Special Air Service Totally Explained

Everything about Special Air Service totally explained

The Special Air Service Regiment (SAS) is a special forces unit of the British Army. A secretive institution, the SAS has served as a model for similar units fielded by other countries.
The SAS forms a significant part of the United Kingdom Special Forces. The other components of the United Kingdom Special Forces are the Special Boat Service (SBS), the Special Reconnaissance Regiment (SRR), and the Special Forces Support Group (SFSG).

Function

Current SAS roles are believed to include:

Intelligence collection in the deep battlespace.
Battlespace preparation by sabotage and offensive raiding in the medium and deep battlespace.
Counter-terrorism operations inside United Kingdom territory in conjunction with police forces, the most famous of which was the Iranian Embassy Siege after a hostage situation.
Counter Terrorism operations outside UK territory.
Training soldiers of other nations, and training guerillas in unconventional warfare.
Counter Revolutionary Warfare (CRW) activities in support of UK government Foreign Policy.
Protection of senior British dignitaries and VIPs.

Command, control and organisation

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

22 SAS Regiment	21 SAS Regiment (Artists)	23 SAS Regiment
'HQ' (Credenhill,Hereford)	'HQ' (Regent's Park, London)	'HQ' (Kingstanding)
'A' Squadron	'A' Squadron (Regent's Park)
'B' Squadron	'C' Squadron (Basingstoke/Cambridge}	'B' Squadron (Leeds)
'D' Squadron	'E' Squadron (Newport/Exeter)	'G' Squadron (Newcastle/Manchester)
'G' Squadron		'D' Squadron (Invergowrie/Hamilton)

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

21 SAS - Medium and deep battlespace Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition, and Reconnaissance (ISTAR) and offensive operations.

22 SAS - Medium and deep battlespace ISTAR and offensive operations, Counter Revolutionary Warfare (CRW), Counter-Terrorism (CT), close protection and defence diplomacy.

23 SAS - Medium and deep battlespace ISTAR and offensive operations.
Each TA Squadron and the Honourable Artillery Company (a non SF Territorial Army unit based in London), includes attached regular personnel as Permanent Staff Instructors - a ruling established by the then Brigadier Peter de la Billière, as Director SAS, specifying that promotion within the Regiment for any officer or senior NCO would be predicated on experience with the SAS(R)..
The SAS were based at Stirling Lines (formerly Bradbury Lines), Hereford which was named after the founder of the regiment, Sir David Stirling, and was initially the units base although in 1999 they moved to the former RAF Credenhill.

Troops

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

Air Troop

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

Boat Troop

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

Mobility Troop

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

Mountain Troop

Mountain Troops personnel specialise in the conduct of operations at high altitude and in mountainous terrain, requiring advanced skills in climbing, ice climbing, skiing and cold weather survival. Training is conducted in deserts and mountain ranges around the world. Those members that show particular aptitude are seconded to the German Army where they undertake the 18-month long Alpine Guides course in Bavaria. Many training expeditions are organised. Some members of mountain troops have participated in major military and civilian expeditions - this hasn't been without loss.

Security, Honours and Awards

While all military personnel are bound by the Official Secrets Act and undergo vetting, Special Forces personnel are required to undertake a higher level of clearance.
On entry into the regiment personnel are required to limit dissemination of their employment. Anonymity is provided during service and personnel are not required to provide identifying details to police and authorities whilst co-operating. Effectives are entitled to a 24-hour 'warm down' period following offensive action within the United Kingdom, during which they're debriefed. Members are not obliged to provide information to civilian agencies during this period. Medals awarded to personnel, such as the Military Cross (MC), are publicised in the normal manner and officially and formally via The London Gazette however the individual's original parent Corps or Regiment, if they've such, is attributed as a matter of fact which sometimes provides security cover. The circumstances surrounding personnel killed in action are not routinely disseminated; should this be unavoidable the individual is also usually attributed to their parent Corps or Regiment where this applies. Not all decorations are gazetted. Those that are not gazetted are held as secure records by the Ministry of Defence. Information on un-gazetted decorations prior to a moving dateline, of about thirty years prior, are routinely transferred to the United Kingdom National Archives for public inspection, or are further held back from disclosure if any security considerations or other residual sensitivities are deemed to make this advisable. Before 2006 three officers have been recommended for the VC: two during World War II and one during the Falklands. Only one has been awarded; to Major Anders Frederick Emil Victor Schau Lassen, MC and 2 Bars, killed in Italy in 1945 when he was commanding a squadron of the Special Boat Service. His grave marker bears the badge of the Regiment because the SBS in which he served continued to wear this as their cap badge, and was considered part of the 'SAS family' even though it was a separate regiment, commanded by a Lieutenant Colonel and formed out of the Special Boat Squadron of 1 SAS. Another high ranking SAS officer to be awarded a second MC is now retired living in Wilmington, North Carolina, USA.
   In 2006 Corporal Willy Apiata New Zealand SAS was awarded a VC for his part in the 2004 rescue of his commanding officer in Afganistan and for the successful counter attack that followed.
   Following a number of high-profile book releases about the Regiment, candidates for selection are required to sign a non-disclosure agreement, in addition to their duties under the Official Secrets Act. Former members may not release details of their employment within the organisation without prior consent. Ex-members of the Regiment who wrote exposés prior to the introduction of the agreement have used pseudonyms, such as Andy McNab and Chris Ryan. Books in the genre include both non-fiction and fictional accounts based on the experiences of the author.
   The British Government has a standing policy of not discussing the SAS or its operations and makes few official announcements concerning their activities. When reports of military operations are given there's usually no mention of SAS, or other Special Forces, involvement. Since the inception of the British 'D' Notice system for the British Press during World War II any mention of the Special Air Service has been one of the cautionary or non-disclosure categories of reporting.

Insignia

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

The Cap badge is a downward pointing flaming sword worked in cloth of a Crusader shield. Designed by Corporal Robert 'Bob' Tait (subsequently Squadron Sergeant Major in both the wartime British Regiments and latterly an officer in the RAF Regiment), MM and Bar London Scottish, TA (died June 6 1975) with the motto Who Dares, Wins. It was finally approved by the first Commanding Officer, David Stirling, with the proposed wording 'Descend to Defend' or 'Strike and Destroy' disallowed, following the usual British Army practice of a competition to design a cap badge for the new unit held after the completion of Operation Crusader by the 8th Army. The sword depicted is King Arthur's Excalibur (references to it as the Sword of Damocles derive from an article originally published in the Mars and Minerva, the Regimental Journal written by a highly respected veteran of both British Regiments and the post-war re-raised Regiment. He was subsequently proved to be incorrect, but the story was picked up by the media and still gets repeated.), worked in the light and dark blue colours of the original No. 11 SAS Battalion. This was converted to a Roman pattern gladius when the design was made up by the tailors in Cairo. This badge is now sometimes incorrectly termed the winged dagger due to subsequent wartime misattribution of its significance and the mistaken reference to it as this in the book of that name by Roy Farran who served in 2 SAS.

The sand-coloured beret. When the SAS was reformed in 1947 an attempt was made to match the original sand coloured cloth beret from those still in the possession of veterans. This proved impossible to do from existing approved cloth colour stocks held by the British authorities, so, as a compromise and with no authorisation for expenditure on a new colour dye the nearest acceptable colour was selected and approved by an all ranks committee of the Regimental Association. Personnel attached to the Regiment also wear this beret but with their own badges in accordance with usual British practice.

The SAS pattern parachute wings were designed by Lieutenant Jock Lewes and based on the basic British Army design approved in 1940 but modified to reflect the Middle East origins of the new unit by the substitution of the stylised sacred Ibis wings of Isis of Egyptian iconography depicted in the décor of Shepheards Hotel in Cairo.

Battle honours

Second World War:

North Africa, 1940-43
Tobruk, 1941
Benghazi Raid, 1942
Sicily, 1943
Landing in Sicily, 1943
Termoli, 1943
Italy, 1943-45
Valli di Comacchio, 1945
Greece, 1944-45
Adriatic, 1943
Middle East, 1943-44
Normandy and North-West Europe, 1944-45

Malaya, 1951

Falkland Islands, 1982

Western Iraq, 1991

Afghanistan, 2001

Western Iraq, 2003-present day Note that these officially sanctioned honours, first published in 1957, are for actions by the original 'L' Detachment, both numbered World War II British SAS regiments as well as the Special Boat Service regiment and the present regiment. The World War II honours Benghazi Raid, 1942 and Middle East, 1943-1944 are unique to the regiment. The odd dating for North Africa, 1940-43 is due to the fact that this is an omnibus theatre honour for units serving between these dates.

Order of Precedence

The SAS is classed as an infantry regiment, and as such is shown in the infantry order of precedence. However, because of its role, it's listed 'next below' the other designations (foot guards, line infantry, rifles). The expression 'next below' is utilised in British official publications as a form of 'grace note' to avoid the connotations of first/last since, in spirit at least, no Regiment admits of the claim to being last and all are deemed equal in the scope of their service under the Crown in Parliament.
The current units are shown officially as 21st, 22nd and 23rd battalions of the Regiment but are styled 'Two-One', 'Two-Two' and 'Two-Three' and written, in short form, as 21 SAS, 22 SAS and 23 SAS. The number sequence derives from the 1944 re-formation of the regiments as a component, second-battalion, Regiment of the Army Air Corps which then consisted of three Regiments: The Glider Pilot Regiment (Only ever of three battalions), Parachute Regiment (Of many battalions, sequentially numbered from 1 upwards, with a separate sequence of numbers from 100 for battalions raised outside the United Kingdom) and SAS. 1 SAS was re-raised as 3 SAS, a decision subsequently rescinded by the War Office, giving 1st and 2nd battalions, Special Air Service Regiment, Army Air Corps. On re-formation it was appreciated that 3 SAS, 4 SAS and 5 SAS had been used to designate the French and Belgian regiments and that combining 1 and 2 as 'Twelve' or 'Twelfth' gave a hard-to-pronounce name and would automatically give the number 13 to the next raised unit so the identity proposed by the Regimental Association and actually adopted was 'Twenty-One', for example, the numbers of the British units, reversed.

Alliances

- Special Air Service Regiment

- New Zealand Special Air Service

Other Special Forces inspired by the SAS

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

- Delta Force

- Special Duties Unit

- Kopassus

- Grup Gerak Khas

- Pasukan Gerakan Khas

- 'C' Squadron 22 SAS

- GSG-9

- Kommando Spezialkräfte (KSK)

- Sayeret Matkal (Hebrew: סיירת מטכ"ל)

Former members

Notable SAS veterans include:

Maj James 'Gentleman Jim' Almonds, MM and Bar

Michael Asher - Author, Historian & Explorer

Sir Peter de la Billière

Charles Bruce - Author

Mike Coburn - Author

Rev Frank Collins - Author

Tim Collins - Author

Ken Connor - Author

Bob Consiglio MM

Maj Gen Anthony John Deane-Drummond

Sir Cedric Delves KBE DSO

Ranulph Fiennes - Adventurer

Ben Griffin - Anti War On Terror speaker.

Bear Grylls - Author, TV presenter, Adventurer

Colin Berry - Author

Terry Forrestal - stuntman and stunt coordinator

Ken Hames - Television presenter

Capt Gavin Hamilton MC

John Hawkins DCM

Robin Horsfall - Author

Johnny 'Two Combs' Howard - Author

Gaz Hunter - Author

Talaiasi 'Laba' Labalaba BEM, MID

Steven 'Legs' Lane MM

John McAleese MM - TV presenter

Peter McAleese - Mercenary, Author

Tom McClean - Atlantic Rower

Cpt. Jack Hendy - CRW Expert (1987-2001)

Dr. Mal McGowan

Sgt Andy McNab DCM MM - Author

Simon Mann - Mercenary, Equatorial Guinea

Lt Col Robert Blair 'Paddy' Mayne, DSO*** - British and Irish Lions Rugby Union player

Alastair Morrison OBE MC - Counter-terrorism expert

Thomas Palmer MM QGM

Sgt Vincent Phillips

Maj Peter Ratcliffs DCM MID - Author

Michael Reeves GM

Lt Col Ronald Reid-Daly - Selous Scouts founder

Gen Sir Michael Rose DSO QGM MID CBE

Chris Ryan MM - Author

Will Scully QGM - Actor

Sgt Al Slater MM

Eddie Stone - TV presenter

Capt Herbert Westmacott MC

John "Lofty" Wiseman - Survival expertFurther Information

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