History had known many great warriors, from Spartans, Knights, Samurai, Vikings, Zulus and many more. But today, in my quest to pit history's greatest warriors, we'll be taking a look at two of the most dangerous modern-day soldiers. These two warriors are a pinnacle of what it meant to be special forces. Their harsh training, high-tech gadgets, and pure badassery kept their superpower countries safe, secured, and should not be messed with.
Special Air Service, Britain's legendary elite soldiers who revolutionized special forces across the world... versus... Navy Seals, America's top frogmen and the country's most primary special units. Who... is... deadliest?!
Special Air Service[]
The Special Air Service (SAS) is a special forces unit of the British Army. It was founded as a regiment in 1941 by David Stirling and in 1950, it was reconstituted as a corps. The unit specialises in a number of roles including counter-terrorism, hostage rescue, direct action and covert reconnaissance. Much of the information about the SAS is highly classified, and the unit is not commented on by either the British government or the Ministry of Defence due to the secrecy and sensitivity of its operations. The corps currently consists of the 22 Special Air Service Regiment, the regular component, as well as the 21 Special Air Service Regiment (Artists) (Reserve) and the 23 Special Air Service Regiment (Reserve), which are reserve units, all under the operational command of United Kingdom Special Forces (UKSF).
The Special Air Service traces its origins to 1941 and the Second World War. It was reformed as part of the Territorial Army in 1947, named the 21st Special Air Service Regiment (Artists Rifles). The 22nd Special Air Service Regiment, which is part of the regular army, gained fame and recognition worldwide after its televised rescue of all but two of the hostages held during the 1980 Iranian Embassy siege. Besides these conflicts, the SAS has also seen combat in Malayan Emergency, Operation Hive, Jebel Akhdar War, Indonesian Confrontation, Dhofar Rebellion, Falklands War, The Troubles, Persian Gulf War, Bosnian War, Sierra Leone Civil War, War in Afghanistan, Iraq War, and the Libyan Civil War.
Weapons[]
- Main: C8 Carbine - The Regiment's primary assault rifle or carbine. The C8 is a gas operated, selective fire weapon. It is chambered for a standard NATO 5.56x45 mm ammunition. It has a rate of fire of 700-950 rpm and an effective range of 360 meters. It has a 30-round magazine.
- Sidearm: Glock 17 - A new sidearm that replaced the classic Browning High Power. Glock 17 a short-recoil locked breech semi-automatic pistol that fires via a striker-fired mechanism. It fires the 9mm round inside a 17-round magazine.
- Explosive: Flash Bang - A stun grenade developed by the SAS CRW wing and the first flash bang in existence. The aim of the flash bang is to disorientate and distract hostiles in a room, giving the entry team a few precious moments in which to enter and neutralise any threats.
- Melee: MoD Knife - Also known as the British Army Pattern MoD Survival Knife, this knife is used by much of the British Army, replacing the Fairbairn-Sykes Fighting Knife. The knife has a 7-inch long, 6-inch wide, carbon steel blade, and a riveted wooden handle. It has a more rounded blade tip similar to that of a bolo knife.
Tactics[]
- Ambush By Luring The Enemy: Named by infamous commander Mao Tse-tung in his book, Basic Tactics (1937), this was the most commonly used tactic by the SAS. Although the SAS used many forms and styles of warfare from raids, unconventional warfare, and in later times, counter-terrorism, this was a tactic most unique of all. As its name suggested, this involved either gathering information of an attack or providing false information to the enemy. Before the battle, the SAS would position themselves in hidden areas. As the enemy attack, they would catch them off-guard and annihilate them. The SAS most notably used such tactics during Operation Banner and Operation Flavius.
- The bloodiest example of this tactic was the Loughgall Ambush which happened on May 8, 1987 and was part of Operation Banner. The Provincial Irish Republican Army planned to attack a Royal Ulster Constabulary base in Loughhall, Northern Irelenad in order to "deny ground to the British. What they didn't know was that British intelligence had already gathered intel on this attack through double agents and wire taps. When the IRA finally attacked the base, the SAS and RUC surprised them, killing 8 of them. Unfortunately, the battle also resulted in one civilian casualty by the SAS.
[]
The United States Navy Sea, Air, and Land (SEAL) Teams, commonly known as Navy SEALs, are the U.S. Navy's primary special operations force and a component of the Naval Special Warfare Command. Among the SEALs' main functions are conducting small-unit special operation missions in maritime, jungle, urban, arctic, mountainous, and desert environments. SEALs are typically ordered to capture or kill high level targets, or to gather intelligence behind enemy lines. SEAL team personnel are hand selected, highly trained, and possess a high degree of proficiency in direct action (DA), and special reconnaissance (SR), among other tasks like sabotage, demolition, intelligence gathering, and hydro-graphic reconnaissance, training, and advising friendly militaries or other forces.
The SEALs traced their lineage to the amphibious scouts and rangers of World War II, but would not be firmly established until the Vietnam War. Originally serving as Navy frogmen, their partnership with the Central Intelligence Agency, and the changing landscape of war, made them formidable special forces who could do all sorts of dangerous missions from being inserted into enemy territory, reconnaissance, extraction, and direct action. They became know for their clandestine operations in Vietnam, such as assassinating enemy targets to kidnapping said targets and demolition. Since then, the SEALs found action in wars like Operation Urgent Fury, Operation Earnest Will, Operation Prime Chance, Operation Just Cause, Operation Nifty Package, Operation Desert Storm, Somali Civil War, Yugoslav Wars, 1999 East Timorese crisis, Operation Enduring Freedom and the War in Afghanistan, War in North-West Pakistan, and battles like the Ingur Ada raid and the Maersk Alabama hijacking.
Weapons[]
- Main: M4A1 Carbine - A descendant of the AR-15 and the shorter version of the famed M16 rifle, the M4A1 carbine fires 5.56 NATO in a 30-round STANAG magazine. It has a rate of fire of 700-950 rpm and a range 300m.
- Sidearm: HK45CT - A semi-automatic pistol that fires the powerful .45 ACP round. The gun has a 8-10 round magazine and a stopping power perfect to the role of clandestine raids by the SEALs.
- Explosive: Model 308-1 - A smoke grenade designed by the SEALs. Unlike other smoke grenades of its time, the grenade has a greater burning rate, meaning a greater smoke output but a shorter overall burning time.
- Melee: Ontario 497 Mark 3 Navy Fixed Blade Knife - A knife with a 6.5-inch blade that offers sharp and serrated capabilities. The blade is coated with a black oxide coating to prevent corrosion especially in mud and seawater. It has a more triangular blade, almost like a clip point, to cause more damage.
Tactics[]
- Assassination: Although the Navy SEALs actually don't call this tactic like that, preferring to use the term "raid on high-value targets", it is what it is. Many of the Navy SEALs most iconic operations had them being inserted into enemy or hostile territory, tracking down specific targets, and either killing or kidnapping them. In order to do this, the SEALs need intelligence from the Central Intelligence Agency on the target and the environment said target will be in. The SEALs perfected this tactic during their time in the Vietnam War, and would later use them during Operation Red Wings and Operation Neptune Spear.
- This tactic was firmly seen during Operation Neptune Spear, the operation that led to the death of infamous terrorist Osama Bin Laden. Through intelligence gathered from the CIA and JSOC, the American military determined that the Al Qaeada leader must be hiding in a walled compound located in Abbottabad, Pakistan. Before the operation, the SEALs first mapped out the whole area, even building a small model, to decide the areas where Bin Laden would likely be located. The SEALs used modified black hawk helicopters in order to be inserted into the compound without alerting the Pakistani military. On the night of May 2, 2011, the SEALs stormed the house and killed Bin Laden together with 4 others.
X-Factors[]
- Training
Both units are known for their brutal training, designed mostly to choose only the strongest candidate. In order to become a SAS, a candidate must already be a member of the armed forces. He then must undergo physical training that involved marching 40 miles (64 km) with full equipment before climbing up and down the mountain Pen y Fan (886 m; 2,907 ft) in 20 hours. By the end of this phase, candidates must then be able to run 4 miles (6.4 km) in 30 minutes or less and swim 2 miles (3.2 km) in 90 minutes or less. He also had to suffer through difficult calisthenics, survival training, and interrogation simulation. On the other hand, Navy SEALs only recruit navy personnel, and their training also involves running and calisthenics though to a shorter and less-brutal degree. But unlike the SAS, they also have Basic Underwater Demolition course, which involved water exercises such as swimming for two miles, 2-minute run for one mile, surf torture, drown proofing, water demolition of course, and all other manners of nastiness.
- Experience
Both the SAS and the SEALs have fought through various conflicts. The SAS was established a bit earlier in World War II, and had gone on to fight in conflicts like the Malayan Emergency, Operation Hive, Jebel Akhdar War, Indonesian Confrontation, Dhofar Rebellion, Falklands War, The Troubles, Persian Gulf War, Bosnian War, Sierra Leone Civil War, War in Afghanistan, Iraq War, and the Libyan Civil War. The SEALs was firmly established in the Vietnam War and had fought in more numerous conflicts against a wider variety of opponents like Operation Urgent Fury, Operation Earnest Will, Operation Prime Chance, Operation Just Cause, Operation Nifty Package, Operation Desert Storm, Somali Civil War, Yugoslav Wars, 1999 East Timorese crisis, Operation Enduring Freedom and the War in Afghanistan, War in North-West Pakistan. That being said, these two units aren't perfect nor superhuman, and they had some failures from time-to-time. The most embarrassing defeats the SAS faced include the blunders of Bravo Two Zero in 1991 and E Squadron in 2011, both of which resulted in SAS personnel being captured and held prisoners. The most embarrassing defeats of the SEALs include the Battle of Takur Ghar and Operation Red Wings, both of which saw the SEALs being surrounded or ambushed, and killed.
- Logistics
Although not the country with the largest military in the world, at least, not anymore, the United States boasts one impressive army. By sacrificing benefits such as free healthcare in order to focus on the military, US militarymen are always armed with the best weapons, equipment, and assistance they can have. A testament to the might of the US Military include being able to develop a working laser weapon, and finding enough intelligence to warn the world of Russia's invasion of Ukraine months before it actually happened. The British is still a super power to this day, though it's a far cry back during the time of the British Empire as stated by Ian Fleming: "We don't show teeth any more—only gums". The United Kingdom is no pushover, however, literally having enough arms, intelligence, and personnel to conduct irregular warfare on conflicts and even wage conventional wars against other countries including Argentina. That being said, they ain't as strong as the United States.
Notes[]
- Battle takes place in a lonely island with a town and some trees. The battle will not end like your typical engagement. Voters must also weigh in intelligence and pre-battle preparations.
- This will be a 5 vs 5 affair with only a limited arsenal. Both units will still be armed with miscellaneous items like kevlar vests, helmets, gas masks, and night vision goggles. I just didn't put much more detail on them because they're not that interesting of a comparison to make voting fun.