Special Air Service

Another young officer from No. 8 Commando, known now as David Stirling, like Jock Lewes, is also playing with the idea of airborne insertions instead of seaborne. So when Jock Lewes comes up with the misplaced parachutes and has permission from Lieutenant-Colonel Laycock to start experimenting with them, Stirling is among the first to enter the program. In June 1941, a total of eight men from No. 8 Commando start parachute training at Mersa Matruh Airfield in Egypt. Lewes also gets hold of an old Valencia bomber. The biggest problem the group faces is that there is no parachute training center in the Middle East and none of them are parachute trained or qualified. Accidents are therefore waiting to happen. Unfortunately, the Vickers Type 264 Valentia they use has been converted to a mail plane. The aircraft lacks the proper rigging for fixed line parachutes. Undeterred, they tie them to the seats instead and jump anyway. For the first few jumpers, things go well, but Stirling’s parachute snags on the tailfin of the plane. This sends him plummeting to earth significantly faster than intended. Not much later, David Stirling is lying in the Scottish Military Hospital in Alexandria with temporary paralysis of both legs due to a spine injury.

Major Archibald David Stirling, founder and first Commander of the Special Air Service

During his time in the hospital, Stirling works on a paper in which he envisions a small raiding unit. This unit would consist of patrols of four men, with a total of no more than sixty men. They would land behind enemy lines by parachute, close to the target, hide until nightfall, then attack and retreat to a rendezvous area. There, they would be picked up by a transportation unit and returned to Allied lines. The significant advantage of parachute insertions over seaborne landings is that targets are not limited to coastal areas. Moreover, there’s no need to secure a beachhead and leave up to 25 to 30 percent of the troops behind. Thus, a larger force is needed than is necessary to reach the objective, which could compromise the element of surprise.

In July 1941, Stirling is released from the hospital. Convinced that the unit he envisions will be successful, he tries to sell his plan to General Headquarters Middle East. One story tells that Stirling, still on crutches, climbs the wall of GHQ Middle East to gain entry. After some effort, Stirling manages to contact the Deputy Commander of the Middle East, General Ritchie. Ritchie likes the idea and brings Stirling into contact with the new Commander in Charge of the Middle East, General Auchinlek. Auchinlek almost immediately takes to the idea, under pressure from Winston Churchill to mount commando-like offensive operations. With no ships available for Layforce and the Commando Force in North Africa diminished by action in North Africa and Crete, Stirling’s unit appears to be Auchinlek’s best bet. General Auchinlek authorises Stirling to draw a group of sixty-six men from Layforce to form his unit. This unit becomes known as L Detachment, suggesting that the parachute capability in North Africa is much larger than it actually is. It is attached to the Special Air Service Brigade.

L Detachment, Special Air Service Brigade jumping from steel gantries while undergoing parachute training at Kabrit, Egypt in July 1941.

Within a week, six officers, five non-commissioned officers, and fifty-five enlisted men are selected to form the nucleus of the unit. The training area is set up in Kabrit, at a small airport on the edge of the al-Buḥayrah al-Murra al-Kubrā (Great Bitter Lake). The training facilities at Kabrit are quite basic, but a nightly “shopping trip” to a nearby New Zealand army camp makes things more comfortable. Training includes improvised parachute training, navigation skills, desert survival, and combat. The parachute training proves particularly hazardous, as the unit cannot draw from the experiences at Ringway.

Their trainers are sourced from No.1 Parachute Training School (P.T.S.), formerly the Central Landing School, an RAF-operated facility in Ringway and Tatton Park, Manchester. This center has been active in parachute training since June 1940.

The dispatch of these instructors to the detachment comes after prolonged communications with Middle East Headquarters (M.E.H.Q.), instigated by a request from Stirling himself. Eventually, approval is granted, and the trainers are transported via the WS 10 convoy, boarding the R.M.S. Windsor Castle and arriving at Suez in September 1941. There, they begin their assignments after a period of acclimatisation.

At Kabrit, the new arrivals, Flight Sergeant Jim ‘Ginger’ Averis, Sergeants ‘Natch’ Markwell, Ian ‘Mac’ McGregor, and Ken ‘Joe’ Welch, quickly become known as ‘The Four Toffs.’ This nickname results from their high-stakes games of poker and boxing during the voyage, which net them a stash of luxuries like quality cigarettes and other coveted items. Their living conditions are a far cry from what they have known back at Ringway, with only tents for shelter and a directive to make do as best they can. They are quickly assimilated into the fold under the guidance of Pat Riley, who ensures that they integrate smoothly with the troops.
Their training methods include some innovative techniques, likely inspired by Len Willmott, an S.O.E. signaller who has experienced similar training. The instructors begin in earnest once parachutes and aircraft are at hand, initially using the limited resources they bring with them to teach proper parachute packing techniques to avoid malfunctions like the dreaded ‘roman candle.’

They take a hands-on approach, building a twelve-foot tower to drill the men in the art of jumping and landing correctly. This rigorous regime results in a significant improvement in training quality, transforming the camp into what would be recognised as No. 4 Middle East Training School, a hub that sees forty-seven courses through by the summer of 1943.

The trainingis is not without casualties. During parachute training, two men die when their static line fails as they drop from a Bristol Bombay Bomber. The “graduation” assignment is, besides testing the unit’s capabilities, also intended to silence the critics of the unit.

During the exercise, forty men of the unit move 140 kilometres through the desert on different routes towards Heliopolis, the main Royal Air Force base near Cairo. They slip in unnoticed, stick tape on the aircraft, and slip out undiscovered. In the months to follow, the unit prepares itself for their first assignment. A parachute assault on five German airfields to support General Auchinlek’s November offensive. They gather intelligence, study maps, work on their assault plan, and prepare their equipment. Jock Lewes produces the Lewes bomb, a time-delayed bomb to destroy aircraft. L Detachment is ready for their first assignment. Despite some reservations and the tragic loss of two men, the instructors’ steadfastness brings the others up to a commendable level of proficiency.

Men from L Detachment emplaning into an RAF Bristol Bombay transport aircraft prior to a practice jump while undergoing parachute training at Kabrit, Egypt in July 1941.

Into Battle

On November 15, 1941, the assault force, along with their charges, heads to the forward landing ground at Maaten Bagush, ready for Operation Squatter. All four instructors participate, with an Australian, John Pott, as the fifth dispatcher. Joe Welch’s concerns about the upcoming conditions are dismissed, and the operation proceeds, with Welch dispatching Stirling’s section, Pott with Bonington’s section, and McGregor, Averis, and Markwell joining Mayne, McGonigal, and Lewes.

Operation Squatter, starting on the night of November 16^th/17^th, 1941, is a testament to the courage of the men who jump into the maelstrom, their training, instruction, and the knowledge they receive from their instructors. Of the four sections that jump, only six out of the forty-od

Special Air Service Regiment

In September 1942, General McCreery, Chief of Staff to General Harold Alexander, Commander-in-Chief of Middle East Command, writes to his superior regarding a small special forces unit active in North Africa. He praises the unit for its notable past successes and high morale, attributing much of this to the leadership of the current commander of L Detachment Special Air Service Brigade. McCreery suggests that L Detachment Special Air Service Brigade, the 1st Special Service Regiment, and the Special Boat Section be amalgamated under the command of Major D. Stirling, recommending his promotion to lieutenant-colonel.

General Alexander agrees with this proposal, and on September 28^th, 1942, General Headquarters Middle East Forces issues an order promoting David Stirling to Lieutenant-Colonel, authorising him to expand his unit into a regiment. Stirling plans for the Special Air Service regiment to consist of five squadrons, A, B, C, D, and Headquarters. D Squadron being the former members of No. 1 Special Boat Section. The unit has a total establishment of 29 officers and 572 other ranks. He is immediately faced with the challenge of filling his expanding regiment with suitable personnel while also contributing to the Eighth Army’s upcoming offensive against Axis forces at El Alamein.

Stirling assigns his most experienced men from L Detachment to form A Squadron, led by the formidable Blair ‘Paddy’ Mayne. Their mission is to launch attacks on targets along the coast between Tobruk and the rear of the enemy front line. As A Squadron ventures into the desert to confront the Germans, Stirling heads back to the Special Air Service base at Kabrit, situated about 145 kilometres east of Cairo, to carry on with recruitment and oversee the training of the new soldiers. He has to create his regiment from the units assigned to his new command.

First of all, there is, L Detachment, Special Sir Service Brigade. It transforms into the 1^st Special Air Service Regiment in October 1942. It aims to comprise five squadrons with about 50 officers and 450 other ranks. At that time, the regiment hasn’t achieved full strength, having approximately 40 officers and 350 other ranks. Stirling plans to supplement these numbers with members from the Middle East Commando. When Stirling takes command of the Middle East Commando around November 1942, he finds the unit to be of good quality but underutilised and poorly led. Initially consisting of about 30 officers and 300 other ranks, Stirling’s plan is to disband the majority of the unit, retaining only 10 officers and 100 other ranks to bring the 1^st Special Air Service Regiment up to its intended strength.

The French unit under his command is by January 1943, transformed into a French Special Air Service Squadron, expanded to roughly 14 officers and 80 other ranks. Stirling envisions this squadron as the core of a prospective French Special Air Service Regiment, envisaged to conduct operations in France in anticipation of, and during, the expected Second Front in Europe.

Besides the French towards the end of 1942, Stirling has assumed command of the Greek Sacred Company. His intention is to deploy the Greek Sacred Squadron for raiding operations in the Eastern Mediterranean, where their local expertise would be highly valuable.

Operating independently until August 1942, No. 1 Special Boat Section is known for numerous successful missions, Stirling’s intention is to incorporate them into the 1^st Special Air Service Regiment as D Squadron, providing them with comprehensive Special Air Service training, including parachuting, in the meantime. They comprise about 15 officers and 40 other ranks.

One marginal unit under Stirling’s command Captain Buck’s Special Interrogation Group, ceases to exist due to recruitment challenges and casualties.

In January 1943, David Stirling instructs Sutherland of D Squadron to lead a detachment of 50 men to Beirut to train in seamanship and guerrilla warfare tactics. Initially, Sutherland resists, eager to join the Special Air Service in pushing the Germans out of North Africa. Stirling’s response is immediate and emphatic, highlighting the invaluable small boat operational experience possessed by the Special Boat Section.

Sutherland arrives in Beirut on the early morning of January 20^th, 1943. Four days post Sutherland’s arrival, Stirling is captured, which precipitates Sutherland’s return to Kabrit. With Stirling captured, the Special Air Service finds itself without clear direction or leadership. Paddy Mayne, who is Stirling’s nominal successor, has an even more profound disdain for bureaucracy than Stirling, leaving the complex administrative tasks at Kabrit to the regiment’s adjutant, Captain Bill Blyth. Blyth now sits, surrounded by piles of files, facing the administrative challenges head-on, symbolising the Special Air Service’s momentary state of limbo.

Disbandment

Despite Stirling’s absence, Middle East Headquarters is actively deliberating over the future role of the Special Air Service. The Desert War is on the brink of conclusion, significantly reducing the need for the Special Air Service’s renowned hit-and-run raids as Axis forces retreat from North Africa. This situation leads Middle East Headquarters to consider how to effectively utilise the unique skill set of the Special Air Service moving forward.

The resolution involves disbanding the regiment. The French Squadron is sent back to Great Britain to form two separate regiments. The Greek Sacred Company heads to Palestine to start gearing up for operations in the Mediterranean. In April 1943 four out of the five Special Air Service squadrons are merged to establish the Special Raiding Squadron under Paddy Mayne. The leftover D Squadron, a blend of new recruits and seasoned members from what Stirling had dubbed the ‘Folboat Section’, is rebranded as the Special Boat Squadron (SBS), under the leadership of Captain the Earl George Jellicoe. This restructuring signifies a crucial transition in the Special Air Service’s organization and strategic orientation, aligning with the evolving demands of the conflict.