New Zealand Special Air Service

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New Zealand Special Air Service badge (identical to that of the British SAS )

The New Zealand Special Air Service ( NZSAS ) is a special unit of the New Zealand Army for commando operations , counterterrorism and hostage rescue . The interests of the unit are subject to confidentiality , which is why the official side does not provide any information on the range of tasks, performance or training. The unit was set up on July 7, 1955 and has been in continuous service ever since.

assignment

The tasks of the SAS include collecting information about the enemy ( military reconnaissance ), carrying out sabotage behind enemy lines, marking targets for fire and freeing captured soldiers or civilians. In addition to war missions, the SAS is also used as an anti-terrorist unit domestically, primarily for the rescue of hostages , but also for the targeted elimination of enemies of the state or other people or groups classified as terrorists by the New Zealand government. He trains special units of friendly countries and, if necessary, also acts covertly , so that government involvement is not apparent. It is noteworthy that the SAS , which is part of the military, also takes on the tasks of a special police unit, including protecting high dignitaries.

organization

The NZSAS has its headquarters on the outskirts of Auckland on a military airfield in Whenuapai. The unit consists of a command and training platoon as well as two operational units with three platoons, which are specialized in the three operational areas of water, air and mountains. One operational unit is trained and equipped for anti-terrorist operations, the second for military use as a command unit. All in all, the strength of the emergency services should not be higher than approx. 120 soldiers, the strength of the support units is not known.

The platoons are divided into several small groups of four to six soldiers, who are led by an officer or NCO and deployed independently. A special feature of the training is the search for clues. The New Zealanders have developed this ability to such an extent that they have trained other foreign units, such as the American Green Berets , to search for clues.

Recruitment and training

The selection and training requirements for applicants are just as tough as those of the British and Australian SAS . Since there are only a few places available, the best of the ten percent who have passed the selection process are chosen each year. Intelligence and initiative are the most important basic requirements for admission.

Anyone who has served in the Army between 18 months and four years, depending on their rank, can apply and undergo a rigorous mental and physical testing program. Those who are accepted receive their training in the three application areas of water, air and mountains according to a rotation principle. The anti-terror training is a specialty and lasts between two and three years. If required, language courses are also held for special assignments.

Since New Zealand does not have a sea-based special unit ( combat swimmers ), the NZSAS has to take on this role. That is why the maritime training is more extensive than with other units. It includes bridgehead exploration, landing operations and anti-terrorism operations at sea. The use from the air is an integral part of the training, as is the alpine mountain training, combined with weapons and explosives knowledge.

equipment

Information about the SAS is actually all based on books by former members or reports from journalists. Their accuracy and timeliness are therefore limited. It can be taken for granted that the SAS , like other special forces, has access to practically any weapon and can modify and adapt it according to its own needs. The standard armament for military operations is the American M16 assault rifle , which can be supplemented with the M203 grenade launcher . As a support weapon serving machine gun FN (General Purpose Machine Gun GPMG - called "Gimpy") in caliber 7.62 mm. Since the SAS was deployed in Afghanistan, the Diemaco C8 SFW ( Special Forces Weapon ) and the H&K AG-C UGL grenade launchers have been added to the SAS arsenal; they are now part of the standard arsenal.

MP5 SD3 with integrated silencer

The Heckler & Koch MP5 submachine gun is used for anti-terrorist operations , similar to other special forces.

For years, part of the armament was the semi-automatic Browning Hi-Power pistol in 9-millimeter Parabellum caliber . In the meantime, however, the SIG Sauer P228 is used, which fires the same 9-millimeter Parabellum cartridges as the Hi-Power and the MP5.

The sniper rifles of the type Accuracy International L96 A1 in Kaliber.308 Winchester can if necessary with a silencer be provided. In addition, so-called anti-material rifles in caliber .50 BMG are available from the same manufacturer .

Depending on the target, various infantry weapons such as heavy machine guns, grenade launchers, rocket launchers or mines can also be used.

A fire-retardant overall, which is camouflaged differently according to the conditions of use, serves as a combat suit. A net-like scarf is worn as a neck scarf, but is also used to camouflage the face or equipment. Depending on the order, a bullet-resistant vest can also be included, as well as a balaclava , a helmet with a face visor, night vision devices or gas masks .

According to " Jane’s " (English publisher for military technology with reference character ), American-made mini drones are currently being tested in Credenhill , so-called Backpack Unmanned Surveillance Targeting and Enhanced Reconnaissance (Buster) . These look like model airplanes, can be carried in a backpack and collect information from the air. They are controlled like a model airplane; they can stay in the air for up to four hours.

history

Beginning of the colonial era

In the so-called New Zealand Wars from 1845 to 1872, the British troops were fought by the outnumbered Māori in a kind of guerrilla war . Individual Māori tribes supported the British and later the settler militia, so that they ultimately remained successful.

A special ability of the Māori was to lure the British into ambushes , from which they could only escape with the help of their own Māori. Within one night, 80 Māori warriors erected a palisade fort, which the British marched on immediately to destroy it. What they did not know, however, was that the main Māori force followed them undetected, and when the British stormed towards the fort in formation, they were attacked from behind. The Māori in the fort disappeared immediately into the woods during the attack, as did the main force after a short battle before they suffered major losses.

The Taranaki Bush Rangers and the Forest Rangers

It took a long time before the first special unit was established in 1863. The Taranaki Bush Rangers fought the Māori with their own tactics. The task of these 50 men was to track down the Māori warriors in the mountains of the North Island and to lead the regular armed forces. The next unit to reach company size was the Forest Rangers. A second company was then formed.

After the fighting had come to an end and the colonial defense forces had been disbanded, the special forces also ended on October 27, 1867. In the next few years there were even more minor incidents, then the Māori Wars were officially declared over in 1872. These guerrilla combat tactics from the colonial era were now adopted and adapted to today's battlefield.

Jungle fight

During the Second World War , New Zealand took part in the British Long Range Desert Group , a motorized tele-spying unit in North Africa, which is considered to be the root of the then emerging SAS, and in 1955 it was decided to set up its own elite unit based on the British model oriented.

After the recruitment and training problems from the early days had been resolved, the 1st Ranger Squadron, as the NZSAS was still called in 1955, was deployed in the jungles of Malaysia to fight the " communist terrorists ". The operations took place in the communist-occupied areas and the mission was to kill the leaders of the rebels.

During these missions, the New Zealanders were greatly helped by their skills as trackers in the Māori tradition. The Kiwis had also adopted another Māori tradition, the war dance " haka ", which they danced before each mission. The Māori warriors performed this dance to intimidate their opponents and to prepare themselves for the upcoming fight by means of prescribed movements and appropriate breathing techniques.

After the unit was re-established in 1959, New Zealand sent a group of 35 soldiers to Thailand in 1962 to work with the Americans to train the Thai rangers in anti-guerrilla combat. In 1965 they came to Borneo to fight together with the British SAS against Indonesian guerrillas. There, too, her tracking ability was extremely helpful.

Vietnam War

At the end of 1968 the first 26 soldiers of the 1st Ranger Squadron were transferred to Vietnam . Their base was not far from Saigon Nui Dat. Over the next two and a half years, together with the Australian SAS, they carried out so-called recce-ambush patrols with the task of setting up ambushes. During the 26 months in Vietnam, New Zealanders participated in 155 of these patrols , which lasted an average of ten days.

The men were brought to their area of ​​operations by helicopter, and the main task was to gather information about positions and supply routes of the Viet Cong . They attacked a position when the opportunity was favorable and shot the guerrillas. They were then picked up again. The Viet Cong referred to them as Ma Rung , the jungle spirits, and put a $ 500 bounty on every New Zealander - dead or alive. The unit suffered a loss of only one man in these operations.

Calls

The NZSAS was used in the Gulf War (1991). The unit is currently involved in Afghanistan .

cooperation

Through international operations together with the Australian SASR and the British SAS , the NZSAS has earned an excellent reputation among experts.

See also

literature

Web links