POTD: A Tribute To Operation Nimrod - The Iranian Embassy Siege

In the spring of 1980, the quiet elegance of Prince's Gate in London (U.K.) was shattered by the sharp crack of gunfire. For six tense days, the Iranian Embassy had been under siege by six armed men. Inside, twenty-six hostages waited in fear. Outside, the world watched and waiting in the shadows were the men of the Special Air Service.

On May 5th, Operation Nimrod was set into motion.

As the clock struck 7:23 PM, the assault began. Rappelling from the roof and breaching from the ground floor, the black-clad troopers of the SAS stormed the building with ruthless precision.

In the hands of these elite soldiers were their signature weapons: the  submachine gun, compact and lethal, its cyclic fire rate and controllability ideal for the close-quarters chaos of the embassy rooms. The SAS had trained for years with this weapon, mastering its burst fire to avoid collateral damage. Suppressed variants helped mask their advance, even amid the roar of stun grenades. To TFB’s knowledge, the SAS used at least two MP5 SDs (not pictured here).

Inside, the terrorists were armed too. One notably carried a Vz. 61 Škorpion, a Czech-made machine pistol small enough to conceal beneath clothing but deadly in tight quarters. Another wielded an aging but reliable FN Browning Hi-Power, the standard sidearm of many forces throughout the 20th century. Though outgunned and outnumbered, the terrorists had no intention of surrendering.

But the SAS moved with brutal efficiency. One team breached the rear first-floor balcony, tossing flashbangs to disorient the gunmen. Another team descended from the roof, breaking through windows with controlled aggression. Muzzle flashes lit up the embassy like strobe lights at war.

The MP5s barked short, precise bursts. Within 17 minutes, five of the six terrorists were dead.

Operation Nimrod was over in mere minutes, but it changed the face of modern counter-terrorism forever. Television cameras captured the aftermath, broadcasting the black-clad figures and their MP5s to a global audience. It was the first time the public had seen the SAS in action, and it solidified their mythos.

It’s been 45 years, but what better way to commemorate the event than celebrating a successful raid on a certain embassy way back in 1980? Who here remembers Margaret Thatcher's government? (dubbed The Iron Lady)

There is a YouTube channel called Hollywood Guns that recently posted a video on the MP5, and Jonathan Ferguson, Keeper of Firearms and Artillery at the Royal Armouries guest presents in it and talks about the MP5s used in Operation Nimrod. It’s a fairly short video and worth the watch. Check out the video here.

The model of flashlight the SAS used was the Streamlight SL-20. These aren’t exactly readily available, so the one in the main picture is what was laying around the photographer’s house that kind of looked like one, and just laid on top of the HK claw mount. What you see is not really a weapons light, but sometimes you do what you can, and take what you have.

The HiPower is not 100% “clone correct” for the one used in the raid, but it was what was on the sales floor to grab, according to BearArmsAZ. The MP5s and the Skorpion are real submachine guns.

The source of these wonderful photos is BearArmsAZ. They even took the effort to retake the image for us, for an even more accurate portrait of history. Please give them a follow and a thanks.