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23 Special Air Service Regiment (Reserve)

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23 Special Air Service
Active1959–present
Country United Kingdom
BranchArmy Reserve
TypeSpecial forces
RoleSpecial operations
Part ofUnited Kingdom Special Forces[1]
Garrison/HQMOD Kingstanding, Birmingham, West Midlands, United Kingdom
Engagements

23 Special Air Service Regiment (Reserve) (23 SAS(R)) is a British Army Reserve special forces unit that forms part of United Kingdom Special Forces.[2] Together with 21 Special Air Service Regiment (Artists) (Reserve) (21 SAS(R)), it forms the Special Air Service (Reserve) (SAS(R)).[2] Unlike the regular SAS Regiment, it accepts members of the general population without prior military service.[3]

History

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Main article: Special Air Service § History

The unit was founded during 1959,[4] as an additional regiment of the Territorial Army of the United Kingdom,[5] and was created from the former Reserve Reconnaissance Unit (RRU), this unit having originated from an organisation known as Military Intelligence 9.[6][7] The initial headquarters location was London, the headquarters were moved during 1959, to Thorpe Street, Birmingham, during 1966, to Kingstanding, Birmingham, within a Territorial Army centre.[8]

In 1985, David Stirling, founder of the SAS, commented "There is one often neglected factor which I would like to emphasize - the importance of the two SAS Territorial regiments. At the start of the Second World War, and during its early stages, it was the ideas and initiatives of these amateur soldiers which led to the creation of at least two units within the Special Forces and gave a particular elan to others. When, however, a specialist unit becomes part of the military establishment, it runs the risk of being stereotyped and conventionalized. Luckily the modern SAS looks safe from this danger; it is constantly experimenting with innovative techniques, many of which stem from its Territorial regiments, drawn as they are from every walk of civilian life."[9]

23 SAS was formed as a result of a direct military requirement of 1 (BR) Corps: because of the RRU's impressive performance during its annual exercise in 1957, when it tested their new techniques in battlefield surveillance and nuclear targeting, 1 (BR) Corps requested the unit to be included in its order of battle. The RRU evolved to become 23 SAS. The role of the SAS in the defence of West Germany was kept top secret but by the 1960s, the KGB and East German intelligence were well aware of what was being planned and even tried, unsuccessfully, to penetrate the unit. 21 and 23 SAS would have been mobilized and deployed to 1 (BR) Corps within 48 hours of an alert.[10] The regiment's first commander was Lt Col H S Gillies;[6] Anthony Hunter-Choat OBE was the commanding officer of the regiment from 1977 to 1983.[11] Peter de la Billiere, who later commanded 22 SAS and then became Director Special Forces, served as the adjutant of 21 for part of this period. He later wrote "People began to see that the Territorial SAS were first class and enhanced the reputation of the whole Regiment in a special way of their own."[12]

By early 2003 a composite squadron of 23 SAS, including members of 21 SAS, was operating in Helmand for roles against Al Qaeda forces, "with the emphasis on long range reconnaissance".[13][14][15][16] It was reported that the workload undertaken and the results achieved by the territorial SAS in Afghanistan "greatly impressed their American commanders, who are keen to keep using them on operations for as long as possible".[13] In 2007-8 a squadron-sized sub-unit was deployed first from 23 and then from 21 SAS to Helmand for roles including training the Afghan Police and working with the intelligence services.[17][18] In June 2008, three soldiers from 23 SAS were killed by a landmine their vehicle triggered in Helmand province.[19][20][17][18]

Three SAS reservists were awarded military crosses, and one won a Conspicuous Gallantry Cross in Afghanistan.[21][22]

On 1 September 2014, 21 and 23 SAS were moved from United Kingdom Special Forces and placed under the command of 1st Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Brigade.[23][24] The units then left that brigade before the end of 2019.[25] Today the two reserve regiments, 21 SAS and 23 SAS are back under the operational command of the Director Special Forces, as an integrated part of United Kingdom Special Forces.[26]

Organisation

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The unit structure is as follows:

References

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  1. ^ "21 & 23 SAS (Reserve)". www.army.mod.uk.
  2. ^ a b "21 & 23 Special Air Service (SAS)". British Army. Retrieved 26 August 2020.
  3. ^ L. Thompson - SAS : Great Britain's Elite Special Air Service (p.11) published by MBI, 1999, 128 pages, ISBN 1610607422 [Retrieved 2015-06-25]
  4. ^ Steven Morris - Brecon Beacons Territorial Army Reservists Deaths published by The Guardian Newspaper 15 July 2013 (Guardian News and Media Ltd) [Retrieved 2015-04-26]
  5. ^ (author is shown one of listed page 659, not available (shown) in copy) - Encyclopedia of Insurgency and Counterinsurgency: A New Era of Modern Warfare (p.527) ABC-CLIO, 29 Oct 2013 (edited by SC. Tucker) ISBN 1610692802 [Retrieved 2015-04-26]
  6. ^ a b R M Bennett (31 August 2011). Elite Forces. Random House. ISBN 978-0753547649. Retrieved 15 May 2015.
  7. ^ G Pitchfork MBE - Shot Down and on the Run: The RCAF and Commonwealth Aircrews who Got Home from Behind Enemy Lines, 1940-1945 Dundurn, 2003 ISBN 1550024833 [Retrieved 2015-05-15]
  8. ^ Benjamin Hurst (26 December 2008). HOME»NEWS»WORLD NEWS»ASIA»AFGHANISTAN. Birmingham Mail. Retrieved 22 December 2016.
  9. ^ William Seymour British Special Forces: The Story of Britain's Undercover Soldiers, 1985, Pen and Sword, Preface
  10. ^ Sinai, Tamir (8 December 2020). "Eyes on target: 'Stay-behind' forces during the Cold War". War in History. 28 (3): 681–700. doi:10.1177/0968344520914345.
  11. ^ Obituary of Brigadier Tony Hunter-Choat published 23 Apr 2012 Telegraph Media Group Limited 2015 [Retrieved 2015-05-15]
  12. ^ de la Billiere, Peter (1995). Looking for Trouble: SAS to Gulf Command. HarperCollins, P 161
  13. ^ a b Rayment, Sean (28 December 2003). "Overstretched SAS calls up part-time troops for Afghanistan". The Daily Telegraph. London. Archived from the original on 23 March 2010
  14. ^ Smith, Michael (20 November 2005). "Part-time SAS sent to tackle Taliban". Sunday Times.
  15. ^ Christian Jennings 'Midnight in Some Burning Town British Special forces Operations from Belgrade to Baghdad, p187 & 246
  16. ^ Neville, Leigh, Special Forces in the War on Terror (General Military), Osprey Publishing, 2015 ISBN 978-1-4728-0790-8,p.75
  17. ^ a b Smith, Michael; Starkey, Jerome (22 June 2008). "Bryant was on secret mission in Afghanistan". The Sunday Times.
  18. ^ a b Farrell, Theo (2017). Unwinnable: Britain's War in Afghanistan, 2001–2014. Bodley Head. ISBN 978-1847923462., p. 246-7
  19. ^ Harding, Thomas (31 October 2008). "SAS Chief Quits Over 'Negligence That Killed His Troops". The Daily Telegraph. London. Retrieved 7 April 2010.
  20. ^ Rayment, Sean (28 December 2003). "Overstretched SAS calls up part-time troops for Afghanistan". The Daily Telegraph. London. Retrieved 18 March 2010.
  21. ^ "Question By Philip Hollobone MP and answer by James Heappey, MO Min AF". Hansard. Retrieved 21 April 2021.
  22. ^ "Revealed: nearly half of Special Forces could go in deepest cuts in 50 years". www.telegraph.co.uk. 3 March 2013.
  23. ^ Janes International Defence Review, May 2014, p. 4
  24. ^ Army Briefing Note 120/14, NEWLY FORMED FORCE TROOPS COMMAND SPECIALIST BRIGADES, Quote . It commands all of the Army's Intelligence, Surveillance and EW assets, and is made up of units specifically from the former 1 MI Bde and 1 Arty Bde, as well as 14 Sig Regt, 21 and 23 SAS(R).
  25. ^ "Force Troops Command Handbook". Ministry of Defence. Retrieved 11 January 2021.
  26. ^ "21 & 23 SAS (Reserve)". www.army.mod.uk. Retrieved 29 December 2020.
  27. ^ Hurst, Ben (26 December 2008). "SAS to march through Birmingham to receive freedom of city". BirminghamLive. Retrieved 5 November 2022. The regimental headquarters ... moved to the TA Centre Kingstanding.
  28. ^ Asher, Michael (2008). The regiment : the real story of the SAS. London: Penguin Books. ISBN 9780141026527. 23 SAS, with its HQ in Birmingham...
  29. ^ Firmin, Rusty (2016). The Regiment : 15 years in the SAS (Revised ed.). London. ISBN 9781472817372. 23 SAS headquarters in Kingstanding, Birmingham ... My job was to be the squadron quartermaster sergeant PSI in HQ squadron ... other permanent staff in Birmingham ...{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  30. ^ "Army Reserve units in the North East". Archived from the original on 19 April 2016. Retrieved 5 November 2022. B Squadron, 23 SAS, Carlton Barracks, Carlton Gate, Leeds, LS7 1H
  31. ^ "B Sqn 23 SAS". Reserve forces and cadets association. Archived from the original on 22 May 2010. Retrieved 18 March 2010.
  32. ^ "D Squadron 23 SAS (R)". Ministry of Defence. Archived from the original on 5 November 2010. Retrieved 18 March 2010.
  33. ^ "G Squadron, 23 Special Air Service Regiment (R)". Ministry of Defence. Archived from the original on 16 October 2009. Retrieved 18 March 2010.
  34. ^ "'She dreamed of being a soldier. Now she won't be coming home'". Evening Standard. 19 June 2008. Retrieved 5 November 2022. Two of the SAS reservists were members of 'G' Squadron of 23 SAS Regiment, based in Manchester.
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