‘The SAS has struggled with the tension between celebrity and secrecy’

As a historian and author with a deep fascination for the SAS, I find myself captivated by the intriguing adaptation of my work into the captivating series, “SAS Rogue Heroes.” Having delved into the lives of these extraordinary men, I can’t help but marvel at the skillful narrative that Steven Knight has crafted.

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One of the strangest stories of the last 50 years is how a top secret organisation became a global entertainment franchise. A second series of SAS Rogue Heroes, based on Ben Macintyre’s book about British special operations during the Second World War, swells an already popular genre. This includes 14 civilian or celebrity runs of Channel 4’s reality show SAS: Who Dares Wins; the movie Operation Mincemeat (based on another Macintyre book) and its West End musical spin-off; several TV documentaries; and Guy Ritchie’s film The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare, based on a book by historian Damien Lewis.

Macintyre finds it remarkable, he expresses his delight that the Special Air Service (SAS) has so many different forms of entertainment. However, as the official historian of the regiment, he is cautious about expressing the opinions of its members, particularly those who are not-so-secret soldiers. Would he dare to speak for them all on their newfound nominations for BAFTAs and Oliviers instead of the Victoria Cross? He would rather avoid giving a unified view from the SAS. However, he mentions that the Regimental Association appreciates the book “SAS Rogue Heroes” greatly and thinks it does a good job in portraying their past.

It seems that there might be some reservation, albeit speculative, towards the “Who Dares Wins” toughness assessment, as it’s perceived as oversimplified. However, let me clarify, since 1980, the SAS has faced a constant struggle between their celebrity status and the requirement for secrecy. There’s an ongoing battle between the public’s desire for stories about the SAS and the need to maintain confidentiality regarding their operations. I find this delicate balance between exposure and discretion increasingly intriguing.

1980 marks an exact date associated with this contradiction. Specifically, on May 5th of that year, normal TV programming was halted to air live footage of SAS troops descending ropes into the Iranian embassy in London’s west end, with the intention of rescuing 25 hostages (one had been killed the day prior), who were being held there by armed individuals for six days. The intriguing paradox presented by Operation Nimrod – a clandestine operation that was broadcast live on television – is the focus of Macintyre’s latest book, The Siege, and its screen rights have been acquired by the production company known as Slow Horses.

When delving into “The Siege,” the author found it fascinating that the Special Air Service (SAS) was virtually unheard of in 1980. They were a nearly clandestine unit, with most people having no idea they existed. Prior to 1980, their actions remained shrouded in secrecy; post-1980, they transformed into the world’s most celebrated soldiers! There are members within the regiment who believe this shift in visibility had detrimental effects. It has become increasingly challenging to conduct special operations when everyone is watching.

In the TV series “SAS Rogue Heroes“, it’s clear that early special service operations used invisibility to carry out acts such as murder, theft, torture, arson, and other actions violating the Geneva Convention. The second season, penned by writer Steven Knight, portrays SAS leaders Paddy Mayne (played by Jack O’Connell) and David Stirling (portrayed by Connor Swindells), engaging in activities that would later spark extensive public investigations for years to come. Thus, one might wonder if ethical considerations were ever a factor?

During my investigation into ‘Rogue Heroes’, Macintyre discovered a letter penned by David Stirling, which detailed actions taken by Paddy Mayne during airfield attacks in Libya. One notable instance was depicted vividly in the first series, where Mayne stormed into a festive gathering of Italian and German pilots and started firing indiscriminately. This event troubled Stirling significantly post-war, but there was no thought of launching an investigation or any similar proceedings during that time. Instead, there was a widespread mentality that a war was underway.

The continuum from Operation Mincemeat through SAS Rogue Heroes to The Siege is the batty audacity of the plans. Even the most paranoid enemy couldn’t reasonably anticipate trick corpses in the ocean, an attempt to break into a prison or men swinging on ropes into a hostage situation. British special forces, then and now, the author believes, have not been given enough credit for the brains inside their balaclavas. “We think of them as being fast, butch, shoot-’em-up types. And that can be true. But a lot of what they do is lateral reasoning. What Winston Churchill used to call ‘corkscrew thinking’.

Had they not managed to adjust swiftly to the unexpected changes within the building, their siege would have ended disastrously. Though they are a military unit, they also strive to anticipate and outmaneuver the enemy’s moves. The key factor that enabled them to succeed in the desert in 1942, then in Italy, and again at the Iranian embassy was their ability to adapt to rapidly evolving situations. Fundamentally, this unit is as much psychological as it is military.

What the SAS do is what Churchill called corkscrew thinking

In the second series of Knight’s SAS Rogue Heroes, Macintyre explains that while there was ample material left from the first series and the Libyan campaign, the creator aimed to deepen the emotional aspect rather than just adding more war events. He developed characters further and created additional scenarios. However, a significant portion of it remains based on real historical events. Macintyre isn’t one who thinks that minor inaccuracies ruin the whole production. After the first series, some viewers were surprised to see a female character, but Macintyre was fine with it as they aimed to attract a contemporary audience.

As a film enthusiast, I’d put it like this: “When it comes to fact-based dramas, you often see disclaimers about fictionalized scenes and characters. But with SAS Rogue Heroes, they don’t beat around the bush – their disclaimer is as sharp as their dialogue: ‘This isn’t a history lesson.’

Macintyre exclaims with relief, “Thank goodness! It’d be quite unpleasant if it weren’t so! The disclaimer requests that if anyone wants to point out that a character was shorter or lacked a mustache, they should refrain from writing in.

“There are many different ways of looking at a historical story. You can be entirely faithful or you can say we are going to treat the period as a scene and create drama within it. Or you can take the Guy Ritchie approach, as in The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare, which is a great shoot-’em-up movie but its relation to history is minimal. He takes events and creates a Guy Ritchie movie out of them. That’s great if it’s what people want. And, if viewers want to know what really happened, the books are there.”

In his TV programs, Macintyre often holds the position of “executive producer,” a role he describes as encompassing tasks from hands-on production to offering compliments on costume design. He performs duties that fall somewhere in between and frequently consults with Knight at the outset to plot the storyline. Following this initial meeting, Macintyre receives scripts and offers occasional suggestions. An instance he recalls is when a Scottish character once sang “The Fields of Athenry,” an Irish song, but that’s the only such example he can recall. There haven’t been many disagreements regarding storytelling, and he believes it’s inappropriate for a historian to criticize adaptations of their work into other art forms. He admires screenwriters greatly, as demonstrated by how effectively Steven condenses complex ideas into just a few words compared to his extensive explanations.

It’s evident from watching “SAS Rogue Heroes” and considering their later lives that many of these individuals likely suffered from untreated Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). As Macintyre notes, there seems to have been no treatment sought by any of them. One poignant aspect of writing “SAS Rogue Heroes” was the letters I received from families of those who served in special forces during the war. They expressed gratitude for shedding light on why their loved ones behaved as they did – excessive drinking, violent outbursts, and an inability to find peace. These behaviors are all indicative of PTSD. The Official Secrets Act prevented them from discussing it, which undoubtedly exacerbated their condition.

While the show subtly explores the mental trauma endured by the characters, some viewers argue that SAS Rogue Heroes may unintentionally glorify military conflict. However, Macintyre emphasizes that he took care to prevent such an image, and it seems that the creators have followed a similar approach. The series portrays troubled individuals who are forced to commit brutal acts. A significant part of season two delves into the emotional toll of leaving comrades behind during warfare situations.

“Indeed, the music is lively and the action is thrilling, but unlike some movies where the Nazis are mercilessly attacked and then everyone heads to a pub, that’s not what happens in Guy Ritchie’s film SAS Rogue Heroes. Describing it as such might be misleading.

If the series incites individuals to consider joining the SAS by depicting scenes of them wielding a machine gun, reminiscent of World War II, then it would not make him happy.

The 1980 siege sparked a tremendous increase in enlistments, as individuals eagerly declared, “Sign me up for a balaclava and a gun.” However, such a scenario isn’t desirable. Yet, the SAS story has proven to be an exceptional tool for recruiting soldiers for the British Army, bolstering its prestige worldwide.

It’s highly unlikely that author Ben Macintyre, who writes about the SAS, has been or would consider being on the SAS spin-off series “SAS: Who Dares Wins”. If such an opportunity ever arises, it might be intriguing, but I suspect it won’t. It would certainly complete the circle if he did, wouldn’t it? What a fascinating idea!

2024-12-13 19:34

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