Insignia of Special Air Service (SAS)

Slowly but surely my British chapter of the Military Insignia 3D is gaining steam. Following my usual patterns and due to my downright respect and kin interest in anything that has to do with Special Forces, right after the major insignia was out of the way, my next British design turned out to be (surprise!) - Special Air Service, also known as SAS. 

The Special Air Service (SAS) is the British Army's most renowned Special Forces unit. From the moment several black-clad figures appeared on the balconies of the Iranian Embassy in London in 1980, the Special Air Service became 'celebrities' both at home and oversees. Their motto, 'Who Dares Wins', has become part of British popular culture.

Special Air Service or SAS is a corps of the British Army constituted on 31 May 1950. They are part of the United Kingdom Special Forces (UKSF) and have served as a model for the special forces of many other countries all over the world. The SAS together with the Special Boat Service (SBS), Special Reconnaissance Regiment (SRR), and the Special Forces Support Group (SFSG) form the UKSF under the command of the Director Special Forces.

While the SAS traces its origins to 1941 and the Second World War, it was reformed as part of the Territorial Army in 1947, and named the 21st Battalion, SAS Regiment, (Artists Rifles). The Regular Army 22 SAS later gained fame and recognition worldwide after successfully assaulting the Iranian Embassy in London and rescuing hostages during the 1980 Iranian Embassy Siege, lifting the regiment from obscurity outside the military establishment.

The Special Air Service presently comprises 22 Special Air Service Regiment of the Regular Army, 21 Special Air Service Regiment and 23 Special Air Service Regiment from the Territorial Army. It is tasked with special operations in wartime, and primarily counter-terrorism in peacetime.

The 22nd Special Air Service regiment (22 SAS) comprises of 4 active 'sabre' squadrons : A, B, D, & G, each made up of around 60 men. Each Squadron is made up of 4 troops with each troop specializing in certain areas of expertise:

Air Troop - skilled in parachute insertions (HALO, HAHO, static line etc)

Boat Troop - specializing in amphibious operations

Mobility Troop  - masters of operations using a variety of vehicles

Mountain Troop - expert mountaineers and trained in the disciplines of arctic warfare

The S.A.S. has carried out many operations over the years, including everything from counter-terrorist assaults in the glare of the media spotlight to covert operations in Northern Ireland. The SAS are currently deployed to Iraq (with the SBS assigned to Afghanistan). It's reported that the SAS Squadron in Iraq is operating as part of 'Task Force Black' - the British contingent of US-led Task Force 88, tasked with hunting down Al-Qaeda leaders in the country.

As always, the above insignia is available on number high quality products via my “Military Insignia” galleries exclusively from Zazzle.com. Simply follow the links in the article to navigate to the corresponding galleries.

I also will make my insignia designs available free of charge to any military units and personnel, to be used for the purpose of any non-profit/non-commercial and charitable causes, benefiting troops and their families. I will also make my designs available free of charge to any military branches, formations and units for any non-commercial internal duty-specific purposes, such as unit-related web design, training materials or presentations, as I have done on a number of occasions.

The above information provided in part by www.eliteukforces.info, www.sasregiment.org.uk, www.sasspecialairservice.com, and Wikipedia