway'

Operation 'Franklin'
Date: 24

who

are

guer-

in the jungles

opposed

to the for-

mation of the Federation of Malaysia.

283

APPENDIX
A

Squadron

on the

arrives

into Sarawak and Sabah

responsible

Squadron replaces A
Squadron and mounts long-range
1963:

sive

B Squadron

23

re-formed

June 1964: top-secret cross-border SAS

'Claret' raids into Kalimantan begin

B and

1965: A,

bloodless

Squadrons are active

in

of Aden

unit formed,

the

is

2 October 1971: Operation

combined SAS,

Armed

Sultan's

operating

terrorists

in

1969:

man SAS team

Northern

SAS

on the Jebel

enemy from

SAS is to be deployed to
South Armagh to fight terrorism
19 March 1978: SAS Lance-Corporal
David Jones is mortally wounded in

Dhofar

that the

firefight

May

with an

1978:

is

their

IRA

1987: the

SAS wipes out

Tyrone Brigade of the

ambush

at

is

SAS

IRA

in

three

three

terrorist

Embassy

in

SAF

clears the

MAY 1980
and

is

the

kill

captors

IRA

operation

and/or capture
in

the

Iranian

IRA

shoots dead

terrorists in Gibraltar.

shoots and

terrorists in

County Tyrone.

Coagh,

kills

war, and thereupon

ment

to the anti-cocaine

provide train-

starts to

Colombia.

forces in

AUGUST 1990-FEBRUARY

SAS

large

Iraqi

contingent

1991

is

heavily

UN-led campaign

to oust

occupation forces from Kuwait, and

mostly behind the lines

Kuwait and Iraq. Significant dates are

operates

in
as

in the Falk-

lands War. Significant dates are as follows:

April:

Squadron's Mountain Troop

has to be evacuated from Fortuna

Glacier,

Squadrons, plus

R Squadron, are

deployed to the Gulf as part of the

British special forces

group

is

moved

to

its

SAS

forward operating

Saudi Arabia

19 January 1991: three patrols from

undertakes intelligence-gather-

occupying Argentine forces

23

base at Al Jouf in northwest

President Jawara

APRIL-JUNE 1982

The SAS

B and

small contingent from

Squadron

South Georgia, but Boat

Troop manages

to establish several

observation posts (OPs) around Leith

284

committed

17 January 1991: the whole of the

ing and raiding operations against the

SAS team
SAS

is

end of 1990: A,

SAS

London.

JULY 1981
The SAS helps to restore
to power in the Gambia.

an

Ireland.

3 June 1991: the

22 SAS

involved in the

the East

Loughall in Northern

6 March 1988: an

Stanley harbour.

force

Dunloy, County Antrim

May

plus SBS,

battle.

between

in Belfast

mistakenly shot and killed by the

a nine-

the valleys in central

Operation 'Nimrod'
to free hostages

10 July 1978: schoolboy John Boyle

in

5
a

terrorist.

shot and killed by

members of D and G Squadron,

mount a diversionary raid in

14 June:

follows:

SAS Captain Richard

Westmacott

gunmen

IRA

all

in

ing and other assistance to the govern-

one-day

clears the area

1916: the British government announces

Commando

defeats a large

1974: SAS, firqat and

brief tour

42

assists

1989-

and the Thamrait road

Salalah

Goose Green

Mount Kent

and

firqat

Forces (SAF) operation

guerrilla force in a

1973: the

Squadron deploys to Ulster for

are

'Jaguar' begins.

19 July 1972: the Battle of Mirbat,

Ireland. Significant dates are as follows:

30 May: SAS
taking

24 February 1971: SAS and firqat troops

assault and take the small fishing
village of Sudh

involved in operations to check

Squadrons mounts

diversionary raid in the

Salahadm

to establish a presence

1969-94

SAS

20 May:

Army Training

Dhofar, and ends in success

22

members of D Squadron

area
first firqat

titled Firqat

Meeni' operations).

on Pebble

killed in a helicopter crash

Teams

It is a

and

attacks

aircraft

Island

19 May: 18

titled British

collect

Squadron

enemy

destroys

coup

January 1971:

(the so-called 'Keeni

14-15 May:

Taimur, in

OPs and

to establish

patrols are

West Falkland

intelligence

1970:

they are

is

APRIL 1964-NOVEMBER 1967

A, B and D Squadrons are involved in the
Aden campaign against tribesmen in the
Radfan area of the interior and guerrillas
in the port

numbers of

SAS teams begin arriving

Oman to support the new regime,

late July

formed
March 1966: President Sukarno of
Indonesia is toppled in a coup
August 1966: Indonesia makes peace
Squadron

larger

May: SAS and SBS

inserted onto East and

1970: Sultan Qaboos overthrows

his faher, Said bin

along and across the whole border

1966:

July

from

the insurgency. Signifi-

cant dates are as follows:

is

Georgia

is

successful

and takes

assaults

Grytviken, and thus retakes South

over-

to

effort that proves deci-

preventing

in

Omanis joining

Indonesian Kalimantan
January 1964:

highly

the

for

and minds'

'hearts

border with

patrols along the

seeking

guerrillas

combined Royal Marines, SBS

and SAS force

instrumental in the defeat of

is

throw the government of Oman, and

April 1963: Indonesian incursions begin

May

The SAS

communist

of Borneo

island

25 April:

1970-76

Significant dates arc as follows:

January 1963:

IV

are inserted

into Iraq to

by helicopter

watch three highways

the Euphrates Valley;

all

in

are either

aborted or end in failure

20 January 1991: SAS Land Rover

columns from

and

Squadrons

enter western Iraq to locate and target

mobile Scud launchers

12 February 1991:
sent

45km

replenish

re-supply

column

is

(90 miles) into Iraq to

and

Squadron's patrols

Index
Aden,

46-51.2H4

conflict in

North,

Africa.

Ah Hoi
Ah Tuck

27

aircraft

aircraft carriers

260-5
244

AJpini brigades

169

fixed-wing

conservation

2045

"

256-7

counter-terrorist

extreme cold

171

204
87,88,89,244-5
170-1, 194-5, 270-1

HMS

Arctic conditions

Arctic Warfare Training

Course

Ball.

SAS

133, 176

75

Street Siege

65

Captain

137

bases, secure operational

BATT

house

(at

Mirbat) 55-61, 116, 117

156

Beckwith, Charles

200, 273

belts

16,275
275

beret

bergens

75,76, 154

'Black September'
'blue

168

158, 250,

assault suits

Balcombe

...

245-6,247-5
251-2

assault craft

Australian

on

95

blue'

boats

252-3
132

border protection

Border Scouts

41

Borneo campaign
and minds'

39-40, 132, 147-9

193

traps constructed

139

Bosnia

Bouerat

11

Two

Zero'

see

under Gulf War

Bridgeman-Evans, Captain
'BnggsPlan'

house

Sir

21,

145-6

at

Harold

Mirbat

British Forces

67

Close Quarter Battle

Colombia, SAS

(CQB) Wing

112.

role in

Order'

for counter-terrorism

contact

44

133,166-7

drills

Continuation Training

...

in

Oman

33, 34, 35, 36

in

Yemen

48

Counter Revolutionary Warfare

SAS

250

and minds' campaigns

251

roles

weapons for
216,225
Counter- Terrorism Team (CTT)
... 75
165

'cross graining'

Cross-Border Scouts

41

D-Day
17, 1267,

and
and
and
and
and

55-61, 116. 117

Brunton. Freddie

128

24

SAS

247
57-9, 168, 178

96-7
72,85,121
99

Fast Attack Vehicles (FAVs)

Federation of Southern Arabia (FSA)

46
22

134-5

fighting patrols

136

Force 136

132, 140-3, 177

Campaign' 52-7, 150-1, 153

252

food

195,197,199,200,202
273
22

Fort Brooke

26

29,33-4

forward operational bases (FOBs)

334, 35

Four Square Laundry incident

98, 108-9, 111,

156-7

88,142
98-9, 271-2

counter-terrorist unit

Maquis

'double tap'

121, 167

operations in

(GIGN) 155-6, 160

and sinking of Rainbow

Fraser,Bill

132

137

64

Foreign Legion

188, 189

108-9. Ill

...

France

detonators

Edwards, Robin

96, 142

Mairead

100, 101, 102

185

into Chile

retaking Stanley
Farrell,

Gulf War

Cednc

90-5,1379

Ferret Force

51

Oman

...

91-4, 118-19, 121

retaking South Georgia

the Falklands

Edwards, John

88, 168, 171, 183, 197

replenishment ships

rations

Downing. Wayne

89
142

on Goose Green

149

72-3,

89

16, 17

Borneo Territories (BFBT) 38

Brooke, Oliver

raid

Aden
Borneo

284
867

intelligence gathering

'flak jackets'

deserts

87,

diversionary attacks

'Five Fronts

Delves,

on Grytviken

assault

100

Delta Force

War

235-6

the

Argentinian invasion

Bilhere, Peter

data entry devices

la

0-1

193,230
mines
44, 188, 192, 795,231
plastic
189, 191,257
quantities
187,191
to clear landing sites
1 867

plans for

745,78,159

operations following

Pebble Island raid

skills

counter-terrorism

188,191,230
257

Lewes bombs
low

Fortuna Glacier

75, 78, 123, 135, 157,

counter-insurgency
see 'hearts

traps

Falklands
24, 26

Malaya

(CRW) Wing

booby

186,188,277

Cooper, Johnny
in

188-91
/ 923

explosives

high

105

277

Europe, Northwest 16-19, 126-7, 134-5

for hostage-rescue

Robert

Consiglio,

158,

135

130

training in

communism

hostage-rescue

275
256-9

Escape and Evasion exercise

284

113,254-7
253, 254

communications

Deane-Drummond, Anthony
14

21,145
Brighton bombing
70
British Army Training Teams (BATTs) 54

Bnggs,

20-1. 144. 145, 146

Geary, Peter

de

36-45. 140. 141, 185,283-4

'Bravo

21,23, 127, 129, 145, 146

Chin Peng
Clarke, Dudley

78-9, 245-9

body armour

'hearts

129

equipment

'Mad Mike'

'Commando

ammunition

Antrim

Calvert,

128

supply

Counter-Counter Measures 235

Electronic

entry requirements

8-11, 126, 134-5, 141, 184

in

127

'buddy-buddy' principle

raids in

fuses

175
16, 135.
/

1 1

184

6-1 9, 135, 184

arrior

...

85
10

188-9

47-50
285

Muammar

Gaddafi,

70

Germany

in the

GulfWar

see

GSG

plane

at

operations in

19

training in

28

Hunt.'Kiwi'

IRA

terrorists in

GIGN

...

HMS

Glamorgan,

72, 85, 121

93,245

Hussein,

...

95

Saddam

98,

GulfWar

00-1

02

102

Allied objectives

Two

'Bravo

42-5,185
245
Infantry Reconnaissance Boat
17483
insertion techniques
14 Intelligence

Company

(14 Int) 65, 69, 70

1349
90-5,137-9
and Security Group

Intelligence

War

(Northern Ireland)

Zero'

103, 104-5, 108, 128-9, 185-6, 187

173

cold conditions during

98,108-9, 111,177

98-9

Kuwait

99, 101, 104

attacked

277

interrogation, resistance to

HMS

Intrepid,

1767

land insertion techniques

247
64,65
70-3

94, 96,

1 04
101,102,284
99-100
hostage-rescue plans
hunt for missile launchers 104, 106 \\
101,104-5
road watches
Scud missiles

ambushed at Loughall
and the Balcombe Street Siege
Brighton bombing
individuals shot

terrorists shot in Gibraltar

99, 101, 102, 103-4, 706-11, 141

vehicles used in

70
723
669

South Armagh

in

SAS

Iranian

Embassy (London)

75

...

by SAS

Patriot missiles
roles

72, 85, 121

sabotage by

85

12-75, 134

Italy

42,44,145,149

54,63,151,152,153
Akhdar operation

in

Oman

Kealy,

JeUicoe,

plane

at

Mogadishu

hostage-rescue

Balcombe

75

Street Siege

158,250,251-5
158, 223, 256-9

clothing for

equipment

...

755,156
74, 76-7,257
755,250-1

for

36

first drills

formation of dedicated units

...

1549

from Iranian Embassy

78-84, 121, 756, 757-8

286

12

Mike

59,61,116, 117
50-1, 121

253

Kevlar

House'
...

36,79-80, 112-13, 160-3,250

'Kremlin'

75, 135

$6,91,93,96,119,138
plane at Marseilles

11,141

George

'Keeni Meeni'

'Killing

hijacks

'hearts

and minds' campaign

23,25,127, 139, 744-7

Ibans

148

jungle forts

146

Murats
supply

149
aircraft

Malayan People's Anti-Japanese

37

Army

(MPAJA)

20

Malayan Races Liberation

Army

(MRLA)

20,

144-5

Malayan Scouts 20, 27-3, 127-8, 729, 146

193

MasseyAndrew

102,106,108-9,111

...

Mayne, 'Paddy' Blair

Menendez, Mario

Mills, Lieutenant

in

and the Falklands War

67

165,186-7

Malayan Communist Party (MCP)

144
Malayan 'Emergency'
27-7, 127-8, 283

mines

Jeep missions

HMS

134

McNab,Andy

Jebel

and minds' campaigns

130
39-40, 132, 147-9
Malaya
... 23,25, 127, 139, 144-7

Hermes,

72,85,121

McGonegal, Ambrose
McKenna, Sean

Jeapes.Tony

28-35, 136-7,150, 769

54,57,63,130,750-3
1 37, 264, 265
244

McCann, Daniel

10, 11, 12, 16, 141

97

Milan anti-tank weapon 124, 141, 226-7

Military Reconnaissance Force (MRF) 64

Jebel Dhofar operation 56-7, 130, 152-3

aircraft

Longjawi
41
Long Range Desert Group (LRDG)
9, 10,238,242
Loughall ambush
70-3, 85

159

67

Hercules

40

145

anti-terrorist unit

93, 119

Borneo

Rob

microlight aircraft

Harvey, Seamus

in

Lockhart, Sir

169

Hamilton, John
'hearts

99-100

Alpini brigades

99-100, 106-9, 141, 176, 177

Gurkhas

...

Sergeant

man-traps

siege

78-84, 121, 756, 757-8

Israel,

Lillico,

69

IRA

Delta Force involvement

Iraq invades

in Falklands

Light Strike Vehicles (LSVs)

193

incendiary devices

intelligence gathering

102-3

campaign

...

Indonesia, raids into

113,235,236
153,175
76-7, 154, 155, 1 59, 250

Green Berets

Israel

155-7,1589
74, 76-7, 257
112-13

155-6, 759, 160

Global Positioning System equipment

air

100-1

Mogadishu

GhalibbinAli

GSG

international units

counter-terrorism

Gibraltar,

59-61

1 1

7,

Mirbat, Battle of see

27, 131, 133, 169

Lassen, Anders

77

Laycock, Lieutenant-Colonel

Layforce

Lea,

George

Lewes, 'Jock'

Lewes bombs

Oman

Mogadishu hijack/hostage rescue

74, 76, 77, 754,257
97
Moore, Jeremy
159
Moro.Aldo
277
Morse code, training in
113
Morse radio sets
185
Mossad
Mountain and Arctic Warfare
169
(M&AW) Cadre
54,151,152
Mubarak, Salim
massacre

75, 154

at

224

105, 173

Lane, 'Legs'
Large, 'Lofty'

87

44,755,192,793,231

Munich Olympics,
Labalaba, Corporal

114

149
10,11, 725,187,275

10-11, 187, 189

Nasser,

Gamal

50

National Liberation Front, in Yemen

50

natives, aid to
see 'hearts

New

and minds' campaigns

Zealand SAS (NZSAS)

Newell, Dare

NOCS
Norman, Major

26-7, 746

33,147
159

86

INDEX
booby

traps

92-3

6473, 284

operations in

251

role in

SAS weapons

259
26-7

for

NZSAS
Olympics, massacre

at

Munich

75, 154,

Oman

250

283, 284

53,57,58-61,62,116-17

adoo

Dhofar Liberation Front

53, 57, 150

54-5,58,62,63, 151
Campaign 52-7, 150-1, 153

'Five Fronts'

'hearts

...

130, 750, 151

Dhofari tribesmen
firqat

and minds' campaign

Akhdar operation
28-35, 136-7, 150, 769,283

Bade of

PFLOAG
Shershitti

234,236-7

radio frequencies

2345

rafts

202

Rainbow Warrior

185

Rakyut

62, 63

reconnaissance patrols

131

squadrons

to 5

SAS

Territorial

'Resistance to Interrogation'

Rhodesians, of

Operations Research

Wing

36

274
187

'packet echo'

Parachute Brigade, Guards Independent

Company

of engagement, for operation

Parachute Regiment Squadron

in

131,

27

180-3,277
114, 183

technique

technique

52, 90,

14,

Oman

'tree

182-3
52

jumping'

Parkin,

24,25,128

Mary

85
132-3

patrolling
patrols

133

four-man

126-33

HM

Prison, rescue

Phillips, Vince

Plaman Mapu,

158

attack

14

on

45
170-1, 194-5

polar regions

SAS

from

105,173

Pinckney, Captain

prisoners,

105

143

as

53,62,150
1 79

II

and explosives

traps

targets

in

46-50

...

191-3
184-91

Squadrons

see also Special

131

Said bin Taimur

Sarawak, protecting
Savage, Sean
Savesaki,

88,93,113,114
93,174-5
88, 93, 7 68-9

Mountain Troop

Special Air Service Battalion

Schwarzkopf,
Scratchley,

28,523,150
45-6

Norman

Sandy

sea, survival at

Selection Training

17,60
77
100-1, 102, 107, 109
13

Regiments,

to 5

114,178
87-92, 137-8

Smith, Gipsy

23,24,127
132

1 86
277
131-2
.

88,89
1 49

drill

173

stills

Stinger

SAMs

William

247-8

Stanley, Ian

step-up

124,229

8-9,10,11,12,123,126, 128

Swindells,

Galahad

12-13

standing patrols

Stirling,

277

79, 160

...

Squadron (SRS)

Standard Operating Procedures

'shoot and scoot'

training

274

Spetsnaz forces

202

130, 131

12

Group
Projects Teams (SPTs)

Special Forces

survival skills

sighting aids

...

Special Boat Squadron

David

133

11-19

Special Boat Service

Stirling,

12-74
258

16

SAS

Special Boat Section

795,197,199,200
Sheridan, Guy
87,88
Shershitti Caves operation
62-3
ships
244-5
replenishment
247
Sicily

9-10

L Detachment
Phantom Squadron

202
276-7

shelters

Special Air Service Brigade

Special Raiding

72, 85, 121

Trooper

Schumann, Jurgen

Sir

52,93, 750-3

Mobility Troop

Special

Air Services

Sloane, John 'Tod'

Radfan Mountains, war

Squadron 45, 54, 60, 61, 71, 89, 96, 98

and the Falklands War

sabotage

signallers

Qaboos, Sultan
Queen Elizabeth

44

Sabah, protecting

sharks

five-man
Peterhead,

72

Ryan, Chris

'Sabre'

45

Parachute Brigades

parachuting

168

25-6, 146

Boat Troop

967

1 1

by

Squadron

Air Troop

87, 89, 91, 97, 139

training courses

booby

HALO

Squadron

troops

rock climbing

27, 29-35, 40, 64, 87-90, 96-7, 106

248

251

SAS

(Pathfinder)

Squadron 23, 25-6, 146

in Gibraltar

75,135

Order of Battle
organisation,

24,127
19,22,274
exercise 277
253, 2545

Ritchie, Neil

Royal Marines

Cell ('Kremlin')

HAHO

Army

1 1

B Squadron 36,41,54,64-5,96,101

11-19

22 SAS, formation

rules

Squadron
33-5, 39-40, 47-50, 98, 106, 107,

regiments

Rose, Michael

152

52

Reddy, Paul'Rip'

8-9,184
274

creation

organisation

53,57,116,150
62-3
Caves operation

'White City'

186
Special Air Service

273

58-61, 116-17, 205, 224

Operations planning and Intelligence

147-8
779-20,256-7,258-9
Soviet Union, reconnaissance in the West
Smith, 'Tanky'

snipers

rations

Rigid Raiders

Jebel Dhofar operation 56-7, 130, 152-3

Mirbat,

equipment

radio

respirators

54,57,63, 130, 150-3

Jebel

47

Radforce

Northern Ireland

(Bill)

...

11, 13, 14, 16

248-9

submarines

249

Submersible Recovery Craft

Sukarno,

Achmad

37,43,45

Suleiman Bin Hamyar

28

194-202

Duke

30
28

Talib bin Ali

Templar, Freddie

24

Templer, Sir Gerald

Territorial

Army SAS Regiments

19,

76

terrorists

assault

on Iranian Embassy

45

274

7884
287

INDEX
at

Munich Olympics

Balcombe

75. 154

hijacked plane

at

75

Street Siege

Mogadishu

lister

Ulster

Monarch

13

machine guns

Troop

69

mortars

77

74, 76,

Walker, Roderic 'Red Rory'

hostage-rescue

157

Walker, Walter

Thompson, Major
Thompson, Trooper

128

Walls, Peter

thunderstorms

197

'Tip Toe Boys'

43

Tobin, Tommy

61,117
168-9

training

cross-training

see also 'Killing

anti-aircraft missile systems

anti-tank

mountain and winter warfare

...

277
1689

of other units

weapons

24,25,128

Bob

27, 128

Turnbull,

258-9
1723
171

1225

grenade launchers
118-19, 124, 125,232,233

230,231,232-3,257-8
2578
CS gas and stun
120,220-1
handguns
Browning High Power 120-1, 125, 220
2534
Five-Seven
grenades

193

jumping'

118

extreme cold

118

traps

141,224-7
1 423

force multipliers

in

11314

transport

124

121,167

'double tap'

2161

Selection

'tree

counter-terrorist

180-3,277
130-1

patrol skills

Commando

in desert conditions

176

parachute

119, 124. 125,

...

camouflaging
Colt

assault

204

assault

167,205,209-10
120,222,256,258,259
assault
124,211
123,223
258

117, 118, 125,

...

sniper

AUG

shotguns
sighting aids

116, 204

weapons

House'

jungle

and minds' campaign

53, 130, 150-1

and sabotage 186, 188, 191

11213
hostage-rescue

M4

M16

Steyr

29, 55, 56, 57, 136-7, 152-3

'hearts

Colt

24

Watts, Johnny

in explosives

in

30
38-9
48-50

Warburton, Trooper

40

186,188,277
131-2

Continuation

124,228
206-11

rifles

thermal imagers

122 2>, 212 15

116-25, 125, 167,205

skills

submachine guns

...

surface-to-air missiles

204, 216-19, 259

(SAMs)
229
.

weapons

118, 125

training
skills,

jungle

Westmacott, Richard

65,

Wight,Aldwin

138

Wilson, Harold

66
236, 237

wireless sets

Woodhousejohn 33,
Woodward, 'Sandy'
World War II
acts

37, 38, 127, 129, 133

92
8-19. 143, 187

of sabotage

193

weapons
submachine guns

224
216

anti-tank

Yemen

48

PICTURE CREDITS
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Broun Packaging:

8,

9 (top and bottom), 11, 12, 13 (top and bottom), 17 (top and bottom), 19, 20, 21 (top and bottom), 22, 23, 25 (top and bottom).

26, 27 (top and bottom), 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35. 36, 37, 38, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 49, 52, 53, 56, 57, 62, 63, 65, 69, 71, 73 (top), 76, 77, 78, 79

and bottom), 80 (top and bottom), 81, 82 (top and bottom), 84 (top and bottom), 88, 89 (top and bottom), 92 (bottom), 94, 97, 102, 103. 105
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(top and bottom), 272, 275 (right)
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(top
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Private Collection: 46. 47. 50. 51. 55. 58, 59. 60, 61, 101. 104.

Rex

Features: 74, 154,

TRH

Pictures:

(top).

219

2T.268,

107 (top and bottom), 108 (top), 109. 173. 234

155

48.86.87,92

(top). 220.

221

(top). 93, 98, 121. 124.

223. 224. 225. 226

(left

125 (bottom), 142, 158 (bottom), 160, 161, 198, 199,202,206,210 (bottom), 21

and

right),

1.

212, 213. 215

228. 229, 232 (top), 240, 243, 244. 245, 247, 260, 261 (top and bottom), 262, 263, 264,

269, 271 (bottom)

map artworks by Bill Lebihan

Artwork page 83 Orbis Publishing

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288

67

68-9

continued from front flap

Encyclopedia takes a look at the weapons

skills of SAS soldiers, skills that enabled a
handful of SAS soldiers to defeat over 250
enemy guerrillas at the Battle of Mirbat in
July 1972; it shows how SAS soldiers
operate behind enemy lines; why the SAS
four-man team is such a lethal tactical
formation; and examines the Regiment's
hostage rescue techniques, which were put
to good use during the storming of the
Iranian Embassy in May 1980.

Good

soldiers, especially those

who

undertake a wide variety of missions, need

good equipment, and so The SAS
Encyclopedia features all the weapons and
equipment previously and currently
employed by the regiment, and why and
how they are used by SAS soldiers in action
- everything from the Minimi machine gun
to attack Land Rovers and the C-130
Hercules transport aircraft. With detailed
appendices listing the selection and training
courses run by the Regiment,
organisational charts and links with other
elite units around the world, The SAS
Encyclopedia is the only definitive record of
Britain's Special Air Service in existence.

Steve Crawford, the general editor, is a

former employee of the British intelligence
services, who has worked on numerous

He has written several

including The SAS At
Close Quarters and the best-selling SAS
Gulf Warriors. He currently lives in London.

foreign assignments.

books on

elite units,

Jacket illustration by Syd Brak

Lewis International. Inc.

2201 \.W. 102 Place. #1

Miami.
Tel:

Fl

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305-436-7984

Fax: 305-436-7985

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