5th (Belgian) Special Air Service Regiment

The 5th Special Air Service Regiment (5th SAS) was one of the most remarkable Belgian units during the Second World War. It was composed entirely of volunteers and was part of the British SAS Brigade. The men of the 5th SAS fought in Normandy, Northern France, Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany, where they gained a reputation for courage, determination and professionalism.

Initially, the Belgian SAS paratroopers specialized in sabotage and intelligence work. Later, they evolved into a motorized reconnaissance unit, equipped with armored jeeps. They achieved some remarkable firsts: they were the very first Allied troops to set foot on Belgian soil, and the first to cross the German Siegfried Line – though the latter happened more by coincidence.

Origin of the Belgian SAS

The unit’s origin goes back to 8 May 1942, when a Belgian Independent Parachute Company was created at Malvern Wells (Worcestershire), on the initiative of Henri Rolin, Under-Secretary of Defense. The company was formed from three groups:

• “A Company” of the 2nd Belgian Fusilier Battalion, largely composed of South and North American volunteers, under Lieutenant Freddy Limbosch.
  
  

• A platoon of the 1st Belgian Fusilier Battalion, some of whom had already been trained as paratroopers since 1942.
  
  

• A group of volunteers from other Belgian units, often men who had managed to escape from occupied Belgium.
  
  

In Great Britain, the unit underwent intensive parachute training. Belgian volunteers earned their first parachute wings at the famous Ringway training center in early 1942. In 1943, they temporarily trained with the 8th Parachute Battalion and received additional training in Scotland. In February 1944, they officially joined the Special Air Service.

A unit of great diversity

The Belgian SAS was a colorful group: their ranks included farmers, lumberjacks, acrobats, a professional wrestler, a world cycling champion, judges and even three barons. The commanding officer was Lieutenant-Dentist Edouard “Eddy” Blondeel, an engineer and dentist, who replaced the wounded commander Thise. Although the men spoke different languages – French, Dutch and English – and came from all corners of the world, they quickly grew into a cohesive and disciplined elite unit.

Operations during the war

The Belgian SAS carried out its first actions in France from July 1944. Their missions consisted of sabotage, intelligence gathering and reconnaissance. During the Ardennes Offensive in December 1944, the unit was reinforced with armored jeeps, which they used for reconnaissance and security missions in cooperation with the 6th British Airborne Division.

In 1945, the Belgians were given a new role: tracking down and arresting high-ranking Nazi officials and war criminals. They were directly involved in the capture of Admiral Karl Dönitz – Hitler’s successor – and German Foreign Minister Joachim von Ribbentrop.

Legacy

By April 1945, the Belgian SAS squadron consisted of three reconnaissance troops, active in North Holland and Germany. Even after the German capitulation on 8 May 1945, they remained active with counter-intelligence operations in Germany and Denmark.

At the end of the war, the Belgian SAS could look back on an exceptional record of service. They were the first Allied troops on both Belgian and German soil, and the only unit to remain continuously active in occupied territory from July 1944 until May 1945. Their contribution to the liberation of Europe is undeniable and remains a source of national pride.