Background

The Australian SAS: the Untold History really began with a note from ex-SAS Vietnam veteran Baron Michael von Berg MC: “Hi Bruce. Loved your Long Tan documentary. Now, why not a documentary on the SAS? There are some great stories there.” I wrote back, “Thank you. Love to, but how? They are a highly secretive organisation”. But, to my great surprise, shortly later I received a unique approval to proceed from the then Director of Special Forces, citing the accuracy and balance of my documentary work.

That was in 1995! Now, in 2015, production of the eleven-part oral history series is finished. Why so long? Many reasons: changes of senior Special Forces and SAS Association staff, grievous delays in raising production funds, health setbacks, and the lack of reliable research data on certain topics—such as the desperate battle known as Operation Anaconda, Afghanistan 2002—all slowed progress. Then the Blackhawk tragedy of 9/11, which led to the project’s being cancelled and my putting it out of my mind. At this time I was Professor of Communication and Media Studies at the University of Southern Queensland, Toowoomba, and had plenty to keep me busy.

Two years later the project’s Patron, Major General the Honourable Michael Jeffery AC, AO (Mil.), CVO, MC (Ret’d), soon to become Governor-General of Australia, suggested I dust off the scripts and get back into action. He raised $25,000 from SAS fan the late Mrs Marianne Brockwell OAM in Perth and I made a one-hour pilot episode. This was given 9 out of 10 by Major General Jeffery, Major General Mike Hindmarsh and Brigadier Jim Wallace, all of whom had commanded both SAS and the Australia’s Special Forces directorate.

There were of course those serving and ex-SAS members who feared that a television documentary on the SAS Regiment might expose skills, strategic operations and identities. But security clearances from Special Operations Command Australia required for each episode protected identities and classified material. More than 100 of the SAS fraternity have been interviewed on camera and many have donated invaluable historical material on camera, often with personal photographs and video.

I have a soldiering background of sorts—three years in 1 Commando Company Sydney where I had completed the diving course, the basic parachute course and the fascinating raids course using submarine and kayaks. After Commando I took up sport parachuting and did some HALO [high-altitude free falling]. But with the recent Malayan communist emergency in mind Commando concentrated very much on jungle contact drills. I knew nothing of the “black” or (later) the “grey” SAS activities. In fact, I didn’t know the SAS existed until late 1960, and even then, what it was.

The pluralist, diversified SAS has a vast number of great battle anecdotes, rich impressions, professional opinions and unusual perspectives. To make the huge volume of anecdotal material manageable yet representative, I sought general truths and themes. These emerged readily—for example, the idea of the SAS as the Ugly Duckling of the Army, which finally finds acceptance, provided the narrative backbone for much of the series. Another luminous theme was the culture of excellence in the SAS; and with the formal and informal sub-cultures in the Regiment are woven into the series’ documentary. One question has always fascinated me: what makes the SAS so hugely successful? The SAS Selection Course, the Regiment’s open-minded postmodern ethos and its intensive contingency planning to exploit paradigm shifts came into focus. The organisational cultures, formal and informal, of the SAS are a central theme, which, appropriately, shapes the entire series.

Dr Bruce Horsfield Executive Producer, Forward Scout Films