Improving the UK OOB

[James Fennell]

The elite 8 Flight Army Air Corps operated four unmarked Augusta A109 helicopters for covert counter-terrorism operations by the SAS from 1982-85. The A109 had a maximun speed of 183mph and each carried a 4 man SAS patrol.

[James Fennell]

The SAS was equipped with the FIM-92 Stinger MANPADS in the Falkland Islands in 1982 (and shot sown a Pucara CAS aircraft). I believe the SAS had been using Stingers in support of the Muhajadeen in Afghanistan from 1980-85.

[James Fennell]

A wide variety of units have used the M2 Browning 12.7mm HMG from 1948-85. They are commonly used by light infantry for fire support and on vehicle mounts. This one is deployed in the light AA role in the Falklands.

[James Fennell]

From 1948-70 some REME Light Aid Detachments (LAD) used the M5 Halftrack Repair and Recovery vehicle to support armoured cars and APCs. They were replaced by FV434 and Stalwart REME light repair and recovery vehicle combo. This REME M5 is in Radfan, Aden, in 1964.

[James Fennell]

Replacement for the REME halftrack was the FV434 repair vehicle and Stalwart recovery vehicle 'team' from 1966-85. This is the FV432 with a Chieftain CHARVE. The Stalwart repair vehicle was also fitted with an Atlas crane and extra seating.

[James Fennell]

And the FV106 Sampson recovery vehicle in CVR(T) equipped armoured recce regiments from 1978-85.

[James Fennell]

And the FV513 Mechanised Recovery Vehicle (Repair) in Warrior IFV equipped units from 1984-5.

[James Fennell]

ISTAR: A quick note on recce, FAC and OP units.

The recon reveal feature opens up a lot of potential for new units, and the possiblity for tactics which enable small units to coordinate more precise air and artillery support to overmarch larger units. Most countries radically improved ISTAR over the 1948-85 period, inlcuding better trained infiltration and special forces, more observation aircraft and helicopters, improved SIGINT, battlefield ground and air search and tracking radars, IR lights and image intensifiers and laser target designators as well as improved long range yet lightweight communications systems.

From the British perspective this included:
- specialised Universal Carrier, Cromwell, Centurion, FV432 and Warrior OP vehicles (FV432s and Warriors with demountable radar systems)
- Daimler, Dingo, AEC, Ferret, Saladin, Fox, Scorpion, Scimitar and Sabre recon vehicles, as well as recce jeeps and landrovers
- close recce platoons in infantry battalions, parachute pathfinder platoons and marine commando recce platoons
- the Royal Marines arctic warfare cadre and highly trained SAS and SBS covert 'OP' teams to work behind the lines with target designators and image intensifiers
- Green Archer and Cymbeline mortar locating radars, either towed systems or those mounted on FV430 APCs
- ground surveillance radars either man portable or mounted on Ferret 2, FV432 and Warrior OP vehicles
- battlefield air search and tracking radars for the L70 bofors and Rapier SAM (Blindfire)
- Royal Artillery and Royal Air Force specialised laser target designation teams to work with front line troops
- Auster AOP 9, Skeeter, Sioux and Gazelle OP aircraft and helicopters attached to armoured and artillery units
- Harrier GR3, Jaguar GR1 and Tornado GR1 aircraft all had laser rangefinders and marked target spotters. This enabled greater precision using either iron bombs/rockets, CBUs or PGMs when targets were 'painted' by recce units with target designators or by Pave Spike equipped Buccaneers.
- the Pave Spike laser target designator pod was provided to Buccaneer squadrons in 1979, along with Paveway 1 PGMs
- Paveways were first used by Harrier GR3s in the Falklands, although designation was by ground based by SAS teams.

The picture shows a FV436 Cymbeline mortar locating radar system avaialable from 1975-85. Cymbeline replaced the Green Archer system which was towed by a Humber Pig and was in service from 1962-79.

[James Fennell]

Some unusual Ferrets - the French Foregn Legion, Canadian Army and Rhodesia Defence Force all up-armed their Ferrets. The Foreign Legion operated air-droppable Ferret Mk 2s and fitted a 75mm RCL to the turret. From 1960-80 both Canada and Rhodesia operated the Ferret Mk 1 with ENTAC ATGMs (Canada) or 106mm RCLs (Rhodesia).

FFL Ferret Mk. 2 with 75mm RCL.

[James Fennell]

Rhodesian Ferret Mk 1 with 106mm RCL and GPMG.

[James Fennell]

Canadian Ferret Mk. 1 with ENTAC ATGM.

[James Fennell]

There was also a variant of the Saladin with the Swingfire ATGM although it was not adopted, rather the Ferret Mk. 5 was procured.

[James Fennell]

1950s Special Forces: modern special forces were a product of this era and were pioneered by the UK.

Several types emerged in the 1950s which formed the foundation of the modern UK special forces:

- 21 SAS (Artists Rifles). After WW2 the 1st and 2nd SAS regiments were combined into a territorial reserve regiment 21 SAS (Artists Rifles), which was formed in 1947. They were volunteer part-time soldiers who specialised in raiding tactics but maintained the SAS's ethos and training regimen and were trained in 'stay behind' missions behind Soviet lines. Many prominent former SAS soldiers, mountaineers and adventurers joined. A company was formed for service in Korea in 1950, but was subsequently sent to Malaya to join the Malayan Scouts.
- Special Boat Section (SBS) parachute-divers. They evolved from Combined Operations Training Centre instructors and were formed in 1950 to carry out infiltration behind the lines in Korea. At this point the SBS was only a small 20 man section trained in airborne, submarine and small boat insertion and scuba-diving using rebreathing equipment. Their job was to recon landing beaches and demolish obstacles in advance of amphibious landings.
- Malayan Scouts/22 SAS. Formed by Brig. 'Mad' Mike Calvert, former Chindit jungle warfare expert and SAS commander in Normandy, with two companies of volunteers from Rhodesia and Britain. The Malayan Scouts was a jungle warfare SF unit which worked with local forces on counter-terrorist missions in Malaya from 1950-52. In 1952 a company from 21 SAS was added to the unit and the Malayan Scouts were renamed 22 SAS Regiment - the only time a reserve unit has been used to form a regular army regiment. The Malayan scouts were armed with a mix of SMLE jungle carbines, Browning M1 carbines, Australian Owen Gun SMGs, Brens and combat shotguns. After 1956, 22 SAS aquired FN FAL SLRs, Stering SMGs, supressed Sterling SMGs and SMLEs and other weapons.
- Reserve Reconaissence Unit/23 SAS: formed in 1946 from MI9 a wartime military intelligence unit used to help airmen escape from occupied Europe, the RRU was a territorial army unit trained in conducting escape and evasion missions to exfiltrate agents and airmen from behind Soviet lines. They had similar training and equipment to the SAS and in 1960 became 23 SAS (Reserve) regiment.
- 22 SAS Rhodesian, New Zeland and Australian Squadrons. In 1953 'C-Squadron' the Rhodesian squadron of 22 SAS returned to Rhodesia after a 3 year tour of duty and formed the Selous Scouts, who would fight in the bush war of the 1960s and 70s. C-Squadron was replaced by a New Zealand Squadron. In 1957 both Australian and New Zealand SAS Regiments were formed from former 22 SAS Squadrons. All these units fought in Malaya and Borneo (and probably Vietnam). Two squadrons of 22 SAS were also deployed to Oman in 1958 for the Jebel Aktar War.

An important difference with some of SAS units in the game is that many recon teams comprised only a few SAS soldiers and a platoon of local fighters, often operating for weeks at a time deep in enemy (Saudi/Yemeni/Malayan/Indonesian) territory. This photo shows such a team led by a young Sir Ranulf Fiennes (later a famous exporer with a more famous actor for a brother) in Oman in 1958. They have landrovers and bedford RL recovery and supply trucks for mobility. The SAS man has a FN FAL SLR while his platoon are armed with SMLE Mk III rifles, Bren LMGs and a 51mm mortar. They also have man pack radios for commucations and forward air control for the RAF Venoms used in the conflict.

[James Fennell]

The SAS did however continue to operate as a full unit, for example during the assault on Jebel Aktar. Here is an New Zealand SAS patrol in Malaya in 1958 armed with FN FAL SLR and Bren Gun. The attached Malayan soldiers have Owen Gun SMGs.

[James Fennell]

In the 1960s the special forces comprises:

22 SAS (A, B, D and G (guards) Squadrons)
SBS - now expanded into a full squadron
21 and 23 SAS (Reserve). Six reservist squadrons focussed on long range penetration and stay behind missions in support of NATO in NW Europe.

The SAS squadrons were formed into four 'troops' (patoons) each made up of eight 4 man 'patrols'. Each troop had a specialisation - boat troop in small boats and jungle warfare, mobility troop in using vehicles such as the 'pink panther' landrover and desert warfare, air troop in parachuting and air assault operations from helicopters and mountain troop in climbing, skiing and arctic warfare. All SAS troopers are competent to serve in any troop - the only difference is mission-specific equipment. The SBS squadron kept its combat diver speciality, but also had similar competences to the SAS, especially in jungle, desert and arctic warfare.

From 1964-70 SAS and SBS squadrons deployed in Borneo and did secondments to US and Australian SF units in Vietnam and received the US made M16A1 assault rifle, claymore mine and 40mm grenade launcher as well as the rechambered L7 7.62mm Bren LMG, the new 7.62 FN MAG GPMG machine gun, 84mm Carl Gustav RCL and L72 LAW and Sterling SMG (including a supressed version) and combat shotguns. They retained the 2" mortar and adopted the new L16 81mm mortar and the man portable Vigilant ATGM system. SAS units in Aden and Oman from 1960-69 retained the FN FAL SLR as it had longer range, and continued to use the SMLE sniper rifle.

This is an Australian SAS patrol in Borneo in 1966, but the weapons are typical for all SAS units in theatre - M16A1, FN FAL SLR, supressed Sterling 9mm SMG, M72 LAW.

[James Fennell]

The 1970s and 80s saw an uptick in urban operations and counter-terrorist operations for the special forces and new tasks such as covert intelligence gathering and protection of nuclear facilities and offshore oil and gas assets in the North Sea. Three new SF units were created from 1972.

- the Counter-Revolutionary Warfare Wing within 22 SAS, introduced new training and equipment for urban warfare and hostage situations
- Mountain and Arctic Warfare Cadre, Royal Marines, a specialist marine recon unit formed to support operations on NATO's northern flank - they were all expert climbers, mountaineers and skiiers had SF equipment and were deployed to the Falklands.
- 14 Intelligence Company (14 Int.) which was created to carry out undercover surveillance ops in Northern Ireland. They operated in plain clothes and unmarked vehicles and used concealed weapons such as the MAC-10 SMG.

New operations were undertaken in Dhofar (Oman) 1970-74, Northern Ireland 1969-85, Belize 1976-7, Mogadishu 1978, Iran 1979, Afghanistan 1979-85, Gambia 1981, the Falklands 1982, Libya 1985 and for the first time the SAS was used to target terrorists operating on the mainland in Britain. New weapons included the C4 5.56mm assault rifle, MAC-10 and Heckler and Koch MP5 SMGs, L42 and L92 7.62mm sniper rifles, German G3 7.62mm designated marksman rifle, 40mm UGLs, Stinger MANPADS, MILAN ATGM. They were also issued with laser target designators to coordinate close air support and were assigned dedicated RAF and Army Air Corps squadrons with C-130 transports, CH-47 Chinook, Westland Scout, Westland Lynx and Augusta A109 helicopters. The picture shows SAS troopers in the Falklands in 1982.

[James Fennell]

Another picture of the L5 105mm pack howitzer, this time in the Caribbean towards the end of its career in the mid-1970s. The guns had had their shields removed by this time.

[James Fennell]

Armoured Reconaissance Regiments. The Alvis Saladin was the standard heavy armoured car from 1958 to 76.

Armour - up to 32 mm (1.3 in)
Main armament - 76 mm L5A1 gun with 42 rounds
Secondary armament - 2 × M1919A4 machine guns with 3,500 rounds
Engine - Rolls-Royce B80 Mk.6A, 8 cyl petrol 170 hp (127 kW)
Power/weight- 15.5 hp/tonne
Suspension- 6x6 wheel
Operational range- 400 km (250 mi)
Maximum speed- 72 km/h (45 mph)

A 1960s-70s armoured car squadron would normally have three troops each with two Saladin and two Ferret Mk. 2 armoured cars, plus a HQ troop with three Ferret Mk 2/6 or Mk. 5 ATGM vehicles, with either Vigilant or Swingfire ATGMs for overwatch and a Saracen company command vehicle.

An armoured recce regiment would have two or three such armoured car squadrons and an armoured infantry squadron, with three platoons of recce infantry in Saracen wheeled APCs, plus a HQ troop with three Saracens with WOMBAT 120mm RCLs for overwatch and a Saracen company command vehicle.

A close support logistics platoon would be attached to the regiment HQ with six Stalwart load carriers and 6 landrovers w/trailers. A REME LAD would provide repair and recovery with M5 Halftracks and Bedford RL recovery trucks, which were replaced by Stalwart 6x6 repair vehicles in 1966.

Tactically the armoured car squadrons were used to scout ahead and on the flanks of armoured thrusts, while the armoured infantry squadron was used to take and hold important forward objectives like high ground, villages, bridges and road junctions. The ATGMs and RCLs were used to provide overwatch as part of fire and movement doctrine.

[James Fennell]

In the early 1980s Type A armoured infantry battalions in Germany had 24 Milan ATGM posts in each support company anti-tank platoon including three FV120 Spartan MCTs (MILAN Compact Turret) for overwatch. The Spartan MCT carried two MILAN launchers and 12 reloads were carried in the vehicle. The Spartan MCT is avaialable from 1983-5.

[James Fennell]

In the early 1980s Type A armoured infantry battalions had three Rifle Companies in Warrior IFVs or FV432(T) APCs and a support company with:
- an anti-tank platoon with three sections of 6 x MILAN ATGM posts in FV432 APCs and one section with 3 x Spartan MCT.
- an armoured recce platoon with 6 x Scimitar light tanks
- a mortar platoon with 8 x FV432 APC with L16 81mm mortars.

Type A mechanised infantry battalions had three Rifle Companies in Saxon APCs and a support company with:
- an anti-tank platoon with four sections with 6 x MILAN posts in Saxon APCs
- an armoured recce platoon with 8 x Fox armoured cars
- a mortar platoon with 8 x Saxon with 81mm L16 Mortars.

Although no beauty the Saxon proved tough and reliable with good off road performance and is still in suprisingly successful service in Ukraine.