| Special Air Service Of New Zealand |
Article Index for Special |
Website Links For Special |
Information AboutSpecial Air Service Of New Zealand |
| CATEGORIES ABOUT SPECIAL AIR SERVICE OF NEW ZEALAND | |
| military units and formations of new zealand | |
| military of new zealand | |
| special forces of new zealand | |
| 1955 establishments | |
The Special Air Service of New Zealand (NZ SAS) was formed in June 1955 as an elite New Zealand Army unit capable of undertaking special missions. It was modeled on the British Special Air Service (SAS). The unit was awarded an American '' Presidential Unit Citation '' by President George W. Bush for its operations in Afghanistan . WORLD WAR TWO Prior to the formation of the NZ SAS, many New Zealanders served with the famous Long Range Desert Group (LRDG), which had a close relationship with the SAS . It was nicknamed "the Mosquito Army" by Archibald Percival Wavell, 1st Earl Wavell . Special Air Service soldiers would refer to it as the "Libyan Desert Taxi Service." MALAYA AND BORNEO From 1955 to 1957 a NZ SAS Squadron was attached to the British SAS in Malaysia for operations during the Malayan Emergency . VIETNAM Based in Nui Dat , Vietnam , the NZ SAS 4th Platoon served under Australian Command in November 1968 , attached to the Australian SAS . During the Vietnam War , the combined SAS services of Australia and New Zealand has a phenomenal kill rate of around 500:1, much higher than US special forces. AFGHANISTAN Starting in late 2001, the NZ SAS began operations assisting in the War On Terrorism in Afghanistan . On June 17 , 2004 , two NZ SAS soldiers were wounded in a predawn gun-battle in central Afghanistan. In 2005 New Zealand sent the whole unit to Afghanistan to work along side American special forces. Secrecy still surrounds much of their operational work there. ORGANISATION 1 New Zealand SAS Group
Note - Teams of about 4 to 6 soldiers, led by a captain or sergeant, are the basic operational elements of the NZSAS. EXTERNAL LINKS
|
|
|