Just released in the UK, a series called SAS Rogue Heroes. It covers those attacks. Also Mike Sadler is still alive. He's the last remaining survivor of the original SAS.
I've just watched the full six episodes of the BBC series: SAS Rogue Heroes - well worth a watch. It's really well done - apparently it's the highest budget TV series the BBC have ever made.
I used to occasionally drink (a good few years ago) with an old boy who was LRDG. He told a story that he was was with his officer doing recce when they spotted a number of Luftwaffe aircraft parked up in neat little rows on a make shift airstrip. His officer decided that they couldn't miss the opportunity so the team did a similar drive through shoot up damaging most of the aircraft. In his words " What we didn't expect was the large contingent of infantry (Afrika Korps) at a nearby encampment, those buggers chased us for near on 7 days". He was a humble guy now sadly passed who saw action in North africa and Normandy and on through France.
He took them to the next level, like Stirling he led from the front apparently a former Rugby Union International for Ireland, brought up tough a stayed that way.
The man "Paddy" Mayne fired a bren from the shoulder during an ambush in France when a patrols camp was compromised. He was a leader always from the front.
Brilliant tv series.. The vickers machine guns mentioned were made by Vickers shipbuilding were i used to work in Barrow in Furness. vickers was a private owned ship building yard now owned by BAE. and make the nuclear subs.Barnes Wallis inventer of the bouncing bomb also worked in the yard.
Paddy Mane was born in N Ireland there is a statue of him in Newtownards Co.Down.He was an Irish international rugby player. After the war he was a solicitor but found it hard to adjust.He drank heavily and was killed in a car accident.
In case you weren’t aware the Lewes bomb was named after its inventor - Jock Lewes. Who was mortally wounded when returning from a raid. He was buried in the desert but without a grave marker.
The world knows what it takes to be a Seal, (courageous as f*CK) the world has no idea what it takes to be SAS...... Something that these guys are the best of the best and should be feared by all!!
those free french men in the sas would become the french army special forces. today the unit is known as the 1st marine infantry paratroopers regiment (1er RPIMa) and it is nick named the french sas to pay tribute to those french dude who fought along side the brits
As far as raid teams go in the 80's the U.S. Army Rangers had jeeps and bikes for swift raids and quick blocking positions. The jeeps were equipped with 2 M-60s machine guns one on top pintal mounted and a swing arm for the TC. Multiple mines (AT& Claymore) in boxes on the front fenders. 10 LAW rockets in racks on the back seat. A 90 MM M-67 recoiless gun in a box attached over where the back tailgate would normally be driver TC gunner and 2-3 dismounts sitting on the box hanging on as best they could. Two to a team plus bikes to screen in-between positions of teams or as scouts for targeting raids. Bikes were modified 250 dirt bikes. With law rockets strapped across behind the seat on a rack and a M-16 M203 strapped against the forks.
My grandad was part of them attacks, I know very little of his time in Africa, I know he was there for 3 nearly 4 years, he only ever told us little bits, and a lot was top secret for a lot of years. He was a very high up in engineering in sivvy street, so when war broke out he was taken to make these ideas work. I think because we were young he didnt want to tell us any of the horrors of war, plus I think he wanted to forget a lot himself. That was a great video to see the things that they came up with and how they would do raid`s.
Well noted. The author was Virginia Cowles. She related how the SAS was conceived, established. Including how, when they were created, they had no equipment. So, they "stole" heaps of equipment (tents etc) from other British and New Zealand bases! Including a piano for their entertainment room. How they went from being parachuted behind enemy lines which was their original intention and why they were called Special Air Service (as paratroopers) to being assisted by LRDG with land delivery. Then their move to create their own transport with the jeeps. Then covered many of their raids. Also things like David Sterling's capture, escapes, recapture and final imprisonment in Coldix castle. Also weird crazy sessions where the SAS just drove down major roads at night with German troops and trucks parked just off the road, sleeping. Then shooting them up, as per the airstrip situations. Or, the stopping of convoys of German transport trucks to "check papers" then attaching bombs with timers on them on their fuel tanks to explode. It's why Hitler personally stated that any captured SAS solders would be shot as spies. How do I know all this: well, from the books but also, my father was in the SAS. We never believed half the stories he told when we were young. Until the same stories started coming out in other books. Cheers.
When you invent new tactics ... SAS Major : "Sir, I'm going to bolt machine guns onto jeeps, drive 200 miles across the desert and mess up that airfield" Area Commander : "Say what now?"
Check out "The Rats of Tobruk" (its a real thing and a great movie!) for North Africa war heroics.. The Rats of Tobruk were soldiers of the Australian-led Allied garrison that held the Libyan port of Tobruk against the Afrika Corps, during the Siege of Tobruk in World War II. The siege started on 11 April 1941 and was relieved on 10 December. A 242 day siege that ended with Rommels retreat..
At a meeting of Allied top brass, a senior British army officer said that he believed the SAS (or a representative thereof) should be awarded the DFC (Distinguished Flying Cross). An RAF officer was outraged at the idea that any army personnel should be thus recognised. It was pointed out that the SAS had destroyed more planes in the theatre than the RAF. No DFC was recommended or awarded. But the point was made...
DFC’s have always been awarded to army and naval officers as each arm as there own aviation wing (the RAF was formed from the royal flying corps them soldiers also won lot’s of DFC’s) but it’s awarded to pilots and in some cases flight engineer’s re WW2 heavy bombers only had one pilot if he died the engineer had to try and land the plane
Painting jeeps pink doesn't sound like it should work, but if you've ever seen one in the environment it actually does surprisingly well, for a single colour paint job.
I very much recommend Damien Lewis' SAS Ghost Patrol, I listened to the audiobook version and the story is beyond belief. The SF infiltration of occupied Tobruk with SAS, LRDG and the SIG (Special Interrogation Group, if you thought the SAS were badass these were the guys who smuggled them in pretending to be german soldiers) and they had to cover 2000 miles of the desert just to get there. Why there isn't a hollywood blockbuster about this i have no idea but you need to learn about this mission.
In one of the raids, the SAS sneaked in to a barrack in a German aerodrome. One of the troopers rolled in a few grenades and muttered: share it amongst yourselves, slipped away before the grenades detonated.
phoney major ..is a very interesting book shows the real bad ass and how so underrated paddy main was and how Sterling wasnt all he was given credit for
Looking into that generation, not only the SAS but all the Allied armed forces just fills me with pride, awe, gratitude and a real admiration! I know the worlds a lot different now but thanks to those brave and amazing souls we have a world where we can still protect our freedom and enjoy so much. We are so lucky thanks to them.
during world war II a high ranking official in the Luftwaffe was asked what he needed to win the campaign. he said spitfires! when Rommel was asked what he needed to win the desert campaign he said, a few platoons of S.A.S. when the lead up to D-Day was being planned a British general was quoted as having said this would all be so much easier if there were more ANZAC's!
The Vickers K, or Vickers Gas Operated(VGO) was a machine gun that was put on flexible mounts on RAF aircraft. They were being phased out in favour of the Browning in the RAF, so they were just stockpiled in warehouses, apparently, just for the taking:). Their role as aircraft machine guns was why they had such high rate of fire(1200 rpm). At this time(1942), there were no Panzerfausts or Panzerschrecks in use.
They had to do everything for themselves, if for no other reason than to appease the doubting brass. The military wouldn't even let them use the parachute training school Ringway, which is now Manchester Airport. So they trained themselves by jumping off the back of moving trucks. All the training programs were created by Jock Lewes, as mentioned elsewhere in the comments, he invented the Lewes bomb. Their first base at Kabrit was little more than a flat bit of desert, so they 'raided' a nearby ANZAC base for tents etc... one guy even nicked a piano. I haven't read all the comments, maybe someone else has said it, but Paddy Mayne, on one raid, became so enraged that he'd run out of bombs. There was one aircraft left untouched, so he jumped into the cockpit and ripped the control column out. I used to love reading about this stuff, partly inspired me to join the army, that and my grandad who served under 'Mad Mike' Calvert in Burma.
As you know perfection is the calling card of a special forces operator.those guys were nuts attacking twice it must have taken some balls but im sure that they loved every second of it 😂
my uncle was LRDG they were the inspiration for the SAS and british special forces in general . in fact it was the LRDG who transported and navigated for the SAS during these raids
@Glyn Harbinson your correct in so far as they later learned from the LRDG (in fact many LRDG became SAS) the parachute jump they initially tried was a disaster with many fatalities ,so they adopted the model used by the LRDG ( inspiration was probably the wrong word) . as for Paddy Mayne i totally agree the man is a legend.
When I was watching your older videos on the SAS this is the one i was gonna recommend you watch but then i saw some with the operations room and thought you'd find it yourself lol so glad its here
i recommend the battle of Mirbat.. considered the most significant military intervention post ww2. 12 men hold off 700 rebels, indirectly preventing the Russians taking access to the Suez. The SAS Rorke's Drift
Jeeps attack at 2 mph ! Not what you would expect. I read on one raid , one of the SAS . Found in the dark a nice brand new ME109 in a hanger. Preparing a Lewes bomb he saw a movement on the other side of the aircraft . Only to discover Paddy Mayne who promptly told him to buzz off and go and find his own 109 !
You definitely should check out SAS: Ghost Patrol. This vid is good but there's so much more to it, even these assaults. The prepping, the trek... It's amazing.
The SAS were formed in 1941 in North Africa for hit and run raids, there was also Popski’s Private Army also operating in North Africa. The SAS also operated in France. The desert was mapped before The Second World War.
The desert was mapped long before WW2 and before WW1 Kitchener had done the Sudan campaign and they had built the Suez Canal plus lot’s of archeology done in the area the most famous one being Col T E Lawrence (better known as Lawrence of Arabia)
The N Africa campaign was where Sterling created the SAS, (LRDG originally). The story of how they had to test different cars due to sand etc determined what equipment they could take, which determined so much more about the unit is a brilliant one and well worth reading.
The SAS and the LRDG were two separate organisations. One did not for. Out of the other. The LRDG was formed after having several name changes. The SAS formed in 1941 as a parachute force that would be recovered by the LRDG after their operations. This changed after the failed first operation. They were then taken in and back out by the LRDG until they aquired their own transport and then the two units worked independently but together on occasions.
Yeah the LRDG and SAS aren't the same, on the first raid the SAS parachuted in and was being taken out by the LRDG, the jump was a complete failure so they decided to just drive in instead with the LRDG 😊
37 planes for the loss of only two lives, That is a massive success. not to mention the psychological toll it would take on the defenders plus them having to now pull back more front-line troops to protect the airfields. you can see why it was such a great idea, and yet top brass still didnt like it and still thought it a waste of resources and not "british"
Recommend getting a book on paddy mayne should have got the victoria cross even the king said he should have got it he was a legend in the sas there is a statue of him in newtownards northern ireland where he came from
After Greece fell to the Germans in April 1941 and Crete in May 1941, The Hellenic Navy, Air Force and many Army personnel fled to Egypt were they reformed. The NAVY ships joined the British Mediterranean Fleet, The Air Force formed two Fighter and one Light Bomber squadrons equipped with British planes and the Army formed an infantry Brigade. However because there were far too many army officers available, a special company size unit was formed, maned exclusively by officers willing to fight as privates. This was called Sacred Band (squadron). This unit under the command of Col. Tsigandes became a long range reconnaissance and raiding force under the Free French division of general Leclerc. Later, they joined the British SAS under Col. Sterling and after receiving parachute training, they also fought in the occupied by the Germans Aegean Islands, during the Battle of the Dodecanese (in 1943 after Italy's capitulation, the Germans took over from the Italians). ua-cam.com/video/YZ2mib4vaYg/v-deo.html These are videos of the Sacred Band in North Africa: ua-cam.com/video/_6-4X10I3EI/v-deo.html ua-cam.com/video/h6mwLCPHLH8/v-deo.html (The guy with the beard and the glasses is Col. Tsigandes, the CO of the unit) After WW2 this unit was disbanded and it's personnel formed the basis of the modern day Greek SOFs. This is a video with pictures from the Greek Forces in exile. ua-cam.com/video/TObKx4jsHsI/v-deo.html This might be of interest as well. It involves Greek-American WW2 commandos. ua-cam.com/video/_ADAplXTwXk/v-deo.html
The original Tier 1 operators😅👌 An FOB behind enemy lines is kind of a mad thing. I only found this out today these vehicles were pink. Apparently it blends in nicely with the desert at dusk and dawn far better than yellow.
Each jeep had practically a spitfires (early model) worth of guns bolted on. Just process the shock and awe effect those jeeps had driving through your airfield and destroying everything. Utterly devastating.
When you look at how big the lybyian desert is they did a very good job. I was posted in lybya for over three years and I went over allmost all of it. In armoured vehicles and trucks.
The Vickers K was an aircraft flexmount/turret gun, it was aircooled and had a high rate of fire to enable it to hit fast moving enemy aircraft, it was largely considered obsolete by this point of the war which is why it was sitting in an warehouse to be liberated by the SAS
Also it was a magazine fed rather than belt fed. The pan type magazine's held either 60 or 100 rounds of ammunition. Later changed for the belt fed Browning machine guns in either 30 or 50 calibre.
I don't think it showed it on your vid but on one raid, Paddy Main ran onto the airfield and attacked a plane with his hands (he may have used a hammer too, not sure) but the contravercial bit today is about Paddy again, bursting into the officers mess and shooting all of the pilots dead). Pilots were a lot harder to replace and took a lot longer to get ready.....and...... they were Ruperts. There's actually a modern debate, was Paddy Main a psychopath. His grandson did something a bit similar, raising an airfield with the SAS (could have been the Falklands, not 100% sure)
Night firing GPMG SF is awesome, tracer rounds flying around in strange arcs just as described. I love your reactions to these, and I especially love your respect 🫡
No the jeeps were painted pink and were nicknamed The Pink Panthers. But originally the LRDG ( Long Range Desert Group) who"s role was long range reconnaissance ,were used to transport them close to the target
New BBC TV series SAS Rogue Heroes is loosely based on these missions. Gives another angle of the how the SAS were developed and the crazy nature of their mindset and missions.
You need to get hold of the book "One of the originals" by Johnny Cooper, you wont regret it. They made it up as they went along and were amazing. Johnny Cooper joined as a private at 18 and ended up a Major.
The Phantom Major by Virginia Cowles was the first I'd heard of the SAS. There were at least 2 irregular type formations in the Eastern Mediterranean at the time. Popski's Private Army and Layforce led by a Brigadier Laycock, of which, I think, Sterling was part of. Both came to nothing. There was a lot of resistance from the heads of the major formations in the area and Lt. Sterling struggled to overcome it. He eventually met a General who gave him some leeway, but no funds. He recruited his own men and took on the persona of a fictitious Special Air Service regiment designed to make POWs and spies think there was a para brigade in the area. They stole most of the equipment they needed, including tents, furniture and even a piano from an Australian regiment that was away training. The Lewes bombs were made by Jock Lewes, a member of the Detachment, their tactics were their own and they ended up destroying more Axis planes than the RAF. Sterling was made a Colonel and ended the war a prisoner in Colditz.
I saw a documentary on Paddy Mayne and the birth of the SAS in Africa...I remember an interview with one of the surviving members telling that often they would stumble across german camps during the night and they would drive into them and open fire and that he felt sorry for the germans that he shot as they emerged from their tents half asleep...I think that attacking elements deep into german territory forced them to remove soldiers from the front line and protect their bases further back...It also made the germans aware that they could be attacked anywhere and not just on the front line...That would have an effect on moral
The British General Staff back in England originally wanted nothing to do with the SAS (originally known as Long Range Desert Group), thinking their tactics were cowardly, attacking an enemy from the shadows and not man to man, they soon changed their tune once they heard of the daring raids they were pulling off in the desert. But yeah they basically had to steal weapons, jeeps, explosives and everything else because the army didn't think they would make a difference out in the field.
There’s a 6 episode series on the BBC iPlayer called SAS Rogue Hero’s. It’s drama based on the SAS, where the name came from and what it was before it became a maned regiment. It also has some really good actors in it.
The sas was formed out of the long range desert group. They used camels and trucks for sabotage missions. Led by david stirling. Against rommels afrika corps. In 1941 it was renamed the sas. Commando existed in the boer wor of 1912 and used by the dutch in south africa against english setlers.
The LRDG ( Long Range Desert Group ) and the SAS carried out raids that could be 100s of miles behind enemy lines. The Vickers K machine gun was designed as an aircraft gun.
A note on the vikers k. It's an aircraft weapon. Unfortunately it is air cooled and overheats and jams after three reloads. Devastating but very prone to jams at sea level and in a desert.
@@johncheetham4607 very. A kind & lovely grandad/man. Mind you, we his family knew, that to be a Commando & SAS soldier he was one tough cookie. As he said to me none of them wanted to be RTU'd. They believed they were the best.
You should read Colonel Paddy It should still be in print Blair Mayne was truuly bad ass and never got the recognition his heroism deserved.He still won the dso and 5 bars -six awards when he should have got the VC.He was from about 30miles from me
There's a great book about an SAS operation called the nemesis file, I know it's a book, but not sure if there's a documentary about it, but it's a fascinating read if you can find it, pretty disturbing what they had to do, oh it's in northern Ireland during the 70s and early 80s.
Just to let you no Jarhead their was a good royal marine documentary on BBC last night hope u get it ,I'm X para so I don't see them as anything other than navy infantry not airborne skygods ,David Stirling was Scottish as is most hard folk in the sas and paras and marines it's like the paras in Afghanistan pathfinders doing shoot n scoot missions
You might want to check out a series called "rogue warriors" its a 3 part series, but only part 2 is available on you tube but its still worth watching.
Several groups operated in the desert. The Long Range Desert Group was first, the experts in desert navigation and inventors of the sun compass. Popski's Private Army (I kid you not) came next, then the SAS. The 'Special Interrogation Group' was a team of native German speakers who dressed in German uniforms to operate behind the lines - this had betrayal problems at the start. I guess the Falklands War was the last time that these commando style raids by the SAS/SBS took place. Check out Christopher Lee's military history, he was in most of these units.
When Otto Skortzeny was prosecuted after WW2 the most important charge was operating in enemy uniform, his defence lawyer (an American) called up the British war hero Yeo Thomas who testified that the allies wore German uniforms as a matter of course and Skortzeny was spared the death penalty, thought you might appreciate the history bud
@@urizen7613 Have you read 'Warriors on wheels'? It's a brilliant book, really well written and tells the story of PPA from the point the author joins them. His name was Park (known as Bob) Yunnie. It's a must-read, I read mine so often it literally fell apart.
Yes.. Stirling put forward the idea of using a small ground force with the simple principle that if it can destroy 50 enemy aircraft the this would have a disproportionate effect on the conflict... this evolved further into recon ambush etc.. the Germans and Italians ended up tying down regiments of men to guard against this making the result very marked ....
The jeeps were stolen from the Americans. They had been sent to the desert for evaluation. The SAS simply acquired them and modified them for purpose. Safe to they they evaluated them and found them effective for the terrain.
The Americans weren’t part of the 8th army and only arrived in North Africa in November 1942 four months after the jeep raid on bagush and 2 other airfields so how did they acquire them form the Americans? Just curious no disrespect inferred
A little jeep trivia... The SAS liked the jeeps, but their engines overheated in the North African desert, so in typical SAS fashion they simply cut out most of the famous bar grill in front of the radiator to fix the problem! (Some of the photos in this video show this clearly).
The thing is that since air warfare was relatively new most air bases by logic were kept as far from the front lines as possible to ensure maximum safety for their planes and their vital fuel, and since the construction of an airbase was very taxing and hard work, as well as the valuable aircraft being used, most airbases were a heavy investment and so again were kept as far back as possible and since mobile warfare to that level was never heard off as of recently and with such speed, most airbases were designed for a more anti infantry and anti aircraft style of defense since the only way to attack an airbase was via stealth infantry teams or by aircraft vs a bunch of jeeps fitted with two heavy machine guns and two anti aircraft guns nicked off a bomber
The desert is literally a sea of sand.. vast in scale.. your force .. with enough water and fuel etc.. can just navigate with sextants and compasses ... and suddenly turn up ... then dissappear into the sea again.... during the day they would often lay up with nets etc set up to try and avoid recon aircraft... the other main threat being patrols of armoured cars and suchlike..
Great video as usual 👌 👍, if you can find it there is a 4 part series on BBC at the moment called ' Commando : Britain's Ocean Warriors' which I think will be right up your street as a Marine yourself
Theirs a doc about the birth of the sas on the bbc. Interviews with sterling and some the others. Top brass never wanted the sas because it didn’t seem the British thing to do.
![Lp. Сердце Вселенной #60 РОЖДЕНИЕ ЛОЛОЛОШКИ [Финал] • Майнкрафт](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/YoR0pAV9FVQ/mqdefault.jpg)
Paddy Maine was the most decorated soldier in the British army. It was robbery that they wouldn't give him the VC.
Just released in the UK, a series called SAS Rogue Heroes. It covers those attacks. Also Mike Sadler is still alive. He's the last remaining survivor of the original SAS.
I've just watched the full six episodes of the BBC series: SAS Rogue Heroes - well worth a watch. It's really well done - apparently it's the highest budget TV series the BBC have ever made.
It sticks quite faithfully to Ben McIntyre's book too.
Quite good indeed!
Yep that's be an excellent watchalong come reaction....
Nice one x
Robert Blair Mayne an Ulsterman and a hero.
I used to occasionally drink (a good few years ago) with an old boy who was LRDG. He told a story that he was was with his officer doing recce when they spotted a number of Luftwaffe aircraft parked up in neat little rows on a make shift airstrip. His officer decided that they couldn't miss the opportunity so the team did a similar drive through shoot up damaging most of the aircraft.
In his words " What we didn't expect was the large contingent of infantry (Afrika Korps) at a nearby encampment, those buggers chased us for near on 7 days". He was a humble guy now sadly passed who saw action in North africa and Normandy and on through France.
My Grandfather was LRDG G patrol North Africa captured December 41 R.I.P Mac.
God bless them all.
You need to do a reaction to Blair Paddy Mayne. SAS legend.
He took them to the next level, like Stirling he led from the front apparently a former Rugby Union International for Ireland, brought up tough a stayed that way.
He should have had a VC he was one of my all time heroes a living legend among giant’s of the greatest generation
Mayne was amazing.
The man "Paddy" Mayne fired a bren from the shoulder during an ambush in France when a patrols camp was compromised. He was a leader always from the front.
Paddy loved to kill,he was warned to calm down with his violence!
Brilliant tv series.. The vickers machine guns mentioned were made by Vickers shipbuilding were i used to work in Barrow in Furness. vickers was a private owned ship building yard now owned by BAE. and make the nuclear subs.Barnes Wallis inventer of the bouncing bomb also worked in the yard.
Paddy Mane was born in N Ireland there is a statue of him in Newtownards Co.Down.He was an Irish international rugby player. After the war he was a solicitor but found it hard to adjust.He drank heavily and was killed in a car accident.
In case you weren’t aware the Lewes bomb was named after its inventor - Jock Lewes. Who was mortally wounded when returning from a raid. He was buried in the desert but without a grave marker.
The sticky bomb in saving private ryan looks like the same thing
One of the taglines from SAS Rogue Heroes is "the most unbelievable stories are the most likely to be true!"
Good vid mate. Watch "SAS Rogue Warriors" (it charts the beginnings of the SAS and their work in WW2) It's excellent.
@N S Yapp that book is really great .
A good honest answer with no bullshit!! 👍
The world knows what it takes to be a Seal, (courageous as f*CK) the world has no idea what it takes to be SAS...... Something that these guys are the best of the best and should be feared by all!!
It's so good👍🏿
the long range desert group was the origin of the SAS . Stirilng and Paddy Mayne .
those free french men in the sas would become the french army special forces.
today the unit is known as the 1st marine infantry paratroopers regiment (1er RPIMa) and it is nick named the french sas to pay tribute to those french dude who fought along side the brits
1erRPIMa also shares the Winged Dagger Insignia and "Who Dares Wins" motto of the SAS
As far as raid teams go in the 80's the U.S. Army Rangers had jeeps and bikes for swift raids and quick blocking positions. The jeeps were equipped with 2 M-60s machine guns one on top pintal mounted and a swing arm for the TC. Multiple mines (AT& Claymore) in boxes on the front fenders. 10 LAW rockets in racks on the back seat. A 90 MM M-67 recoiless gun in a box attached over where the back tailgate would normally be driver TC gunner and 2-3 dismounts sitting on the box hanging on as best they could. Two to a team plus bikes to screen in-between positions of teams or as scouts for targeting raids. Bikes were modified 250 dirt bikes. With law rockets strapped across behind the seat on a rack and a M-16 M203 strapped against the forks.
My grandad was part of them attacks, I know very little of his time in Africa, I know he was there for 3 nearly 4 years, he only ever told us little bits, and a lot was top secret for a lot of years. He was a very high up in engineering in sivvy street, so when war broke out he was taken to make these ideas work. I think because we were young he didnt want to tell us any of the horrors of war, plus I think he wanted to forget a lot himself. That was a great video to see the things that they came up with and how they would do raid`s.
My Grandad was at Dunkirk, he was severely shellshocked. He never spoke about the war.
@@Zooumberg God bless your Grandfather, I pray his soul is at rest with God. Thankyou for his service. 'They liveth for evermore ' xxx
@@serenityflies1462 Thank you for that. I'll think of those words when I visit his grave on Sunday.
Paddy Manes a true legend up there with Sterling
The Phantom Major by Virginia Cowles tells the story of the SAS from inception upto Stirlings capture, it's an old book but worth finding if you can.
There is a book called 'The Phantom Major' - it's the story of Major Stirling & the beginnings of the SAS
Well noted. The author was Virginia Cowles. She related how the SAS was conceived, established. Including how, when they were created, they had no equipment. So, they "stole" heaps of equipment (tents etc) from other British and New Zealand bases! Including a piano for their entertainment room. How they went from being parachuted behind enemy lines which was their original intention and why they were called Special Air Service (as paratroopers) to being assisted by LRDG with land delivery. Then their move to create their own transport with the jeeps. Then covered many of their raids. Also things like David Sterling's capture, escapes, recapture and final imprisonment in Coldix castle.
Also weird crazy sessions where the SAS just drove down major roads at night with German troops and trucks parked just off the road, sleeping. Then shooting them up, as per the airstrip situations. Or, the stopping of convoys of German transport trucks to "check papers" then attaching bombs with timers on them on their fuel tanks to explode.
It's why Hitler personally stated that any captured SAS solders would be shot as spies.
How do I know all this: well, from the books but also, my father was in the SAS. We never believed half the stories he told when we were young. Until the same stories started coming out in other books. Cheers.
When you invent new tactics ...
SAS Major : "Sir, I'm going to bolt machine guns onto jeeps, drive 200 miles across the desert and mess up that airfield"
Area Commander : "Say what now?"
More likely to reply
O K. just get on with it and stay safe. Let me know when you get back, how it went.
Check out "The Rats of Tobruk" (its a real thing and a great movie!) for North Africa war heroics..
The Rats of Tobruk were soldiers of the Australian-led Allied garrison that held the Libyan port of Tobruk against the Afrika Corps, during the Siege of Tobruk in World War II. The siege started on 11 April 1941 and was relieved on 10 December. A 242 day siege that ended with Rommels retreat..
At a meeting of Allied top brass, a senior British army officer said that he believed the SAS (or a representative thereof) should be awarded the DFC (Distinguished Flying Cross). An RAF officer was outraged at the idea that any army personnel should be thus recognised. It was pointed out that the SAS had destroyed more planes in the theatre than the RAF.
No DFC was recommended or awarded. But the point was made...
😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅
DFC’s have always been awarded to army and naval officers as each arm as there own aviation wing (the RAF was formed from the royal flying corps them soldiers also won lot’s of DFC’s) but it’s awarded to pilots and in some cases flight engineer’s re WW2 heavy bombers only had one pilot if he died the engineer had to try and land the plane
I love this guy, presents a very watchable programme ...keep 'em coming !!
SAS Rogue Heroes. Motorhead charge.
There were some strange allied troops in North Africa , Popskies Army being another one. The SAS supplied themselves, also had a piano.
Yes, that they stole from a New Zealand army camp! LOL
Painting jeeps pink doesn't sound like it should work, but if you've ever seen one in the environment it actually does surprisingly well, for a single colour paint job.
I very much recommend Damien Lewis' SAS Ghost Patrol, I listened to the audiobook version and the story is beyond belief. The SF infiltration of occupied Tobruk with SAS, LRDG and the SIG (Special Interrogation Group, if you thought the SAS were badass these were the guys who smuggled them in pretending to be german soldiers) and they had to cover 2000 miles of the desert just to get there. Why there isn't a hollywood blockbuster about this i have no idea but you need to learn about this mission.
I agree Ghost Patrol is such a good read!
Great listen. Got it a few years back on Audible, love the British narrator too. Just top, top notch.
In one of the raids, the SAS sneaked in to a barrack in a German aerodrome. One of the troopers rolled in a few grenades and muttered: share it amongst yourselves, slipped away before the grenades detonated.
Yes I've read that, it's a great book. I'm currently reading "Churchill's secret warriors" by Damien Lewis.
I watched his TV program on that brilliantly told .
phoney major ..is a very interesting book shows the real bad ass and how so underrated paddy main was and how Sterling wasnt all he was given credit for
Looking into that generation, not only the SAS but all the Allied armed forces just fills me with pride, awe, gratitude and a real admiration! I know the worlds a lot different now but thanks to those brave and amazing souls we have a world where we can still protect our freedom and enjoy so much. We are so lucky thanks to them.
Haha great reaction,I was right there with you on this one,what a badass bunch!
I've been to Sir Davids Stirlings monument,just outside Stirling Scotland,many SAS plaques around it of the soldiers thats died on missions
Proud to be British… Even more proud of our ‘warrior’ forefathers back then in the day…
during world war II a high ranking official in the Luftwaffe was asked what he needed to win the campaign. he said spitfires! when Rommel was asked what he needed to win the desert campaign he said, a few platoons of S.A.S. when the lead up to D-Day was being planned a British general was quoted as having said this would all be so much easier if there were more ANZAC's!
The Vickers K, or Vickers Gas Operated(VGO) was a machine gun that was put on flexible mounts on RAF aircraft. They were being phased out in favour of the Browning in the RAF, so they were just stockpiled in warehouses, apparently, just for the taking:). Their role as aircraft machine guns was why they had such high rate of fire(1200 rpm). At this time(1942), there were no Panzerfausts or Panzerschrecks in use.
Celestial navigation in the sand dunes. Very cool.
No satellites back then. Not much in the way of landmarks either. In that sense it was very similar to the ocean.
They had to do everything for themselves, if for no other reason than to appease the doubting brass. The military wouldn't even let them use the parachute training school Ringway, which is now Manchester Airport. So they trained themselves by jumping off the back of moving trucks. All the training programs were created by Jock Lewes, as mentioned elsewhere in the comments, he invented the Lewes bomb. Their first base at Kabrit was little more than a flat bit of desert, so they 'raided' a nearby ANZAC base for tents etc... one guy even nicked a piano. I haven't read all the comments, maybe someone else has said it, but Paddy Mayne, on one raid, became so enraged that he'd run out of bombs. There was one aircraft left untouched, so he jumped into the cockpit and ripped the control column out. I used to love reading about this stuff, partly inspired me to join the army, that and my grandad who served under 'Mad Mike' Calvert in Burma.
As you know perfection is the calling card of a special forces operator.those guys were nuts attacking twice it must have taken some balls but im sure that they loved every second of it 😂
my uncle was LRDG they were the inspiration for the SAS and british special forces in general . in fact it was the LRDG who transported and navigated for the SAS during these raids
@Glyn Harbinson your correct in so far as they later learned from the LRDG (in fact many LRDG became SAS) the parachute jump they initially tried was a disaster with many fatalities ,so they adopted the model used by the LRDG ( inspiration was probably the wrong word) . as for Paddy Mayne i totally agree the man is a legend.
When I was watching your older videos on the SAS this is the one i was gonna recommend you watch but then i saw some with the operations room and thought you'd find it yourself lol so glad its here
i recommend the battle of Mirbat.. considered the most significant military intervention post ww2. 12 men hold off 700 rebels, indirectly preventing the Russians taking access to the Suez. The SAS Rorke's Drift
Jeeps attack at 2 mph ! Not what you would expect. I read on one raid , one of the SAS . Found in the dark a nice brand new ME109 in a hanger. Preparing a Lewes bomb he saw a movement on the other side of the aircraft . Only to discover Paddy Mayne who promptly told him to buzz off and go and find his own 109 !
You definitely should check out SAS: Ghost Patrol. This vid is good but there's so much more to it, even these assaults. The prepping, the trek... It's amazing.
Gentleman "Jim almonds" is one of the most fascinating member's of the SAS and is well worth looking up if you're into that sort of thing
Blair Mayne is another.
@@ravendark2422 indeed, one of the founder's of what we now know as the modern SAS bro
The SAS were formed in 1941 in North Africa for hit and run raids, there was also Popski’s Private Army also operating in North Africa. The SAS also operated in France. The desert was mapped before The Second World War.
The desert was mapped long before WW2 and before WW1 Kitchener had done the Sudan campaign and they had built the Suez Canal plus lot’s of archeology done in the area the most famous one being Col T E Lawrence (better known as Lawrence of Arabia)
Paddy Mayne was a beast of a man. His biography reads like an action movie.
The N Africa campaign was where Sterling created the SAS, (LRDG originally). The story of how they had to test different cars due to sand etc determined what equipment they could take, which determined so much more about the unit is a brilliant one and well worth reading.
The SAS and the LRDG were two separate organisations. One did not for. Out of the other. The LRDG was formed after having several name changes.
The SAS formed in 1941 as a parachute force that would be recovered by the LRDG after their operations. This changed after the failed first operation. They were then taken in and back out by the LRDG until they aquired their own transport and then the two units worked independently but together on occasions.
Yeah the LRDG and SAS aren't the same, on the first raid the SAS parachuted in and was being taken out by the LRDG, the jump was a complete failure so they decided to just drive in instead with the LRDG 😊
@@LordInter harsh comment the first mission failed because of adverse weather they where very very lucky to land
@@James-C24 I think the LRDG were nicknamed "Stirling's Taxi Service" at one point, much to their chagrin.
@@stevet7695 I think it was the lybian taxi service. With the SAS being called the parash*tes 🤣🤣 good old British army humour
37 planes for the loss of only two lives, That is a massive success. not to mention the psychological toll it would take on the defenders plus them having to now pull back more front-line troops to protect the airfields. you can see why it was such a great idea, and yet top brass still didnt like it and still thought it a waste of resources and not "british"
Recommend getting a book on paddy mayne should have got the victoria cross even the king said he should have got it he was a legend in the sas there is a statue of him in newtownards northern ireland where he came from
After Greece fell to the Germans in April 1941 and Crete in May 1941, The Hellenic Navy, Air Force and many Army personnel fled to Egypt were they reformed. The NAVY ships joined the British Mediterranean Fleet, The Air Force formed two Fighter and one Light Bomber squadrons equipped with British planes and the Army formed an infantry Brigade. However because there were far too many army officers available, a special company size unit was formed, maned exclusively by officers willing to fight as privates. This was called Sacred Band (squadron). This unit under the command of Col. Tsigandes became a long range reconnaissance and raiding force under the Free French division of general Leclerc. Later, they joined the British SAS under Col. Sterling and after receiving parachute training, they also fought in the occupied by the Germans Aegean Islands, during the Battle of the Dodecanese (in 1943 after Italy's capitulation, the Germans took over from the Italians).
ua-cam.com/video/YZ2mib4vaYg/v-deo.html
These are videos of the Sacred Band in North Africa:
ua-cam.com/video/_6-4X10I3EI/v-deo.html
ua-cam.com/video/h6mwLCPHLH8/v-deo.html
(The guy with the beard and the glasses is Col. Tsigandes, the CO of the unit)
After WW2 this unit was disbanded and it's personnel formed the basis of the modern day Greek SOFs.
This is a video with pictures from the Greek Forces in exile.
ua-cam.com/video/TObKx4jsHsI/v-deo.html
This might be of interest as well. It involves Greek-American WW2 commandos.
ua-cam.com/video/_ADAplXTwXk/v-deo.html
Have you seen the new royal marine commando series, it's very very good
The original Tier 1 operators😅👌
An FOB behind enemy lines is kind of a mad thing.
I only found this out today these vehicles were pink. Apparently it blends in nicely with the desert at dusk and dawn far better than yellow.
Each jeep had practically a spitfires (early model) worth of guns bolted on. Just process the shock and awe effect those jeeps had driving through your airfield and destroying everything. Utterly devastating.
Hey man, had to go back to this video, have you seen the new series called ‘SAS Rogue hero’s’ it’s in the UK on BBC, and it is badass
When you look at how big the lybyian desert is they did a very good job. I was posted in lybya for over three years and I went over allmost all of it. In armoured vehicles and trucks.
i think the most amazing thing about this raid, is the navigation, empty desert no real land marks, using the stars
The Vickers K was an aircraft flexmount/turret gun, it was aircooled and had a high rate of fire to enable it to hit fast moving enemy aircraft, it was largely considered obsolete by this point of the war which is why it was sitting in an warehouse to be liberated by the SAS
Also it was a magazine fed rather than belt fed. The pan type magazine's held either 60 or 100 rounds of ammunition. Later changed for the belt fed Browning machine guns in either 30 or 50 calibre.
I don't think it showed it on your vid but on one raid, Paddy Main ran onto the airfield and attacked a plane with his hands (he may have used a hammer too, not sure) but the contravercial bit today is about Paddy again, bursting into the officers mess and shooting all of the pilots dead). Pilots were a lot harder to replace and took a lot longer to get ready.....and...... they were Ruperts. There's actually a modern debate, was Paddy Main a psychopath. His grandson did something a bit similar, raising an airfield with the SAS (could have been the Falklands, not 100% sure)
The history of The Long Range Desert Group is fascinating too. Masters of desert navigation and survival behind enemy lines.
Night firing GPMG SF is awesome, tracer rounds flying around in strange arcs just as described.
I love your reactions to these, and I especially love your respect 🫡
No the jeeps were painted pink and were nicknamed The Pink Panthers. But originally the LRDG ( Long Range Desert Group) who"s role was long range reconnaissance ,were used to transport them close to the target
New BBC TV series SAS Rogue Heroes is loosely based on these missions. Gives another angle of the how the SAS were developed and the crazy nature of their mindset and missions.
You need to get hold of the book "One of the originals" by Johnny Cooper, you wont regret it.
They made it up as they went along and were amazing. Johnny Cooper joined as a private at 18 and ended up a Major.
The Phantom Major by Virginia Cowles was the first I'd heard of the SAS. There were at least 2 irregular type formations in the Eastern Mediterranean at the time. Popski's Private Army and Layforce led by a Brigadier Laycock, of which, I think, Sterling was part of. Both came to nothing. There was a lot of resistance from the heads of the major formations in the area and Lt. Sterling struggled to overcome it. He eventually met a General who gave him some leeway, but no funds. He recruited his own men and took on the persona of a fictitious Special Air Service regiment designed to make POWs and spies think there was a para brigade in the area. They stole most of the equipment they needed, including tents, furniture and even a piano from an Australian regiment that was away training. The Lewes bombs were made by Jock Lewes, a member of the Detachment, their tactics were their own and they ended up destroying more Axis planes than the RAF. Sterling was made a Colonel and ended the war a prisoner in Colditz.
Er, maybe I should have read the comments before posting myself.
Captain Stirling, not Lt. Sterling.
Thank you for the correction your Lordship, much appreciated.
Thankyou for your vids, and your lovely respectful attitude! Love your t shirt btw! Love and blessings from Australia xxx❤✌✌
I saw a documentary on Paddy Mayne and the birth of the SAS in Africa...I remember an interview with one of the surviving members telling that often they would stumble across german camps during the night and they would drive into them and open fire and that he felt sorry for the germans that he shot as they emerged from their tents half asleep...I think that attacking elements deep into german territory forced them to remove soldiers from the front line and protect their bases further back...It also made the germans aware that they could be attacked anywhere and not just on the front line...That would have an effect on moral
Thanks mate, we Brits love working with you yanks. Appreciate the kind words.
The British General Staff back in England originally wanted nothing to do with the SAS (originally known as Long Range Desert Group), thinking their tactics were cowardly, attacking an enemy from the shadows and not man to man, they soon changed their tune once they heard of the daring raids they were pulling off in the desert. But yeah they basically had to steal weapons, jeeps, explosives and everything else because the army didn't think they would make a difference out in the field.
There’s a 6 episode series on the BBC iPlayer called SAS Rogue Hero’s. It’s drama based on the SAS, where the name came from and what it was before it became a maned regiment. It also has some really good actors in it.
The sas was formed out of the long range desert group. They used camels and trucks for sabotage missions. Led by david stirling. Against rommels afrika corps.
In 1941 it was renamed the sas.
Commando existed in the boer wor of 1912 and used by the dutch in south africa against english setlers.
You should definitely react to his Desert Storm Series. It's incredible
I am reading SAS Rogue Heroes at the moment. Fascinated after watching the series on BBC recently.
Another fantastic video.
Read up on 'Anders Lassen' the only non commonwealth recipient of the Victoria Cross.
This dude was as hard as nails. 👊
I think these guys are getting a movie soon!
The LRDG ( Long Range Desert Group ) and the SAS carried out raids that could be 100s of miles behind enemy lines.
The Vickers K machine gun was designed as an aircraft gun.
A note on the vikers k. It's an aircraft weapon. Unfortunately it is air cooled and overheats and jams after three reloads. Devastating but very prone to jams at sea level and in a desert.
my grandfather was one of those SAS soldiers in North Africa 1942/43
@@johncheetham4607 very. A kind & lovely grandad/man. Mind you, we his family knew, that to be a Commando & SAS soldier he was one tough cookie. As he said to me none of them wanted to be RTU'd. They believed they were the best.
They did this exact thing again during one (or both) of the gulf wars against saddam
You should read Colonel Paddy It should still be in print Blair Mayne was truuly bad ass and never got the recognition his heroism deserved.He still won the dso and 5 bars -six awards when he should have got the VC.He was from about 30miles from me
The pink panther jeeps are because pink is the hardest colour to see against desert sand at night.
Sterling was captured and ended up in Colditz Paddy Maine took over look into him he was a very brave guy should have gotten the VC.
8:29 French SAS participated in raids they are part of the first RPIMA special forces of the French army 🤙🇫🇷🇬🇧
Lol they were never as good as the British though but respect anyway
@@britishpatriot7386 i never said this 😢but trust me they are really good they are legit no joke mate 💪👍
@@britishpatriot7386but i approve the British SAS are the best SAS in the world
@@britishpatriot7386 read what french sas did during this war, keyboard hero...
The Brits are the best. Always were, always will be. 🇬🇧
There's a great book about an SAS operation called the nemesis file, I know it's a book, but not sure if there's a documentary about it, but it's a fascinating read if you can find it, pretty disturbing what they had to do, oh it's in northern Ireland during the 70s and early 80s.
Stirling briefed his men on the raid and enlisted the Long Range Desert Group to provide vehicles and transport.
Just to let you no Jarhead their was a good royal marine documentary on BBC last night hope u get it ,I'm X para so I don't see them as anything other than navy infantry not airborne skygods ,David Stirling was Scottish as is most hard folk in the sas and paras and marines it's like the paras in Afghanistan pathfinders doing shoot n scoot missions
If the thing wasn’t bolted down or welded in place then don’t be alarmed to wake up the next morning to see half of your stuff nicked during the night
I love you man, that you marvel at what we do
There's a new Dutch NLMARSOF/DSI Port Defender video online. Love to see you react to that.
You might want to check out a series called "rogue warriors" its a 3 part series, but only part 2 is available on you tube but its still worth watching.
It's stuff like this that made me n my friends play soldiers n war when we was little
Several groups operated in the desert. The Long Range Desert Group was first, the experts in desert navigation and inventors of the sun compass. Popski's Private Army (I kid you not) came next, then the SAS. The 'Special Interrogation Group' was a team of native German speakers who dressed in German uniforms to operate behind the lines - this had betrayal problems at the start. I guess the Falklands War was the last time that these commando style raids by the SAS/SBS took place. Check out Christopher Lee's military history, he was in most of these units.
When Otto Skortzeny was prosecuted after WW2 the most important charge was operating in enemy uniform, his defence lawyer (an American) called up the British war hero Yeo Thomas who testified that the allies wore German uniforms as a matter of course and Skortzeny was spared the death penalty, thought you might appreciate the history bud
Vive le Pey Pey Ah!
PPA deserves more recognition than it gets. The book is a great read.
@@urizen7613 Have you read 'Warriors on wheels'?
It's a brilliant book, really well written and tells the story of PPA from the point the author joins them. His name was Park (known as Bob) Yunnie. It's a must-read, I read mine so often it literally fell apart.
@@timranachan3224 I wasn't aware of that book, though I recognise Yunnie's name. I'll see if it's in the NZ library system.
My great grandad was a part of these raids, cool to see it in this format. I’d only ever read a couple of his accounts and some books on it
Yes.. Stirling put forward the idea of using a small ground force with the simple principle that if it can destroy 50 enemy aircraft the this would have a disproportionate effect on the conflict... this evolved further into recon ambush etc.. the Germans and Italians ended up tying down regiments of men to guard against this making the result very marked ....
The jeeps were stolen from the Americans. They had been sent to the desert for evaluation. The SAS simply acquired them and modified them for purpose. Safe to they they evaluated them and found them effective for the terrain.
And the Lewis Guns "taken without permission" (stolen) from Alexandria.
The Americans weren’t part of the 8th army and only arrived in North Africa in November 1942 four months after the jeep raid on bagush and 2 other airfields so how did they acquire them form the Americans? Just curious no disrespect inferred
@@redrb26dett have another read. The jeeps were sent for evaluation in the desert environment not in a combat rolem the sas then stole them!!
A little jeep trivia... The SAS liked the jeeps, but their engines overheated in the North African desert, so in typical SAS fashion they simply cut out most of the famous bar grill in front of the radiator to fix the problem! (Some of the photos in this video show this clearly).
The thing is that since air warfare was relatively new most air bases by logic were kept as far from the front lines as possible to ensure maximum safety for their planes and their vital fuel, and since the construction of an airbase was very taxing and hard work, as well as the valuable aircraft being used, most airbases were a heavy investment and so again were kept as far back as possible and since mobile warfare to that level was never heard off as of recently and with such speed, most airbases were designed for a more anti infantry and anti aircraft style of defense since the only way to attack an airbase was via stealth infantry teams or by aircraft vs a bunch of jeeps fitted with two heavy machine guns and two anti aircraft guns nicked off a bomber
Great episode , thanks for sharing it with us.
The desert is literally a sea of sand.. vast in scale.. your force .. with enough water and fuel etc.. can just navigate with sextants and compasses ... and suddenly turn up ... then dissappear into the sea again.... during the day they would often lay up with nets etc set up to try and avoid recon aircraft... the other main threat being patrols of armoured cars and suchlike..
Blair Maine should have gotten the VC.
Great video as usual 👌 👍, if you can find it there is a 4 part series on BBC at the moment called ' Commando : Britain's Ocean Warriors' which I think will be right up your street as a Marine yourself
The Birth of special forces Little country country ,big balls ,still leading the way
Theirs a doc about the birth of the sas on the bbc. Interviews with sterling and some the others. Top brass never wanted the sas because it didn’t seem the British thing to do.
🏆🏆🏆👍🙏🇺🇲
Thank you for sharing