Special Forces in the service of Her Majesty
As far back as last fall, the British media, citing information from the British military, reported that SAS fighters operating in the territory occupied by the Islamic State in the western regions of Iraq kill up to eight Islamist militants daily. And this is just the statistics that raid groups give, whose task is to destroy the enemy’s manpower with sniper fire. There are also teams conducting reconnaissance of the enemy by visual observation using optics and UAVs. Their data is used by the US Air Force, Britain, France, Turkey and the Gulf countries (whose military aviation participates in the operation of the alliance) to adjust air strikes to combat targets and positions of IS troops.Earlier it was reported that SAS specialists perform only instructor work in the Middle East region to train Iraqi army soldiers (which the Sunni population of Iraq considers Shiite militia), Kurdish militia and Syrian rebel Sunnis, some of whom, oddly enough, end up in the ranks IG. According to the information of the British publication Mirror, it was the SAS fighters who located the leader of the IG Abu-Bakr al-Baghdadi, after which he was fatally injured as a result of air strikes at his residence. Later, information about the death of Abu-Bakr was repeatedly refuted and confirmed, so it is not known for certain whether he is alive or dead and where he is, if he is alive.
Currently, various sources, mainly the British media, have reported that the SAS groups have long been operating in Syria, both against the IG units and against the Syrian government forces.
An unnamed SAS source said last fall: “Our tactics are targeting the fear of God on the IG so that they do not know where we are coming from and where we will strike next time, to be honest, they will not be able to stop us. We destroy them morally. They can run or hide if they see planes in the sky, but they cannot see or hear us. Using us a lot of snipers raises the fear factor to another level too; terrorists simply do not understand what is happening. They only see the dead bodies of their comrades falling on the sand. ”
A recent Sunday publication quoted a source from the United Kingdom’s military in a recent publication: “More than 120 military belonging to an elite regiment (22 regiment CAC. -“ NVO ”)“ secretly ”in a war-torn country, in black clothes and with IS flags, Syrians are attacking under the pretext of fighting a terrorist group. ” In addition, the British media report that special CAS groups, together with similar US services, continue to intensively train Syrian opposition militants in camps in Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Jordan and Qatar. SAS and SBS (British special forces of the Navy) conduct joint operations in Syria in close cooperation with MI-6, which has a powerful technical base for surveillance, reconnaissance, surveillance and listening and a well-organized, extensive agency network within numerous Islamist groups, including the IG .
BEIGE TAKES A HANDLEMAN
SAS forces were formed in the 1941 year by British volunteers for raids deep in the enemy rear in North Africa. The motto of the service “Who dares wins” (decisively wins) was later borrowed by the elite special forces of France and the former English dominions.
Modern special forces of the United Kingdom are subject to the Directorate of special forces, but may act in the interests of individual military expeditionary formations and formations. They include: 22 regiment (regular), 21 and
23-th reserve regiments (for military operations), 18-th and 63-th communications regiment, combined by a squadron of special forces of the 8-th Air Army and support and service units.
Modern tasks of the SAS are: conducting intelligence to the entire depth of the battle formations and enemy rear, conducting sabotage deep in the enemy’s rear and in the frontline zone, counterterrorist operations in the Kingdom and abroad, training special forces of friendly states, fighting revolutions to support friendly regimes and the overthrow of unfriendly regimes (as military support for the foreign policy of the United Kingdom government), the protection of senior officials and functionaries of the Kingdom a, as well as VIPs.
The elite of the British special forces is the 22-th regiment of the SAS, it is a permanent military unit of the special forces, the military department of Great Britain.
Recruits are recruited from the armed forces of the United Kingdom. Many candidates come from the Airborne Forces, all without exception are thoroughly checked for purity of the biography and loyalty of Great Britain. To be accepted into the SAS regiment, recruits must pass numerous tests and a five-week practical knockout course. Such selections are held twice a year in Sennibridge and Brecon Beacons (United Kingdom). The admission statistics are as follows - no more than 200 recruits fall into the regiment candidates from 30.
The first stage lasts three weeks, is held in the Brecon Beacons or the Black Hills in South Wales. Candidates must carry a heavy load over long distances and demonstrate skills in orienteering, it is necessary to pass unmistakably between the various control points and show the best time at the finish. At the same time, there is no impact from the selection committee on the candidates, they are left to themselves and can only use the means at their disposal. The vital need for special forces is for the fighters to be self-motivated.
The first phase of the test ends with an 40 mile (mile - 1,6 km) forced march with a weight of 55 kg ammunition over hilly terrain, you need to stay within 24 hours. Those who have passed the first stage are allowed to the second, which takes place in Belize, in the thick of the jungle. The test for staying in the jungle of the CAC group is carried out by four people. This stage eliminates those who cannot maintain discipline in the difficult conditions of long raids. In the jungle is a test of moral strength more than physical. Teams of special forces need people who can carry out their work under conditions of constant moral load in a hostile environment and hostile environment, without having a connection with their bases.
The third phase of verification is devoted to the ability to bypass the enemy's counter-sabotage forces, evade capture, and some other tactical issues. SED needs soldiers who can find spiritual strength in themselves to avoid capture or to endure interrogations if he is arrested. This stage lasts for three days, after which, regardless of whether the candidate was captured or not, he is subject to interrogation with passion, the task of the subject is to withstand pressure and not to let out important information. The subject can report only the name, title, number on the token and date of birth, he is advised not to answer other questions.Those few lucky people who passed the test get beige berets with the CAC emblem. Candidates are eligible only for men aged from 18 to 32 years plus 364 days and candidates on active duty in any part of the United Kingdom armed forces before the age of 34 year plus 364 days. All those who petition for an appointment must be volunteers and must be ready for service anywhere in the world. The age limit for service in the CAC troops is from 18 to 49 years plus 364 days. In the SAS they try to recruit recruits who, in addition to outstanding physical data, have the skills of driving, preparing food, are able to repair cars, clerical officers from sailors and military personnel who want to transfer to other types of troops or to other service. Medical personnel with CMT1 qualification (provision of primary medical or emergency assistance in the field) is welcomed.
After completing basic training, the minimum allowance for a CAC member is 103 pounds per day. For each year of service, military personnel receive an allowance of 424 pounds per month, which comes to 1674 pounds by the fifth year of service. A one-time payment when you are fired into the reserve is 10 thousand pounds.
Only British or citizens of the countries of the British Commonwealth, as well as the Irish, are admitted to the 22 regiment. Or persons with dual citizenship, but the main one should be one of the above. The candidate must have lived for at least 5 years in the United Kingdom.
22-th regiment SAS actually barely reaches the battalion strength. It includes a headquarters, planning and intelligence service, an operations department, a combat training department, a service for organizing counter-revolutionary hostilities (it is also called anti-terrorism) and six squadrons: A, B, C, D, E, G. Squadron E has a special task, it specializes on the so-called black operations for the organization of revolutions in countries with hostile regimes, operates in close conjunction with the political intelligence of Great Britain and military intelligence MI-6. Each squadron includes four squads of various purposes from 16 military personnel in each and a control group. The first is a parachute detachment, the second is the sea, the third is mobile and the fourth is mountainous. The commander of the squadron, speaking the army language, is a Major's position, the commander of the squadron is the captain. The squadron’s management section consists of the deputy commander — the captain, the operational officer — with the same rank, the chief sergeant of the squadron (in our senior officer), the sergeant-quartermaster, the senior sergeant.
During operations, each unit can be divided into two groups - “red” and “blue”, which, in turn, are divided into an assault subgroup and a subgroup of cover (sniper).
The squadron of Ji (G) 22 of the SAS regiment is so named because it was originally created from military personnel - volunteers of the disbanded company of guards (Guards) of a separate parachute division of territorial defense. The so-called cavalry squadrons are organized as special forces units with universal training.
Parachute units when performing combat missions are delivered to the site of special operations on aircraft and helicopters. They are able to jump with various devices, increasing the depth of the landing, with great heights. Their tasks include actions in the interests of their troops, deep in the rear and in the frontline zone of the enemy. They are trained in three main types of landing: standard military landing with parachutes using forced dome extraction, high-altitude landing with a low opening of the dome (wing), high-altitude landing with high opening of the dome (wing). For the latter two methods of landing, the fighters are supplied with respiratory oxygen apparatuses and use special insulated clothing. In addition, SAS paratroopers have at their disposal individual navigation devices for determining the location and height of autonomous flight. All ammunition necessary to perform a combat mission and life support, during an autonomous flight, is attached to the paratrooper between the legs, the individual weapon always at hand in readiness for use.
Amphibious assault moves on both standard naval and specialized boats: small boats, mini-submarines, small and medium surface motor boats (including inflatables or made of lightweight polymeric materials), kayaks. The fighters use open and dry (closed) diving suits, with open and closed breathing systems. SAS soldiers are trained to navigate autonomously, including underwater, in methods of imperceptible sailing and mining of enemy warships. Their delivery to the place of operation can also be carried out by air. SAS fighters parachute with parachutes from high altitudes or without helicopters, along ropes from 40 to 100 m, or simply jump from a height of about 15 m. Equipment, ammunition necessary to complete the task, in this case are stored in sealed waterproof bags, and weapons - in waterproof cases.
Additionally, breathing equipment, individual means of autonomous transport and special wetsuits are provided for SAS fighters when disembarking from submarines at an accessible depth, in the submerged state. Exit from a submarine at depths of 50 – 60 m is always fraught with risk, especially in cold latitudes.
Mobile SAS groups move on wheeled and tracked vehicles, this type of special forces existed already during the Second World War and even then was tested in lengthy raids in the North African deserts. Mobile groups are prepared for action in the deep rear in the frontline and front-line zones of the enemy, completely autonomously, without communication with their troops. The most popular types of transport among these groups are Defender off-road vehicles, light two-seater cars such as buggies and quad bikes, less often motorcycles. Moreover, "Defender" used in the desert, painted in pink color (the color of the desert landscape). British special forces call them among themselves "Pinky" (pinky - pink). SAS groups can also move on any vehicle, mostly common among the local population, in any vestment, to ensure secrecy of their stay in a particular area. They often have to, according to the terms of the assignment, wear the clothes of the local population of the countries of North Africa or the Middle East, while they try to cover their faces, since the externally red, white-skinned British well, they don’t look like Arabs at all.
The standard equipment of the CAC mobile groups can be equipped with the following weapons: Browning type guns of the 50 caliber (12,7 mm), AGS Mark 19 (40 mm), uniform 7,62 mm machine guns L7A2, Milan-the ATGM. For observation and reconnaissance of the group they use an impressive array of ultra-modern optics, thermal imagers, night vision devices, radars, etc. For communication with each other, if necessary, radio silence, mobile groups can use signaling devices operating in the visible and infrared spectrum, or in the old manner - flags, improvised signaling devices, gestures.
SAS mountain groups are formed from fighters who have the skills to move in all types of mountain relief, stay, survival and combat operations in the mountains. The soldiers of these groups should be great climbers and ice climbers, skiers and basejampers. To be able to survive in stormy weather, in conditions of arctic cold and oxygen starvation. The fighters are training for a long stay in high mountains, in mountainous areas, in different parts of the world. The best place for training SAS is Kenya because of the presence of all climatic zones, from equatorial tropical to alpine, which is identical to the Arctic.
Upon entering the service in the 22-th regiment of the SAS (and other parts of the same purpose), the servicemen sign an "obligation not to disclose military secrets." Those who leave the ranks of the CAC, regardless of the reason, are forced to fulfill this obligation and not disclose the details of their service under any circumstances. The British government adheres to strict rules regarding the publication of information on the operations and activities of the CAC and prefers not to inform the public about the use of its special forces.
DIFFICULTY - EASY TO FIGHT
Combat training units 22-th SED regiment is divided into several stages, most of them - lasting up to 14 weeks. It includes general disciplines for all military personnel of the regiment and special disciplines, such as tactics of underwater combat swimmers, the release of hostages taken by terrorists, the tactics of road raids in the mountains, and so on. The basic training required for all SAS fighters includes a course on acquiring the skills necessary for carrying out raids behind enemy lines in groups of four people, which includes working out methods of imperceptible movement within the territory controlled by the enemy, fire training, medical training, communication organization, art of disguise, survival skills and other disciplines. Study is conducted in an environment as close as possible to combat. Fire training of SAS fighters is conducted using both standard weapons and foreign-made models (including Russian ones). Serious attention is paid to the ability of SAS fighters to escape from counterintelligence forces, patrols and enemy capture groups, as well as the ability to remain silent during interrogations, if they could not escape and fell. For action in the enemy's rear, British special forces must be able to manage with small, poor food (in very limited quantities), sometimes you have to starve and not sleep enough, use heavily worn clothing and shoes, be thirsty, cold, hot. Each time, fighters are tested on the limits of their capabilities, according to the principle “that does not kill us - makes them stronger”. Members of SAS groups bring all combat techniques to reflex performance. During their studies, they get used to eating and drinking only whenever possible, to move in the dark, to secretly settle in the diaries, to use the camouflage properties of the landscape, to plan their whole existence in relation to the main goal - the fulfillment of the task. Completion of the course ends with exercises, during which the readiness of the SAS fighters to make raids in the rear and front-line zone of the enemy is checked. The tactics of action as part of the raid groups is practiced in different landscapes and in different climatic zones. In a special course (not for all), preparation for actions in the mountains, arctic and subarctic zones is highlighted.
The general stage of conducting raids in tropical rain forests is much more than other courses aimed at testing the moral strength of the fighters. It is somewhat shorter, takes six weeks and usually takes place on the island of Kalimantan of the Malaysian archipelago. The goal of this course (except for testing mental forces) is to hone skills in survival in the jungle, the ability to move and navigate, overcome natural obstacles, build shelter, seek food and water, endure heat, hardship, insect bites, and so on. And most importantly, to automatism, the techniques of covert special operations in equatorial and tropical conditions are practiced. Training takes place in groups of four people, methodically it is permanently continuing exercises in an environment as close as possible to combat, with a minimum set of conventions. And here the main principle is confessed: the utmost secrecy of actions (in maneuvering, making marches and arranging ambushes and observation points), the suddenness of an attack on objects and manpower of the enemy and their reliable destruction.The stage of general parachute parachute training takes place for four weeks at the base of one of the best parachute schools of the Royal Air Force located in Breeze Norton, Oxfordshire. In the training program, prolonged and night jumps from various types of air transport. Groups also specialize in airborne landing.
Each fighter of the 22 SAS regiment is unique, each of them is a station wagon, but at the same time specializes in a certain area, their special training is carried out according to a special in-depth program.
PERFORMANCE ORDERS WITH DOWN STREET
The combat path of the 22 SAS regiment is rather difficult to trace due to the secret nature of the tasks it performs. Occasionally his participation in a particular operation is only generally announced by the government, sometimes the information gets into the British media from various sources, and more often one has to rely on analytics of indirect signs of the presence of CAC groups in various regions and participation in various military conflicts. .
The first mentions of the SAS raid groups are related to military operations in 1941 – 1942 (until May 1943) in North Africa and on the islands of the Mediterranean against the German forces and in the Middle East against Arab rebels supported by Nazi Germany. Then in 1943 – 1944, they distinguished themselves in France and Belgium. It is worth saying that the special forces of most western countries, including France, the USA, Italy and others, were created in the image and likeness of the CAC. From 1948 to 1960, the British Special Forces squadron “B” fought in Malaysia against the communist movement. In 1952, on the basis of this squadron, the 22 th regiment appeared. One of the most famous joint SAS operations with the French was the landing on 1956 in the Suez Canal area. From July 1964 to July 1966, the SAS fighters fought in Borneo, in that operation they already assisted Malaysia in the war against Indonesia, then 59 special forces were killed. In 1963 – 1964, as well as in 70’s, Her Majesty’s special forces participated in operations against the Omani rebels. The 22 SAS regiment distinguished itself in Northern Ireland in the 1976 year. There he was tough and effective in special operations against the leaders of the Irish Republican Army. The regiment fighters glorified themselves by the swift operation to destroy the terrorists who seized the Iranian embassy in London in May 1980. They successfully fought in Iraq in 1991. During the second Iraqi campaign (2003), SAS fighters preferred to abandon their favorite SA-80 assault rifles of the 5,56 mm caliber, which were ineffective under conditions when they had to shoot a lot, and often changed them to AK-47. In 2005, ibid, the special forces of the 22 regiment successfully carried out Operation Marlboro.
SAS fighters have proven themselves well in Afghanistan in 2001 – 2014. The 22 th Special Aviation Service regiment participated in operations against the Taliban near Kandahar. In one of the battles in the area of Tora-Bora, British special forces destroyed about 20 militants, while they themselves did without losses. It was during that special operation that a unit of British special forces was thrown out in the rear of the Taliban on parachutes, which is very uncharacteristic of the mountainous terrain. In total, SAS fighters conducted three operations in Afghanistan: Trent in 2001, Condor in 2002, and Moshtarak in 2010.
"DIRTY WORK" IN LIBYA
British special forces groups together with similar teams from the USA, France, the United Arab Emirates, Jordan and Qatar participated in the Libyan events. Their main tasks were targeting NATO air strikes against military targets and positions of Libyan government forces, organizing the insurgency and hunting for high-ranking functionaries of the Gaddafi regime, including the permanent leader of the Jamahiriya. According to the British media, the number of special forces from Albion in the composition of the Libyan rebels was measured in the hundreds. In Libya, there were also soldiers of the 22-th regiment SAS. The raid groups of special forces of this elite unit acted together with the operatives of the well-known MI-6 (British military intelligence). Mainly, they carried out reconnaissance missions, formulate a plan for an operation, determine the direction of strikes and coordinate the actions of anti-government forces in the most successful military actions, such as taking large cities, including Tripoli. And the students of the rebels Islamist rebels declassified the stay of the special groups of the 22 SAS regiment in Libya. Militants of the anti-government forces captured six CAC 6 special forces in March 2011 in the Benghazi area and trumpeted it to the whole world.
The search for and discovery of the “hero of the occasion”, Muammar Gaddafi, is also attributed to the British special forces of the 22 CAC regiment, as always, there is no exact information about this, you can only guess about it. In any case, the United Kingdom’s Minister of Defense, Lyme Fox, once mentioned that NATO is assisting the rebels in the search for Gaddafi and his sons. In his interview with Sky News, he said: “I can confirm that NATO provides intelligence and reconnaissance for the National Transitional Council (NPS), helping him in the search for Colonel Gaddafi and other representatives of the former ruling regime.” There is other information on this account published in the Daily Telegraph: “After the 1 million pound reward was offered to Gaddafi’s head (the Libyan NPC announced such a price for the former dictator, living or dead. - NVO), the military from the 22 regiment of the British Special Air Service received the order of Prime Minister David Cameron to take over the leadership of the forces of the rebels, looking for Gaddafi ". By the way, David Cameron officially rejected the presence of British troops on Libyan soil. However, the French president of the time, Nicolas Sarkozy, said the same thing about his special forces.
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