Special Air Service#War in Afghanistan

{{Further|History of the Special Air Service|List of SAS operations|List of former SAS personnel}}

The Special Air Service was a unit of the British Army during the Second World War that was formed in July 1941 by David Stirling and originally called "L" Detachment, Special Air Service Brigade{{snd}}the "L" designation and Air Service name being a tie-in to a British disinformation campaign, trying to deceive the Axis into thinking there was a paratrooper regiment with numerous units operating in the area (the real SAS would "prove" to the Axis that the fake one existed).Molinari, p. 22Haskew, p. 39 It was conceived as a commando force to operate behind enemy lines in the North African CampaignThompson, p. 7 and initially consisted of five officers and 60 other ranks.Thompson, p. 48 Its first mission, in November 1941, was a parachute drop in support of the Operation Crusader offensive, codenamed Operation Squatter.{{Cite book |last=Lewis |first=Damien |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/1338681927 |title=SAS brothers in arms : Churchill's desperadoes : blood-and-guts defiance at Britain's darkest hour |date=2022 |isbn=978-1-5294-1378-6 |location=London |pages=231 |oclc=1338681927}} Due to German resistance and adverse weather conditions, the mission was a disaster; with only 22 men, a third of the unit making back to base. The rest were either killed or captured. Its second mission was a major success. Transported by the Long Range Desert Group, it attacked three airfields in Libya, destroying 60 aircraft without loss.Haskew, p. 40 In September 1942, it was renamed 1st SAS, consisting at that time of four British squadrons, one Free French, one Greek, and the Folboat Section.Molinari, p. 25

File:Special Air Service in North Africa E 21337.jpg

In January 1943, Colonel David Stirling was captured in Tunisia and Paddy Mayne replaced him as commander.Haskew, p. 42 In April 1943, the 1st SAS was reorganised into the Special Raiding Squadron under Mayne's command and the Special Boat Squadron was placed under the command of George Jellicoe.Morgan, p. 15 The Special Raiding Squadron fought in Sicily and Italy along with the 2nd SAS, which had been formed in North Africa in 1943 in part by the renaming of the Small Scale Raiding Force under the command of Bill Stirling (brother of David).{{cite news|access-date=28 March 2010|work=The Times |location=London |title=Obituary:Lieutenant-Colonel David Danger: SAS radio operator|url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/obituaries/article6004732.ece |date=31 March 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100523092230/http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/obituaries/article6004732.ece |archive-date=23 May 2010}}{{cite news|work=The Times |location=London |title=Obituary: Major Roy Farran|access-date=28 March 2010|url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/obituaries/article671935.ece |date=6 June 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100531185558/http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/obituaries/article671935.ece |archive-date=31 May 2010}} The Special Boat Squadron fought in the Aegean Islands and Dodecanese until the end of the war.Haskew, pp. 52–54 In 1944 the SAS Brigade was formed. The unit was formed from:

• 1st Special Air Service
• 2nd Special Air Service
• 3rd Special Air Service – 3e Régiment de Chasseurs Parachutistes
• 4th Special Air Service – 2e Régiment de Chasseurs Parachutistes
• 5th Special Air Service – lineage continued by Belgian Special Forces Group
• F Squadron – responsible for signals and communications

It was tasked with parachute operations behind the German lines in FranceShortt & McBride, p. 16 and carried out operations supporting the Allied advance through France (Operations Houndsworth, Bulbasket, Loyton, Kipling and Wallace-Hardy), Belgium, the Netherlands (Operation Pegasus), and eventually into Germany (Operation Archway and Operation Howard).Shortt & McBride, p. 15{{cite web|access-date=3 November 2010|publisher=Airborne Museum Oosterbeek|url=http://www.vriendenairbornemuseum.nl/stolen_medals.htm|title=Society of Friends of the Airborne Museum Oosterbeek|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120425132933/http://www.vriendenairbornemuseum.nl/stolen_medals.htm|archive-date=25 April 2012|df=dmy-all}} As a result of Hitler's issuing of the Commando Order on 18 October 1942, the members of the unit faced the additional danger that they would be summarily executed if captured by the Germans. In July 1944, following Operation Bulbasket, 34 captured SAS commandos were indeed summarily executed by the Germans. In October 1944, in the aftermath of Operation Loyton, another 31 captured SAS commandos were summarily executed by the Germans.Schorley, Pete; Forsyth, Frederick (2008). Who Dares Wins: Special Forces Heroes of the SAS. Osprey Publishing, p. 50 {{ISBN?}}

The last original member of the Special Air Service and the last survivor of the Long Range Desert Group, Mike Sadler, died on 4 January 2024, at the age of 103.{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/obituaries/2024/01/04/major-mike-sadler-last-wartime-sas-originals-rogue-heroes/ |title=Mike Sadler, last of the wartime SAS 'Originals' and their principal navigator – obituary |date=4 January 2024 |access-date=4 January 2024 |newspaper=The Daily Telegraph}} {{subscription required}}

At the end of the war the British government saw no further need for the force and disbanded it on 8 October 1945.

The following year it was decided there was a need for a long-term deep-penetration commando unit and a new SAS regiment was to be raised as part of the Territorial Army.Shortt & McBride, p. 17 Ultimately, the Artists Rifles, raised in 1860 and headquartered at Dukes Road, Euston, took on the SAS mantle as 21st SAS Regiment (V) on 1 January 1947.Shortt & McBride, p. 18

File:21 SAS NIGHT DROP.jpg

In 1950, a 21 SAS squadron was raised to fight in the Korean War. After three months of training in Britain, it was informed that the squadron would no longer be required in Korea and so it instead volunteered to fight in the Malayan Emergency. Upon arrival in Malaya, it came under the command of "Mad Mike"{{cite book |last=Rooney |first=David |date=2007 |title=Mad Mike: A Life of Brigadier Michael Calvert |publisher=Pen and Sword |isbn= 978-1844155071 }} Mike Calvert who was forming a new unit called the Malayan Scouts (SAS).{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/1408949/Major-Alastair-McGregor.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220111/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/1408949/Major-Alastair-McGregor.html |archive-date=11 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=Obituary – Major Alastair McGregor|work=The Daily Telegraph |location=London |access-date=19 March 2010 | date=3 October 2002}}{{cbignore}} Calvert had already formed one squadron from 100 volunteers in the Far East, which became A Squadron; the 21 SAS squadron then became B Squadron; and after a recruitment visit to Rhodesia by Calvert, C Squadron was formed from 100 Rhodesian volunteers.Shortt & McBride, p. 19 The Rhodesians returned home after three years' service and were replaced by a New Zealand squadron.Shortt & McBride, p. 20 By this time the need for a regular army SAS regiment had been recognised; the 22 SAS Regiment was formally added to the army list in 1952 and has been based at Hereford since 1960.Griffin, pp. 150–152 In 1959 the third regiment, the 23 SAS Regiment, was formed by renaming the Reserve Reconnaissance Unit, which had succeeded MI9 and whose members were experts in escape and evasion.

Since serving in Malaya, men from the regular army 22 SAS Regiment have taken part in reconnaissance patrols and large scale raiding missions in the Jebel Akhdar War in Oman and conducted covert reconnaissance and surveillance patrols and some larger scale raiding missions in Borneo.Geraghty, pp. 120–131Scholey & Forsyth, p. 12 They returned to Oman in operations against Communist-backed rebels in the Dhofar Rebellion including the Battle of Mirbat.Scholey & Forsyth, p. 104 They have also taken part in operations in the Aden Emergency,Scholey & Forsyth, p. 57 Northern Ireland,Scholey & Forsyth, p. 53 and Gambia. Their Special projects team assisted the West German counterterrorism group GSG 9 at Mogadishu. The SAS counter terrorist wing famously took part in a hostage rescue operation during the Iranian Embassy Siege in London.Scholey & Forsyth, p. 11 SAS were involved throughout Britain's covert involvement in the Soviet–Afghan War; they acted through private military contractor Keenie Meenie Services (or KMS Ltd), training the Afghan Mujaheddin in weapons, tactics and using explosives. Not only did they train the Mujaheddin in Afghanistan but also sent them to be trained in Pakistan, Oman and even parts of the UK.{{cite book |last1=Cormac |first1=Rory |title=Disrupt and Deny: Spies, Special Forces, and the Secret Pursuit of British Foreign Policy |date=2018 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-878459-3 |pages=235–236 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=emZaDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA235 |access-date=24 August 2020 |archive-date=23 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230423054619/https://books.google.com/books?id=emZaDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA235 |url-status=live }} During the Falklands War B squadron were prepared for Operation Mikado before it was subsequently cancelled while D and G squadrons were deployed and participated in the raid on Pebble Island.Scholey & Forsyth, p. 212 Operation Flavius was a controversial operation in Gibraltar against the Provisional Irish Republican Army (PIRA). 22 SAS also directed NATO aircraft onto Serb positions and hunted war criminals in Bosnia.{{cite news|access-date=21 March 2010|title=Karadzic escapes again as SAS swoops on church|last=Hawton|first=Nick|work=The Times|location=London|url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/article1110890.ece|date=2 April 2004|archive-date=17 May 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080517044611/http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/article1110890.ece|url-status=dead}}{{cite news|access-date=21 March 2010|last=Bellamy|first=Christopher|title=Ground attack is first in Nato history: British SAS troops help US war planes to deliver a timely warning to Serbs that 'safe areas' must be respected, writes Christopher Bellamy in Split|work=The Independent |location=London |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/ground-attack-is-first-in-nato-history-british-sas-troops-help-us-war-planes-to-deliver-a-timely-warning-to-serbs-that-safe-areas-must-be-respected-writes-christopher-bellamy-in-split-1369263.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220524/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/ground-attack-is-first-in-nato-history-british-sas-troops-help-us-war-planes-to-deliver-a-timely-warning-to-serbs-that-safe-areas-must-be-respected-writes-christopher-bellamy-in-split-1369263.html |archive-date=24 May 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |date=11 April 1994}} They were also involved in the Kosovo War helping KLA guerillas behind Serbian lines. According to Albanian sources one SAS sergeant was killed by Serbian special forces.{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/war-in-europe-sas-teams-fighting-behind-serb-lines-1093993.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220524/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/war-in-europe-sas-teams-fighting-behind-serb-lines-1093993.html |archive-date=24 May 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title= War in Europe: SAS teams 'fighting behind Serb lines' |date=16 May 1999|access-date=23 February 2015}}

The Gulf War, in which A, B and D squadrons deployed, was the largest SAS mobilisation since the Second World War, also notable for the failure of the Bravo Two Zero mission.Scholey & Forsyth, p. 265 In Sierra Leone it took part in Operation Barras, a hostage rescue operation, to extract members of the Royal Irish Regiment.

Following the September 11 attacks on the United States by al-Qaeda in 2001, two squadrons of 22 SAS, later reinforced by members of both the Territorial SAS units, deployed to Afghanistan as part of the Coalition invasion at the start of the War in Afghanistan, to dismantle and destroy al-Qaeda and to deny it a safe base of operations in Afghanistan by removing the Taliban from power in the War on Terror. The Regiment carried out Operation Trent, the largest operation in its history, which included its first wartime HALO parachute jump. Following the invasion, the Regiment continued to operate in Afghanistan against the Taliban and other insurgents until 2006, when its deployment to Iraq became its focus of operations, until 2009 when the SAS redeployed to Afghanistan.Neville, Leigh, Special Forces in the War on Terror (General Military), Osprey Publishing, 2015 {{ISBN|978-1472807908}}, p. 75Neville, Leigh, The SAS 1983–2014 (Elite), Osprey Publishing, 2016, {{ISBN|978-1472814036}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/afghanistan/1450394/Overstretched-SAS-calls-up-part-time-troops-for-Afghanistan.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100323000712/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/afghanistan/1450394/Overstretched-SAS-calls-up-part-time-troops-for-Afghanistan.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=2010-03-23|title=Overstretched SAS calls up part-time troops for Afghanistan – Telegraph|date=23 March 2010}}Jennings, p 187

The regiment took part in the Iraq War, notably carrying out operations in Iraq before the 2003 invasion. Following the invasion, it formed part of Task Force Black/Knight to combat the post invasion insurgency; in late 2005/early 2006, the SAS were integrated into JSOC and focused its counterinsurgency efforts on combating al-Qaeda in Iraq and the Sunni insurgency alongside Delta Force. The counter-insurgency was successful, and the UKSF mission in Iraq ended in May 2009.Urban, Mark, Task Force Black: The Explosive True Story of the Secret Special Forces War in Iraq, St. Martin's Griffin, 2012 {{ISBN|978-1-250-00696-7}} Overall, more than 3,500 terrorists were "taken off the streets" of Baghdad by 22 SAS.{{Cite web|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/defence/5220803/SAS-and-other-special-forces-to-be-expanded-to-defeat-al-Qaeda.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220111/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/defence/5220803/SAS-and-other-special-forces-to-be-expanded-to-defeat-al-Qaeda.html |archive-date=11 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=SAS and other special forces to be expanded to defeat al-Qaeda|author=Sean Rayment|date=25 April 2009|work=Telegraph}}{{cbignore}}

Various British newspapers have speculated on SAS involvement in Operation Ellamy and the 2011 Libyan civil war. The Daily Telegraph reports that "defence sources have confirmed that the SAS has been in Libya for several weeks, and played a key role in coordinating the fall of Tripoli."{{cite news|access-date=26 August 2011|first=Thomas|last=Harding|work=The Daily Telegraph |location=London |title=Libya, SAS leads hunt for Gaddafi|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/libya/8721291/Libya-SAS-leads-hunt-for-Gaddafi.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220111/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/libya/8721291/Libya-SAS-leads-hunt-for-Gaddafi.html |archive-date=11 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|date=24 August 2011|display-authors=etal}}{{cbignore}} While The Guardian reports "They have been acting as forward air controllers{{snd}}directing pilots to targets{{snd}}and communicating with NATO operational commanders. They have also been advising rebels on tactics."{{cite news|access-date=26 August 2011|first=Richard|last=Norton-Taylor|work=The Guardian|location=London|title=SAS troopers help co-ordinate rebel attacks in Libya|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/aug/23/sas-troopers-help-coordinate-rebels|date=23 August 2011|archive-date=11 April 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210411012828/http://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/aug/23/sas-troopers-help-coordinate-rebels|url-status=live}}

Members of the Special Air Service were deployed to Northern Iraq in late August 2014, and according to former SIS chief Richard Barrett, would also be sent to Syria, tasked with trying to track down the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) terrorist group that the press labelled the Beatles.{{cite web|url=http://ricerca.repubblica.it/repubblica/archivio/repubblica/2014/08/25/forze-speciali-in-iraq-caccia-ai-beatles12.html?ref=search|title=Forze speciali in Iraq, caccia ai 'Beatles'|work=La Repubblica|date=25 August 2014|language=it|access-date=17 September 2014|archive-date=15 September 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200915201140/https://ricerca.repubblica.it/repubblica/archivio/repubblica/2014/08/25/forze-speciali-in-iraq-caccia-ai-beatles12.html?ref=search|url-status=live}}{{cite web |url=http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2014/08/21/Former-ISIS-hostage-identifies-Foley-executioner.html |title=Former ISIS hostage identifies Foley executioner |publisher=Al Arabiya |date=21 August 2014 |access-date=18 September 2014 |archive-date=11 November 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201111233213/http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2014/08/21/Former-ISIS-hostage-identifies-Foley-executioner.html |url-status=live }}{{cite web|url=http://www.smh.com.au/world/rapper-identified-as-james-foleys-executioner-reports-20140824-107w1i.html|author=Rachel Browne|title=Rapper identified as James Foley's executioner: reports|work=The Sydney Morning Herald|date=24 August 2014|access-date=18 September 2014|archive-date=14 February 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210214180908/https://www.smh.com.au/world/rapper-identified-as-james-foleys-executioner-reports-20140824-107w1i.html|url-status=live}} In 2024 it was acknowledged that five SAS members had been arrested by the Royal Military Police on suspicion of committing war crimes in Syria, though details have not been disclosed.{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2024/mar/05/five-sas-soldiers-arrested-in-uk-on-suspicion-of-alleged-war-crimes-in-syria |title=Five SAS soldiers arrested in UK on suspicion of alleged war crimes in Syria |last=Sabbagh |first=Dan |newspaper=The Guardian |date=5 March 2024 |access-date=5 March 2024}}

In recent years SAS officers have risen to senior appointments in the British Army and Armed Forces. General Peter de la Billière was the commander in chief of the British forces in the 1990 Gulf War.{{cite news|access-date=27 March 2010|title=Breakfast with Frost, interview|publisher=BBC|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/breakfast_with_frost/2900539.stm|date=30 March 2003|archive-date=19 December 2003|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20031219061530/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/breakfast_with_frost/2900539.stm|url-status=live}} General Michael Rose became commander of the United Nations Protection Force in Bosnia in 1994.{{cite news|access-date=27 March 2010|publisher=BBC|title=Insurgents 'right to take on US'|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/6618075.stm|date=3 May 2007|archive-date=5 October 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071005195307/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/6618075.stm|url-status=live}} In 1997 General Charles Guthrie became Chief of the Defence Staff the head of the British armed forces.{{cite news|last1=Thompson|first1=Alice|last2=Sylvester|first2=Rachel|access-date=27 March 2010|work=The Times|location=London|title=Guthrie attacks Gordon Brown over helicopters for Afghanistan troops|url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/politics/article6726512.ece|date=25 July 2009|archive-date=23 April 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230423054621/https://www.thetimes.co.uk/|url-status=dead}} Lieutenant-General Cedric Delves was appointed commander of the Field Army and deputy commander in chief NATO Regional Headquarters Allied Forces North in 2002–2003.{{cite web|access-date=27 March 2010|publisher=Parliament of the United Kingdom|title=Armed Forces:officers|url=https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200607/cmhansrd/cm070604/text/70604w0039.htm|archive-date=24 April 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100424115613/http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200607/cmhansrd/cm070604/text/70604w0039.htm|url-status=live}}

{{Main|21 Special Air Service Regiment (Artists) (Reserve)|23 Special Air Service Regiment (Reserve)}}

For much of the Cold War, the role of 21 SAS and 23 SAS was to provide stay-behind parties in the event of a Warsaw Pact invasion of western Europe, forming together I Corps' Corps Patrol Unit. In the case of an invasion, this Special Air Service Group would have let themselves be bypassed and remained behind in order to collect intelligence behind Warsaw Pact lines, conduct target acquisition, and thus try to slow the enemy's advance.Asher, Michael (2008). The Regiment: The True Story of the SAS. London: Penguin UK. {{ISBN|0141026529}}, pp. 359–360Geraghty, Tony. Who Dares Wins: the story of the SAS 1950–1982, p. 15 {{ISBN?}}{{Cite journal|title=Eyes on target: 'Stay-behind' forces during the Cold War|first=Tamir|last=Sinai|date=8 December 2020|journal=War in History|volume=28|issue=3|pages=681–700|doi=10.1177/0968344520914345|doi-access=free}}

In early 2003, a squadron of about 60 soldiers from 21 SAS and 23 SAS, were deployed to Afghanistan.{{cite news|last1=Rayment|first1=Sean |title=Overstretched SAS calls up part-time troops for Afghanistan |work=The Sunday Telegraph |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/afghanistan/1450394/Overstretched-SAS-calls-up-part-time-troops-for-Afghanistan.html|location=London|date=28 December 2003|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100323000712/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/afghanistan/1450394/Overstretched-SAS-calls-up-part-time-troops-for-Afghanistan.html |archive-date=23 March 2010|url-status=dead}}{{cite news |last1=Rayment |first1=Sean |title=SAS reservists withdrawn from Afghan front line |url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/afghanistan/7575034/SAS-reservists-withdrawn-from-Afghan-front-line.html |work=The Daily Telegraph |date=11 April 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100413194545/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/afghanistan/7575034/SAS-reservists-withdrawn-from-Afghan-front-line.html |archive-date=13 April 2010|url-status=dead}} In 2005, for the first time since the Malayan Emergency a whole Reserve squadron deployed from one of the regiments to Afghanistan to conduct reconnaissance of Helmand province in preparation for the establishment of a Task Force based around 16 Air Assault Brigade.{{cite news |last1=Smith |first1=Michael |title=Part-time SAS sent to tackle Taliban |work=The Sunday Times |date=20 November 2005}}

Following the post-war reconstitution of the Special Air Service, other countries in the Commonwealth recognised their need for similar units. The Canadian Special Air Service Company was formed in 1947, being disbanded in 1949.{{Cite web|url=http://www.wlu.ca/lcmsds/cmh/back%20issues/CMH/volume%2010/issue%201/Horn%20-%20A%20Military%20Enigma%20-%20The%20Canadian%20Special%20Air%20Service%20Company,%201948-1949.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304111501/http://www.wlu.ca/lcmsds/cmh/back%20issues/CMH/volume%2010/issue%201/Horn%20-%20A%20Military%20Enigma%20-%20The%20Canadian%20Special%20Air%20Service%20Company,%201948-1949.pdf|url-status=dead|title=A Military Enigma: The Canadian Special Air Service Company, 1948–1949, by Lieutenant-Colonel Bernd Horn, Assistant Professor of History, Royal Military College Kingston. Canadian Military History, Volume 10, Number 1. Winter 2001.|archive-date=4 March 2016}}{{Cite web|url=http://www.canadiansoldiers.com/organization/specialforces/canadian_sas.htm|title=www.canadiansoldiers.com|website=www.canadiansoldiers.com|access-date=27 February 2014|archive-date=15 January 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210115120304/http://www.canadiansoldiers.com/organization/specialforces/canadian_sas.htm|url-status=live}} The New Zealand Special Air Service squadron was formed in June 1955 to serve with the British SAS in Malaya, which became a full regiment in 2011.{{cite web|title=History of New Zealand's Special Operations Forces|url=http://www.nzdf.mil.nz/about-us/nzsof/history.htm|website=New Zealand Defence Force|access-date=1 January 2017|date=2 October 2014|archive-date=17 July 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200717214549/http://www.nzdf.mil.nz/about-us/nzsof/history.htm|url-status=dead}} Australia formed the 1st SAS Company in July 1957, which became a full regiment of the Special Air Service Regiment (SASR) in 1964.{{cite web|title=Special Air Service Regiment|url=https://www.army.gov.au/our-people/units/special-operations-command/special-air-service-regiment|website=Australian Army|access-date=1 January 2017|date=14 December 2016|archive-date=1 January 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170101162356/https://www.army.gov.au/our-people/units/special-operations-command/special-air-service-regiment|url-status=dead}} On its return from Malaya, the C (Rhodesian) Squadron formed the basis for creation of the Rhodesian Special Air Service in 1961.Shortt & McBride, p. 22 It retained the name "C Squadron (Rhodesian) Special Air Service" within the Rhodesian Security Forces until 1978, when it became 1 (Rhodesian) Special Air Service Regiment.Abbott, Peter, Modern African Wars (I): Rhodesia 1965–80, Osprey Publishing London, 2001, p. 18.

Non-Commonwealth countries have also formed units based on the SAS. The Belgian Army's Special Forces Group, which wears the same capbadge as the British SAS, traces its ancestry partly from the 5th Special Air Service of the Second World War.{{refn|{{cite web|url=http://www.mil.be/fr/unites/special-forces-group|title=Special Forces Group|date=9 December 2013|access-date=21 July 2016|archive-date=15 September 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200915222036/https://www.mil.be/fr/unites/special-forces-group|url-status=live}}{{cite web|url=http://www.sfg.be/index.php/en/2013-02-22-16-26-49/history|title=History|work=sfg.be|access-date=3 May 2015|archive-date=27 October 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161027073142/http://sfg.be/index.php/en/2013-02-22-16-26-49/history|url-status=live}}{{cite web|url=http://www.cdomuseum.be/ANGLAIS/00_uk.htm|title=00|access-date=21 July 2016|archive-date=11 November 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201111091956/http://www.cdomuseum.be/ANGLAIS/00_uk.htm|url-status=live}}{{cite web|url=http://www.marsandminerva.co.uk/units.htm|title=Special Air Service Regimental Association – Units Represented|work=marsandminerva.co.uk|access-date=3 May 2015|archive-date=14 April 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180414122352/http://www.marsandminerva.co.uk/units.htm|url-status=live}}{{cite web|url=http://www.belgiansas.us/history.html|title=The Belgian SAS in WWII – A Very Short History, website of the Belgian SAS Reenactment Group|access-date=21 July 2016|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140816181119/http://www.belgiansas.us/history.html|archive-date=16 August 2014|df=dmy-all}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.nam.ac.uk/explore/SAS|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131112054639/http://www.nam.ac.uk/research/famous-units/special-air-service|url-status=dead|title=Special Air Service | National Army Museum|archive-date=12 November 2013|website=www.nam.ac.uk}}{{cite web|url=http://www.paracommando.com/unit.php?1para|title=1 Para: 1 bn Parachutisten Diest |work=paracommando.com|access-date=3 May 2015|archive-date=27 July 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200727051408/http://www.paracommando.com/unit.php?1para|url-status=live}}}} The French 1st Marine Infantry Parachute Regiment (1er RPIMa) can trace its origins to the Second World War 3rd and 4th SAS, adopting its "who dares wins" motto.{{cite web|access-date=14 April 2010|publisher=Ministere de la Defense|title=Demi-brigade de parachutistes SAS|url=http://www.rpima1.terre.defense.gouv.fr/decouverte/historique/indochine/index.html|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100503153834/http://www.rpima1.terre.defense.gouv.fr/decouverte/historique/indochine/index.html|archive-date=3 May 2010|df=dmy-all}} The American unit, 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta, was formed by Colonel Charles Alvin Beckwith, who served with 22 SAS as an exchange officer, and recognised the need for a similar type of unit in the United States Army.{{cite web|title=Distinguished member of the special forces regiment – Colonel Charles A. Beckwith |url=http://www.soc.mil/SWCS/RegimentalHonors/_pdf/sf_beckwith.pdf |website=United States Army Special Operations Command |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161221090013/http://www.soc.mil/SWCS/RegimentalHonors/_pdf/sf_beckwith.pdf |archive-date=21 December 2016 |date=13 December 2012 |url-status=bot: unknown }} The Israeli Sayeret Matkal and Shaldag units have also been modelled after the SAS, sharing its motto. Ireland's Army Ranger Wing (ARW) also trains with the SAS.{{cite news|last=McDonald|first=Henry|title=Elite Irish troops on standby to keep peace in Afghanistan|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2001/dec/23/afghanistan.henrymcdonald|access-date=15 May 2014|newspaper=The Guardian|date=23 December 2001|archive-date=11 November 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201111092040/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2001/dec/23/afghanistan.henrymcdonald|url-status=live}} The Philippine National Police's Special Action Force was formed along the lines of the SAS.{{Cite web |url=http://pnp-saf.org.ph/index.php/accom/history |title=History |date=21 October 2020 |website= |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201021093501/http://pnp-saf.org.ph/index.php/accom/history |archive-date=21 October 2020 |url-status=dead}}

The former Royal Afghan Army's 666th Commando Brigade was formed by Colonel Ramatullah Safi in the 1970s after he received his training with the SAS before it was disbanded through purges after the coups in 1973 and 1978.The Better Hammer: Soviet Special Operations Forces and Tactics in Afghanistan 1979–86, pp. 93–94. {{ISBN?}}

Little publicly verifiable information exists on the contemporary SAS, as the British government usually does not comment on special forces matters due to the nature of their work. The Special Air Service comprises three units: one Regular and two Army Reserve (AR) units. The regular army unit is 22 SAS Regiment and the reserve units are 21 Special Air Service Regiment (Artists) (Reserve) (21 SAS(R)) and 23 Special Air Service Regiment (23 SAS (R)), collectively, the Special Air Service (Reserve) (SAS(R)).{{cite web|access-date=26 March 2010 |publisher=Defence Analytical Services Agency |title=UK Defence Statistics 2009 |url=http://www.dasa.mod.uk/modintranet/UKDS/UKDS2009/c4/table404.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110610130325/http://www.dasa.mod.uk/modintranet/UKDS/UKDS2009/c4/table404.html |archive-date=10 June 2011 }}

Special Forces Parachute Support Squadron (Para Sp Sqn) is a sub-unit of the Airborne Delivery Wing (ADW) based at RAF Brize Norton.{{cite news |title=Airborne Delivery Wing |url=https://www.raf.mod.uk/rafbrizenorton/organisation/adw.cfm |url-status=dead |access-date=9 November 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131008223111/https://www.raf.mod.uk/rafbrizenorton/organisation/adw.cfm |archive-date=8 October 2013 |publisher=Royal Air Force |quote=Special Forces Parachute Support Squadron...The role of the Special Forces Parachute Support Squadron is to advise the UK Special Forces Group on all operational, training and developmental aspects of military parachuting. More so, the Parachute Support Squadron is tasked to deliver operational support and training to UK Special Forces troops to enable parachute insertion across the spectrum of parachute capabilities.}}

Supplementary to the SAS, together with the Special Boat Service and the Special Reconnaissance Regiment is 18 (UKSF) Signal Regiment.{{cite magazine |last1=Redshaw |first1=Bernard |title=A New Royal Signals Unit |magazine=The wire : The Magazine of the Royal Corps of Signals |date=August 2005 |volume=59 |issue=4 |url=http://www.army.mod.uk/linkedfiles/royalsignals/thewire/wire2005aug.pdf |publisher=Holbrook Printers Ltd |location=Portsmouth |issn=1462-9259|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20070110181855/http://www.army.mod.uk/linkedfiles/royalsignals/thewire/wire2005aug.pdf|archivedate=10 January 2007}}

22 SAS normally has a strength of 400 to 600.{{cite web|url=http://oxfordresearchgroup.org.uk/publications/paul_rogers_monthly_briefing/uk_special_forces_accountability_shadow_war|title=UK Special Forces: Accountability in Shadow War – Oxford Research Group|access-date=21 July 2016|archive-date=9 June 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180609010353/http://www.oxfordresearchgroup.org.uk/publications/paul_rogers_monthly_briefing/uk_special_forces_accountability_shadow_war|url-status=dead}} The regiment has four operational squadrons: A, B, D and G. Each squadron consists of approximately 65 members commanded by a major, divided into four troops (each troop being commanded by a captain) and a small headquarters section.{{cite news|access-date=25 March 2010|work=The Daily Telegraph |location=London |last=Harnden|first=Toby|title=Gen Stanley McChrystal pays tribute to courage of British special forces|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/7506932/Gen-Stanley-McChrystal-pays-tribute-to-courage-of-British-special-forces.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220111/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/7506932/Gen-Stanley-McChrystal-pays-tribute-to-courage-of-British-special-forces.html |archive-date=11 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |date=23 March 2010}}{{cbignore}}Fremont-Barnes, p. 62 Troops usually consist of 16 members (Members of the SAS are variously known as "blade" or "Operator"){{cite journal|last=Finlan|first=Alistair|access-date=17 March 2010|publisher=Cambridge University Press|title=The arrested development of UK special forces and the global war on terror|journal=Review of International Studies|year=2009|volume=35|issue=4|pages=971–982|doi=10.1017/S0260210509990398|s2cid=59450530|url=http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayFulltext?type=1&fid=6459928&jid=RIS&volumeId=35&issueId=04&aid=6459920|archive-date=23 April 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230423054627/https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/review-of-international-studies/article/abs/arrested-development-of-uk-special-forces-and-the-global-war-on-terror/1F1E72A9ACFBE70F0494BB133CFCB4DC|url-status=live}}Neville, Leigh, The SAS 1983–2014 (Elite), Osprey Publishing, 2016, {{ISBN|978-1472814036}}, pp. 4–5,Urban, Mark, Task Force Black: The Explosive True Story of the Secret Special Forces War in Iraq , St. Martin's Griffin, 2012 {{ISBN|978-1250006967}} and each patrol within a troop consists of four members, with each member possessing a particular skill e.g. signals, demolition, medic or linguist in addition to basic skills learned during the course of his training. The term "squadron" dates back to the unit's earliest days when the unit's name was intended to confuse German intelligence. The four troops specialise in four different areas:

• Boat troop – specialists in maritime skills including diving using rebreathers, using kayaks (canoes) and rigid-hulled inflatable boats and often train with the Special Boat Service.
• Air troop – experts in free fall parachuting and high-altitude parachute operations including High-Altitude Low Opening (HALO) and High-Altitude High Opening (HAHO) techniques.Ryan, p. 40
• Mobility troop – specialists in using vehicles and are experts in desert warfare.Ryan, p. 150 They are also trained in an advanced level of motor mechanics to field-repair any vehicular breakdown.Ryan, p. 97
• Mountain troop – specialists in Arctic combat and survival, using specialist equipment such as skis, snowshoes and mountain climbing techniques.

In 1980 R Squadron (which has since been renamed L Detachment) was formed; its members are all ex-regular SAS regiment soldiers who have a commitment to reserve service.{{#tag:ref|The Regular reserve is made up of ex-soldiers who have a mobilisation obligation by virtue of their former service in the regular army. For the most part, these reservists constitute a standby rather than ready reserve and are rarely mobilised except in times of national emergency or incipient war.{{cite web|access-date=4 June 2010 |title=Regular Reserve |publisher=Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom) |url=http://www.army.mod.uk/structure/1654.aspx |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100316151912/http://www.army.mod.uk/structure/1654.aspx |archive-date=16 March 2010 }}|group=nb}}

22 SAS squadron duty rotations are set up as such that one squadron is maintained on Counter-Terrorism duty in the UK; a second will be on a deployment; a third will be preparing for deployment whilst conducting short term training; and the fourth will be preparing for long-term overseas training such as jungle or desert exercises. In times of war, such as the 2003 invasion of Iraq, it is not uncommon for two squadrons to be deployed.

Squadron Structure:7 Troop by Andy Mcnab and SAS Heroes by Pete Scholey

• A Squadron: 1 (Boat) Troop – 2 (Air) Troop – 3 (Mobility) Troop – 4 (Mountain) Troop
• B Squadron: 6 (Boat) Troop – 7 (Air) Troop – 8 (Mobility) Troop – 9 (Mountain) Troop
• D Squadron: 16 (Air) Troop – 17 (Boat) Troop – 18 (Mobility) Troop – 19 (Mountain) Troop
• G Squadron: 21 (Mobility) Troop – 22 (Mountain) Troop – 23 (Boat) Troop – 24 (Air) Troop

The SAS has a subunit called the Counter Terrorist Wing (CTW) that fulfils its counterterrorism (CT) role.{{cite book |last1=Shepherd |first1=Bobtitle=The infidel | title=The Infidel |date=2010 |location=London |isbn=9781847378149 |quote=An eighteen year veteran of 22 SAS Regiment, John had done it all...assault and sniper team commander for the Regiment's counter-terror wing}} It has previously been known as the Counter Revolutionary Warfare (CRW) WingFremont-Barnes, p. 3 and special projects team.Fremont-Barnes, p. 10Thompson, p. 91 The SAS receives aviation support from No. 658 Squadron AAC to carry out their CT role.{{cite news |last1=Rogoway |first1=Tyler |title=About That 'Blue Thunder' Counter-Terror Chopper That Landed On London Bridge |url=https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/11121/about-that-blue-thunder-counter-terror-chopper-that-landed-on-london-bridge |access-date=10 September 2022 |work=The Drive |date=4 June 2017 |language=en |quote=tasked with supporting ... the Special Air Service ... on domestic counter-terror ops |archive-date=10 September 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220910135116/https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/11121/about-that-blue-thunder-counter-terror-chopper-that-landed-on-london-bridge |url-status=live }}

The CTW is trained in Close Quarter Battle (CQB), sniper techniques and specialises in hostage rescue in buildings or on public transport.Ryan, pp. 38–39 The team was formed in the early 1970s after the Prime Minister, Edward Heath, asked the Ministry of Defence to prepare for any possible terrorist attack similar to the massacre at the 1972 Summer Olympics therefore ordering that the SAS Counter Revolutionary Warfare (CRW) wing be raised.de B. Taillon, p. 38

Squadrons refresh their training every 16 months, on average. The CRW's first deployment was during the Balcombe Street siege. The Metropolitan Police had trapped a PIRA unit; it surrendered when it heard on the BBC that the SAS were being sent in. The first documented action abroad by the CRW wing was assisting the West German counter-terrorism group GSG 9 at Mogadishu.

The CT role was shared amongst the squadrons, initially on a 12-month and later six-month rotation basis to ensure that all members are eventually trained in CT and CQB techniques. The SAS train for the CT role at Pontrilas Army Training Area in a facility that includes the Killing House (officially known as Close Quarter Battle House) and part of a Boeing 747 airliner that can be reconfigured to match the internal layouts of virtually any commercial aircraft. The on-call CT squadron is split into four troops, two of which are on immediate notice to move and are restricted to the Hereford-Credenhill area, whilst the other two conduct training and exercises across the UK, but are available for operational deployment should the need arise.Neville, Leigh, The SAS 1983–2014 (Elite), Osprey Publishing, 2016, {{ISBN|978-1472814036}}, pp. 9, 11

• 1950 Lt Col Mike Calvert, Royal EngineersGeraghty, p. 24
• 1951 Lt Col John Slone, Argyll and Sutherland HighlandersGeraghty, p. 28
• 1953 Lt Col Oliver Brooke, Welch RegimentGeraghty, p. 31
• 1954 Lt Col Michael Osborn, West Yorkshire Regiment
• 1955 Lt Col George Lea, Lancashire Fusiliers{{cite web|url=http://www.lancs-fusiliers.co.uk/FamousLFS/Lieutenant%20General%20Sir%20George%20Lea%20KCB%20DSO%20MBE.htm|title=Lieutenant General Sir George Lea KCB DSO MBE|publisher=Lancashire Fusiliers|access-date=8 June 2015|archive-date=29 October 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141029222307/http://www.lancs-fusiliers.co.uk/FamousLFS/Lieutenant%20General%20Sir%20George%20Lea%20KCB%20DSO%20MBE.htm|url-status=live}} and Parachute RegimentGeraghty, p. 34
• 1957 Lt Col Tony Deane-Drummond, Royal SignalsGeraghty, p. 109
• 1960 Lt Col Ronald Wilson, Royal Northumberland Fusiliers{{Cite web|url=https://www.paradata.org.uk/people/r-dare-wilson|title=R. Dare Wilson | ParaData|website=www.paradata.org.uk|access-date=10 September 2021|archive-date=10 September 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210910205203/https://www.paradata.org.uk/people/r-dare-wilson|url-status=live}}
• 1962 Lt Col John Woodhouse, Dorset Regiment and East SurreysGeraghty, p. 44
• 1965 Lt Col Michael Wingate-Gray,[http://www.heraldscotland.com/sport/spl/aberdeen/brigadier-mike-wingate-gray-1.651557 Obituary: Brigadier Mike Wingate Gray] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121011013847/http://www.heraldscotland.com/sport/spl/aberdeen/brigadier-mike-wingate-gray-1.651557 |date=11 October 2012 }} Herald Scotland, 11 November 1995 Black Watch
• 1967 Lt Col John Slim,{{Cite web|url=https://www.heraldscotland.com/opinion/17406518.obituary-viscount-slim-distinguished-sas-commander-president-burma-star-association/|title=Obituary: Viscount Slim, distinguished SAS commander and president of the Burma Star Association|website=HeraldScotland|date=4 February 2019 |access-date=10 September 2021|archive-date=10 September 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210910205202/https://www.heraldscotland.com/opinion/17406518.obituary-viscount-slim-distinguished-sas-commander-president-burma-star-association/|url-status=live}} Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders
• 1969 Lt Col John Watts,{{Cite web|url=https://www.herefordtimes.com/news/5669124.ex-sas-commander-sir-john-watts-dies/|title=Ex-SAS commander Sir John Watts dies|website=Hereford Times|date=8 January 2004 |access-date=10 September 2021|archive-date=10 September 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210910205207/https://www.herefordtimes.com/news/5669124.ex-sas-commander-sir-john-watts-dies/|url-status=live}} Royal Irish Rangers
• 1972 Lt Col Peter de la Billière,{{cite web|url=http://www.britains-smallwars.com/gulf/Billière.html|title=General Sir Peter de la Billière|access-date=4 May 2007}}{{Dead link|date=September 2022 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} Light Infantry
• 1974 Lt Col Anthony Jeapes,Sas Secret War: Operation Storm in the Middle East Devonshire and Dorset Regiment
• 1977 Lt Col Mike Wilkes, Royal Artillery{{Cite web|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/10423352/General-Sir-Michael-Wilkes.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220111/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/10423352/General-Sir-Michael-Wilkes.html |archive-date=11 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=General Sir Michael Wilkes|website=www.telegraph.co.uk|date=3 November 2013 }}{{cbignore}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/general-sir-michael-wilkes-sas-chief-who-went-serve-valued-right-hand-man-general-peter-de-la-billiere-first-gulf-war-9081513.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220524/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/general-sir-michael-wilkes-sas-chief-who-went-serve-valued-right-hand-man-general-peter-de-la-billiere-first-gulf-war-9081513.html |archive-date=24 May 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=General Sir Michael Wilkes: SAS chief who went on to serve as valued|date=23 January 2014|website=The Independent}}
• 1982 Lt Col Mike Rose, Coldstream Guards{{Cite web|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/we-think-our-chap-can-do-it-profile-ltgen-sir-michael-rose-un-peaceseeker-in-bosnia-1395046.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220524/https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/we-think-our-chap-can-do-it-profile-ltgen-sir-michael-rose-un-peaceseeker-in-bosnia-1395046.html |archive-date=24 May 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=We think our chap can do it: Profile: Lt-Gen Sir Michael Rose, UN|date=22 October 2011|website=The Independent}}
• 1984 Lt Col Andrew Massey, Royal Corps of Transport{{Cite web|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/obituary-brigadier-andrew-massey-1198076.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220524/https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/obituary-brigadier-andrew-massey-1198076.html |archive-date=24 May 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=Obituary: Brigadier Andrew Massey|date=22 October 2011|website=The Independent}}
• 1986 Lt Col Cedric Delves, Devonshire and Dorset Regiment{{Cite web|url=http://www.specialoperations.com/Foreign/United_Kingdom/SAS/COs.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120224225539/http://www.specialoperations.com/Foreign/United_Kingdom/SAS/COs.htm|url-status=dead|title=Special Operations: Commanding Officers|archive-date=24 February 2012}}
• 1989 Lt Col John Holmes, Scots Guards{{Cite web|url=http://www.erinysinternational.com/CompanyOverview-ManagementProfiles.asp?Corporate|title=ERINYS|date=6 April 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080406021241/http://www.erinysinternational.com/CompanyOverview-ManagementProfiles.asp?Corporate|archive-date=6 April 2008}}
• n/k Lt Col Jonathan "Jacko" Page, Parachute Regiment{{Cite web|url=https://www.forces.net/news/two-women-sas-selection-first-time-ever|title=Two Women Up For SAS Selection For First Time Ever|date=9 August 2021|website=Forces Network|access-date=9 September 2021|archive-date=9 September 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210909203222/https://www.forces.net/news/two-women-sas-selection-first-time-ever|url-status=live}}
• 2001 Lt Col Ed Butler, Royal Green Jackets{{cite book |last1= Gall |first1= Sandy |title= War Against the Taliban: Why It All Went Wrong in Afghanistan |publisher= Bloomsbury Paperbacks |year= 2013 |isbn= 978-1408822340 |url-access= registration |url= https://archive.org/details/waragainsttaliba0000gall }}{{cite web|url=http://www.londonspeakerbureau.com/uk/speakers/ed_butler|title=Ed Butler|publisher=London Speaker Bureau|access-date=24 July 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160917002846/http://www.londonspeakerbureau.com/uk/speakers/ed_butler|archive-date=17 September 2016|url-status=dead}}
• 2002 Lt Col Mark Carleton-Smith, Irish Guards{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=u442i5uSASYC&q=Mark+Carleton-Smith+22sas&pg=PT20|title=Desperate Glory|first=Sam|last=Kiley|publisher=Bloomsbury|year=2010|isbn=978-1408801239|access-date=5 September 2021|archive-date=23 April 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230423054620/https://books.google.com/books?id=u442i5uSASYC&q=Mark+Carleton-Smith+22sas&pg=PT20|url-status=live}}
• 2007 Lt Col Richard Williams, Parachute Regiment{{Cite web|url=https://vimyfoundation.ca/about/boards|title=Team & Board | About | The Vimy Foundation|website=vimyfoundation.ca|access-date=31 January 2022|archive-date=30 January 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220130025825/https://vimyfoundation.ca/about/boards|url-status=live}}
• 2012 Lt Col Nick Perry, King's Royal Hussars{{cite web|url=https://www.krh.org.uk/uploads/4/5/0/9/45090939/krh_2012.pdf|title=Officers at Extra Regimental Employment ('ERE')|publisher=Journal of the King's Royal Hussars|page=145|year=2012|access-date=5 September 2021|archive-date=5 September 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210905121235/https://www.krh.org.uk/uploads/4/5/0/9/45090939/krh_2012.pdf|url-status=dead}}

22 SAS is under the operational command of the Director Special Forces (DSF), a major-general grade post. Previously ranked as a brigadier, the DSF was promoted from brigadier to major-general in recognition of the significant expansion of the United Kingdom Special Forces (UKSF).{{cite news|access-date=25 March 2010|work=The Times|location=London|title=Special forces win the right to take their secrets to the grave|last=Evans|first=Michael|url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/politics/article3134322.ece|date=5 January 2008|archive-date=23 April 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230423054622/https://www.thetimes.co.uk/|url-status=dead}}

On 1 September 2014, 21 and 23 SAS were moved from UKSF.{{cite web|url=https://rmhistorical.com/files/content/Badge%20Notes%202021.pdf|title=Badge Notes|date=1 February 2021|access-date=2 April 2022|archive-date=4 April 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220404205939/https://rmhistorical.com/files/content/Badge%20Notes%202021.pdf|url-status=live}} They were placed under command of 1st Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Brigade.Janes International Defence Review, May 2014, p. 4Army Briefing Note 120/14, Newly Formed Force Troops Command Specialist Brigades, Quote. It commands all of the Army's Intelligence, Surveillance and EW assets, and is made up of units specifically from the former 1 MI Bde and 1 Arty Bde, as well as 14 Sig Regt, 21 and 23 SAS(R). In 2019 they were moved back to UKSF.{{Cite web|title=21 & 23 SAS (Reserve)|url=https://www.army.mod.uk/who-we-are/corps-regiments-and-units/uk-special-forces-reserve/21-23-sas-r/|access-date=2020-12-29|website=www.army.mod.uk|language=en-GB|archive-date=3 June 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200603095722/https://www.army.mod.uk/who-we-are/corps-regiments-and-units/uk-special-forces-reserve/21-23-sas-r/|url-status=live}}{{cite web|url=https://www.army.mod.uk/umbraco/Surface/Download/Get/10550|title=Force Troops Command Handbook|publisher=Ministry of Defence|access-date=11 January 2021|archive-date=30 March 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210330181711/https://www.army.mod.uk/umbraco/Surface/Download/Get/10550|url-status=live}}

{{Main|United Kingdom Special Forces Selection}}

File:Pen y Fan from Cribyn.jpg {{convert|2907|ft|0}} above sea level, the location for the Fan Dance]]

The first version of the SAS selection course was created by John Woodhouse in 1952.{{cite web |title=John Woodhouse |url=https://www.thetimes.com/article/john-woodhouse-679r66pj6t7 |website=The Times |access-date=21 February 2025 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20241102223531/https://www.thetimes.com/article/john-woodhouse-679r66pj6t7 |archive-date=2 Nov 2024 |language=en |date=21 February 2008 |url-access=subscription}}{{cite book |last1=Ryan |first1=Chris |author1-link=Chris Ryan |title=The history of the SAS: as told by the men on the ground |date=2019 |publisher=Coronet |location=London |isbn=978-1529324662 |language=en |chapter=Chapter 6: SAS Selection |quote=A lot of the credit for the creation and development of Selection has to go to John Woodhouse, CO of 22 SAS in the early 1960s and one of the Malaya veterans originally recruited by Mike Calvert. A fearsomely determined soldier, who had seen action in North Africa and Italy during the Second World War, Woodhouse had a huge influence on the Regiment, setting up the original Selection course in 1952.}} The United Kingdom Special Forces do not recruit directly from the general public.Ryan, p. 17{{Cite web|title=21 & 23 SAS (Reserve)|url=https://www.army.mod.uk/who-we-are/corps-regiments-and-units/uk-special-forces-reserve/21-23-sas-r/|access-date=2020-06-03|website=www.army.mod.uk|language=en-GB|archive-date=3 June 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200603095722/https://www.army.mod.uk/who-we-are/corps-regiments-and-units/uk-special-forces-reserve/21-23-sas-r/|url-status=live}} All current members of the UK Armed Forces can apply for Special Forces selection, but the majority of candidates have historically come from a Royal Marines or Parachute Regiment background.Ryan, p. 15 Selections are held twice a year, once in summer and again in winter.

Typically only 10% of candidates make it through the initial selection process.{{Cite web |last=D’Costa |first=Ian |date=2020-04-24 |title=This Is What Makes SAS Selection the Toughest in the World |url=https://www.military.com/off-duty/2020/04/24/what-makes-sas-selection-toughest-world.html |access-date=2022-09-19 |website=Military.com |language=en |archive-date=20 September 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220920173018/https://www.military.com/off-duty/2020/04/24/what-makes-sas-selection-toughest-world.html |url-status=live }} Between 2014 and 2022 there were more deaths in training and exercises than in combat against armed threats.{{Cite web |last=Overton |first=Iain |date=2023-08-02 |title=Death in the mountains: British SAS fatalities during military training examined |url=https://aoav.org.uk/2023/death-in-the-mountains-british-sas-fatalities-during-military-training-examined/ |access-date=2024-05-23 |website=AOAV |language=en-US}} In a group of approximately 200 candidates, most will drop out within the first few days, and fewer than 30 will remain by the end. Those who complete all phases of selection are transferred to an operational squadron.Ryan, p. 25

For applicants to the reserve component, 21 SAS and 23 SAS, the pathway involves comparable elements, apart from jungle training, but taken in blocks, spread out over a longer period, to fit in with the demands of participants' civilian careers.{{Cite web|url=https://www.army.mod.uk/who-we-are/corps-regiments-and-units/uk-special-forces-reserve/21-23-sas-r/|title=21 & 23 SAS (Reserve)|website=www.army.mod.uk|access-date=3 June 2020|archive-date=3 June 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200603095722/https://www.army.mod.uk/who-we-are/corps-regiments-and-units/uk-special-forces-reserve/21-23-sas-r/|url-status=live}} In October 2018, recruitment policy changed to allow women to become members of the SAS for the first time.{{cite news | title=Men still pick "blue" jobs and women "pink" jobs | newspaper=The Economist | date=16 February 2019 | url=https://www.economist.com/finance-and-economics/2019/02/16/men-still-pick-blue-jobs-and-women-pink-jobs | access-date=13 February 2023 | url-access=subscription | archive-date=13 February 2023 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230213201014/https://www.economist.com/finance-and-economics/2019/02/16/men-still-pick-blue-jobs-and-women-pink-jobs | url-status=live }} In August 2021, two women became the first to pass the pre-selection course, making them eligible for the full course.{{Cite web|url=https://www.forces.net/news/two-women-sas-selection-first-time-ever|title=Two women up for SAS selection for first time ever|website=Forces Network|date=9 August 2021 |access-date=24 April 2022|archive-date=20 March 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220320032157/https://www.forces.net/news/two-women-sas-selection-first-time-ever|url-status=live}}

The first phase of selection, aptitude phase, lasts 4 weeks and takes place in the Brecon Beacons.{{cite news |title=What Do SAS Selection Tests Involve? |url=https://news.sky.com/story/what-do-sas-selection-tests-involve-10357417 |access-date=17 June 2023 |work=Sky News |date=1 June 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230617182633/https://news.sky.com/story/what-do-sas-selection-tests-involve-10357417 |archive-date=17 June 2023 |language=en |quote=The aptitude phase lasts for four weeks, and begins with a physical endurance test, which focuses on the fitness and strength of recruits and sees a large majority of them eliminated. The tests are carried out on the rugged and sprawling landscape of the Brecon Beacons, which provides the ideal terrain to prepare them physically and mentally for missions.}} This phase also involves training in Sennybridge, and normally starts with approximately 200 potential candidates. Candidates complete a Personal Fitness Test (PFT) upon arrival, which consists of at least 50 sit-ups in two minutes, 60 press-ups in two minutes, and a {{Convert|1.5|mi|adj=on}} run in 10 minutes and 30 seconds. They then complete an Annual Fitness Test (AFT), which consists of marching {{convert|8|mi}} in two hours while carrying {{Cvt|25|lb}} of equipment.{{cite web|access-date=4 June 2010|title=PT booklet (PDF format)|publisher=Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom)|url=http://www.army.mod.uk/documents/general/ptbooklet.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091210103733/http://www.army.mod.uk/documents/general/ptbooklet.pdf|archive-date=10 December 2009|df=dmy-all}} Candidates then march cross-country against the clock, increasing the distance covered each day; this culminates in an endurance test known as the "Endurance", in which candidates march {{convert|40|mi}} with full equipment before climbing up and down the mountain Pen y Fan (886 m; 2,907 ft) in 20 hours. By the end of this phase, candidates must then be able to run {{convert|4|mi}} in 30 minutes or less and swim {{convert|2|mi}} in 90 minutes or less.

After completing aptitude phase, officer candidates are required to spend a week assessing their ability to carry out planning for UKSF operations while fatigued and stressed.{{cite book |last1=MacKenzie |first1=Alastair |title=Pilgrim Days |date= 2020 |publisher=Osprey Publishing |isbn=9781472833198 |page=111}}{{cite book |last1=Guthrie |first1=Charles |title=Peace, War and Whitehall |date= 2021 |publisher=Osprey Publishing |isbn=978-1472852328 |pages=56–57}} Following mountain training, the jungle phase takes place in Belize, Brunei, or Malaysia.Ryan, p. 19 Candidates are taught navigation, patrol formation and movement, and jungle survival skills.Ryan, p. 21 Candidates then return to the UK to begin training in battle plans and foreign weapons, and then take part in combat survival exercises, ending in week-long escape and evasion training.Ryan, p. 23 Candidates are formed into patrols and, with nothing more than a tin can filled with survival equipment, are dressed in World War II-era uniforms and told to head for a particular destination by sunrise. The final selection test, resistance to interrogation (RTI), lasts for 36 hours.Ryan, p. 24

Image:SASWings.png

Normal barracks headdress is the sand-coloured beret, its cap badge is a downward pointing Excalibur, wreathed in flames (often incorrectly referred to as a winged dagger) worked into the cloth of a Crusader shield with the motto Who Dares Wins.{{Dubious|Cap badge insignia|date=November 2022}}{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/1552242.stm|title=Profile: The SAS|work=BBC News|access-date=9 January 2011|date=2 November 2001|archive-date=26 July 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080726200849/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/1552242.stm|url-status=live}}{{#tag:ref|Designed by Bob Tait in 1941, it is a flaming sword, although it is often known as a winged dagger.Stevens, p. 57|group=nb}} SAS pattern parachute wings, designed by Lieutenant Jock Lewes and based on the stylised sacred ibis of Isis of Egyptian iconography depicted in the décor of Shepheard's Hotel in Cairo, are worn on the right shoulder.Davis, p. 67 Its ceremonial No 1 dress uniform is distinguished by a light-blue stripe on the trousers. Its stable belt is a shade of blue similar to the blue stripe on the No 1 dress uniform.

In the British Army, battle honours are awarded to regiments that have seen active service in a significant engagement or campaign, generally with a victorious outcome.Griffin, p. 187 The Special Air Service Regiment has been awarded the following battle honours:Chant, p. 265{{cite web|access-date=26 March 2010|publisher=Parliament of the United Kingdom|title=Gulf Battle Honours|url=https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm199293/cmhansrd/1993-10-19/Writtens-1.html|archive-date=24 April 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100424052140/http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm199293/cmhansrd/1993-10-19/Writtens-1.html|url-status=live}}

• North-West Europe 1944–45
• Tobruk 1941
• Benghazi Raid
• North Africa 1940–43
• Landing in Sicily
• Sicily 1943
• Termoli
• Valli di Comacchio
• Italy 1943–45
• Greece 1944–45
• Adriatic
• Middle East 1943–44
• Falkland Islands 1982
• Western Iraq
• Gulf 1991

{{S-start}}

{{order of precedence |before= Line Infantry and Rifles |title= British Army Order of Precedence{{cite news|access-date=25 March 2010|work=The Daily Telegraph |location=London |title=Telegraph style book: the Services|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/topics/about-us/style-book/1435306/Telegraph-style-book-the-Services.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220111/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/topics/about-us/style-book/1435306/Telegraph-style-book-the-Services.html |archive-date=11 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live | date=12 April 2008}}{{cbignore}}

|after=Army Air Corps

}}

{{S-end}}

File:Special Air Service Memorial, Hereford Cathedral, July 2019 (2).jpg]]

The names of those members of the Regular SAS who have died on duty were inscribed on the regimental clock tower at Stirling Lines.{{cite news| last=Staff |date= 19 May 1980 |url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,924110,00.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070423092932/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,924110,00.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=23 April 2007 |title=World: Britain's SAS.: Who Dares Wins|newspaper=Time|access-date=9 January 2011}} Originally funded by contributions of a day's pay by members of the regiment and a donation from Handley Page in memory of Cpl. R.K. Norry who was killed in a freefall parachuting accident,Tempting the Fates, Dare WilsonGeordie: Fighting Legend of the Modern SAS. Mike Morgan and Geordie Doran this was rebuilt at the new barracks at Credenhill. Those whose names are inscribed are said by surviving members to have "failed to beat the clock".{{cite news| last=Collins| first=Tim| url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/history/britain-at-war/8781946/The-making-of-the-SAS-the-men-who-dare.html| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120325031709/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/history/britain-at-war/8781946/The-making-of-the-SAS-the-men-who-dare.html| url-status=dead| archive-date=25 March 2012| title=The making of the SAS, the men who dare|newspaper=The Daily Telegraph|access-date=23 May 2012| date=22 September 2011}} At the suggestion of the then Commanding Officer, Dare Wilson, inscribed on the base of the clock is a verse from The Golden Journey to Samarkand by James Elroy Flecker:{{cite news|last=Popham |first=Peter |date=30 May 1996 |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/the-sas-confronts-its-enemy-within-1349761.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220524/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/the-sas-confronts-its-enemy-within-1349761.html |archive-date=24 May 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |title=SAS confronts its enemy within|newspaper=The Independent|access-date=9 January 2011 |location=London}}

{{poemquote|

We are the Pilgrims, master; we shall go

Always a little further: it may be

Beyond that last blue mountain barred with snow

Across that angry or that glimmering sea...}}

The other main memorial is the SAS and Airborne Forces memorial in the cloisters at Westminster Abbey. The SAS Brigade Memorial at Sennecey-le-Grand in France commemorates the wartime dead of the Belgian, British and French SAS and recently a memorial plaque was added to the David Stirling Memorial in Scotland. There are other smaller memorials "scattered throughout Europe and in the Far East".{{cite web |last=Staff |url=http://www.marsandminerva.co.uk/memorials.htm |title=Memorials|publisher=Special Air Service Regimental Association|access-date=15 April 2010 |archive-date=15 April 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100415003831/http://www.marsandminerva.co.uk/memorials.htm |url-status=live }}

The local church of St Martin's, Hereford{{cite web|url=http://www.stmartinshereford.org.uk/|title=Home – St Martin's Church Hereford|author=Phillip Brown|work=stmartinshereford.org.uk|access-date=3 May 2015|archive-date=18 December 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141218190441/http://stmartinshereford.org.uk/|url-status=live}} has part of its graveyard set aside as an SAS memorial, over twenty SAS soldiers are buried there. There is also a wall of remembrance displaying memorial plaques to some who could not be buried, including the 18 SAS men who lost their lives in the Sea King helicopter crash during the Falklands Campaign on 19 May 1982{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-hereford-worcester-18136957|title=SAS Falklands dead remembered at service|work=BBC News|date=20 May 2012|access-date=3 May 2015|archive-date=25 September 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150925232936/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-hereford-worcester-18136957|url-status=live}} and a sculpture and stained glass window dedicated to the SAS.{{cite web |author=Ben Goddard |url=http://www.herefordtimes.com/news/14788397.Sculpture_will_be_more_relevant_for_today__39_s_regiment__says_veteran__39_s_wife/ |title=Sculpture will be more relevant for today's regiment, says veteran's wife (From Hereford Times) |date=7 October 2016 |publisher=Herefordtimes.com |access-date=2016-11-18 |archive-date=19 November 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161119062807/http://www.herefordtimes.com/news/14788397.Sculpture_will_be_more_relevant_for_today__39_s_regiment__says_veteran__39_s_wife/ |url-status=live }}

On 17 October 2017 Ascension, a new sculpture and window honouring the Special Air Service Regiment in Hereford Cathedral, was dedicated by the Bishop of Hereford at a service attended by Prince William.{{cite web|url=https://www.herefordcathedral.org/news/ascension-memorial-dedicated|title=Ascension memorial dedicated|publisher=Hereford Cathedral|access-date=5 November 2017|archive-date=7 November 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171107030429/https://www.herefordcathedral.org/news/ascension-memorial-dedicated|url-status=dead}}

;Books and films about the SAS:

• Eastern Approaches – Fitzroy Maclean's memoir provides his personal experiences in the fledgling SAS in the Western Desert Campaign.
• Bravo Two Zero – Memoir about a failed SAS mission by Andy McNab.{{cite news |last1=Hennessey |first1=Patrick |title=Twenty years of Bravo Two Zero |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/10073028/Twenty-years-of-Bravo-Two-Zero.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220111/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/10073028/Twenty-years-of-Bravo-Two-Zero.html |archive-date=11 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |date=23 May 2013}}{{cbignore}}
• Bravo Two Zero – 1999 miniseries based on the book of the same name by Andy McNab.
• Red Notice – Novel by Andy McNab, part of his Tom Buckingham Series.
• SAS: Red Notice – 2021 film based on the book of the same name by Andy McNab.{{cite web |last1=Thompson |first1=Simon |title=Andy Serkis And 'Outlander' Sam Heughan Talk 'SAS: Red Notice' And Franchises |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/simonthompson/2021/03/16/andy-serkis-and-outlander-sam-heughan-talk-sas-red-notice-and-franchises/?sh=50b569ae4437 |work=Forbes |access-date=19 September 2021 |archive-date=20 March 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220320092354/https://www.forbes.com/sites/simonthompson/2021/03/16/andy-serkis-and-outlander-sam-heughan-talk-sas-red-notice-and-franchises/?sh=50b569ae4437 |url-status=live }}
• The One That Got Away – Memoir about the Bravo Two Zero mission by Chris Ryan.
• The One That Got Away – Film based on the book of the same name by Chris Ryan.
• The Feather Men – Novel by Sir Ranulph Fiennes, claimed by the author to be a partly non-fictional story involving the SAS.
• Killer Elite – Film based on The Feathermen, about a mercenary hired to kill SAS troopers (fictional story surrounding real events and people from SAS history).
• 6 Days – Film about the SAS involvement in the Iranian Embassy siege in 1980.
• Who Dares Wins – 1982 film, released in the United States as The Final Option.
• SAS: Rogue Heroes – 2016 book.{{cite book|url=https://benmacintyre.com/blog/book/sas-rogue-heroes/|title=SAS: Rogue Heroes|first=Ben|last=Macintyre|year=2016|publisher=Viking|isbn=978-0241186626|access-date=5 April 2023|archive-date=5 April 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230405160533/https://benmacintyre.com/blog/book/sas-rogue-heroes/|url-status=live}}

;Television shows about the SAS:

• SAS: Are You Tough Enough? (2002–2004).{{cite web|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/northamptonshire/features/sas.shtml|title=SAS - are you tough enough?|publisher=BBC|date=18 February 2003|access-date=28 May 2020|archive-date=29 December 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211229152829/https://www.bbc.co.uk/northamptonshire/features/sas.shtml|url-status=live}}
• SAS: Who Dares Wins – Quasi-military training television reality programme which pits contestants against harsh environments in a two-week-long training course designed to replicate Special Air Service selection.{{IMDb title|qid=Q65061433|id=tt5189220|title=SAS: Who Dares Wins}}
• Ultimate Force – ITV action drama series following the operations of the fictitious "Red Troop" of the Special Air Service (2002–2008).{{IMDb title|qid=Q2535174|id=tt0334874|title=Ultimate Force}}
• SAS: Rogue Heroes – BBC historical drama series which depicts the formation of the Special Air Service during World War II (2022).{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/2022/first-full-length-trailer-and-new-pictures-released-for-sas-rogue-heroes-bbc-one-iplayer|title=First full-length trailer and new pictures released for SAS Rogue Heroes, coming soon to BBC One and iPlayer|publisher=BBC|access-date=31 October 2022|archive-date=4 October 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221004114638/http://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/2022/first-full-length-trailer-and-new-pictures-released-for-sas-rogue-heroes-bbc-one-iplayer|url-status=live}}

• {{flag|Australia}} – Special Air Service Regiment{{cite web |last=Mills |first=T.F. |title=Special Air Service Regiment |publisher=Regiments.org |url=http://www.regiments.org/regiments/uk/specfor/SAS.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070811231957/http://www.regiments.org/regiments/uk/specfor/SAS.htm |archive-date=11 August 2007|access-date=4 February 2011}}
• {{Flag|New Zealand}} – New Zealand Special Air Service

• List of military special forces units
• Parachute Regiment (United Kingdom)

{{Reflist|group=nb}}

{{Reflist|25em}}

{{Refbegin}}

• {{Cite book|title=Secret Armies|last=Adams|first=James|year=1987|publisher=Hutchinson|isbn=0-553-28162-3|url=https://archive.org/details/secretarmiesinsi00jame}}
• {{Cite book|title=Daring missions of World War II |first=William B. |last=Breuer |publisher=John Wiley and Sons |year=2001 |isbn=978-0-471-40419-4}}
• {{Cite book|title=The Handbook of British Regiments|first=Christopher|last=Chant|publisher=Routledge|year=1988|isbn=0-415-00241-9}}
• {{Cite book|last=Davis|first=Brian Leigh|year=1983|title=British Army Uniforms and Insignia of World War Two|publisher=Arms and Armour Press|isbn=0-85368-609-2}}
• {{Cite book|title=Passing the SAS Selection Course – from the Inside|last=Downie|first=Nick|year=2006|publisher=h2g2|url=https://h2g2.com/entry/A12936765|access-date=21 September 2021|archive-date=21 September 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210921123125/https://h2g2.com/entry/A12936765|url-status=live}}
• {{Cite book|first=J. Paul|last=de B. Taillon|title=The evolution of Special Forces in Counter-Terrorism, The British and American Experiences|publisher=Greenwood|year=2000|isbn=0-275-96922-3}}
• {{Cite book|last1=Edgeworth|first1=Anthony|last2=De St. Jorre|first2=John|title=The Guards|publisher=Ridge Press/Crown Publishers|year=1981|isbn=0-517-54376-1|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/guards0000edge}}
• {{Cite book | last = Farrell | first = Theo| year = 2017 | title = Unwinnable: Britain's War in Afghanistan, 2001–2014 | publisher = Bodley Head | isbn = 978-1847923462}}
• {{Cite book|last1=Geraghty|first1=Tony|title=Who Dares Wins: The Story of the Special Air Service, 1950–1980|publisher=Book Club Association|year=1980|isbn=085368457X}}
• {{Cite book|last=Griffin|first=P.D|title=Encyclopedia of Modern British Army Regiments|publisher=Sutton Publishing|year=2006|isbn=0-7509-3929-X}}
• {{Cite book|last=Fremont-Barnes|first=Gregory|year=2009|title=Who Dares Wins – The SAS and the Iranian Embassy Siege 1980|publisher=Osprey Publishing|isbn=978-1-84603-395-7|url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_9781846033957}}
• {{Cite book|last=Haskew|first=Michael E|title=Encyclopaedia of Elite Forces in the Second World War|publisher=Pen and Sword|year=2007|isbn=978-1-84415-577-4}}
• {{Cite book|title=Midnight in some burning town: British Special Forces: Operations from Belgrade to Baghdad|first=Christian|last= Jennings|publisher=Cassell|year=2005|isbn=0-3043-6708-7}}
• {{Cite book|last=Kemp|first=Anthony|title= The SAS at War 1941–1945|publisher= Signet|year=1993|isbn=0451174569 }}
• {{Cite book|last=Molinari|first=Andrea|title=Desert Raiders: Axis and Allied Special Forces 1940–43|publisher=Osprey Publishing|year=2007|isbn=978-1-84603-006-2}}
• {{Cite book|title=Daggers Drawn: Second World War heroes of the SAS and SBS|first=Mike|last=Morgan|publisher=Sutton|year=2000|isbn=0-7509-2509-4}}
• {{cite book| last=Otway| first=Lieutenant-Colonel T.B.H.| title=The Second World War 1939–1945 Army – Airborne Forces| publisher=Imperial War Museum| year= 1990| isbn=0-901627-57-7}}
• {{Cite book|last=Ryan|first=Chris|author-link=Chris Ryan|title=Fight to Win|year=2009|publisher=Century|isbn=978-1-84605-666-6}}
• {{Cite book|last1=Scholey|first1=Pete|last2=Forsyth|first2=Frederick|author-link2=Frederick Forsyth|year=2008|title=Who Dares Wins: Special Forces Heroes of the SAS|publisher=Osprey Publishing|isbn=978-1-84603-311-7}}
• {{Cite book|title=The Special Air Service|last1=Shortt|first1=James|author-link=James Shortt|last2=McBride|first2=Angus|publisher=Osprey Publishing|year=1981|isbn=0-85045-396-8}}
• {{Cite book |title= The Originals – The Secret History of the Birth of the SAS in Their Own Words |first=Gordon |last= Stevens |year=2005 |publisher= Ebury Press |isbn= 978-0-09-190177-6}}
• {{Cite book|title=SAS: Great Britain's Elite Special Air Service|first=Leroy|last= Thompson|publisher=Zenith Imprint|year=1994|isbn=0-87938-940-0}}

{{Refend}}

• {{Commons category-inline|Special Air Service}}

{{United Kingdom Special Forces}}

{{British Commando units of the Second World War|state=collapsed}}

{{Underwater diving|prodiv}}

Category:1941 establishments in the United Kingdom

Category:Airborne units and formations of the United Kingdom

Category:Army reconnaissance units and formations

Category:Military units and formations established in 1941

Category:Military units and formations of the Gulf War

Category:Military units and formations of the United Kingdom in the Falklands War

Category:Military units and formations of the United Kingdom in the Iraq War

Category:Military units and formations of the United Kingdom in the War in Afghanistan (2001–2021)

Category:Regiments of the British Army in World War II