Special Air Service Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Special Air Service
Active	1 July 1941– 8 October 1945 1 January 1947– present
Country	United Kingdom
Branch	British Army
Type	Special Forces
Role	Special operations Counter Terrorism
Size	Corps of three units (overall 500 active soldiers) 21 S.A.S 22 S.A.S 23 S.A.S
Part of	United Kingdom Special Forces
Garrison/HQ	Regimental headquarters: Hereford 21 S.A.S: London 22 S.A.S: Credenhill 23 S.A.S: Birmingham
Nickname(s)	The Regiment
Motto(s)	Who Dares Wins
Colors	Pompadour blue
March	Quick: Marche des Parachutistes Belges Slow: Lili Marlene
Engagements	Second World War Malayan Emergency Indonesia–Malaysia confrontation Dhofar Rebellion Aden Emergency Northern Irish Troubles Falklands War Gulf War NATO intervention in Bosnia Operation Barras War In Afghanistan Iraq War Operation Ellamy
Commanders
Colonel-Commandant	General Charles Guthrie
Notable commanders	Colonel David Stirling Lieutenant-Colonel Paddy Mayne Brigadier Mike Calvert Major-General Anthony Deane-Drummond General Peter de la Billière< General Michael Rose Lieutenant-General Cedric Delves

The Special Air Service (SAS) is a special forces unit of the British Army. It was created in 1941 during World War II. Its first job was to attack behind German lines in North Africa. The SAS is known as one of the best-trained military units in the world. There are about 500 active SAS soldiers today.

The SAS is a very secret organization. Its members usually only tell their closest family about their role. The British Ministry of Defence (MOD) rarely talks about the SAS. Details of their missions are kept secret for a long time.

The SAS badge shows a winged dagger. This symbol represents their motto: Who Dares Wins. This motto means that those who are brave enough will succeed.

What the SAS Does
Training and Reputation
Other Pages to Explore
Images for kids
See also

What the SAS Does

The SAS has several important roles. These jobs help keep the United Kingdom safe.

Gathering Information: They collect secret information behind enemy lines.
Destroying Targets: They destroy important targets far from the front lines.
Protecting Important People: They help protect the Royal Family and key government officials.
Training Other Forces: They train special forces from other countries.
Fighting Terrorism: They carry out operations against terrorism.

Training and Reputation

The SAS is respected worldwide as one of the best special operations units. This is mainly because of their extremely tough training. A very difficult part of this training involves intense questioning. Trainees must go through this to prepare for real-life situations.

Many other special forces units around the world look up to the SAS. Some units are even based on the SAS model. For example, the U.S. Army's Delta Force was created partly because of Charles Beckwith. He was a U.S. Army officer who trained with the SAS. He believed the U.S. Army needed a unit like the SAS.