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Operation Nimrod

Operation Nimrod was the code name for the storm at the Iranian Embassy. There were 5 terrorists and about 24 staff of the Iranian Embassy which were held hostage. None of the staff from the Iranian Embassy did get hurt. The SAS Stromed in through the windows and killed all the terrorists with no injuries to the SAS. One of the terrorists had 82 bullets that had been shot into him OUCH!!!!

The SAS at "Operation Nimrod"

On the 5th of May 1980 soldiers from the special air service (SAS) stormed the iranian embassy in princes gate london.In an operation that took less than twenty minutes, they killed five members of the Democratic Revolutionary front for the Liberation of Arabistan (DRFLA) (shooting one about eighty times) and rescued twenty-four hostages (the DRFLA had already killed one, and shot dead another during the rescue). This took place in full veiw of the public and was broadcast live around the world. Later the team who carried out the operation were joined by the then prime minister Margret Thatcher who famously sat down cross legged and watched recordings of the operation with them.
"I wasn't on the storming of the Iranian Embassy,but i've heard of thousands who were" a trooper from the SAS
to the SAS UK

The SAS UK

this will take you to the bbc coverage of the storming of the Iranian Embassy.
others follow this link

Selection

The SAS selection is one of the hardest, and most grueling in the world. It consists of three basic phases. The first phase, Fitness and navigation, being the hardest, with the largest drop out. The second phase, Jungle Training in Brunei, and finally combat survival, including escape tactics and interrogation.
Phase I
Endurance Phase:
The selection course begins with a week long BFT, (Battle Fitness Course), 3 mile run, the first mile and a half must be completed in 12 and a half minutes, the rest in your own time. The next 5-6 days consist of basic map revision, orienteering, gym work and 5 mile runs. 8 Mile cross country runs are also done, with candidates required to finish in 1 hour. At the end of the first week the candidates face their first real test: The Fan dance



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The Fan Dance
The fan dance consists of: carrying a 32 Pound bergen over a route of 24km. Easy?well think about this then:
Your day starts at 4am, and ends at 10.30pm, and marches range from 15-64km, which means going up, and then all the way down, and then all the way up again and so on, carrying bergens weighing 40-60 pounds! This also includes a few night marches.

To add to the problem, you are never told when the cut off time is and just have to keep up with the DS, or get RTU'd, (return to unit). However, if a candidate who has been doing well suddenly has a bad day, he may receive a 'gypsy's warning', one more bad day and they are told to report to platform 4, basically you've been RTU'd. Still think this is easy?



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Test Week
This is what all the hard work leads to: a series of 24-64km marches, all over the Brecon Beacons, followed by the hand drawn map march, and finally the endurance march, which takes twenty hours to complete!
After this the candidates are gathered together and told if they have passed this phase or not.

The survivors are then sent for continuation training, where they are trained on the Special Air Service weapons, as well as eastern block weapons. The physical hasn't ended with test week as they are expected to keep fit and do gym work, and are tested for their mental abilities, language aptitude as well as mensa tests. this is all done to see if a candidate can adjust to the SAS way of doing things.


Phase II:- Jungle Phase
This phase takes place in Brunei, at the British army jungle training school. Imagine six weeks without a shower? Imagine six weeks without a shower or a shave in the middle of a tropical jungle? Thats what the jungle phase is all about!

The candidates are split into patrols of four and are taught all the jungle tactics they would need, from how to build a basha, (a lean-to), navigation, jungle and contact drills, explosives, clearing landing zone and so on...

Often more than half of the men fail the jungle phase!



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Combat Survival:
One month of training, living off the land, whilst using evasion and escape techniques. Lessons in how to evade and escape, interrogation techniques from people who have been tortured, or other experiences.

The final weak is simply a survival week. Easy, survive for a week off the land! Easy? Well, try surviving in a Greatcoat while being hunted down by Gurkhas and Para's, when you know that when you are caught you are going to be interrogated!

When you are caught,you are blind folded kept in awkward positions and interrogated for 48 hours.A candidate can only say 4 things: name, rank, number and date of birth. The only other thing a candidate can say is, "I cannot answer that question"

If you pass every stage, you then get your SAS beret, and are put on a one year probation.

^^^^^The Brecon Beacons^^^^^

The Killing House

The killing House:
Hostage rescue perfection!.....That is what the killing house is all about.
The killing house is a long building with many rooms of different size, and different type, linked with video camera's that can be used for debriefing.

Since the SAS have a teams who are on 24 hour stand by for anti-terrorist and hostage rescue operations, they spend many hours and a hell of alot of ammo, refining their skills in the killing house!



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Room Clearance Drills:
As all training begins with the basics, so does the killing house training. Starting with how to enter a room and to take out a target in front of him...very basic. As they master each skill, they move on to more difficult ones, such as multiple entries, more targets, more hostages, clearing a whole floor.

As training continues, so a few more tricks are added to ensure that the SAS teams can handle any given situation. Speed, accuracy and split second decision making are all extremely important, as many hostage situations can take place in extremely confined spaces.

The trick to a successful hostage rescue consists of a few things: as much information as possible, you don't want to end up in a situation where you are taking a knife to a gun fight.; split second decisions and timing, and most of all excellent team work!

The weapons used in the 'Killing House' are 9mm pistols and submachine guns -the guns that are used by SAS teams during real hostage-rescue operations. The targets the men shoot at are old diving suits stuffed with rags - crude but sufficient to simulate real people. The Regiment also uses the 'Killing House' to experiment with new types of ammunition. Hostage-rescues invariably take place within confined spaces, such as inside rooms and aircraft cabins. In such areas there is a real danger of hostages being killed by a ricochet. A member of the Regiment describes the kinds of ammunition tried: 'New weapons and ammunition are continually being tested in the "House", and among the latest introductions is a new fragmentation round. It explodes on impact, so if a team has to storm a boat it will hit the bulk-heads and burst without ricocheting, unlike ball rounds.

A SAS troopers prayer

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