Who Dares Wins: Indian WWII warriors, Special Air Services, and an untold story

India Today

a day ago

When people talk about the world's most elite special forces, the British Special Air Services (SAS) often takes the spotlight -- thanks to war movies, action games, and tales of daring missions behind enemy lines, especially World War 2.But what many forget is that during the same war, Indian soldiers were pulling off their own silent, fearless missions -- deep in the jungles of Burma, far from the headlines (warding away Japanese militia from Rangoon). They didn't just support the war effort; they shaped it, often without ever being named or remembered.advertisementWhile British soldiers David Stirling and Jock Lewes built the SAS from scratch in the deserts of North Africa, Indian operatives like Anil 'Sunil' Dutta Gupta -- better known by his codename 'SDG' -- were torching enemy stockpiles, spreading resistance from within, and risking their lives with courage.
This is a story of parallel bravery -- of bold British raids and equally daring Indian missions -- and why it's time we remember both with equal weight.HOW THE 'DEVIL'S WHISPER' CAME TO BEIn 1941, with Nazi Germany destroying and making advancement across Europe and North Africa, Britain needed a weapon. David Stirling, a maverick officer, proposed something unusual: to strike deep into enemy territory with small, mobile units. Many saw this as vague and more of a suicidal tactic. But then British PM Winston Churchill saw potential in such daring.By July, Stirling had approval to recruit a handful of volunteers into what was ironically called 'L-Detachment, SAS Brigade' -- a name that suggested a larger airborne unit than existed. In reality, it was barely 60 men strong.Their first mission in November 1941 was a disaster. A storm scattered the men parachuting into Tobruk. Only 22 of 62 made it back. But they learnt fast.
David Stirling, founder of the Special Air Service (SAS), pictured during WWII.
Teaming up with the Long-Range Desert Group (LRDG), the SAS adapted. Rather than parachuting, they were driven to strike targets, launching bold raids on Axis airfields across Libya. Over Christmas and New Year's, they struck the same airstrips twice -- catching the enemy off guard and sowing confusion in the desert sands.Despite the ongoing image that people have in mind today of the SAS with their well-equipped weaponry and air support, initially they lacked supplies and even stole a piano from a nearby New Zealand unit. This often also included basic supplies like bedding, chairs, and tables.advertisementUsing decoy tactics soon became a trend rather than an off-beat (and fluke) tactic to beat the military. In the 1971 Indo-Pakistan War, for example, India used the strategy of deception by famously using the 'Phantom Brigade' trick – a strategy that was believed to be similar to the time when the SAS was created and named.JOCK LEWES: THE GENIUS BEHIND SASBehind the glamour of Stirling's leadership stood Jock Lewes, the SAS's first training officer and as Stirling himself would put it, 'arguably its true architect'. An Oxford-educated soldier, Lewes structured and framed the training programme that transformed volunteers into desert commandos.To mimic parachute jumps when no aircraft were available, recruits initially jumped from the backs of moving trucks -- an improvisation ordered by Lewes.At their Kabrit base in Egypt, he drilled men in everything from demolition to wilderness medicine. Several accounts also suggest that after two men died during training due to faulty parachutes, Lewes, like a true leader, volunteered to be the first to jump afterward.Lewes's most lasting innovation was the 'Lewes bomb', a hybrid explosive made of thermite, diesel and plastic explosive -- designed specifically to destroy aircraft on the ground. The National Army Museum describes it as ideal for sabotaging vehicles and planes, despite early doubts from ordnance experts.
(AI-Generated Image)
advertisementIt is widely believed that Lewes's leadership helped the SAS pull off their first real success in December 1941. Though his team suffered losses during an airfield raid, they still managed to destroy several German vehicles.When Jock Lewes died, he was just 28 years old, but he died with a dream and the assurance that, unlike other wartime units, this one would not be disbanded after the war. He believed it would continue to rise in glory and he was right.The SAS went on to become a pioneer and remains one of the finest special forces units in the world.Jock Lewes in a letter to his mother, in 1941, wrote 'Together we have fashioned this unit. David has established it without, and I think I may say I have established it within... the unit cannot die as Layforce died; it is alive and will live gloriously renewing itself by its creative power in the imagination of men.'advertisementTHE INDIAN COUNTERPART: WARRIORS IN THE SHADOWS Fighting in the shadows, or guerrilla warfare, has long been a hallmark of Indian warriors, dating back to the medieval era. Whether it was Maharana Pratap or Shivaji Maharaj, this tradition continued through to the elite units and special operations of the modern era.While the SAS was making headlines in the West, what often went unnoticed was how another elite force was fighting in the jungles of Asia -- waging a covert campaign against Japan through units like Force 136 and the Chindits.Force 136, the Far East arm of Britain's Special Operations Executive (SOE), was born in 1944. Operating from India and Ceylon, it trained some 20,000 local fighters -- Indians, Burmese, and Malays for guerrilla missions in Japanese-occupied lands.Their job was to blow up bridges, gather intelligence, and support local resistance. Most operated in complete secrecy, even from their own allies. According to research by historian Robert Lyman, their work remained classified for decades.THE STORY OF SDG In The Special Operations Executive in Burma, author Richard Duckett provides a detailed account of covert missions carried out in the region -- one of the most remarkable Force 136 operatives was an Indian, code-named 'SDG' -- real name Anil 'Sunil' Dutta Gupta. Parachuting into Burma in 1943, he posed as a dockworker in Rangoon.
Special thanks to Richard Duckett for preserving this image and history. Personnel record of SDG -- Anil 'Sunil' Dutta Gupta -- the Indian Force 136 operative deployed in 1943 for Operation Mahout in Japanese-occupied Burma.
advertisementOver two years, SDG orchestrated sabotage from within. It is documented that he burned a Japanese wood stockpile meant for railway construction, destroying 15,000 logs in one go. The Japanese called it an accident, unaware they were being infiltrated from within.He also spread anti-Japanese propaganda and encouraged Indian labourers to defect. Such solo missions, often without back-up, show the level of trust and responsibility given to Indian agents -- and the extreme risks they faced.This also reflects the capabilities and valour of many Indian soldiers who operated behind enemy lines. It underscores that Indian soldiers, too, were pioneers in the world of special forces.VALOUR BEYOND THE HEADLINES By the end of World War 2, elite units had reshaped the battlefield. The SAS had become a legend -- its tactics influencing militaries across the globe. Stirling's motto, 'Who Dares Wins', is now engraved into the fabric of modern special forces.But it is equally essential to remember the soldiers whose silent contributions went unrecognised for decades. The Karen guerrillas, Indian saboteurs, Gurkha raiders may not have made it to any Western book or film but that's not the point.- Ends