Shrouded in secrecy, the Special Boats Squadron, the SBS, has always been the subject of much conjecture and speculation.
An elite, semi-clandestine yet military body of men, their reputation is as formidable as that of their Army counterpart, the SAS.
Now, following the format of the bestselling Who Dares Wins, James Ladd has succeeded in penetrating beyond the mythology to reveal hitherto little-known aspects of Britain’s premier seaborne ‘special force’.
He outlines its activity during the Second World War and traces its next movements, when it became part of the Royal Marines, where the author served.
Originally volunteers from 6 Commando, the SBS rapidly developed its own skills, expertise and identity, which was less heralded by necessity than the SAS, whose anti-terrorist exploits have been given the publicity denied to its marine counterpart.
In fact, the role of the SBS was little known until it came to prominence in the Falklands conflict. There, SBS teams operated in parallel with their SAS counterparts, probing the Argentine-held islands and feeding back essential intelligence information. In an island war, they were very much in their element, and they played a key part in reconnoitring the eventual landing site for the Task Force at San Carlos.
Like the SAS, the SBS packs a punch way out of proportion to its size. Each man is a specialist; but each is trained to the legendary standard that makes this an elite unit. All are qualified ‘swimmer-canoeists, as well as being parachutists.
They can infiltrate enemy harbours, marine installations and coastlines held by hostile troops; armed with the most sophisticated weapons and communications systems, their objectives are as carefully defined as a surgeon’s blade: sabotage, kidnap, reconnaissance or, that vital but rarely-recognised contribution to warfare, intelligence gathering.
James Ladd was a Royal Marine before he became a journalist and naval historian.
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