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Stay-behind
A stay-behind operation is one where a country places secret operatives or organizations in its own territory, for use in case of a later enemy occupation. The stay-behind operatives would then form the basis of a resistance movement, and act as spies from behind enemy lines. Small-scale operations may cover discrete areas, but larger stay-behind operations envisage reacting to the conquest of whole countries. Stay-behind also refers to a military tactic whereby specially trained soldiers let themselves be overrun by enemy forces in order to conduct intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition, and reconnaissance tasks often from pre-prepared hides. History Stay-behind operations of significant size existed during World War II. The United Kingdom put in place the Auxiliary Units. Partisans in Axis-occupied Soviet territory in the early 1940s operated with a stay-behind element. During the Cold War, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) coordinated and the Central ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Operation Gladio
Operation Gladio was the codename for clandestine " stay-behind" operations of armed resistance that were organized by the Western Union (WU; founded in 1948), and subsequently by NATO (formed in 1949) and by the CIA (established in 1947), in collaboration with several European intelligence agencies during the Cold War. Although ''Gladio'' specifically refers to the Italian branch of the NATO stay-behind organizations, ''Operation Gladio'' is used as an informal name for all of them. Stay-behind operations were prepared in many NATO member countries, and in some neutral countries. According to several Western European researchers, the operation involved the use of assassination, psychological warfare, and false flag operations to delegitimize left-wing parties in Western European countries, and even went so far as to support anti-communist militias and right-wing terrorism as they tortured communists and assassinated them, such as Eduardo Mondlane in 1969. The United S ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Artists Rifles
The 21 Special Air Service Regiment (Artists) (Reserve), historically known as The Artists Rifles, is a regiment of the British Army Reserve. Its name is abbreviated to 21 SAS(R). Raised in London in 1859 as a volunteer light infantry unit, the regiment saw active service during the Second Boer War and the First World War, earning a number of battle honours. During the Second World War, it was used as an officer training unit. The regiment was disbanded in 1945, but in 1947 it was re-established to resurrect the Special Air Service Regiment. Together with 23 Special Air Service Regiment (Reserve) (23 SAS(R)), it forms the Special Air Service (Reserve) (SAS(R)) part of the United Kingdom Special Forces (UKSF) directorate. History Formation and nineteenth century The regiment was established in 1859, part of the widespread volunteer movement which developed in the face of potential French invasion after Felice Orsini's attack on Napoleon III was linked to Britain. The grou ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Giulio Andreotti
Giulio Andreotti ( ; ; 14 January 1919 – 6 May 2013) was an Italian politician and wikt:statesman, statesman who served as the 41st prime minister of Italy in seven governments (1972–1973, 1976–1979, and 1989–1992), and was leader of the Christian Democracy (Italy), Christian Democracy party and its right-wing; he was the sixth-longest-serving prime minister since the Italian unification and the second-longest-serving post-war prime minister. Andreotti is widely considered the most powerful and prominent politician of the First Republic (Italy), First Republic. Beginning as a protégé of Alcide De Gasperi, Andreotti achieved cabinet rank at a young age and occupied all the major offices of the state over the course of a 40-year political career, being seen as a reassuring figure by the civil service, the business community, and the Vatican. Domestically, he contained inflation following the 1973 oil crisis, founded the Healthcare in Italy, National Healthcare Service (' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Artists Rifles
The 21 Special Air Service Regiment (Artists) (Reserve), historically known as The Artists Rifles, is a regiment of the British Army Reserve. Its name is abbreviated to 21 SAS(R). Raised in London in 1859 as a volunteer light infantry unit, the regiment saw active service during the Second Boer War and the First World War, earning a number of battle honours. During the Second World War, it was used as an officer training unit. The regiment was disbanded in 1945, but in 1947 it was re-established to resurrect the Special Air Service Regiment. Together with 23 Special Air Service Regiment (Reserve) (23 SAS(R)), it forms the Special Air Service (Reserve) (SAS(R)) part of the United Kingdom Special Forces (UKSF) directorate. History Formation and nineteenth century The regiment was established in 1859, part of the widespread volunteer movement which developed in the face of potential French invasion after Felice Orsini's attack on Napoleon III was linked to Britain. The group ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Total Resistance (book)
''Total Resistance'', originally published in German as ''Der totale Widerstand: Eine Kleinkriegsanleitung für Jedermann'' ("Total Resistance: A Guerrilla Warfare Manual for Everyone") is a seven-volume guerilla warfare manual. It was written in 1957 by the Swiss army officer Hans von Dach to prepare the Swiss population for an occupation of Switzerland by Warsaw Pact forces, an eventuality then considered possible in the context of the Cold War. The book has been republished as pirated translations in dozens of languages in numerous countries abroad, and notably found use by left-wing terror groups in the 1960s and 70s. Publication ''Der totale Widerstand'' was first published in 1957 in seven volumes by the Swiss Non-Commissioned Officers' Association (''Schweizer Unteroffiziersverband'', SUOV) with an intent of broad dissemination to the Swiss population. The book was a commercial success, being reprinted five times and selling in the tens of thousands, notably in West Germa ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Special Forces Group (Belgium)
The Special Forces Group is a special forces unit in the Belgian Land Component and part of the Special Operations Regiment (Belgium), Special Operations Regiment. Members of the Special Forces Group are selected from all the components of the Belgian Armed Forces. Candidates must have at least three years' experience in the military to join the Special Forces Group. History In January 1942 the first Belgian parachutists were trained at RAF Ringway, Manchester, England. The same year, the Belgian Independent Parachute Company was established and commanded by Captain E. Blondeel. Later, the unit was incorporated into the Special Air Service Brigade and became the 5th Special Air Service (known as the Belgian SAS squadron). The SAS squadron was active during World War II until enemy activities were discontinued. They performed several operations using the parachute regiment and armoured jeeps. Thereafter, the unit also took part in counter intelligence operations. On 21 Sept ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Auxiliary Units
The Auxiliary Units, Home Guard Shock Squads or GHQ Auxiliary Units were specially trained, highly secret quasi military units created by the British government during the Second World War with the aim of using irregular warfare in response to a possible invasion of the United Kingdom by Nazi Germany. With the advantage of having witnessed the rapid fall of several Continental European nations, the United Kingdom was the only country during the war that was able to create a guerrilla force in anticipation of an invasion. Auxiliary Units relied on pre-prepared bunkers known as " operational bases", into which they were to disappear in the event of invasion. They would not maintain contact with local Home Guard commanders, who were to be wholly unaware of their existence. Auxiliaries would not participate in the conventional phase of their town's defence, but would be activated once the local Home Guard defence had been ended to inflict maximum mayhem and disruption over a furt ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Royal Armoured Corps
The Royal Armoured Corps is the armoured arm of the British Army, that together with the Household Cavalry provides its armour capability, with vehicles such as the Challenger 2 and the Warrior tracked armoured vehicle. It includes most of the Army's armoured regiments, both the Royal Tank Regiment and those converted from old Cavalry regiments of the British Army, horse cavalry regiments.Forty p. 63. In September 2024, it comprised fourteen regiments: ten Regular Regiments; four Army Reserve (United Kingdom), Army Reserve. Although the Household Cavalry Regiment (the Life Guards (United Kingdom), Life Guards and the Blues and Royals) provide an armoured regiment, they are not part of the RAC. History The RAC was created on 4 April 1939, just before World War II started, by combining regiments from the List of British Army regiments (1881)#Cavalry of the Line, cavalry of the line which had mechanised with the Royal Tank Corps (renamed Royal Tank Regiment). As the war went on and ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
23 Special Air Service Regiment (Reserve)
23 Special Air Service Regiment (Reserve) (23 SAS(R)) is a British Army Reserve special forces unit that forms part of United Kingdom Special Forces. Together with 21 Special Air Service Regiment (Artists) (Reserve) (21 SAS(R)), it forms the Special Air Service (Reserve) (SAS(R)). Unlike the regular SAS Regiment, it accepts members of the general population without prior military service. History The unit was founded during 1959, as an additional regiment of the Territorial Army of the United Kingdom, and was created from the former ''Reserve Reconnaissance Unit'' (RRU), this unit having originated from an organisation known as Military Intelligence 9. The initial headquarters location was London, the headquarters were moved during 1959, to Thorpe Street, Birmingham, during 1966, to Kingstanding, Birmingham, within a Territorial Army centre. In 1985, David Stirling, founder of the SAS, commented "There is one often neglected factor which I would like to emphasize - th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
4/73 (Sphinx) Special Observation Post Battery RA
4/73 (Sphinx) Special Observation Post Battery Royal Artillery is a surveillance and target acquisition, Surveillance and Target Acquisition (STA) unit of the British Army. It fields the British Army with long-range STA Patrols which provide specialist surveillance, reconnaissance and joint fires in high-threat environments. It is part of 5th Regiment Royal Artillery and is based at Catterick Garrison in North Yorkshire. Organisation 4/73 Battery comprises a Battery Headquarters and three Patrols Troops which provide support to 1st Deep Reconnaissance Strike Brigade Combat Team (1DRS BCT) and the Warfighting Division - 3rd (United Kingdom) Division among others. Role Special Observers give commanders the ability to deploy closely at range, regardless of weather conditions. Working as the intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition, and reconnaissance (ISTAR) asset in each of the brigades, the STA Patrols Troop are subject matter experts on Static Covert Surveillance (SCS) ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The UK includes the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland, and most of List of islands of the United Kingdom, the smaller islands within the British Isles, covering . Northern Ireland shares Republic of Ireland–United Kingdom border, a land border with the Republic of Ireland; otherwise, the UK is surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, the North Sea, the English Channel, the Celtic Sea and the Irish Sea. It maintains sovereignty over the British Overseas Territories, which are located across various oceans and seas globally. The UK had an estimated population of over 68.2 million people in 2023. The capital and largest city of both England and the UK is London. The cities o ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Special Boat Service
The Special Boat Service (SBS) is the special forces unit of the United Kingdom's Royal Navy. The SBS can trace its origins back to the Second World War when the Army Special Boat Section was formed in 1940. After the Second World War, the Royal Navy formed special forces with several name changes—Special Boat Company was adopted in 1951 and re-designated as the Special Boat Squadron in 1974—until on 28 July 1987 when the unit was renamed as the Special Boat Service after assuming responsibility for maritime counter-terrorism. Most of the operations conducted by the SBS are highly classified, and are rarely commented on by the British government or the Ministry of Defence, owing to their sensitive nature. The Special Boat Service is the naval special forces unit of the United Kingdom Special Forces and is described as the sister unit of the British Army 22 Special Air Service Regiment (22 SAS), with both under the operational control of the Director Special Forces. In ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
