He Called The SAS "Tea-Drinking Amateurs" — Then Spent 15 Years Trying To Copy Them

In 1962, Captain Charles Beckwith of the United States Army arrived at Hereford and took one look at the Special Air Service. No polished boots. No parade-ground discipline. A sergeant talking to a major by his first name. Beckwith had fought in Korea, run covert operations in Laos, completed Ranger School. By every standard his army knew, he had already proved himself.

What he thought he was looking at were tea-drinking amateurs.

He was wrong. And discovering exactly how wrong would take fifteen years, two near-death experiences, and end with the creation of Delta Force — the most lethal special operations unit America has ever produced, built entirely on the model of the men he had just dismissed.

This video covers Charles Beckwith and the SAS, the creation of Delta Force, Operation Eagle Claw, the Iranian Embassy siege 1980, SAS selection and training, the Malayan Emergency, and why the British SAS remains the model every special forces unit in the world measures itself against.

Topics: SAS, Delta Force, Charles Beckwith, Hereford, SAS selection, Brecon Beacons, Malayan Emergency, Operation Eagle Claw, Iranian Embassy siege, special forces, British Army, US Army special operations, 22 SAS, counterterrorism, hostage rescue, who dares wins

Sources:
Beckwith, Charles — Delta Force: A Memoir (1983)
Urban, Mark — Task Force Black (2010)
Holloway Commission Report (1980)
Iranian Embassy Siege — official UK government records

Disclaimer: Where archival footage and photographs are unavailable, we use AI-generated imagery to best illustrate the events described. Our priority is always accuracy and education.

#SAS #DeltaForce #BritishMilitary #SpecialForces #MilitaryHistory

Видео He Called The SAS "Tea-Drinking Amateurs" — Then Spent 15 Years Trying To Copy Them канала British War Archive