Lalitmohan: May 23, 2008

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The SAS was raised by then Lieutenant Archibald David Stirling, (a Supplementary Reserve officer of the Scots Guards) during World War II as 'L' Detachment, SAS Brigade, (so named from August 24, 1941) adding to the pre-existing 'J' and 'K' Detachments of the notional Special Air Service Brigade. Given the acting rank of Captain by the Commander in Chief, Middle East Forces and an initial authorized strength of 68 All Ranks, Stirling's No 1 Special Service Unit was originally created as an all volunteer airborne force to conduct raids and sabotage far behind enemy lines in the desert on the model of a concept worked out by Lieutenant John Steel Lewes. Lewes, an experienced Weapons Training Instructor with the Welsh Guards prior to service with No 8 Commando, became the Detachment's first chief instructor. 'L' Detachment operated in conjunction with the pre-existing Long Range Desert Group (LRDG) commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel Guy Lennox Prendergast, Royal Tank Regiment (who later became Deputy Commander of the SAS Brigade in North West Europe in 1944)[N]. Stirling (also formerly of No. 3 and 8 Commando) selected recruits by personal interview and recruited from the disbanding Layforce and from officers and men of other units of the British Army stationed in Egypt awaiting posting at the Infantry Base Depot at Geneifa. The name 'Special Air Service' was used as a part of a deception operation (Operation Abeam; mounted by the specialist deception organization 'A' Force) to suggest that Britain had increased its airborne forces capabilities over and above the single 11 SAS Bn then in existence. The unit also adopted the basic rank style of Parachutist, abbreviated 'Pct', which continued in use until succeeded by Trooper, abbreviated 'Tpr' from 1944.
Their only operation in North Africa inserted by parachute Operation Squatter commenced on the moonless night of November 16/17 1941 in a single option mission to secure air superiority for the British 8th Army 24 hours before the commencement of the army main offensive Operation Crusader. Five Bristol Bombay aircraft of No. 216 Squadron, Royal Air force, carrying 54 All Ranks of the Detachment attempted a clandestine night drop with static chutes on two DZs adjacent to the Axis airfields at Gazala (three aircraft) and Tmimi (two aircraft) behind enemy lines in support of General Sir Claude Auchinleck's offensive. Forecast, but discounted, adverse weather conditions with winds gusting to Force 7-8, wrecked the insertion plan, the men and their equipment and the mission was aborted with the loss of one aircraft, its crew, a GHQ Army observer officer, and SAS casualties of five killed and 28 prisoners of war. Only 21 out of 54 effectives reached the agreed rendezvous point with Easonsmith's Patrol of the LRDG. (Of the dead, Pct David Keith, Scots Guards, was killed at sea as a Prisoner of War when the Italian ship he was being transported on to Italy was torpedoed by a British submarine. Of the other Prisoners of War, seven were released at the Armistice with Italy in 1943 and two, Pct Joseph Blakeney, Coldstream Guards, and Pct Roy David Davies, Welsh Guards, were killed together on April 8, 1945 on Operation Archway.) Stirling subsequently managed to organize another surreptitious assault against the Axis airfields at Agedabia, Sirte and Agheila, this time transported by the LRDG in support of Bencol operations aimed at the capture of Benghazi. They destroyed a large number of enemy aircraft without a single casualty although the claims for aircraft destroyed on the ground do not correlate well with Axis operational records. Later redesignated 1 Special Air Service Regiment, known in abbreviated form as '1 SAS', from the notional date of 21 September 1941 (When the Detachment was actually on Operation Bigamy.) David Stirling's older brother 'Bill' or William Joseph Stirling, a Regular Army Reserve officer of the Scots Guards also raised a second regiment, again known, in abbreviated form as '2 SAS', from a detachment of the Small Scale Raiding Force or SSRF also designated for cover reasons as No. 62 Commando.
During the desert war, the SAS performed many successful and daring long range insertion missions and destroyed aircraft and fuel depots. Their success contributed towards Adolph Hitler issuing his Kommandobefehl (Commando Order) order to execute all captured enemy personnel of the type now commonly known as Special Forces. When the Germans stepped up security, the SAS switched to hit-and-run tactics. They used jeeps, which had been sent over to North Africa, armed with Vickers K machine guns (although this feature was part of the SAS's modifications of the vehicles) and used tracer ammunition and Lewes bombs to ignite fuel and aircraft.

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