Hi!
Bluecell and I are going to create here a profile on the SAS and its fellow unit the SBS and its neighbor unit the irish ranger's.
I am handling the a brief history of each unit while blue cell mucks about with just about everything else, BTW mention if something is wrong or right
at your discression.
Sciathan Fhiannoglaigh an Airm(The Irish Defence Forces Army Ranger Wing)
Graduates of this program returned to Ireland and established a new school, very similar in mission and organization to that of the US Army.
Students on these courses were selected from among all ranks and all Units of the Army, the Air Corps and the Naval Service. These courses proved to
be very beneficial in improving standards of physical endurance, marksmanship, individual military skills and small unit tactics. By 1980, it was
decided that the skill level of the members had evolved to a degree which warranted the establishment of an official Army Ranger Wing (ARW). The
missions of this unit are multiple, including long range patrolling, training of other units, VIP security, anti-hijacking, hostage rescue, and
counterterrorism. These duties, specifically as they related to CT, are considered supplemental to Ireland's primary response unit, the Garda
Siochana.
This is an exstract from:
Irish rangers
Now for the SAS's history.
Special air service (SAS)
The SAS originally started life as a desert raiding force started by a david stirling, the SAS played a serios part in the desert campaign and in
europe, the SAS where also used to hunt down SS officers and thier fellow war criminals after the war. After the war, the SAS saw action in Oman,
Aden, Malaya, Borneo, and to some extent, Vietnam (apparently in U.S., Australian, or New Zealand uniforms).These operations were mainly of the
counterinsurgency type. They have also been deployed in Ulster against the IRA. During the falklands war the SAS played a major part, they also have
thier most famous exsploit made known world wide. I am ofcourse talking about the iranian embassy seige.
They have also served in both Gulf wars and in Gibraltar
Ethiopia
Gambia
Afghanistan
Bosnia/Kosovo
South America
Zaire
Afghan Airline Hijacking
Albania
In October 1987, the SAS were called up again to stop a problem in their own country. However this operation would include no guns. The SAS were
called in to Peterhead Prison in Scotland. Prisoners had taken over the prison and needed to be subdued.
SBS or speical boat service.
The SBS where invented around the same time as the SAS , WW2 , they started life as the "special boat section" after WW2 they where absorbed into
the royal marines.
The SBS and royal marines served in palestine and korea side by side. They performed intelegence gathering in indonesia in 1961 and done so again in
vietnam while also training other special forces.
They operated in kuwait when iraq invaded it the first time in 1961.They also operated in columbia doing anti drug work, then they where thrown into
the spotlight with their SAS partners when a bomb hoax happened on the QE2.
The SBS changed thier name to "special boat serivce in 1977 and 5 SBS joined Comacchio Company based in arbroath, scotland.
SBS members where involved in northern ireland with 14th intelegence. During the falklands war they played a major part ,one mission invovled the
first ever in the world air boarding,and sinking of a ship by a military force. During the conflict thier only loss was due to friendly fire by the
SAS.
During the first gulfwar they performed raids on the iraqi coastline to remove iraqi troops from the coast and also liberated the british embassy. The
team was led by a SBS sergeant , "ron".
The SBS have been involved in operations in East Timor and Sierra Leone.
SBS units have recently been involved in operations in Afghanistan and Iraq
[edit on 5-1-2005 by devilwasp]
