SAS (eBook)

The History of the Special Raiding Squadron 'Paddy's Men'

Stewart McClean (Autor)

eBook Download: EPUB

2024 | 1. Auflage
276 Seiten
The History Press (Verlag)
978-1-80399-697-4 (ISBN)

Infos

In 1943, and with Allied victory in North Africa imminent, 1st Special Air Service Regiment was in danger of being disbanded. However, with the timely and vital intervention of Major Robert Blair Mayne, the unit was saved and replaced by an organisation known as HQ Raiding Forces, and Mayne was appointed to command the Special Raiding Squadron. The heroic spirit of 1st SAS Regiment continued to thrive in the squadron, and Paddy Mayne - as he was known to his soldiers - was an inspiration to those he commanded. Through action in Sicily in July 1943, undertaking distraction missions in Bagnara and finally aiding the Eighth Army in Termoli before being recalled to the UK to aid the SAS with the invasion of France, Paddy's Men worked as a well-oiled, dangerous and fiercely loyal unit, performing skilfully under the immense pressure of war. In this book Stewart McClean provides an illustrated history of the Special Raiding Squadron, detailing the formation of the unit, the lives of the men and their operations during the Sicilian and Italian campaigns, and the extraordinary man who commanded the squadron: Robert Blair Mayne DSO, or Colonel Paddy Mayne as he became famously known throughout the world.

STEWART MCCLEAN is a former TA Warrant Officer who served in 102 (Ulster) AD Regiment (V). This unit was the successor to a number of Northern Ireland-based Gunner regiments, including 8th (Belfast) HAA Regiment into which Robert Blair Mayne was first commissioned in 1939. Mayne was appointed to 5 Light AA Battery which was raised in Newtownards, the author's home town. These facts have contributed to Stewart McClean's long-time interest in the wartime career of Blair Mayne, known as 'Paddy' to all who served with him. In 1997 a memorial was dedicated in Newtownards and the author was a member of the group that campaigned for this tribute to a local hero. As he explains in his introduction, this was also the occasion that sparked his interest in the Special Raiding Squadron, an SAS unit whose members were proud to call themselves 'Paddy's Men'. He currently lives in Northern Ireland.

Textauszug

Chapter II

A New Role

And so, during the early months of 1943, the next chapter in the history of the regiment was about to begin. Although they still had great respect for Stirling’s original ideas and his considerable achievements, especially in the formation of the regiment, many, if not all, the soldiers and officers felt that it was only when Mayne took command that the pace really picked up. He established himself quickly as an outstanding and inspirational leader while his men trusted his judgement without question and were dedicated totally to him, which is almost certainly why they referred to themselves as ‘Paddy’s Men’. The young soldiers who had been among the first to volunteer for L Detachment were all intelligent, skilled individuals who had been hand-picked after rigorous and highly dangerous selection procedures and training exercises. That they would follow him anywhere without fear or question speaks volumes about just how Mayne was regarded by them. His men were also very aware that, while he fully accepted and understood that some lives would inevitably be lost during subsequent fighting, he would never allow them to be sacrificed or used as cannon fodder.

Mayne was responsible for instilling many fine qualities in his men but he constantly stressed one point to make sure that they were always very aware of it: ‘Every man has to be his own saviour and has to be totally self sufficient.’ To many that might have seemed a small and very simple statement but it contained an enormous meaning and would become the ethos for every man in the regiment, then and now. He was always thinking about the wellbeing of his soldiers as was illustrated during a rest break while driving through the desert on a mission. Terry Moore was resting beside a jeep when Mayne suddenly asked him: ‘Now tell me, Moore, we’ve all just been wiped out and you’re the only survivor – how would you get back to where we’ve just come from? ’Without stopping to think, Moore answered: ‘Well, I’d just follow the wheel tracks in the sand.’ ‘But there are no tracks left because the wind would have blown them all away.’ Mayne lowered his voice and looked straight at the young soldier: ‘You’ve got to think all the time.’

But, like it or not, changes were inevitable and as with every compromise there was a price to be paid. That price was to be a reduction in overall strength to somewhere in the region of 300/350 men of all ranks as well as a change of role: under the new title of Special Raiding Squadron they would become assault troops. In the eyes of many they would be more akin to shock troops. Without doubt Paddy Mayne would control how his men fought and performed in their upcoming battles but he knew that he had lost the right to choose their future battlefields.

Prior to David Stirling’s untimely capture and Mayne’s eventful meetings in Cairo, A Squadron 1st SAS had been transferred for further training to the Middle East Ski School at The Cedars in Lebanon. That move had been made as a precaution due to the strategic threat posed by the German advance in the Caucasus. Had there been a German southward move from that region British forces, including Mayne’s Squadron, would have had to fight in the mountainous regions of Turkey, Iraq or Persia. Training complete, however, the Squadron returned to its desert base in Kabrit where, with the rest of the regiment, the soldiers were to be told of their future. The newly promoted Major Mayne awaited them and, as always, he was a man of swift action. Eager to get started before any other changes might be implemented, he briefed them all immediately on the outcome of his short stay in Cairo. He also informed them that he would select the officers and senior non-commissioned ranks whom he wanted to accompany him; he would leave it to the discretion of those officers and NCOs to choose their own men. As the assembled ranks dispersed they knew that, at least for the foreseeable future, those chosen would remain together. The following figure shows the command structure.

Squadron HQ Officers

Squadron Commander

Major R B Mayne DSO

Second-in-Command

Major R V Lea (struck off strength, Palestine, 8 Aug ‘43)

Admin Officer

Captain E L W Francis

Medical Officer

Captain P M Gunn

Intelligence Officer

Captain R M B Melot

Padre

Captain R G Lunt (detached to SS Bde, 31 July ’43)

Signals Officer

Lieutenant J H Harding (RFHQ, Palestine, 20 July ’43)

Mortar Detachment Commander

Lieutenant A D Muirhead (A/Captain from 16 May ’43)

No.1 Troop Officers

Troop Commander

Major W Fraser

Section Commander

Lieutenant J Wiseman (A/Capt from 6 Oct ’43)

Section Commander

Lieutenant A M Wilson (A/Capt from 16 May ’43)

Section Commander

Lieutenant C G G Riley

No.2 Troop Officers

Troop Commander

Captain H Poat (A/Major and Sqn 2 i/c from 8 Aug ’43)

Section Commander

Captain T Marsh

Section Commander

Lieutenant P T Davies

Section Commander

Lieutenant D I Harrison (A/Captain from 8 Aug ’43)

No.3 Troop Officers

Troop Commander

Captain D G Barnby (Apptd Adjutant 8 Aug ’43)

Section Commander

Captain E Lepine (Apptd Tp Comd vice Barnby 8 Aug ’43)

Section Commander

Lieutenant M H Gurmin (Struck off strength, Palestine, 8 Aug ’43)

Section Commander

Lieutenant J E Tonkin

Their new role meant that there would be a large influx of new soldiers who would have to be integrated quickly into the various sections and apprised of the regiment’s methods. These men would be drawn from all parts of the Army and their skills as signallers, drivers, engineers and medics were much needed. But not all the new arrivals would be totally unfamiliar. Sid Payne was a member of the Special Boat Squadron but felt that he was due for a change.

I simply packed my kitbag and waited in Cairo for Paddy and his squadron to return. I approached him and simply asked if it would be alright for me to join his men. He told me that he could think of no reason why not and said that it should be fine. He also told me not to worry as he would see to all the necessary paperwork. So I just jumped onto the back of a lorry and that was that.

But, despite all the upheavals, things moved along at a considerable pace and within a week a small advance party under the command of one of the recently arrived officers, Lieutenant Derrick Harrison, had been despatched to set up a new camp and make things ready for the arrival of the rest of the troops.

The main body of the newly established Squadron travelled up from Egypt by train and, almost immediately after their arrival, began a period of heavy and intensive training at their new base at Az Zib, a small, remote village in northern Palestine close to the Syrian border. Although there were some small buildings that could be used for storing essentials, the accommodation for the majority of the troops would be tents. It proved to be an almost ideal location since the hilly terrain and rocky areas surrounding the base provided excellent training areas. The soldiers laboured for many long hours learning how to handle and use the large scaling ladders, ropes and equipment needed for climbing cliff faces but, knowing only too well from experience that those items would not always be available to them, they went even further and practised climbing the rock faces using only their bare hands. As if the rigours of climbing were not difficult and arduous enough the decision was taken that this had also to be accomplished while carrying the full weight of personal equipment and weapons. When they felt that the conditions they were working under made it necessary, they also refined and rewrote the training manuals. On other occasions they devised new methods that they felt suited better their own personal needs; exceptional men required exceptional training. Nothing was left to chance and so all those highly demanding and dangerous exercises had to be carried out during both daylight hours and darkness. The construction and laying of explosive charges would be a new skill for some as would be the use of the many different types of fuses or time pencils needed for demolition work. The explosives training was placed under the control of a small section of Royal Engineers who had been attached to the Squadron.

However, a number of men who had seen action in the desert would have been old hands with improvised explosive devices as they had trained and fought alongside...

Produkt-Details

• Erscheint lt. Verlag: 18.4.2024
• Verlagsort: London
• Sprache: englisch
• Themenwelt: Geschichte ► Allgemeine Geschichte ► 1918 bis 1945
• Themenwelt: Geschichte ► Teilgebiete der Geschichte ► Militärgeschichte
• Themenwelt: Sozialwissenschaften ► Politik / Verwaltung
• Schlagworte: British Army • colonel paddy • Corps • David Stirling • Italian Campaign • military unit • North African campaign • Paddy Mayne • robert blair mayne dso • SAS • Second World War • Sicilian campaign • Special Air Service • Special Forces • special raid squadron • The History of the Special Raiding Squadron "Paddy's Men" • World War Two • WWII
• ISBN-10: 1-80399-697-8 / 1803996978
• ISBN-13: 978-1-80399-697-4 / 9781803996974