Joining the SAS

[Wholley]

Don't you lot look at me.
I didn't remove it.
I always enjoy Stinky's posts

[Sarastro]

Interesting.

In the time taken to reply Stinkys prior post removed!!!

Why?

Rover

He must have accidentally revealed his secret SAS identity & deleted the post forthwith.

[Rover]

Gentlemen,

Stinkys prior post was the better one.

Dictionary's can be misleading, the bigger the selection the worse it can be.

The Concise Oxford Dictionary. New Edition. 1980.

Commando; Party called out for military service, body of troops;
unit of British amphibious shock troops. Similar troops elsewhere.

But then again,

Seal; Fish-eating amphibious marine mammal of family Phocidae
or Otaridae, with short limbs modified to serve chiefly for
swimming but having fur or bristles

Although I agree with the first the second can be misleading if applied to the US Navy SEAL's.
They are in fact not 'marines' but selected from the Navy and not all have short limbs.

But now going back to the SAS.
I understand that when first formed the name Special Air Service was initialy used to mislead the Germans to believe the British had an Airborne Brigade in the Middle East.

The name being the Special Air Service.
Not the Special Air Service Commando's.

Rover

[Tartan_Terrier]

In November 1940, No.2 Commando was renamed the 11th SAS Battalion

http://www.pegasusarchive.org/origins4.htm

[Stinky]

Ahh Tartan_Terrier, without you I would be so wrong, I didn't even know that.

[Rover]

Perhaps No2 Commando should have been told!!!!!

http://www.commandoveterans.org/history_2cdo.html

Rover

[Tartan_Terrier]

Perhaps No2 Commando should have been told!!!!!

http://www.commandoveterans.org/history_2cdo.html

Rover

It was reformed in 1941

Therefore, on 5th March 1941, the large battalion was divided into two, the Battalion HQ and ‘A’ Company forming No 1 Commando with part of the HQ Staff and ‘B’ Company forming No 1 Commando with part of the HQ Staff and ‘B’ Company stationed at nearby Paignton become No 2 Commando

http://www.dartmouth-history.org.uk/con ... MMANDO.htm

[Rover]

How can you rename or even reform a unit that in 1940 did not exist?

Before the Commandos were formed in 1941 we had the Special Service Battalions.
These were formed in 1940, these had what was known as Independent Companies and were numbered 1 to 12.

In 1940 these Independent Companies were reorganised.

No1 Special Service Battalion initaly consisted of numbers 2,3,4 and 5 Independent Companies.

During the changes No2 Independent Companie became No11 SAS Battalion
The other Independent Companies were moved around to form numbers 1 to 5 Special Service Battalions.

Then came 1941 and yes another change.
The Special Srevice Battalions became known as Commandos.

Tartan_Terrier, as you have already pointed out No1 Special Service Battalion was rather large and so was split in two Commando units.
No1 and No2 Commando.

Perhaps it can now be appreciated why you cannot renaname or even reform a particular unit in 1940 which did not come into being until 1941.

No2 Commando.

Rover

[Tartan_Terrier]

Sorry to disappoint, but you are incorrect.

The Commandos were formed in the summer of 1940.

No.1 Commando was to be formed from disbanded Independant Companies (the formation of this unit was delayed as the Independant Companies hadn't been disbanded yet).

No.2 Commando was to be raised as a parachute unit with volunteers from all commands.

No.3 and No.4 Commandos were to be formed from volunteers from Southern Command.

No.5 and No.6 Commandos from Western Command

No.7 Commando from Eastern Command

No.8 Commando officially also from Eastern Command (but actually raised from London District and the Household Division).

No.9 and No.11 Commando from Scottish Command

No. 10 Commando should have been raised from Northern Command, but insufficient volunteers could be found. This unit was eventually raised in 1942 as No.10 IA (Inter-Allied) Commando.

Hope this helps.

If this thread continues like this, we're going to have to start a new forum for military history!

Actually, that's not a bad idea. Perhaps a history section in each forces forum? It would help potential recruits learn more about their chosen unit, and the more they know, they more they have to talk about at their interviews!

Regards
T_T

[Rover]

A history section in each forces forum sounds like a good idea.
It would perhaps prevent threads going off track!!!!!

I for one have found this detour to be very interesting.
Digging around different web sights has proved to be both illuminating
and cunfusing.

Look at the following two and then cross reference;

http://www.commandoveterans.org/index.html

http://www.wartimememories.co.uk/allied/commandos.html

Although No2 Commando does seem rather an enigma.

Tartan_Terrier, not disappointed, just intrigued by the whole background.

Rover

[Tartan_Terrier]

I can well understand your confusion!

The problem is that, there were many name changes, re-designations, units being disbanded, re-formed and re-roled.

I'd recommend reading:

'The Commandos 1940-1946' by Charles Messenger

'The Raiders' by Robin Neilland

'Ten Commando' by Ian Dear

'Swiftly They Struck: The Story of No.4 Commando' by Murdoch C. McDougall

'Commandos' by Sally Duggan

I've heard that 'Commandos and Rangers of World War Two' by James Ladd should be good as well, but haven't got it myself.

As to the history sections, I'll see what we can do.

Regards
T_T

[azard9330]

wow how strange is that that "commando kid" could actualy be sas now be weird ass he posted here 4 years ago

[davidemmerson]

..

[Paratrooper01]

In November 1940, No.2 Commando was renamed the 11th SAS Battalion

http://www.pegasusarchive.org/origins4.htm

Also the initials SAS denoted "Special Air Service", but this was merely an airborne variant of the Commando "Special Service" units, and as such it has no connection whatsoever with the famous SAS units that were raised by David Stirling during the North African campaign of 1942

http://www.pegasusarchive.org/origins4.htm

The SAS may share some of the original tactics and values of the Commando's, but to call them commando's now is not right. Special Forces; end of.

[Eveleigh]

I don't know if this is true but I heard people have joined the SAS reserve with no previous millitary experience but there was something like 5% of them passed the endurance courses


Lol, maybe you should try the SAS that Ross Kemp was in