Nigel McCrery - The Complete History of the SAS: The Worlds Most Feared Elite Fighting Force

THE COMPLETE
HISTORY
OF THE

SAS

Published in 2021 by Welbeck

An Imprint of Welbeck Non-Fiction Limited, part of Welbeck Publishing Group

20 Mortimer Street London W1T 3JW

Text 2003, 2007, 2021 Nigel McCrery

Foreword on page 7 2021 Andy McNab

Design 2021 Welbeck Non-fiction Limited

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronically, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the copyright owners and the publishers.

A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

ISBN 978 1 78739 687 6
US EPUB ISBN 978 1 80279 066 5

Printed in the UK by CPI Mackays, Chatham, ME5 8TD

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Some of the material in this book previously appeared in
The Complete History of the SAS, Carlton Books, 2007

For remaining upbeat and cheerful despite going
through so much. You have my complete admiration.

AND FOR

DEB, CLARE and LAURA

Who always stand by his side.

Thanks to:

Pete Winner (Soldier I)

John Geddes

Amy Scholey

Lynne Scholey

Roland Hall (Editor)

Odette Price

List of Illustrations

SAS Victoria Cross awards
Major Anders Lassen, Corporal Ben Roberts-Smith, Corporal Mark Donaldson, Corporal Bill Willie Apiata.

PREFACE

T HE BRITISH SAS is a household name, not only in the United Kingdom but throughout the world. Ever since black-clad figures suddenly appeared on television screens during the Iranian Embassy siege in 1980, the Regiment has become legendary. For some, that was the first they had heard of the SAS. For others, it was the first time they had seen the soldiers they had heard so much about in action. It was an action that changed the face of modern reporting, changed the face of modern policing and changed the way that anti-terrorist organizations work around the world. This is the story of the SAS...

Barry Davies, B.E.M.

FOREWORD

H UNDREDS OF BOOKS have been written about the Special Air Service Regiment in its 80-year history, from the time of the Originals, the very first band of SAS operators, selected by its founder David Stirling in 1941 to attack General Erwin Rommels Afrika Korps, right up to the post 9/11 wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. And as a lot of the books have shown, special forces operations have never been a science; in fact, the very first operation conducted by the Originals was a failure.

There are too many unknowns. Once in the battlespace, the kit could suddenly no longer work, the intelligence might be wrong, the enemy will never react in the way you expect them to. The Regiments official motto is Who Dares Wins, but it could just as well be Check and Test.

But no matter what the battlespace has thrown at the Regiment throughout history, the professionalism of its Bayonets the soldiers in the SAS Sabre squadrons has never diminished.

The reason is simple. Our founder, David Stirling, was determined to build a unit of dedicated men capable of self-discipline and outstanding ability. He is quoted as saying, We believe, as did the ancient Greeks who originated the word aristocracy, that every man with the right attitude and talents, regardless of birth and riches, has a capacity in his own lifetime of reaching that status in its true sense. In fact, in our SAS context, an individual soldier might prefer to go on serving as an NCO rather than leave the Regiment in order to obtain an officers commission. All ranks in the SAS are of one company in which a sense of class is both alien and ludicrous.

This ethos remains within the Regiment today, and that is why people like me give up the rank and privileges they have earned in their own units to restart their military career as SAS troopers. I would call that more than 80 years of true social mobility.

David Stirlings gold standard ensures that there is no difference between the Originals in 1941, those who stormed the Iranian embassy in London in 1980, or the Bayonets who are fighting in the Sabre squadrons today. All troopers are still chosen because they fulfil Stirlings three requirements of dedication, self-disciple and ability.

But who are these people who volunteer to attempt selection, knowing that the vast majority of candidates never even make it past the first few weeks of the seven-month process?

Volunteers come from all three UK services and their reserves, as well as personnel from many other countries, notably Australia and New Zealand. The wider the range of expertise and experience, the more effective the Regiment will be in the fight.

The first month of selection consists of the volunteer putting a bergen (rucksack) on their back, a rifle in their hands and tabbing (TAB: Tactical Advance to Battle) anything up to 38 miles over the peaks of the Welsh Black Mountains and Brecon Beacons. During this first phase, the directing staff dont even want to know who the volunteers are. Known only by a colour and number, each candidate tabs with no idea of the distance they will have to cover, nor the time allowed for covering the distance. This isnt just a fitness test: its about dedication. No matter the distance, the terrain or the weather conditions, a determined volunteer pushes his or her body to the limits and tabs as quickly as they can, every single day.

My intake initially consisted of 220 volunteers. By the end of this first phase, there were 24 of us left.

The remaining six months of selection are dedicated to evaluating Stirlings other two gold standards: self-discipline and ability.

Living tactically for a month as an SAS patrol in the rainforest, volunteers learn how to live in an alien environment while conducting special forces operations. The pressure to perform is intense, but volunteers are never told how good or bad their performance is while under the canopy. To add to the pressure, live ammunition is used. There have been casualties during the jungle phase. But it is about much more than just assessing how good you are at operating in rainforests. Its about the amount of self-discipline you can muster while working as a small group. You have to prove that not only are you at the top of your game, but youre also helping others to be at the top of theirs, to ensure the patrol is as efficient as it can possibly be.

At the end of the jungle phase, the directing staff are asked a simple question: Would you have this volunteer in your patrol? Its critical; when the instructors go back to their squadrons, a volunteer who passes may well be in their patrol. Only if the majority of instructors say yes, has that candidate passed the jungle phase. One volunteer in my intake failed for not helping others to learn Morse code when they needed to. As an experienced Morse operator, he should have been helping his fellow patrol members learn his skill without being asked to. Of the 24 who went to the jungle, eight passed and all were eventually badged. But this isnt always the case. There have been occasions where an entire selection has failed and been RTUd (Returned To Unit) because the gold standard hadnt been reached.

The general perception of an SAS trooper is that they have come from the infantry, but many also come from the corps: engineers, logistics, mechanics and other technical trades from the three services. These volunteers make the grade not just because they have the required determination and self-discipline, but also because they have the required level of ability. That ability enables them to learn quickly and adapt to any situation. I remember a Royal Marine corporal doing extremely well during his two weeks weapon training phase. As you would expect, he was incredibly capable when it came to using weapons he was familiar with as a Marine he had been using them every day of his career. Alongside him was a tank mechanic from the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (REME). Unsurprisingly, the mechanic struggled when using these same weapon systems. His trade was all about spanners. Of course, the Royal Marine looked to be far more proficient at weapon skills when standing next to the mechanic completing the tasks, but his ability quickly diminished when the pair moved on to different weapon systems used by the Regiment, ones with which neither one of them was familiar. The Marine was RTUd due to his lack of ability to learn and adapt easily, whereas the mechanic passed the module having mastered all weapon systems. It isnt about what you know, its about being able to learn what you dont.