Dragon 6199 2nd SAS Regiment (France 1944)

SAS (Special Air Service) is an elite special unit of the British Armed Forces, created in 1941 by Colonel David Stirling, which, with a short break, exists to the present day. The SAS was initially formed as a North African unit in the far rear of the Axis forces. Its tasks then included the broadly understood diversion and sabotage (e.g. destroying ammunition or fuel depots). From the outset, it was assumed that the SAS would operate in the far rear of the Axis powers. A lot of attention was also paid to the training of soldiers included in the unit. However, the first SAS operation ended in a complete failure. Only the second operation, when the SAS worked closely with the LRDG, resulted in the destruction or damage of three airfields on the territory of Axis occupied by Libya. In 1942, the 1st SAS Regiment was formed, consisting of four British units, one Free French unit and one Greek unit. In January 1943, the first SAS commander (Colonel David Stirling) was captured by the Germans and Robert Blair Maine took his position. In April 1943 it underwent another reorganization, and shortly after it was used in combat in Sicily and southern Italy. In 1944, the 1st SAS Brigade was formed, consisting of as many as five regiments. It was used in combat in the course of operations in France, Belgium and the Netherlands in 1944-1945. The unit also fought in Germany at the end of World War II.