The Special Air Service
Introduction
Since its birth at Kabrit in 1941, the Special AirService has consistently captured the imaginationof the military and public alike by the daring andunconventional nature of its operations. Over aperiod of 40 years the SAS has found itself in manydifferent theatres of operation, fulfilling manydifferent rôles. Like every other special militaryforce throughout the world, it has been chargedwith being an 'army within an army', on thegrounds of its methods of selection and trainingand its diversity of skills. The very evident needfor such a force would seem to be a completeanswer to this charge.Though its personnel have normally beendrawn initially from other units, an SAS regimenthas its own distinctive traditions, dress, methodsand equipment. The nature of the tasks and themethods peculiar to the SAS have made it difficultto standardise items of equipment. Apart fromissues common to the British Army as a whole, SASpersonnel have need of, and access to, variousspecialised 'pieces of kit': often SAS innovationscreated to meet specific needs. Obvious examplesare the 'Lewis bomb' devised by 'L' Detachmentin 1941 to meet the needs of their rôle as saboteurs;and the 'stun-grenade' devised by 22 SAS for usein the anti-terrorist rôle nearly four decades later.It has not been possible in all cases to identify thesources of certain items of equipment. In many-cases those described or illustrated in this book are of individual choice; their inclusion hereshould not be taken as meaning that they havebeen used by, or are available to, every member of the SAS.Finally, because of the nature of the SAS task, ithas not been possible to give 'in-depth' coverageto certain aspects of operations, organization andequipment; and for the same reason it has at timesbeen necessary to refrain from naming individuals.Since the end of the Second World Warmembers of the SAS have seen service in over 30different theatres of war and conflict; and since1950 they have seen continuous action, except fora short period from 1960 to 1963.
Origins
The Special Air Service grew from the Commandomovement, the philosophy of carrying the war tothe enemy, which itself grew out of the defensiverut into which British military thinking slipped inthe aftermath of Dunkirk. The man who lifted itfrom that rut was a General Staff officer, Lt. Col.Dudley Clarke. In Palestine in 1936 Clarke hadseen how small hit-and-run units could tie downan entire army while inflicting damage anddemoralising the troops.In June 1940 Clarke prepared a memo for Sir
Rare photo of an early member of 'L' Detachment, SAS Bde.in Egypt, 1941; the SAS badge is sewn at a slant to the khakiField Service Cap. (Imperial War Museum)
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