OTHER REGIMENTS
No. 62. Special Air Service Regiment
Trooper: Dressed for Counter-terrorist Operations
Trooper: Dressed for Free-fall Parachuting
Background: Desert Combat Scene
From a watercolour painting by Christopher A. Collins.
Postcard No. 62 SPECIAL AIR SERVICE REGIMENT
The Special Air Service (SAS) was born at Kabrit in the Suez Canal
Zone in 1941 and has consistently captured the imagination of the military
and public alike, However, little is know with certainty about its
personnel and equipment as it avoids publicity. In the recent past we have
read of their operations in the Falklands, Northern Ireland and the Gulf
War. The storming of the Iranian Embassy in London on 5th May 1980 was an
event which hit the headlines of the World.
The black assault suit shown is made from fire resistant material.
Fireproof gloves are worn. The armoured vest is constructed using
lightweight fibre of very high textile strength. The figure shown wears a
helmet constructed from multiple layers of ballistic-resistant composite
material. It is worn in conjunction with a respirator and over a radio
headset. A large front mounted press-talk button can be seen on his chest.
H knife and grenade are also worn. He carried a Heckler and Koch
sub-machine gun fitted with a torch.
The second trooper is dressed for free fall parachuting. The technique of
'high altitude low opening' parachute jumping (HALO) is employed by the
SAS to infiltrate into enemy territory. They leave their aircraft at a
great height and free-fall on oxygen until safely below the enemy radar
before opening their canopies. The figure shown carries the US Army M16
(Armalite) rifle with grenade launcher.
In the background can be seen a Light Strike Vehicle similar to those used
by the SAS in the 1991 Gulf War for operations behind Iraqi lines.
Published 1994
Copyright © 1994 Published by Geoff White Ltd.
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