A forerunner to post-war special forces counter-gangs?
a comparison of Orde Wingate’s Special Night Squads and
British post-war special forces counter-gang conduct in
colonial irregular warfare and counterinsurgency

Nelis, H

Oxford Thesis Collection

Thesis

A forerunner to post-war special forces counter-gangs? a comparison of Orde Wingate’s Special Night Squads and British post-war special forces counter-gang conduct in colonial irregular warfare and counterinsurgency

Abstract:: The Special Night Squads (SNS) of Orde Wingate, an Anglo-Jewish unit designed to counter Arab guerrillas in the north of the Mandate of Palestine during the Arab Revolt of 1936-1939, are often seen as a forerunner to post-war special forces and counter-gang units. Such units utilise local personnel and use the guerrillas’ unconventional tactics against the insurgents themselves. Indeed, Wingate’s SNS are sometimes compared to British counter-gangs in the Kenya and Cyprus Emergencies in the 1950s and the Special Air Service (SAS), which involved itself in various post-war conflicts, including the Indonesian confrontation in Borneo (1963-1966) and the Dhofar insurgency in Oman (1963-1976). This apparent similarity might lead one to posit the existence of a consistent British counter-gang and special forces approach. Certain historians argue that a particular British way of counterinsurgency existed based on varying criteria, including minimum force, cultural expertise, skilled intelligence work, small unit tactics, coercion, or conciliation. A closer examination of the Special Night Squads and a comparison of their conduct to that of British counter-gang and special forces units in Kenya, Cyprus, Borneo, and Oman reveal certain similarities in tactical conduct as well as intelligence and cultural acumen but great divergences in strategic conduct and a shift from kinetic, coercive methods towards more discriminate, tactically sophisticated civil development measures. Based on these differences and the unique nature of the Special Night Squads as a borderline rogue organisation, it is difficult to see the SNS as indicative of British irregular warfare doctrine. Indeed, this comparison seems to suggest little consistent British counterinsurgency or special forces counter-gang doctrine. This study also allows for the construction of a more comprehensive definition of special forces and counter-gang units as strategic instruments, which, if used correctly, can be tools of cultural translation, civil development, and nation-building.

Actions

Email

Email this record

Send the bibliographic details of this record to your email address.

Your Email
Please enter the email address that the record information will be sent to.

-
Your message (optional)
Please add any additional information to be included within the email.
Share
Cite

Cite this record

APA Style

Nelis, H. (2025). A forerunner to post-war special forces counter-gangs? a comparison of Orde Wingate’s Special Night Squads and British post-war special forces counter-gang conduct in colonial irregular warfare and counterinsurgency [PhD thesis]. University of Oxford.

MLA Style

Nelis, H. A Forerunner to Post-War Special Forces Counter-Gangs? a Comparison of Orde Wingate’s Special Night Squads and British Post-War Special Forces Counter-Gang Conduct in Colonial Irregular Warfare and Counterinsurgency. 2025. University of Oxford, PhD thesis.

Chicago Style

Nelis, H. 2025. “A Forerunner to Post-War Special Forces Counter-Gangs? a Comparison of Orde Wingate’s Special Night Squads and British Post-War Special Forces Counter-Gang Conduct in Colonial Irregular Warfare and Counterinsurgency.” PhD thesis, University of Oxford.
Print