On a bitterly cold night in the North African desert, a new, crack British Army unit called the Special Air Service burst on to the scene and straight into the annals of history. Around 30 off-duty German and Italian fighter pilots were relaxing in the mess of the Wadi Tamet airbase when the door was suddenly kicked open, revealing a tall, bearded man in British uniform holding a Colt .45 revolver, flanked by two others with Tommy guns at the ready.
“Good evening,” said Paddy Mayne breezily, in a strong Northern Irish accent, before they gunned down every single airman in a matter of seconds. Dodging bullets as a fierce gunfight ensued, the men darted around the airfield, setting explosive charges on planes and the fuel and ammunition dumps, before fleeing into the night as the base blew up behind them.
The daring raid on December 14, 1941, destroyed 24 aircraft and stunned the Nazi war machine. And as word began to emerge about the elite group of commandos operating hundreds of miles behind enemy lines, the SAS, and especially its maverick hero, became legendary. Lt Col Mayne, who took over as SAS commander after its founder David Stirling was captured by the Germans in 1943 has been immortalised in the new series of BBC drama SAS Rogue Heroes, in which he is played by Skins star Jack O’Connell.
