Frag Out! Magazine
Issue link: https://fragout.uberflip.com/i/1467328
Between 1939 and 1945 the special operations, involving specially established, trained, and equipped units, tasked with completing military and political objec- tives with the use of unconventional means, different from the ones used by the regular forces, have first become a tool used by all sides of the conflict. Nonethe- less, the genesis, structures, and tasks did differ. This is visible in a review of the Polish forces as such, existing at the time. Polish military units - in the West, and the East, and sabotage/resistance elements that were formed in Poland, similarly to other units of other armies, were dealing with a broad spectrum of tasks, rang- ing from irregular warfare, recon, direct actions (DA), POW and hostage rescue operations (HRO) to finish with. During WW2 special operations were taking place primarily on land, and at sea, involving submarines, fast boats, and kayaks. Air elements supporting special op- erations were also created by some countries. These units varied. They included the Polish 1586th Special Operations Squadron, using heavy bombers to covertly deliver personnel and equipment, the US 1st Commando Group, conducting op- erations in China, Burma, and India (equipped with sailplanes, airlifters, fighter aircraft, and R-4 helicopters), or the German KG200, operating captured allied aircraft, such as the B-17 bombers. At the same time, several WW2 SOF units had a temporary profile, as they were established ad hoc, to address the urgent needs of the individual theaters. Their profiles varied, ranging from small squads formed by the intelligence, to light infantry, where company-sized and larger units were formed. www.fragoutmag.com