I saw this video on Google where they create a reenactment of a real SAS operation scenario where a four-member team must infiltrate a certain area. They are supposed to be equipped with nearly 100 lbs of gear, all this in a backpack and in some kind of webbing vest with numerous pockets.

The reenactment is good but i'm interested in more details on how they manage to survive for such a long time in similar situations. For example, water procurement... do they carry water when they are first deployed? What amount? What kind of filters do they use? In the video, they go over their gear really fast so i'm curious to know more.

Does anyone have other on-line references where I could read up on this? I'm mostly interested in detailed gear information.

Thanks! <img src="/images/graemlins/cool.gif" alt="" />

It varies from mission to mission, the same as it does for any special mission unit. The guys who were part of Bravo Two Zero had almost 200 pounds per man of gear, much of it water that was cached. On the other hand, teams who are watching an urban safe house who's hide is a hotel room can order room service, so all they might carry is clothes, observation and comm gear (with the later possibly being cell phones and laptops), light arms (maybe- depends on the location), sterile credit cards and cash.

If you look at US or NATO line infantry, a hundred pounds per man is easy if they are on foot, but that includes everything from the skin out. Without more details, any guesses would be sketchy at best.

You might go to

http://www.bushcraftuk.com/community/index.php?

some of the posters there claim to have some knowledge of the SAS...

The book "Bravo Two Zero" by Andy McNabb goes over alot of the gear. It's sold in paperback. There is another story (probably more than one) about the mission written that I have not read, mainly other people's side of the story that took part in the mission by an investigative report to contradict McNabb some, if I recall correctly.

Another one McNabb wrote I read is "Immediate Action," by the way, a story about his SAS career up until Desert Storm which the British Government did not want published for obvious reasons.

IIRC, thier team got split in half for some reason, and the other part was able to E&E overland. (Either that, or they got picked up within a hard spitof the border- it's been a while since I read over the accounts.) I think the other book is from that perspective, but I haven't read it yet myself.

I also know that McNabb has lost a lot of friends since he published. Anything approved by the MOD should be read with that in mind.

Hi Ironraven,

I purchased Bravo Two Zero and i'm half-way through it... I think it's a great book indeed!

When you say that McNabb has lost a lot of friends, what do you mean? Which things mentionned in his book would upset or make some people disagree with what was written? I didn't notice anything special, other than the fact that whenever they get spotted, the civilians or enemy soldiers always seem to come right above them and look down as if they were asking themselves "hmmm, nice hole, why not check if anything could be hiding here?"... I guess this is on purpose to make things a little more dramatic.
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I reckon it had to do with differing accounts of what/who/how/why happened with the accidental team split up during the E & E. I won't elaborate and spoil it if you haven't gotten that far.

Special operators publishing often get people mad at them. It's the nature of the business. Michael Durant, the MH-60 Blackhawk pilot of the 160th SOAR shot down and captured in Mogadishu, told his story like it was -- and got Delta Operators mad at him -- guys he didn't even know. Of course there's Richard Marcinko -- he's a whole different kind of animal from my viewpoint.

It wasn't so much Durant, as it was a particular Delta Sergent who's name I can't remember. His name is "mud" right now, and has been for a few years, supposedly even Blackwater and Brown & Root won't touch him.

Something interest to keep in mind about him, though. His wife's maiden name was Beckwith. And if just wondered if she's one of Charlie's girls, you win the big prize. And all of this started to came out shortly before Col Beckwith died. Hmmm... I wonder if the father-in-law might have given a nudge?

And for those who don't know, Charles Beckwith was the officer who fought to get Delta founded, and was it's initial CO. He was the guy who made the call at Desert One to abort becuase there weren't enough choppers, which was before someone tried to a Sea Stallion through a Hercules. He was treated like a leper to, after he published his book.

Marchinko had peed in too many people's pools to not have enemies. Ironically, he might be one of the few operators who hasn't lost friends becuase he published- he was already radioactive.

You don't mean before someone tried to do air-to-air refueling of H-53s do you? If so: H-53s were air-refueled by Hercs for ages before the aborted Iran Hostage Rescue attempt. I don't remember much about the ones used except that they were not regular Sea Stallions, but special RH-53s, and were poorly maintained while onboard ship because of inter-service rivalry. HH-53Cs were the mainstay of the USAF ARRW wings at about that time. An Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Wing would consist of about 8 HH-53 "Jolly Green Giants" and 6 HC-130s to support/refuel them. BTW, all H-53s are not "Sea Stallions," or "Super Stallions," just the USMC's.

I think he meant to say "tried to TAXI a Sea Stallion through a Hercules". The refueling at Desert One was done on the ground.

I thought he might be implying they had the Desert One refueling because there were not air-to-air refueling capable H-53s at the time. It is well known the refueling was done on the ground and the events that followed, that's a gimme.

Actually, the only in flight refueling capable H-53s were the HH-53s were with the Air Force at the time. And it was decided that they would be too distinctive on the flight deck, so they went with CH-53s from the Navy. Mid air refueling was out of the question for Eagle Claw.

And as I recall, the Stallion in question really wasn't taxing. They'd lost the power to their nose wheel or something, but they had to bunny hop the chopper to move it around. Lots of aircraft, lots of sand, middle of the night... yeah. Blind luck that there as few casualties on the struck Herc as there was.

I've seen a documentary which debunks much of what is in "Brava Two Zero"; maybe that was the investigative report you mention. I've not read the book but I gather it makes him look good. The documentary made him look bad. For example, he was apparently advised to take transport but decided not to, which caused him problems down the line.

I daresay his equipment lists are accurate, though. I really must get around to reading the book and comparing it with other sources. The BBC have done several series on the SAS.

McNab also wrote Immediate Action, detaling more of his early life, his entry into the SAS, etc. It is not as controversial as Bravo Two Zero, gives a pretty good idea of what it takes to get into that outfit. He is also now a fiction writer, haven't read any of that stuff...

Bravo Two Zero was basically a fog of war FUBAR. Their was miscommunication at several levels. Under normal circumstances it was probably not have mattered. They went in on foot because a SAS Trooper on foot is the next best thing to invisable. It should be born in mind that the documentary was done with the benefit of 20/20 hindsight. The people who make these documentarys are perfectly aware that SAS Troopers are, like all British Subjects, subject to the Offical Secrets Act. That means that for reason's of state, none of the members of the Bravo Two Zero team would be permitted to sue for liable.
And, at the end of the day, they were blown because they balked at killing a young boy who walked right over the top of them.

Exactly what I was thinking... Same goes for another sheppard (sp?) that came across a short while after. They were compromised not once, but twice. <img src="/images/graemlins/crazy.gif" alt="" />