Hey guys, what is your favorite special forces team? mines either the SEALS or the GSG9 (short for Grenzschutzgruppe 9 (isnt that a mouthful )) 
seals 8)
maybe over here somebody can explain which country these teams to belong to, and their main role/accomplishments.
HEY you forgot about the Recces! South African Special Forces, nicknamed Recces. Go here to their website http://www.recce.co.za/
I reccomend people to read this, detailed discription about qualifying.
http://home.blarg.net/~whitet/sarecee.htm
SEALS, Green Berets, Delta Force : All American
GSG9: Germany
S.A.S. and Royal Marines: Brittan
SEALS:The U.S. Navy SEALs are considered to be one of the worldâs premier Special Operations and Counter-Terrorism Forces. Though technically specializing in maritime insertion, the SEALs are inserted by sea, air or land, hence the acronym. From the jungles of Vietnam, to the shores of Panama, or to the sands of Iraq, SEALs have proven to be a fearsome and effective Special Operations/Counter-Terrorist Unit.
Historically, they can trace their history to the first group of volunteers selected from the Naval Construction Battalions (Seabees) in the spring of 1943. These volunteers were organized into special teams called âNavy Combat Demolition Unitsâ (NCDUs). The units were tasked with reconnoitering and clearing beach obstacles for troops going ashore during amphibious landings, and evolved into Combat Swimmer Reconnaissance Units.
The NCDUs distinguished themselves during World War II in both the Atlantic and Pacific theaters. In 1947, the Navy organized its first underwater offensive strike units. During the Korean Conflict, these Underwater Demolition Teams (UDTs) took part in the landing at Inchon as well as other missions including demolition raids on bridges and tunnels accessible from the water. They also conducted limited minesweeping operations in harbors and rivers.
During the 1960s, each branch of the armed forces formed its own counterinsurgency force. The Navy used UDT personnel to form multiple units called SEAL teams. January 1962 marked the commissioning of SEAL Team ONE in the Pacific Fleet and SEAL Team TWO in the Atlantic Fleet. These teams were developed to conduct unconventional warfare, counter-guerrilla warfare and clandestine operations in both blue water and brown water environments.
Those qualifying to become Navy SEALS are authorized to wear and display the Special Warfare Badge, also known as the SEAL Trident. This badge, commonly called the âtridentâ or âBudweiserâ (for its resemblance to the Budweiser Eagle), serves as the insignia for the SEALs as a whole and is the largest and most recognizable warfare pin in the United States Navy.
Green Berets: The United States Army Special Forces âalso known as the Green Berets or simply Special Forces (capitalized)â is a Special Operations Force of the U.S. Army trained for unconventional warfare and special operations. The force was founded by Aaron Bank and their official headgear is the green beret.
Their official motto is De opresso liber (âTo liberate the oppressedâ).
Delta Force:Delta Force recruits its members from all the branches of the Army, but the force mainly recruits from the U.S. Army Special Forces (Green Berets) and the Rangers. Some believe that Delta recruits from all of the branches of the military, however they are strictly an Army Unit and is considered the Armyâs equivalent to the US Navy counter-terror unit âDEVGRUâ. Their main compound stands in a remote area of Fort Bragg, North Carolina; housing about 2,500 personnel. Reports of the compound mention numerous shooting facilities (both for close-quarters battle and longer-range sniping), a dive tank, an Olympic size swimming pool, a huge climbing wall, and a mockup of an airliner. It may be associated with the Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center.
Grenzschutzgrupe 9: The GSG-9 is used to act against cases of hostage taking, kidnapping, terrorism, and extortion. The group may also be used to secure locations, neutralize targets, sniping and fugitive hunting. Furthermore, the group is very active in developing and testing methods and tactics for these tasks. Finally, the group may provide consultation to the different Länder, Ministries and international allies. The group assists the Bundesgrenzschutz and other federal and local agencies by request. The unit was established in 1972 under the leadership of (then Colonel) Ulrich K. Wegener, after the police failed miserably in dealing with the âMunich massacreâ - a terrorist action carried out by the Black September movement during the 1972 Summer Olympic Games. The GSG-9 was officially established on April 17, 1973. Its formation was based on expertise of the British SAS and the Israeli Sayeret Matkal; Wegner emphasizes the importance of the Israelis.
The best-known mission of the GSG-9 was the freeing of the hostages of the RAF (âRed Army Factionâ) terrorist group in the Lufthansa flight 707 Landshut in Mogadishu, Somalia in the night of the 17 October 1977/18 October 1977. For details of the hijacking see RAF or German Autumn.
S.A.S.:During the Falklands War 1982, SAS teams worked, with their SBS counterparts, in many operations before the main force landings at San Carlos and after the landings ahead of the FEBA (Forward Edge of Battle Area - the front line). These included operations in South Georgia, guiding Harrier attacks on Port Stanley airport to destroy Argentine helicopters, and the destruction of eleven PucarĂĄ attack aircraft on Pebble Island. During the war, 22 SAS under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel Mike Rose were the only land unit that had their own satellite communications back to the UK.
In the Gulf War, the SASâs role was similar to their forerunners in World War Two: they deployed deep into Iraqi territory to gather intelligence and destroy mobile Scud missile launchers. They did the job with anything from explosives to jackhammers.
The most famous mission of the war, known as Bravo Two Zero, was popularised by books written by two participants in the mission. Their accounts describe an eight-man SAS patrol cut off deep in Iraq during a scud-busting raid. Discovered by the Iraqis, they supposedly fought their way to the border over a distance of 120 miles, killing 250 Iraqi soldiers along the way. Four were captured after running out of ammunition, three were KIA, and one managed to escape to Syria. These accounts have received severe criticism from a former member of the SAS [1] (http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0304365548/026-5416790-7473204).
Allegedly some troopers (officially ex-members of the Regiment) fought in the Vietnam War and helped Mujahideen in Afghanistan during the Soviet invasion. There was also official SAS training of Mujahideen in Scotland in the 1980s, with particular emphasis on shooting down Russian helicopters. Some ex-members have also become mercenaries or Private military contractors.
They were also involved in the War on Terrorism in Afghanistan. When Taliban and Al-Qaeda prisoners tried to escape in Afghanistan, the SAS was reportedly called in. They also rescued two CIA men who were trapped behind enemy lines. Operation Trent employed half the Regiment in a successful attack on a $85,000,000 opium storage plant in Helmand province, which doubled as an Al-Qaeda local command centre.
Royal Marines: The first unit of English naval infantry, originally called the Duke of York and Albanyâs Maritime Regiment of Foot and soon becoming known as the Admiralâs Regiment, was formed on October 28, 1664, and the name âMarinesâ first appeared in official records in 1672. However, the naval infantry remained a part of the British Army until 1755, when His Majestyâs Marine Forces, fifty companies in three divisions, headquartered at Chatham, Portsmouth, and Plymouth, were formed under Admiralty control. In 1802, they were titled the Royal Marines.
The Royal Marine Artillery (RMA) was formed as a separate unit in 1804. As their uniforms were the blue of the Royal Regiment of Artillery this group was nicknamed the âBlue Marinesâ and the infantry element, who wore the scarlet uniforms of the British infantry, became known as the âRed Marinesâ, often given the derogatory nickname âLobstersâ by ordinary sailors. Pursuing a career in the marines was considered social suicide - the marine corps was deeply unpopular in society as most marines were failures in life running away from their problems on land. Marine officers, unlike their counterparts in the regular army or navy, faced obstacles when trying to climb the social ladder, as officers in the marine corps were widely perceived as failures unable to obtain commissions in the army. During the Napoleonic Wars, the Royal Navy suffered from manpower problems in the marine corps, and so regular infantry units from the army often had to be used as shipboard replacements. In 1855 the infantry forces were renamed the Royal Marines Light Infantry (RMLI) and in 1862 the name was slightly altered to Royal Marine Light Infantry. It was not until 1923 that the separate artillery and light infantry forces were formally amalgamated into the Corps of Royal Marines.
For the first part of the 20th Century, the Royal Marinesâ role was the traditional one of providing shipboard infantry for security, boarding parties and small-scale landings, and also manning gun turrets on cruisers and battleships.
During the First World War, Royal Marines took part in the amphibious landing at Gallipoli in 1915, and, in 1918, led the raid at Zeebrugge.
During the Second World War, a small party of Royal Marines were first ashore at Namsos in April 1940, seizing the approaches to the Norwegian town preparatory to a landing by the British Army two days later. In 1942 the Royal Marines infantry battalions were reorganised as Commandos, joining the Army Commandos.
A total of four Commando brigades were raised during the war, and Royal Marines were represented in all of them. A total of nine RM Commandos (battalions) were raised during the war, numbered from 40 to 48.
1 Commando Brigade had just one RM battalion, No 45 Commando. 2 Commando Brigade had two RM battalions, Nos 40 and 43 Commandos. 3 Commando Brigade also had two, Nos 42 and 44 Commandos. 4 Commando Brigade was entirely Royal Marine after March 1944, comprising Nos 41, 46, 47 and 48 Commandos.
1 Commando Brigade took part in the assaults on Sicily and Normandy, campaigns in the Rhineland and crossing the Rhine. 2 Commando Brigade was involved in the Salerno landings, Anzio, Comacchio, and operations in the Argenta Gap. 3 Commando Brigade served in Sicily and Burma. 4 Commando Brigade served in Normandy and operations in the Scheldt Estuary at Walcheren during the clearing of Antwerp.
In January 1945, two further RM brigades were formed, 116th Brigade and 117th Brigade. Both were conventional infantry, rather than in the Commando role. 116th Brigade saw some action in the Netherlands, but 117th Brigade was hardly used operationally.
In 1946 the Army Commandos were disbanded, leaving the Royal Marines to continue the Commando role (with supporting Army elements).
A small number of Royal Marines served as pilots in World War II. It was a Royal Marines officer who led the attack by a formation of Blackburn Skuas that sank the German cruiser KĂśnigsberg.
Royal Marines were involved in the Korean War. No 41 Commando was reformed in 1950, and was originally envisaged as a raiding force for use against North Korea. It performed this role until after the landing of United States Army X Corps at Wonsan. It was then put into the line, as part of the US 1st Marine Division, and took part in the famous retreat from Chosin Reservoir. After that, a small amount of raiding followed, before the Marines were withdrawn from the conflict in 1951.
After playing a part in the long-running Malayan Emergency, the next action came in 1956, during the Suez Crisis. Headquarters 3 Commando Brigade, and Nos 40, 42 and 45 Commandos took part in the operation. It marked the first time that a helicopter assault was used operationally to land troops. British and French forces defeated the Egyptians, but after pressure from the United States, and French domestic pressure, they backed down.Further action in the Far East was seen during the Konfrontasi. Nos 40 and 42 Commando went to Borneo at various times to help keep Indonesian forces from causing trouble in border areas. The most high profile incident of the campaign was a company strength amphibious assault by Lima Company of 42 Commando at the town of Limbang to rescue hostages.
From 1969 onwards Royal Marine units regularly deployed to Northern Ireland during The Troubles.
The Falklands War provided the backdrop to the next action of the Royal Marines. Argentina invaded the islands in April 1982. A British task force was immediately despatched to recapture them, and given that an amphibious assault would be necessary, the Royal Marines were heavily involved. 3 Commando Brigade was brought to full combat strength, with not only 40, 42 and 45 Commandos, but also the 2nd and 3rd battalions of the Parachute Regiment attached. The troops were landed at San Carlos Water at the western end of East Falkland, and proceeded to âyompâ across the entire island to the capital, Port Stanley, which fell on 14 June 1982. Not only was 3 Commando Brigade deployed, but also a Royal Marines divisional headquarters, under Major-General Jeremy Moore, who was commander of British land forces during the war.
3 Commando Brigade was not deployed in the 1991 Gulf War, but was deployed to northern Iraq in the aftermath to provide aid to the Kurds. The remainder of the 1990s saw no major warfighting deployments, other than a divisional headquarters to control land forces during the short NATO intervention that ended the Bosnian war.
More recently Royal Marine detachments have been involved in operations in Kosovo, Sierra Leone, and East Timor.
2002 saw a deployment of Royal Marines to Afghanistan, where contact with enemy forces was expected. However, in the end, no Al-Qaida or Taliban forces were found. Any frustrations that deployment brought at the lack of combat were relieved in early 2003, when the UKâs first amphibious assault for over 20 years was mounted to capture the Al Faw peninsula in Iraq. 40 and 42 Commandos, 3 Commando Brigade headquarters, and supporting units were deployed for operations. The attack proceeded well, with light casualties.
From 2000 onwards, the Royal Marines began converting from their traditional light infantry role towards an expanded force protection type role, with the introduction of the Commando 21 concept (see below). This has led to the introduction of the Viking, the first armoured vehicle to be operated by the Royal Marines for half a century.
There you have it South African Military, sorry but couldnt find any info on Recces
talking about the 1982 conflict,argentina sent special troops too,they were divers
Do the Argentinans have a name for their Spec. Ops. Troops? If so, ill look it up and update my previous post.
one of them is this:
the guy of the left is the buzo tactico taking prisoners
we have the buzo tactico (tactical divers) and there are more,but i don´t know about them
Thanks Erwin, Iâll be sure to look into it.
Irwin watch your captions the Buzo was escourting members or the Falklands Garrison following the negotiated surrender of the 30 odd Royal Marines facing the full force of the Argentine invasion. He hadnât taken them prisoner personally, they had been ordered to surrender by the Govenor. This may explain why the prisoners are carring their weapons rather than face down, arms and legs spread.
GSG9 where still in training when the Mogadisu action took place and if my memory serves me right where called to action from Hereford in England. They where led in by their SAS tainers who later received the Iron cross for their participation
There is only one - 22nd Special Air Service Regiment.
The original and best (along with their lesser known cousins, the Special Boat Squadron)
First, the GSG9 is NOT a military force, but part of the Bundesgrenzschutz (Federal Border Police, GSG stands for Grenzschutzgruppe). In Germany police and military duties are strictly seperated. The only way the military can act within Germany is on the request of the minister of the interior in unarmed disaster relief.
The Bundeswehr have a âthemâ unit as well, called the KSK (Kommando Spezialstreitkräfte), but they are only allowed to operate outside Germany.
I knew that the GSG9 was formed after the f*cked up attempt to rescue the Israeli hostages taken by Palaestinian terrorists during the olympic games in Munich in 1972. Back then there existed no special forces trained in hostage rescue in Germany. Amateurish attempts by the Bavarian police ended in a massive firefight with several hostages and police officers being killed.
After this event, the German minister of the interior asked the British and Israeli governments to train a special unit in Germany.
I didnât know that an Iron Cross was issued, because the Iron Cross is only issued in times of war, and Germany hasnât been officially in war since May 1945. There has been a Federal version of the Iron Cross issued to soldiers of the Bundeswehr, who who earned one during WW2, but this was made so that they wouldnât have to wear the Third Reich version with the Swastika with their modern uniform.
Jan
I am very well aware that the GSG9 is not a military service, Itâs an option because itâs the Counter-Terrorism unit of Germany, thus probably meriting their recrutis specialized training to some extent.
I am very well aware that the GSG9 is not a military service, Itâs an option because itâs the Counter-Terrorism unit of Germany, thus probably meriting their recrutis specialized training to some extent.[/quote]
Then, it is impossible to compare GSG9 with the SEALS and SAS :!:
Each state police has also Sondereinsatzkommandos (SEK), antiterrorist units trained to similar standards as the GSG9.
The GSG9 belongs to the federal police, which, except for an area along the borders, railway installations, sea ports and airports, has no jurisdiction within the German states. They can act outside their own area of jurisdiction only on request of the interior minister of the respective state, else any policing is being done by the police force of the respective state. The BGS also guard German embassies abroad. There were even GSG9 officers in Iraq, guarding members of the technical branch of the German civil defense (THW) while they were doing infrastructure repairs.
Jan
Edit for typos :oops:
ok,sorry,wrong words.
MY NAME IS ERWIN,NO IRWIN!! :twisted:
It was proposed by the German government to award the Iron Cross to the SAS team but it was seen as not a good political move and you also have to have special authorisation to receive foreign awards.
I read some time ago about the forming of the Green Berets and their use in Vietnam. He mentioned that they went to the SAS jungle school in Malaya and where taught jungle skills by the SAS. The only SAS used in Vietnam was Anzac, and they did very well.
No more about the falklands war,and no more about the general belgrano!!!
edited by Erwin Schätzer(argentina)
No more about faklands conflict.