First attack by Long Range Desert Group

1st December 1940: A surprise attack deep behind enemy lines marks the beginning of operations by a legendary unit

Vehicles of ‘G’ Patrol preparing to leave Siwa. ‘G’ Patrol was formed in 1940 from volunteers from the Coldstream and Scots Guards. ‘G’ and ‘Y’ Patrols routinely operated from Siwa.

The Long Range Desert Group were formed in the autumn of 1940, developed from the much smaller Long Range Patrol¹. They were intended as a covert reconnaissance unit operating…