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Pour lire la "Carte
des Opérations S.A.S" ci dessus: pointeur au centre et un
click gauche de souris
To read " S.A.S Operations map" above: arowhead on centre of the map then a "left click" on the mouse |
| BIRTH IN THE DESERT : |
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French Paras of Free
French Forces were created by
General de Gaulle on 29th september 1940, under the command of Captain
Georges Bergé ( father of French S.A.S).
The first Platoon was Jump certified at Christmas with the first British paratroopers in Central Landing Establishment - Ringway. In march and may 1941, two missions under the control of S.O.E were completed in occupied France under the command of G.Bergé. (Savanah and Josephine B). The two missions were the first realized by allied forces in France. They have shown the ability to introduce a commando in occupied territory and exfiltrate it after the mission completed. In june 1941, the 1st Coy was cut in three Platoon. The first was assigned to B.C.R.A - the secret service of Free French- for special missions in occupied France. The two other Platoons were the new 1st Air Infantry Coy. In july 1941, the Air Infantry Coy with 30 men comes in North-Africa. After a time in Lebanon, the Company began 1st Compagnie de Chasseurs Parachutistes and did a para training course in Kabret Para Training Center. In september Bergé who was now a great friend of David Stirling, obtained the authorization of General de Gaulle to be 3rd Squadron SPECIAL.AIR.SERVICE BRIGADE, because the ancestors of the famous General have fight in middle-age with the King of Scotland. The french General was along his life a great friend of Scottish. In november the 3rd Squadron - 1st C.C.P ( 50 Officers, N.C.O's and Men ) began his S.A.S specialized training. During this time in Great Britain a new Para Unit was created to welcome volunteers 2nd C.I.A. From june to november 1942, a lot of missions were completed successfully by french and british S.A.S together on airfields and logistic bases on the coast of Lybia and Cyrenaïqua. At this time the mission under the command of Bergé and Lord Jellicoe in Creta island was completed, but unfortunatly Bergé and two paras were captured, and one was killed. Some weeks after Stirling was also failed and captured. Along the war, Bergé, Stirling and Jordan (who was the chief of French S.A.S after the capture of Bergé) stay in the fortress of Colditz in Germany as P.W. At the end of December the 1st Para Coy S.A.S(C.C.P) have finished their operations in middle-east and goes back in Great-Britain. At this time, a new 2nd Para Coy S.A.S was created to operate in Tunisia with some Officers and veterans of French Squad S.A.S. After some successfull fights, in january and february the 2nd Coy goes back also in Great-Britain. The first page of French S.A.S is closed ! The french S.A.S have received as a great award the famous S.A.S Wings and three gold inscriptions on their battle-honour. In March 1943, the veterans of 1st and 2nd S.A.S Coy were integrated to the french Unit in Great-Britain 2nd C.I.A named now 1st Air Infantry Battalion (1st B.I.A). The training was very hard along the year and in November a 3rd B.I.A created in Lebanon and Algeria came in Great-Britain from North-Africa. On 11th January 1944, 1st B.I.A (renamed 4th B.I.A) and 3rd B.I.A were integrated to new S.A.S Brigade under the command of General Mac Leod as 4th S.A.S and 3rd S.A.S. From february to may an hard specialized training sometimes with 1st Polish Para Brigade in Largo was accomplished to prepare the landing in North Europa and the operations to liberate occupied territories. |
| THE FIRST IN FRANCE - THE FREEDOM WAY : |
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In the night of 5 june 1944, 4 sticks of 4th
S.A.S were dropped on north and south Britanny to prepare S.A.S
bases (Samwest, Dingson, Grog), to take contact with local Resistance
and established D.Z and L.Z for the Battalion. The mission of french
S.A.S was to destroy all communication ways, to get ambushs and sabotages
to prevent all ennemies movements toward Normandy. These men were the
first allied soldiers to come and fight in France for D-Day. This fact
was a decision of General Montgomery. |
| DARE AND WIN ! : |
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In august a team of 4th S.A.S
was the first to fight in Paris for the liberation of the town. They
are the first allieds to come into the famous town.
From september to november 1944, a lot of S.A.S operations were realized in France by the two regiments (spencer, harrods, barker, bullbasket 2, dickens, moses, derry, samson, salesman, marshall, snelgrove, jockworth, newton, abel). In the same time 1st and 2nd S.A.S have operated in center and east of France successfully and 5th S.A.S in Normandy and on the belgian border. On 4th September in the small town of Sennecey le Grand took place an epic combat. 4 jeeps of 3rd R.C.P under the command of Lieutenant Combaud de Roquebrune, attacks a strong ennemy convoy with many tanks and light artillery. The jeeps took the ennemies armoured vehicles under the fire of Vickers K guns. Many of them were destroyed and a large lot of nazies killed, but unfortunatly, the jeeps go back up the central road of the village were destroyed by fire of tanks. Now, in Sennecey le Grand stays the Interallied Memorial of the S.A.S Brigade, as a wish of David Stirling himself. At Christmas 2nd R.C.P was engaged in the Bulges during the famous battle, operation Franklin.. Only at the end of january 1945 the regiment go back in France. After a time of training in Great Bitain, the S.A.S were prepared for a new mision, the last of the war... In april 1945 the last and the most important S.A.S operation of WW2 under command of Brigadier General M. Calvert, was completed in north of Holland by 700 men of the two french regiments (this was the strongest S.A.S operation of WW2). Dropped, as an arrow head for the 1st Armoured Canadian Corps, on night with very bad meteo conditions, the sticks landed far from planed D.Z. In spite of any losses, the results of this operation were very strong and succesfully. In the same time british S.A.S have realized operation Keystone. In 8 may, at the end of WW2 in Europa, the two french S.A.S regiments were assigned to French Air Force. The flag of the french S.A.S presented to 4th B.I.A in Edimburgh on 11th may 1944, was a gift of french-scottish association. It was the most awarded of all allied forces during WW2. On 11th november 1944 General de Gaulle during a famous parade on Champs-Elysées in Paris has given to the flag of S.A.S the Cross of Liberation. The 2nd and 3rd R.C.P were disbanded (september 1945) and a new 2nd R.C.P was created under the command of french Army. Few time after a Half-Para S.A.S Brigade was created to fight in Indochina (1946-1948) and the 2nd R.C.P was disbanded in Algeria at Philippeville who was the garrison of British 2nd S.A.S after the landing in North-Africa (Novembre 1942). When the half-brigade was also disbanded (1948) Para-Commandos of Oversea Forces took the traditions of S.A.S. but not the missions. Since 1981, 1st R.P.I.Ma (1st Para Oversea Infantry Regiment) has the missions and the traditions of S.A.S as an "Airborne Intelligence and Special Actions Unit" (RAPAS). The S.A.S wings of WW2 with in the middle the Chimera of Indochina are worn as a special qualification on the left breast like british S.A.S wings, after three missions. "Who Dares Wins" is also the motto of french S.A.S "Qui Ose Gagne".The missions were completed in Africa, in the Middle-East, during Desert Storm, in Kosovo, Yougoslavia, Serbia border and in Afghanistan and often also in all part of the world. A new 3rd R.C.P was created as a Light Para Infantry Regiment in 1984 with only the traditions and the flag of 3rd S.A.S. Unfortunatly,he was disbanded in July 1998.. J.P.B |
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