on their chest packs, only opening their parachutes when they are 4,000 feet above the ground. During a daylight jump from the same altitude they will shave another 1,000 feet off the height at which they open their chutes, bringing them in from around 3,000 feet. From that height they are down and in position before an enemy, even assuming he has seen them, has had time to blink. When all four troops of a squadron are jumping at night, Air Troop jump at lower altitude, say around 13,000 feet. They will then mark out the landing strip for the squadron while the pilot circles. All badged members of the SAS are trained parachutists, but the Air Troops are the experts. Soldiers are, however, expected to learn all the disciplines, so that no one will find himself at a loss working with a troop that specializes in something other than his own area of expertise.
Boat Troop’s role is mainly that of getting a squadron of men ashore from surface ships, using Gemini rubber inflatables powered by outboard motors. They are all expert scuba divers and go sub-surface for reconnaissance work. Among them are a number of highly skilled underwater demolition men; they have to be extremely skilful, because explosions underwater are the most dangerous of all.
Mobility Troop use specially adapted long-wheelbase Land Rovers which fairly bristle with weaponry. These are supplemented by a number of motorcycles, which are used for reconnaissance, communication between vehicles on the move, and to scout suitable routes for the troop or squadron. Every member of the troop has to be able to ride a motorcycle as well as drive a Land Rover, and all have some training as mechanics. But among the men of Mobility Troop are skilled mechanics who have completed special training enabling them to strip and repair the Land Rovers and bikes in the most appalling situations. No matter where, no matter what the problem, these guys can fix it, by feel and in pitch dark, if necessary. Beyond that, everyone is trained in driving or riding, for long periods if needed, in terrain and conditions that would defeat a mule, and also in driving at night using passive night goggles (PNGs), since an SAS patrol on a clandestine mission cannot use lights.
One of the main roles of Mountain Troop is to get an entire squadron up a cliff or other obstacle by means of a fixed climb. They go first, free climbing the cliff or rockface and fixing clamps and rope-anchor points into the surface so that the squadron can follow. Training on Mount Everest and other peaks in the Himalayas, in the high Andes of South America and the Swiss and French Alps, they are all expert mountaineers and skiers. They are taught to operate in the very worst of weather conditions, and during whiteouts will burrow into deep snow holes for survival until the blizzard has passed. Some of them took part in the 1976 British expedition to Everest, and again in the expedition of 1984, during which one member of the Regiment was killed in an avalanche. As will be seen, in the liberation of South Georgia in 1982 D Squadron’s Mountain Troop was to be tested to the limit.
Once he has been assigned to a troop, an SAS man tends to stay there. Under certain circumstances, however, a man will cross-train between disciplines, making him double- or even multi-skilled, and thus even more valuable to the Regiment. It should be said, though, that it sometimes doesn’t work out that way – as it certainly didn’t with me and freefalling.
I was a staff sergeant when I tried it. After two or three hours’ ground training, we climbed aboard an RAF C-130, the famous transport aircraft generally known as the Hercules, and one squadron of which is permanently assigned to special operations, mainly by the SAS. At 13,000 feet the tailgate opened and I launched myself up the loading ramp. The RAF instructor who would jump with me was enormously experienced. One minute he was looking into my eyes and giving me the thumbs up,
Boat Troop’s role is mainly that of getting a squadron of men ashore from surface ships, using Gemini rubber inflatables powered by outboard motors. They are all expert scuba divers and go sub-surface for reconnaissance work. Among them are a number of highly skilled underwater demolition men; they have to be extremely skilful, because explosions underwater are the most dangerous of all.
Mobility Troop use specially adapted long-wheelbase Land Rovers which fairly bristle with weaponry. These are supplemented by a number of motorcycles, which are used for reconnaissance, communication between vehicles on the move, and to scout suitable routes for the troop or squadron. Every member of the troop has to be able to ride a motorcycle as well as drive a Land Rover, and all have some training as mechanics. But among the men of Mobility Troop are skilled mechanics who have completed special training enabling them to strip and repair the Land Rovers and bikes in the most appalling situations. No matter where, no matter what the problem, these guys can fix it, by feel and in pitch dark, if necessary. Beyond that, everyone is trained in driving or riding, for long periods if needed, in terrain and conditions that would defeat a mule, and also in driving at night using passive night goggles (PNGs), since an SAS patrol on a clandestine mission cannot use lights.
One of the main roles of Mountain Troop is to get an entire squadron up a cliff or other obstacle by means of a fixed climb. They go first, free climbing the cliff or rockface and fixing clamps and rope-anchor points into the surface so that the squadron can follow. Training on Mount Everest and other peaks in the Himalayas, in the high Andes of South America and the Swiss and French Alps, they are all expert mountaineers and skiers. They are taught to operate in the very worst of weather conditions, and during whiteouts will burrow into deep snow holes for survival until the blizzard has passed. Some of them took part in the 1976 British expedition to Everest, and again in the expedition of 1984, during which one member of the Regiment was killed in an avalanche. As will be seen, in the liberation of South Georgia in 1982 D Squadron’s Mountain Troop was to be tested to the limit.
Once he has been assigned to a troop, an SAS man tends to stay there. Under certain circumstances, however, a man will cross-train between disciplines, making him double- or even multi-skilled, and thus even more valuable to the Regiment. It should be said, though, that it sometimes doesn’t work out that way – as it certainly didn’t with me and freefalling.
I was a staff sergeant when I tried it. After two or three hours’ ground training, we climbed aboard an RAF C-130, the famous transport aircraft generally known as the Hercules, and one squadron of which is permanently assigned to special operations, mainly by the SAS. At 13,000 feet the tailgate opened and I launched myself up the loading ramp. The RAF instructor who would jump with me was enormously experienced. One minute he was looking into my eyes and giving me the thumbs up,
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