Hitlers Commando Order and 1st SAS Raid

General Rommel reported to Hitler that the "commandos" were causing much nervousness among the Italians. Hitler responded with the Commando order which commanded the execution of each and every commando captured. Not all Generals took notice of the order such as Rommel ignored it and treated the SAS and other commandos as normal soldiers.



1: For some time our enemies have been using, in their warfare, methods which are outside the International Geneva Conventions. Especially brutal and treacherous is the behavior of the so-called Commandos, who, as is established, are partially recruited even from freed criminals in enemy countries. From captured orders it is divulged that they are directed not only to shackle prisoners, but also to kill defenseless prisoners on the spot at the moment in which they believe that the latter, as prisoners, represent a burden in the further pursuit of their purposes, or could otherwise be a hindrance. Finally, orders have been found in which the killing of prisoners has been demanded in principle.

2: For this reason it was already announced, in an addendum to the Armed Forces report Of 7th October, 1942, that, in the future, Germany in the face of these sabotage troops of the British and their accomplices, will resort to the same procedure, that is, that they will be ruthlessly mowed down by the German troops in combat, wherever they may appear

3: I therefore order: From now on, all enemies on so-called Commando missions in Europe or Africa, challenged by German troops, even if they are to all appearances soldiers in uniform or demolition troops, whether armed or unarmed, in battle or in flight, are to be slaughtered to the last man. It does not make any difference whether they are dropped by parachute. Even if these individuals, when found, should apparently be prepared to give themselves up, no pardon is to be granted them on principle. In each individual case, full information is to be sent to the O.K.W. For publication in the Report of the Military Forces.

4: If individual members of such Commandos, such as agents, saboteurs, etc., fall into the hands of the military forces by some other means, through the police in occupied territories, for instance, they are to be handed over immediately to the S.D. Any imprisonment under military guard, in P.O.W. stockades, for instance, etc., is strictly prohibited, even if this is only intended for a short time.

5: This order does not apply to the treatment of any soldiers who, in the course of normal hostilities, large-scale offensive actions, landing operations and airborne operations, are captured in open battle or give themselves up. Nor does this order apply to enemy soldiers falling into our hands after battles at sea, or to enemy soldiers trying to save their lives by parachute after air battles.

6: I will hold responsible, under Military Law, for failing to carry out this order, all commanders and officers who either have neglected their duty of instructing the troops about this order, or asked against this order when it was to be executed.

Adolf Hitler 18th October 1942

 

The first operation undertaken by the SAS was a complete failure. The conditions were extremely windy but not wanting to back out of the first operation the SAS went ahead with the raid. Out of the 53 men that took part in the mission 32 were either killed or captured. The windy conditions caused the men to land in different places and after landing be dragged across the desert by their parachutes. Many thought that this would cause the disbandment of the SAS but David Stirling being ever optimistic was still rethinking his tactics on the return journey.


Results of a SAS Raid

A new idea was put forward that the Long Range Desert Group (LRDG) would transport the SAS targets behind enemy lines and meet them again at a rendezvous point for extraction. The Long Range Desert Group was made up of men who explored the desert as civilians before the war, and because of their knowledge of the desert were recruited as a deep reconnaissance unit aimed at gather information on enemy truck, tank, troop, and aircraft numbers as well as index numbers and regiments. The SAS and the LRDG worked and operated from an Oasis in the Libyan desert named the Jalo Oasis. From here the SAS conducted many successful operations. One such operation was led by Paddy Mayne, in one night they destroyed 24 Axis aircraft and set fire to a petrol dump, Mayne then burst into an Officers mess and sprayed the room with Thompson SMG fire. As they were leaving Mayne noticed to his disgust that one plane was still standing, he then walked over to the machine leaned in and ripped out the instrument panel as a "souvenir". At another enemy base an officer and 3 of his men managed to crawl through a thick entanglement of barbed wire and destroyed 37 aircraft.


The SAS Willies Jeep

In January 1942 the SAS returned to its original base near Kabrit alongside the Suez Canal. On arrival David Stirling (now promoted to Sergeant Major) was granted permission to use the Regimental badge (Sword of Damocles) and parachute wings they had designed. Stirling also acquired a set of Willies Jeeps which they fitted with twin Vickers .303 machine guns which had been taken from RAF biplanes and capable of laying down a barrage of fire at 1,200 rounds per minute. The jeeps were used to a great effect on the Sidi Enich airfield where 18 jeeps (68 Machine Guns) drove down the runway firing at the aircraft parked on each side tearing the aircraft to pieces.

During a mission to cut of a railway line, two SAS soldiers were surrounded by the Germans. On was shot dead in the action and the other rather then surrender fled across the desert. The Soldier was named Jack Silletoe and marched for 8 days travailing 180 miles until he was rescued by the LRDG after passing out. By January 1943 the SAS was a full regiment and David Stirlings brother William was in command of 2 SAS. In February 1943 the SAS suffered a horrendous blow when David Stirling was captured by the Germans in a cave near Tunisia. He asked 4 times only to be placed in the infamous POW camp, the Castle of Colditz.

www.special-air-service.cjb.net/

 

Interesting, thanks

 

No problem mate .

Jet

 

During WW2 the SBS had its name changed many times, but was finally known as the Special Boat Service of the 1st SAS Regiment. One influential SBS character was Jock Lapraik, he invented a training course for the SBS at a Special Warfare school in Malta. After the capture of David Stirling the SBS was under the command of George Jellicoe. One of George Jellicoes missions he and his team were to raid a Luftwaffe bomber base. The bombers were preparing to make a bombing run on a supply convoy which was essential to the troops in Malta. Unfortunately Jellicoe and his team were betrayed, and only George and their Greek guide survived. However Jellicoe succeeded in penetrating the enemy bomber base and placing the bombs without the Nazis realizing it.

Rhodes had caused major problems for the British through most of the Agean island war. The British wanted to capture Rhodes so they could obtain their airfields. Jellicoe was tasked with trying to persuade the 35000 Italian soldiers to fight against the 10000 Nazis. Jellicoe and a signaler parachuted into Rhodes, however his attempts to raise morale were in vain.


The Tewfik

On the 20th of January 1944, a ship used by the SBS as a transport named the Tewfik, departed from Beirut, with a load of 4700 pounds of high explosive. The SBS used this ship to transport them on a series of raids on Nazi ships and transports in harbors and ports. On January 31st of January 4 SBS soldiers and a interpreter went ashore onto Khalki. Sources had revealed that the German soldiers were using the police station as a garrison. The SBS took all the soldiers prisoner and also captured their weapons, as the group were leaving one of them spotted a German boat entering the harbor. The SBS soldiers opened fire on the boat smothering it with bullets wounding two of the six enemy soldiers, these soldiers also soon surrendered. They returned to friendly territory in the boat which they had just sprayed with bullets and handed the prisoners over. At the Island of Stampalia, a SBS team crawled through a minefield before swimming out to the German ships docked in the harbor and blowing them up.


Lassen

At another island two SBS soldiers named Lt. David Clark and Sgt. Miller neutralized ten nazis playing cards. Considering themselves to be good sports the two soldiers offered them a chance to surrender, they decided to assume that the Germans refused to surrender after they opened fire on them and consequently lobbed a couple of grenades into the room. The SBS soon directed operations to a group of islands called the Cyclades Islands, and under the command of David Sutherland a series of night time raids were directed on Radio Stations on the Islands of Mikonos, Santorini, Ios and Amorgos. In an Amazing raid two soldiers named Anders Lassen and Sergeant Nicholson backed up by a group of 12 soldiers killed 41 Italian soldiers, wounded 27 and took 19 prisoner. First Nicholson would kick a door open and lassen would throw two grenades in, upon which Nicholson (as soon as the grenades had exploded) would spray the room with his bren gun. In August 1944, the SBS moved its base to Italy and began to start operations in Nazi occupied Yugoslavia. Lassen and a group of men stayed behind and continued operations in the Agean Sea area.

Jet (Who Dares Wins)

 

Just found this out, it is very intresting:

Small Scale Raiding Force " The hand of steel which plucks the German sentries from their posts"

This unit was formed in 1941 at Poole, Dorset, the home of the modern-day SBS, and was originally known as Maid Honor Force after the small sailing boat which was its first home. It was to conduct small raids on behalf of SOE, Britain's wartime sabotage service in charge of aiding resistance organisations in enemy-held territory. The thirty volunteers went out to West Africa in August, and it was from Lagos in Nigeria that their first operation, code-named Postmaster, was launched in January 1942. The plan was to steal a German tanker and an Italian freighter in harbour at the Spanish-owned island of Fernando Po, and therefor in neutral territory. While the ships' officers were distracted by a party thrown by an SOE agent, the raiders entered the port aboard two tugs, overpowered the crews and made off with the ships.

Back in Britain the SSRF's founders, Commando officers Gus March-Phillips and Geoffrey Appleyard, received permission to expand it. There were never more than sixty men, about half of them officers, and most came from the Commandos or SOE. One of them was Anders Lassen, a Danish seaman who joined as a private but was commissioned after Postmaster, and soon gained a fearsome reputation with pistol and knife. There were also French and Dutch members, and several Poles, Czechs and Germans, who served under British names. The alternate names of 62 Commando and 62 Special Training School reflected the SSRF's joint responsibilities to Combined Operations Headquarters and SOE. Training was done mostly around Anderson Manor near Poole, the units new home, but also in the Lake District and at sea.

Small raids were launched on the French coast, mostly from a souped-up Motor Torpedo Boat known as the " Little Pisser". The approach to the shore was done on Goatley boats, ten-man collapsible craft, and dories, 18/22 foot (5.5/6.6m) wooden powerboats, both of which soon became popular with other small boat units. Canoes, now named Cockles, were also used. Targets included lighthouses, observation posts and beach defences, with a general objective of taking prisoners and unsettling the Germans. Agents were also landed for SOE. All the members were parachute trained but no airborne operations were undertaken.

A raid in September 1942 resulted in the death of March-Phillips and several others, but ops continued under the command of Major Appleyard. At the end of the year most of the SSRF was transferred to Algeria, where they formed the nucleus of Bill Stirling's new 2nd SAS Regiment. Appleyard was made Second In Command of 2SAS but was killed in the invasion of Sicily. Anders Lassen achieved fame at the other end of the Mediterranean.

Jet

 

If any of you are intrested in any books about the SAS here are a few:

Daggers Drawn - THIS BOOK has drawn a fantastic response from senior and serving veterans of the SAS, the public and reviewers alike, both in the UK and abroad.

Sting of the Scorpion - UNIQUE collation of the celebrated operations of the LRDG, featuring many new stories and photo's of the famous 'pirates of the desert'.

Jet