Special Air Service · June 1966 – October 1971
Special Air Service Regiment
- Helicopter missions
- 507
- Contacts
- 380
- Operations
- 16
- Dead
- 5
- Australian wounded
- 31
- Enemy killed
- 565
View unit in Battle MapView missions in Battle Map
Year by year #
380 contacts are recorded for the unit and sub-units, from 25 June 1966 to 26 August 1971. It was the unit in contact in 375 of them, and took part in 5 led by other units.
Unit actions #
In the contacts it led, by the task the report records:
| Task | Contacts | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Patrol | 243 | 65% |
| Ambush | 100 | 27% |
| Security | 17 | 5% |
| Bunker | 6 | 2% |
| Air support | 2 | 1% |
| Artillery and mortar fire | 1 | 0% |
| Mine incident | 1 | 0% |
| Not recorded | 5 | 1% |
In another unit's contact in 5 contacts led by other units: US Army (3), 3 Cav Regt (1), LFT (1).
Operations #
| Operation | Dates | Contacts | Australians killed | Enemy killed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TAOR | 25 June 1966 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| LRRP | 1 July 1966 – 26 August 1971 | 344 | 2 | 527 |
| Toledo | 25 August 1966 – 29 August 1966 | 3 | 0 | 2 |
| Hayman | 10 November 1966 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Duck | 18 December 1966 – 22 December 1966 | 2 | 0 | 6 |
| Paddington | 24 July 1967 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Ainslie | 31 August 1967 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| Santa Fe | 6 November 1967 – 8 November 1967 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| Forrest | 11 December 1967 – 12 December 1967 | 2 | 0 | 8 |
| Albany | 13 July 1968 – 14 July 1968 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| VNKEP | 25 November 1968 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| STELLAR Bright | 11 December 1968 – 18 December 1968 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Silk Cord | 1 January 1969 | 3 | 0 | 7 |
| Goodwood | 19 January 1969 – 30 January 1969 | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| Massey (Force) | 9 September 1970 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| Iron Fox | 1 August 1971 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Air support #
No. 9 Squadron RAAF's unit history records 507 helicopter missions flown for SASR, from 1 December 1966 to 11 August 1970. 28 casualties were evacuated, as the reports count them; helicopters were fired on from the ground on 23 missions, and hit on 2.
| Mission | Missions | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Patrol Extraction | 291 | 57% |
| Patrol Insertion | 199 | 39% |
| Gunship | 6 | 1% |
| Medevac | 5 | 1% |
| Other | 2 | 0% |
| Combat Assault | 1 | 0% |
| Resupply | 1 | 0% |
| Summary | 1 | 0% |
| Troop Lift | 1 | 0% |
The most significant:
- 15 June 1968: patrol extraction. 8 casualties evacuated. Enemy: 8 killed. At 10.30 am SAS patrol callsign 14 was inserted in the Long Green. Later that day it made contact with about 15 enemy and had to be extracted, but not before killing six Viet Cong by body count and possibly two more …
- 17 June 1968: patrol extraction. 1 casualty evacuated. Fired on from the ground. On the allied side: 1 wounded. Enemy: 5 killed. At 10 am SAS patrol callsign 11 contacted five enemy whose dress suggested they might be North Vietnamese Army, killing all five by body count, with one Australian wounded. The patrol was extracted under fire at 11 am …
- 5 July 1968: patrol extraction. Enemy: 13 killed. At 6.05 pm a six-man SAS patrol, callsign 14, contacted 25 to 30 enemy and killed 13 Viet Cong. All Albatross aircraft had already returned to Vung Tau, but within 20 minutes an extraction team was waiting at Nui Dat …
- 26 July 1968: patrol extraction. 6 casualties evacuated. Enemy: 6 killed. SAS patrol callsign 25 made contact with the enemy and asked for more ammunition and a medical evacuation, then asked to be extracted as it expected to be attacked by an unknown number of Viet Cong. By the time the …
- 27 March 1970: patrol extraction. Enemy: 8 killed. After SAS long-range patrol callsign 34 was inserted, two Viet Cong were seen 100 metres to the north-east. The Bushranger light fire team suppressed the area and claimed two possibly killed by air, and the patrol was …
View the missions in Battle Map
Notable contacts #
25 June 1966: Security, Operation TAOR #
First · SASR in contact
The SAS squadron came under machine-gun and rifle fire on its left flank during the night. A standing patrol then saw four or five enemy in a paddy field 120 metres away, but they disappeared before they could be fired on.
12 December 1967: Ambush, Operation Forrest #
Significant · SASR in contact
Enemy: 7 killed, 1 wounded.
A long-range patrol of 1 SAS Squadron ambushed seven Viet Cong, five men and two women, dressed in mixed clothing and carrying a large amount of food. All seven were killed and three weapons captured.
18 March 1968: Ambush, Operation LRRP #
Significant · SASR in contact
Enemy: 21 killed.
A 1 ATF long-range patrol of 2 SAS Squadron set a mine ambush of Claymores and explosives, which went off under a tractor and trailer carrying ammunition, weapons and equipment. Fifteen Viet Cong bodies were counted, and a defector from the unit later said 21 had died; a recoilless rifle was captured and the tractor destroyed. Helicopter gunships attacked the area, setting off secondary explosions, and the patrol was extracted.
17 April 1968: Ambush, Operation LRRP #
Typical: ambush · SASR in contact
Enemy: 7 killed.
A 1 ATF long-range patrol of 2 SAS Squadron was in ambush when eight enemy came in two groups of four. Claymores wiped out the second group, and the patrol killed most of the first, six or seven in all. As it withdrew it was fired on by four more enemy with a machine-gun, and it was extracted.
26 April 1968: Patrol, Operation LRRP #
Typical: patrol · SASR in contact
Enemy: 4 killed.
A 19-man SAS patrol sent to ambush the recently abandoned Fire Support Base Dyke split up to reach a group of enemy it had seen. The main party then came on four more at seven metres and killed all four with rifles and grenade launchers, before attacking the other group.
10 June 1968: Bunker, Operation LRRP #
Significant · SASR in contact
Enemy: 8 killed.
The record gives no account of this SAS patrol's contact beyond the patrol commander's name; eight enemy were recorded killed.
15 June 1968: Security, Operation LRRP #
Significant · SASR in contact
Enemy: 6 killed, 2 wounded.
A 1 ATF long-range patrol of 2 SAS Squadron made contact with an estimated 15 enemy, killing six and possibly two more. There were no Australian casualties, and the patrol was extracted.
5 July 1968: Ambush, Operation LRRP #
Significant · SASR in contact
Enemy: 13 killed.
A six-man 1 ATF long-range patrol of 2 SAS Squadron engaged more than 25 enemy in khaki and green, armed with a machine-gun and rifles, moving north. Thirteen enemy were killed, and possibly more; there were no Australian casualties, though a grenade launcher was damaged.
5 October 1968: Ambush, Operation LRRP #
Significant · SASR in contact
Enemy: 8 killed.
A 1 ATF long-range patrol of 2 SAS Squadron ambushed three ox-carts and eight enemy on a track, killing all eight. Fired on by six to eight more enemy, it called in helicopter gunships, saw six more ox-carts on the track, and was extracted.
23 October 1968: Ambush, Operation LRRP #
Significant · SASR in contact
Australian: 1 wounded. Enemy: 7 killed.
A 1 ATF long-range patrol of 2 SAS Squadron made contact with seven enemy, killing all seven and capturing four rifles. One Australian was wounded.
11 January 1970: Ambush, Operation LRRP #
Significant · SASR in contact
Enemy: 7 killed, 2 wounded.
The record gives no account of this SAS patrol's ambush beyond the patrol commander's name; seven enemy were recorded killed and two wounded.
5 May 1970: Bunker, Operation LRRP #
Typical: bunker · SASR in contact
Enemy: 2 killed.
An SAS patrol found a bunker and a hut and moved into the camp, where five enemy sat round a cooking fire. They saw the patrol and tried to get away; the patrol fired rifles and grenades, and a sweep found two bodies and a rifle. The patrol leader remarked that moving eleven men through the jungle was hard, especially with Vietnamese troops.
6 June 1970: Security, Operation LRRP #
Typical: security · SASR in contact
Enemy: 3 killed.
An SAS patrol of 1 SAS Squadron engaged three enemy who were following it, killing two and possibly the third. More enemy movement was heard, and old camps were found nearby.
26 August 1971: Patrol, Operation LRRP #
Last · SASR in contact
Enemy: 1 killed.
An SAS patrol had stopped to make radio contact when its second in command heard movement by a creek and saw three Viet Cong following the patrol's tracks. He fired at five to seven metres, killing one, probably a platoon leader of an enemy rear-services unit; the others returned fire, and the patrol suppressed the area and moved forward. A rifle, a pack and documents were captured.
Sub-units #
1 SAS Squadron #
139 contacts, 20 March 1967 to 4 February 1971; 6 operations. Australian: 5 wounded. Enemy: 159 killed, 53 wounded.
Actions: patrol 72%, ambush 20%, security 5%, bunker 1%.
Most significant contacts:
- 29 April 1967: ambush, Operation LRRP. Enemy: 5 killed.
- 12 August 1967: ambush, Operation LRRP. Enemy: 5 killed.
- 12 December 1967: ambush, Operation Forrest. Enemy: 7 killed.
View 1 SAS Squadron in Battle Map
2 SAS Squadron #
100 contacts, 16 March 1968 to 26 August 1971; 7 operations. Australian: 18 wounded. Enemy: 195 killed, 36 wounded.
Actions: patrol 46%, ambush 43%, security 5%, bunker 3%, air support 2%.
Most significant contacts:
- 18 March 1968: ambush, Operation LRRP. Enemy: 21 killed.
- 5 July 1968: ambush, Operation LRRP. Enemy: 13 killed.
- 5 October 1968: ambush, Operation LRRP. Enemy: 8 killed.
View 2 SAS Squadron in Battle Map
3 SAS Squadron #
130 contacts, 25 June 1966 to 20 December 1970; 5 operations. Australian: 2 killed, 7 wounded. Enemy: 210 killed, 60 wounded.
Actions: patrol 72%, ambush 22%, security 4%, bunker 1%, mine incident 1%.
Most significant contacts:
- 27 July 1966: ambush, Operation LRRP. Enemy: 6 killed.
- 10 August 1966: ambush, Operation LRRP. Enemy: 7 killed.
- 11 January 1970: ambush, Operation LRRP. Enemy: 7 killed.
View 3 SAS Squadron in Battle Map
Roll of honour #
The unit's 5 dead on the honour roll: those on a tour with the unit when they died, and reinforcements killed in the unit's contacts. Each opens their entry on the honour roll.
Geoffrey O'shea
Signalman
1 October 1967
George Terence Baines
Sergeant
13 February 1968
Ronald Arthur Harris
(Temporary) Corporal
17 January 1969
David John Fisher
Trooper
27 September 1969
Brian Richard Alan Jones
2nd Lieutenant
10 April 1971
Photographs #
From the site's collection: pictures linked to the unit's contacts, and others taken near them at the time. Each opens on the Battle Map.
Map of this area Ern Marshall
Sapper Ken Lowdon of Vic climbs onto his bulldozer to begin a shift during the land clearing team\'s Operation Lyrebird in Phuoc Tuy Province. Members of the … Ern Marshall Bernie Weisz
Sources #
- Contacts: the Battle Map's records of 380 contacts, each report citing the archival source (most often the commanders' diaries, AWM95).
- The dead: the honour roll, with tours of duty from the nominal roll.
- Helicopter missions: No. 9 Squadron RAAF's unit history sheets (National Archives of Australia, A9186, 736), read into the Battle Map's records, with each report's summary written by an AI model (Claude).
- Summaries of the reports: written by an AI model (Claude) from the reports, and reviewed.