5th Special Air Service

5th Special Air Service
Crest and Cap Badge of the 5th Special Air Service
ActiveFebruary 1941 – 21 September 1945
CountryBelgium
TypeSpecial Forces
SizeOne squadron (until early 1945)
One regiment (from March 1945)
Part ofFree Belgian Forces
Garrison/HQMalvern Wells
Loudon Castle Camp
Tervuren
Motto(s)Who Dares Wins
MarchQuick: Marche des Parachutistes Belges
Slow: Lili Marlene
Battle honoursNormandyBelgiumArdennesEmdenOldenburg
Fourragère of the Leopold Order
Fourragère of the French Croix de Guerre 1939–1945
Commanders
Notable
commanders
Lieutenant Colonel Eddy Blondeel

The 5th Special Air Service (5th SAS) was an elite airborne unit during World War II. It consisted entirely of Belgian volunteers. It saw action as part of the SAS Brigade in Normandy, Northern France, Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany. Initially trained in sabotage and intelligence gathering, they converted to motorized reconnaissance on armored jeeps. They were the first Allied unit to set foot onto Belgian soil and the first to cross the Siegfried line, albeit accidentally.[1][2]

  1. ^ Genot, E. (1986). Rode mutsen, Groene mutsen [Red Berets, Green Berets] (in Dutch). Kraainem: E. Genot. [page needed]
  2. ^ "Belgian SAS". WWII Forums. Retrieved 21 September 2019.