Special forces facts for kids
Special forces, or special operations forces are military units used to trained to perform unconventional (not ordinary), difficult, often high-risk missions. They are highly-trained and are the most valuable units in the world. Because of the hard training and the high risk, there are not many special forces units. Those elite units are often used to operate deep behind enemy lines. In a war they are also used for unconventional warfare.
Military special forces
Because special forces are really rare, they mostly have to do unusual, difficult things like:
- Gathering intelligence
- Destroying targets (for example bunkers, ports, missiles etc.)
- Protecting and rescueing important people
- Reconnaissance
- Unconventional warfare
History
Special forces were very important in the history of warfare where war is more defined as "hit and run" and sabotage, and not traditional army combat where quantity was more important than quality.
The Chinese strategist Jiang Ziya said about 1,000 B.C. ago that such elite units had many advantages, recruiting talented and motivated men to be serving in specialised units should be more important than other things.
Special forces were formed in the early 20th century, during World War I. In this "big" war, military operations inside enemy territory showed tactical benefits. They were often used to sabotage enemy infrastructure like radio stations, which are important for communication between the troops.
Special forces units gained more importance during World War II, when technology became more important.
Examples
- the British Special Air Service (SAS), ~500 men
- the American Delta Force unit, ~1.100 men
- the United States Navy SEALs, ~2.400 men
- the Polish GROM, ~300 men
Images for kids
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An American special forces team moves together out of an U.S. Air Force CV-22 Osprey aircraft on February 26, 2018
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British Army scouts in South Africa (1893): Frederick Russell Burnham (middle); Hon. Maurice Gifford (right)
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General Antonio Luna of the Philippine Revolutionary Army, the founder of Tiradores dela Muerte
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Members of the Italian Arditi corps, 1918, wielding daggers.
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The British Commandos were the prototype for the modern special forces. Volunteers had to undergo an arduous training course.
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British Commandos wearing the green beret and carrying the Bergen rucksack during the Normandy landings
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British SAS in North Africa (1943), in jeeps with mounted heavy machine guns
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Otto Skorzeny (left) and the former Brandenburger Adrian von Fölkersam (middle), 1944
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ODA 525 team picture taken shortly before infiltration in Iraq, February 1991
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U.S. Army SF and Indian Navy MARCOS during urban combat training at RIMPAC, 2022
See also
In Spanish: Fuerzas especiales para niños
