BEHIND ENEMY LINES

Spearheading the invasion of occupied France in 1944 were a small number of Special Forces soldiers dropped deep into enemy territory. Among them was a young Londoner, fresh from training here he reveals how he survived guerrilla warfare in France and beyond as part of the fledgling Special Air Service

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In 1944, the Western Allied invasion of Europe required more than the hundreds of thousands of soldiers who stormed the beaches of Normandy. To keep as many German troops away from the invasion zone, specially trained commandos were needed to cause maximum disruption behind enemy lines. Among these formidable soldiers were the men of Britain’s Special Air Service.

Between June and September 1944, the 1st SAS Regiment carried out guerrilla operations against German forces while working alongside French Resistance fighters. Under direct orders from Winston Churchill, 1st SAS ambushed enemy convoys and conducted various acts of sabotage. However, these operations came at a heavy price, with captured commandos receiving no quarter from the Nazis.

Fighting among the SAS was a young Londoner: Trooper Alec Borrie, who was barely out of his teens when he was deployed to France. Here Borrie, who sadly passed away in May 2023 aged 98, discussed how he survived ambushes, fought alongside the French Resistance and advanced through Western Europe into Germany.

Commando Order

The SAS’s purpose for the upcoming invasion of France was deadly serious. Tasked with performing guerrilla operations many miles behind enemy lines, the SAS’s aim was to disrupt and slow down the advance of German reinforcements towards Normandy. This would allow the Allied forces to consolidate their hard-won gains and bridgeheads in the region during the crucial days and weeks following 6 June 1944.