Roger Keyes's departure from Combined Operations and Louis Mountbatten's tenure there form the background to Courtney's recall to Britain. In the Mediterranean, Operation Album paired the SBS with the SAS in attacks on four airfields and produced a substantial operational effect. It also cost the SBS many men and began a period of serious attrition. The organisations had trained for different methods: SAS mobility suited desert airfield attacks, while folding-boat teams depended on discreet coastal insertion and recovery. David Stirling's successful, expanding SAS organisation drew smaller special units into its orbit because it offered an established structure for special operations. Courtney's maritime raiders lost institutional independence even though their capabilities remained useful.
Notable Point · 26:40-28:04
Operation Album and the SBS-SAS divide
Courtney's recall during a change at Combined Operations preceded joint airfield attacks that exposed both the value and the different methods of the SBS and SAS.