Special Air Service of New Zealand

Categories: New Zealand-related stubs | Military stubs | New Zealand military units | Military of New Zealand

The Special Air Service of New Zealand (NZ SAS) was formed in June 1955 as an elite New Zealand Army unit capable of special missions. It was modelled on the British Special Air Service (SAS). The unit was awarded a Presidential Citation from President Bush for its work in Afganistan.

1 World War Two
2 Malaya and Borneo
3 Vietnam
4 Afghanistan
5 Organisation
6 External Links

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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."

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Malaya and Borneo

From 1955 to 1957 a NZ SAS Squadron was attached to the British SAS in Malaysia for the Malayan Emergency.

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Vietnam

Based in Nui Dat, Vietnam, the SAS NZ 4th Platoon served under Australian command in November 1968, attached to the Australian SAS

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Afghanistan

Starting in late 2001, the NZSAS began operations assisting in what was called the War on Terrorism in Afghanistan. On June 17, 2004, two SAS NZ soldiers were wounded in a pre-dawn gunbattle in central Afghanistan.

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