Australian Special Air Service Regiment
The Special Air Service Regiment ( SASR ) is an Australian special unit that is modeled on the British SAS and follows the traditions of the Australian "Z" Special Force command unit from World War II , and the independent command companies that also defeated the South Pacific during World War II Japanese fought, embodied. Its headquarters are in the Campbell Barracks, Swanbourne, Perth , Western Australia and are a unit of the Royal Australian Corps of Infantry, which in turn is part of the Australian Defense Force .
The motto of the unit is just like that of its British counterpart “Who Dares Wins” (German: “Who dares wins”).
assignment
The SASR has two main functions: education and counter-terrorism .
enlightenment
In the reconnaissance role, the SASR conducts small patrols to carry out reconnaissance behind enemy lines and to observe enemy troop movements. Independent attacks can then be launched to destroy enemy targets, or air support from the Royal Australian Air Force or other allied air forces can be requested. The SASR's reconnaissance patrols can be deployed from the air, over land or from the water (e.g. by submarine ) and are trained to cover large distances, even in deserts or jungle areas.
Counter-terrorism and special repatriation
In addition to education, counter-terrorism and special repatriation are among the main tasks of the Australian SAS. This means that hostage releases are carried out and Australian citizens and citizens of friendly nations who are held as hostages abroad are freed and brought back to Australia. The German KSK , for example, has the same task . Hostage rescue operations are carried out by the Tactical Assault Group . The SASR maintains the Tactical Assault Group (West) while the Tactical Assault Group (East) is part of the 4th Battalion, The Royal Australian Regiment (Commando) . The TAG was set up in 1972 after the attacks in Munich to have a unit for the fight against terrorism. Each of the three Saber Squadrons takes on the role of Tactical Assault Group for one year, while the other two Squadrons continue to fulfill the traditional role of reconnaissance unit. Reports that the First Squadron is constantly acting as a TAG are false.
equipment
The Australia SASR uses a variety of uniforms that are adapted to the mission. The standard work uniform of the SASR consists of beige-colored trousers and shirts, which have the Australian Army badge and the SASR wings on the sleeve (badge, which consists of two wings connected to each other - SASR wings). In normal service (everyday and barracks service) - as is usual with all armed forces - rank badges are worn, which are usually not used in action. The headgear is a beige-colored beret (beret), which has the SASR badge sitting over the left eye.
The SASR badge is a dagger carried by two wings that protrude above the transition from the handle to the blade. At the lower end of the blade there is a written banner that reads in English "He who dares wins". It is the same badge worn by the UK SAS and New Zealand Special Air Service .
The dark blue and black combination overalls are usually worn for anti-terror and hostage rescue operations. Otherwise the SASR wears the same camouflage uniform as the Australian Army (Australia Tropical Camo = standard, Australia Desert Camo = desert) with the difference of the badges described above. Furthermore, the Steyr Aug rifle, which is otherwise common in the Australian Army, is only replaced by the American M4 in various versions with the SASR .
history
The beginnings
As with so many modern special forces, the SASR began in World War II. When the Imperial Japanese Army occupied New Guinea and other islands in the Pacific in 1942, it came ominously close to Australia's north coast. Therefore, mounted reconnaissance units were set up from locals who were at home in the bush and in the deserts of the outback. They were supposed to conduct patrols in the remote coastal regions, which were not yet mapped at all at the time, in order to report possible landings by the Japanese. In the event of an invasion, they should remain unnoticed by the enemy and watch his troop movements. The independent command companies and the "Z" Special Force were intended for combat missions. The regular army units had been stationed in Europe or the Middle East at the beginning of the war and supported the British. Today's SASR builds on the traditions of these three units. After the end of the war, most of the units were disbanded. Impressed by the operations of the British SAS on the Malay Peninsula, the "1st Special Air Service Company" was set up in 1957. This unit, however, was not an independent unit, but a sub-unit of the Royal Australian Regiment . At first it consisted of 16 officers and 168 men.
Borneo and Vietnam
When the Commonwealth troops in Borneo needed reinforcements in the wake of the conflict with Indonesia in 1964 , the SAS was enlarged into a regiment and separated from the Royal Australian Regiment. In 1965 the unit was finally sent to Borneo as a Special Air Service Regiment. The survival training that was carried out in the Australian outback was very suitable, but the soldiers quickly realized that they had to change their operational principles in order to deal with the so-called "low-intensity" warfare with their own guerrilla tactics. Instead of the nine-man groups of the Americans or the four-man patrols of the British, the Australians used the five-man squad they had developed as the smallest tactical unit. The “ shoot and scoot ” principle of the British usually meant that a man had to be left injured. This was usually the man in the vanguard who had the first contact with the enemy. Instead, the Australians relied on massive fire to hold down opponents and rescue the wounded. Covering each other, they withdrew so far that they could safely take up a defensive position. The ability to adapt the tactics to the circumstances should then be of great benefit to the regiment in Vietnam.
When deployed in Vietnam, the Australians carried out reconnaissance patrols. They were so good at these missions that they also trained the Americans for these patrols. In the ten years of Australian involvement in Vietnam, tele-spying operations were the most important task of the SASR. But commandos were also carried out and prisoners of war were freed from the retreat areas of the Viet Cong.
Iraq
In the 2003 Iraq War , the SASR participated in Operation Falconer and from 2005 to 2008 in Operation Catalyst .
Afghanistan
Helicopter crash in 1996
On June 12, 1996, two Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters collided during an anti-terror night exercise near Townsville , Queensland . 15 soldiers of the Special Air Service Regiment from Perth and three crew members of the 5th Aviation Regiment of the Australian Army died in the High Range Training Area. 20 years later, a memorial for the victims was officially erected on June 12, 2016.
See also
Web links
- SASR at specwarnet.net (English)
- SASR at specialoperations.com (English)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Liam Quinn: 'I saw the Black Hawk go under my nose upside down': Pilot relives the moment 18 troops were killed in Australia's worst military aviation disaster ... as tribute is paid to the victims 20 years on. June 12, 2016, accessed May 7, 2019 .