An Cosantóir

An Cosantóir April 2016 www.dfmagazine.ie 26 | by PAUL O'BRIEN T hroughout military history there have always been men who took the fight to their enemies in uncon- ventional ways. This often comprised small groups of soldiers carrying out operations behind enemy lines, strik- ing hard before disappearing and leaving death and chaos in their wake. The beginning of the 20th century witnessed a dramatic change in warfare as strategy and tactics changed and new weapons were unleashed on the battlefield. Special- ist groups such as the Boer Commando and the Auxiliary Division of the Royal Irish Constabulary found themselves fighting in unconventional wars of insurgency and counter- insurgency. However many historians agree that what we currently regard as Special Forces came into being during the Sec- ond World War at the behest of Winston Churchill, when specialist groups such as the Royal Marine Commandos, the Long Range Desert Group (LRDG), the Special Boat Squad- ron (SBS) and the Special Air Service (SAS) were developed to wreak havoc behind Axis lines. It was this type of special- ist group that would gather intelligence, reconnoitre vital areas and strike without warning, and would help to give Allied forces time to build up their invasion armies. In the SAS, Lt 'Paddy' Mayne DSO (three bars), who would later lead the SAS as a lieutenant colonel, found himself driving through enemy airfields, blasting away on twin Vickers machine guns, destroying Axis planes and supplies. The SAS was founded by David Stirling, a lieutenant in the Scots Guards at the time, who was detailed to form com- mando teams to take the fight to Rommel in North Africa. The men needed for such a mission would have to be tough, able to use their initiative, and know how to fight without the regular support that an army provides. Stirling identified Mayne as one such man. However, Mayne was in the glass- house having assaulted his commanding officer and was only released on condition he did not assault Stirling! Robert Blair 'Paddy' Mayne was born in Newtownards, County Down. At school he excelled at sports, especially rugby (later playing for Ireland and the 1938 British Lions), and was an excellent marksman in the rifle club. He studied law at Queens University, Belfast, and it was here he took up boxing, winning numerous competitions. He worked as a solicitor before the outbreak of World War II. Mayne began his military career in March 1939, first in the Supplemen- tary Reserve, then the Royal Artillery, and on to the Royal Ulster Rifles. On the formation of the Commandos during the war, Lt Mayne volunteered for No 11 (Scottish) Comman- do, where he came to Stirling's notice having conducted a successful raid behind enemy lines during the Litani River operation in Lebanon in June 1941. After Stirling obtained Mayne's release the two men began putting together the SAS, the raiding force that was to become known throughout the world. Mayne's first operation, at Wadi Tamet in December 1941, destroyed numer- ous aircraft and fuel installations. Speed was of the essence in such operations and Mayne perfected the use of jeeps in these hit-and-run raids, equip- ping them with Vickers and Lewis machine guns front and Lt Col Robert Blair 'Paddy' Mayne, SAS, in the desert near Kabrit, 1942. © IWM (MH 24415) Blair Mayne statue (11 January 1915 - 14 December 1955) in Newtownards, Co Down. © Ross/Creative Commons Licence

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