The SAS and Tactical Intelligence: Normandy 1944 – Operation Haft 702

Abstract

After more than eighty years it is time to re-evaluate the role of the Special Air Service (SAS) and intelligence gathering during the Normandy campaign of 1944. This study examines Operation Haft 702 which ran between the Allied breakout in July and the closing of the Falaise pocket in August. The article combines original syntheses of archival research and landscape analysis to reveal a rich historical record which contributes to an understanding of how SAS human intelligence influenced the use of tactical airpower.