In this episode of SAS: The Originals, we launch straight into one of the most important – and terrifying – operations the SAS mounted in the entire war.

Transported to 1942, we follow Stirling and the originals’ attempt to disable the heart of the Nazi’s North African supply chain, as they commenced a series of operations in and around Benghazi.

The originals comprised of the SAS men who were there from day one, at the genesis of the Special Air Service. Until recently, little has been known about these groundbreaking figures.

Using never-before-shown footage, including operational reports and the Paddy Mayne diary, we recreate the SAS’s brave first offensives. The men discuss anything from the mundane, such as digging up and camouflaging their jeeps, to what it’s like to be under fire and leaving wounded comrades in the desert – a fate they too would face if badly wounded.

Meanwhile, we explore Stirling’s fight with authority and his eventual triumph over it, as the SAS was raised to full regimental status in the British Army.