• 10.00am - 5.30pm
  • FREE
  • Chelsea, London
  • 10.00am - 5.30pm
  • FREE
  • Chelsea, London

Special Forces

A night-time view of an SAS man on a weapons-mounted vehicle, c2005
Featured

What are the Special Forces?

The Special Forces are made up of several elite military units with distinct areas of expertise. Personnel are drawn from all three branches of the armed forces.

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Explore Special Forces stories

Operation Barras, September 2000

Operation Barras

In September 2000, British troops undertook a daring hostage rescue operation in the war-torn West African country of Sierra Leone. They successfully freed five British soldiers who had recently been captured and around 20 civilian prisoners.

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Members of 3 Para celebrate victory, 1982

The British Army and the Falklands War

In April 1982, British soldiers joined a naval task force sent to re-take the Falkland Islands after their surprise capture by the Argentine military. They went on to play a key part in the land campaign that helped secure victory in the war.

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SAS troops storming the Iranian Embassy, 1980

Iranian Embassy siege

One of the most famous counter-terrorism operations in history took place in 1980. Gunmen overran the Iranian Embassy in London and took hostages, but the crisis was resolved when the building was stormed by the SAS.

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Airborne forces training exercise, 2016

Top parachute facts

Military parachuting was pioneered by the Special Forces, among others, and makes up a vital part of their work. Check out these fun facts and put your parachute knowledge to the test.

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Special Forces: Could you make the cut?

Special Forces: Could you make the cut?

Listen to the stories of Special Forces veterans as they reveal some of the hard, sometimes gruesome, truths about the challenges of their training.

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Major Herbert 'Blondie' Hasler and a colleague paddling a canoe, c1942

Herbert ‘Blondie’ Hasler: A Cockleshell Hero

Lieutenant-Colonel Herbert ‘Blondie’ Hasler was an inventor, pioneering yachtsman and special forces canoeist. In December 1942, he led the daring ‘Cockleshell Heroes’ raid on Bordeaux harbour.

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Captain Nigel Clogstoun-Willmott, c1944

Nigel Clogstoun-Willmott: Covert beach surveyor

During the Second World War, Nigel Clogstoun-Willmott founded the Combined Operations Pilotage Parties to undertake covert beach reconnaissance. This proved vital for the success of Allied seaborne invasions.

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A British officer with the Armenians, Baku, August 1918

Dunsterforce in the Caucasus

In 1918, the British assembled a handpicked unit to carry out a daring secret mission to the Caucasus. Their aim was to unify into an effective force the various anti-Bolshevik and anti-Turkish groups fighting there.

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Captain Roger Courtney, 1943

Roger Courtney: SBS pioneer

Major Roger ‘Jumbo’ Courtney founded the Special Boat Section during the Second World War. This became one of Britain’s most important Special Forces and was a parent unit of the modern Special Boat Service.

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Lieutenant Colonel Robert 'Paddy' Mayne near Kabrit, Egypt, 1942

‘Paddy’ Mayne: An Irish Lion

Lieutenant-Colonel ‘Paddy’ Mayne played a vital role in the early successes of the Special Air Service (SAS), becoming one of its most important commanders.

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Andy McNab’s survival kit, c1990

The art of staying alive: McNab’s survival kit

An SAS soldier's personal survival kit contains many everyday objects. These can be used in ingenious ways, demonstrating both the adaptability and the resourcefulness of the Special Forces.

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Lieutenant Jock Lewes, 1940

‘Jock’ Lewes: SAS mastermind

As the co-founder of the Special Air Service (SAS), Lieutenant ‘Jock’ Lewes played a vital role in establishing the unit’s ethos and high standards of training and discipline.

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Explore Special Forces events

Gravity and parachutes
Primary workshop

1 June 2024 - 18 July 2025

FREE

Gravity and parachutes

Explore the history of parachutes and how the Army uses them. Design, make and test your own inspired by the historic designs in our collections.

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Cargo drop engineering challenge
Secondary workshop

1 June 2024 - 18 July 2025

FREE

Cargo drop engineering challenge

Work against the clock and with limited resources to design and build a device to safely deliver cargo to your troops.

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‘SAS Duty Before Glory’ book cover
Talk At Museum / Online

31 January 2025, 12.00pm

FREE

SAS Duty Before Glory

Join Tony Rushmer as he shares the story of 'SAS Original' Reg Seekings and his journey to become one of the most highly decorated Special Forces soldiers of the Second World War.

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