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Mike Sadler: The Man Who Saved The SAS | The Rogue Heroes

History Nerd Alex

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Mike Sadler wasn’t just the last surviving original member of the SAS, he was the man who guided the Rogue Heroes across hundreds of miles of featureless desert, long before GPS or modern maps existed. Using stars, shadows, and instinct, Sadler navigated the SAS through daring raids, escaping German patrols, and saving missions that could have ended the regiment. From the famous raids on Wadi Tamet and Sidi Haneish to narrow escapes in Tunisia and France, his quiet brilliance kept men alive and changed the course of the desert war.

SAS: Rogue Heroes shows him as the calm, brainy navigator, but the real Mike Sadler’s story is even more extraordinary. This is the legacy of one of history’s greatest navigators and SAS pioneers.

Timestamps:
00:00 Introduction
01:06 Early Life
01:44 Start of WW2
02:10 Long Range Desert Group
03:34 Special Air Service in North Africa
05:33 Evading Capture in 1943
05:58 Why he isn't in season 2 of Rogue Heroes
06:12 France and Germany
06:45 His incredible post war story
07:51 Outro

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Music Used:
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20 Comments

@HistoryNerdAlex Creator 9 months ago Pinned

Thank you all for the support on the series so far, and thank you all for 2000 subscribers! More videos coming out very soon so keep an eye out!

@MrTallpoppy58 9 months ago (edited)

Passing at 104 years old is not sad; we all pass eventually. For him, it was a life very well lived.

@canuckiwi2 9 months ago

Good to hear a commentary on the SAS which was almost completely accurate for a change. Sadler's navigational skills were in large part due to the use of the sun compass which was invented by Major Ralph Bagnold who operated with Sadler while they were with the LRDG, prior to Sadler being poached by Stirling to join the SAS.

@gedforcey 9 months ago

Excellent with actual photos and no AI bs. Thankyou, these men should never be forgotten. We shall remember them...

@russbetts1467 6 months ago

I can relate to Mike Sadler. As a child, I would go walkabout and found I had a built-in compass. I always knew where I was and which direction I was going and needed to be going. Got me out of a few scrapes when I joined the Army in 1969. We had an Officer who was named 'Captain Fantastic' and was a complete nightmare. Got us thoroughly lost in the Cheviots. When he finally admitted we were lost, my Section Commander told me to 'take us home'. Proudest day of my Service and I did it without the use of a Map and Compass. My Nickname became 'Pigeon', as in 'Homing Pigeon'. Years later, I did the same thing many times, when walking in Wild Places in foul weather. The Brecons and Dartmoor, when teaching youngsters for Duke of Edinburgh's Award and Ten Tors Expedition. I still do it today, at the age of 78.

@sk8rz2 7 months ago

You can only say "wow! what a man!".... total respect to this free spirit.

@JmP-h6w 9 months ago

Made differently back then. True heroes in every sense.

@Lee-m3y 9 months ago

Those men of the LRDG and early SAS were a different breed humble beyond words but with a courage and flair that cannot be argued and will forever have the thanks and respect of true Brits

@jaybee70 9 months ago

I got to know 'Lofty' Mike Carr a few years before he died, another fine navigator, who joined the LRDG in January 1941 and was once approached by David Stirling to join the SAS and teach navigation.... he declined Stirling's offer out of loyalty to the LRDG. Lovely man and the stories he told me....

@nickg8571 9 months ago

Spent more than a few hours talking to this incredible gentleman when he was in his late eighties. Very honourable straight talking and an exceptionally brave man who had more stories about the early SAS than you can imagine and most were truly awe inspiring. Just a shame that this awful programme depicted him like it did though he got off lightly compared to Paddy Mayne. These men should be honoured with respect not sensationalised.

@TimothyTasker 9 months ago

Words are not enough, proud to be a Brit . Respect always and forever. Where are these men now we need them in this distopion world ❤❤❤

@eveningstar1 6 months ago

he didn't unfortunately pass away at 103 he wildly lived that long

@andypilkington-steele8573 8 months ago

A truly wonderful British Gentleman. I am a follower of the LRDG Association here in England & Mr Mike Sadler is and always will be remembered.

@nickabbott6278 9 months ago

He was NEVER a Lootenant. He was British.

@dondouglass6415 9 months ago

Mike Sadler..... What a man... Whenever I read the history of the SAS, from my point of view Mike is up there... He was amazing with a boyish smile and by all accounts a calm demeanor.... He was truly awesome. 😊

@LOLcrymore-i5o 6 days ago

Those LRDG lads were insane navigators

@ytucharliesierra 9 months ago

There is footage of the Mike Sadler actor meeting the real Sadler in person. Looking closely, Sadler still had that boyish smile. What an impressive chap.

@kvl505 8 months ago

Truly and amazing person. Few can navigate land like that. Without fixed land features, a shifting sand desert, must have been a chore to navigate. A very brave soul.

@davidryan4454 9 months ago

Very good tribute to a gentleman who was as modest as he was tough. No tattoos. No gym muscles. No thousand yard stare or Special Forces swagger. A different breed.
And you have mentioned the Antarctic. He went with Paddy Mayne & Mike Tonkin from the WW2 SAS. Mayne dropped out at South Georgia. Due to a back injury or differences of opinion with the expedition commander. ... Kevin Walton's book "Two Years In The Antarctic" mentions MS often and is a great read.
You also mentioned his time in the "Foreign Office" 🤫 I had the pleasure many tears ago of meeting a Polar explorer who knew MS and from whom he gained a lot of info about the Antarctic. I asked him about MS and he said he was a "very nice chap but disappeared and had parachuted into Eastern Europe".
Sadler never spoke of that ! I imagine he would never had mentioned the SAS apart from May 1980 & Prince's Gate making everyone SAS bonkers.
RiP a real, humble hero 🫡