The selection for the Special Air Service is one of the toughest in the world. The SAS was a secret organization in the British Army, and the existence of their regiment was not made public until 1980. It is one of the longest-running special mission units still in service. It is also one of the best. If you want to find the most intelligent and brilliantly commissioned enlisted soldiers the United Kingdom has ever had, we have them on this list.

As it comes with no surprise, these agents were given the toughest of missions combatting terrorism, rescuing hostages, and all the other MI6-type operations you could think of. Here are some of their most epic operations:

Raid on Egyptian Airfields

The raid operation was carried out on July 26, 1942. Commanded by Major David Stirling, SAS attacked the German-held Sidi Haneish Airfield using their American Bantam Jeeps. It was part of the Western Desert Campaign of World War II, where they attacked five airfields in Egypt held by the Axis forces beginning July 7.

SAS members arrived with eighteen jeeps, each with 3 to 4 British or French commandos. They navigated through the desert in formation without headlights to avoid detection. Thankfully, it was a full moon and the night sky was clear from clouds. The runway lights switched on as they approached, and the raiders thought for a while that they had been busted. But, it turned out a German Luftwaffe bomber was about to land.