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The Glorious 707th Infantry Division...

Post by chalutzim » 29 Apr 2003 16:45

The 707th infantry division was one of the very few large Wehrmacht units that took part in the murdering of Jews on a great scale. The analysis of the private diary of one of the regimental commanders of this division, Colonel Carl von Andrian, sheds some light on the motives for which his own unit participated in the holocaust. On the other hand, von Andrian's diary clearly indicates where personal responsibility comes to a limit. His private notes give an impression of how an older Wehrmacht officer bound to conservative values let himself be drawn, without any considerable resistance, into the German war of extermination against the Soviet Union, in spite of his constantly recurring moral scruples and even if he was able to keep his regiment out of the most cruel crimes.

Post by daveh » 29 Apr 2003 18:29

Post by chalutzim » 29 Apr 2003 18:49

daveh wrote: (...) The remnants of the division was disbanded on 3rd August 1944.

Post by daveh » 29 Apr 2003 20:44

Post by Andy H » 29 Apr 2003 21:49

Post by Gareth Collins » 30 Apr 2003 01:12

Post by chalutzim » 30 Apr 2003 11:53

daveh wrote: hi not found a site yet apart from feldgrau The books I used were Hitler's Legions by S Mitchum ISBN 0 436 28200 3 and Nafziger' s 3 volume German Order of Battle published by Greenhill bboks.

Andy H wrote: There's more about the 707th within the text which I'll have to rummage through.

Gareth Collins wrote: Here's info on it's last commander;

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Company D, 707 Tank Battalion

LTC John Anderson

The fall of '43 was a busy time of adjusting to the new status as a separate tank battalion with a mission of testing armor in subarctic operations.  All troops were issued extensive cold weather gear, parkas, mukluks, and other cold equipment including skis and snow shoes.  Unfortunately the weather at Pine Camp did not cooperate with the War Dept plans so in 25 degree F temperatures, the battalion was moved on flatcars to Camp McCoy, Wisconsin.  This move was supposed to give colder test conditions, but again nature did not get the message and the thermometer never got down to zero.  This caused cancellation of the testing, so the battalion turned in all equipment and took off for Boston POE (Point of Embarkation).

After staging at Camp Miles Standish, the Bn embarked on the SS Exchange, a converted United Fruit Lines banana boat, in Boston Harbor.  Lt Anderson, D Co, was detailed as Officer of the Day for the initial day.  This required posting guards at gangways and controlling traffic to and from Mess or other activities.  However, even before the ship left the dock, the rails and heads were lined with pea-green troopers doing that which came naturally.  It was virtually impossible to keep enough men healthy to man the posts - it's a good thing the first OD (Officer of the Day) was of Viking heritage and accustomed to motion aboard ship.

The transport rendezvoused with ships from many other East coast ports to form the largest convoy to cross the North Atlantic during the war.  A few days out the ship experienced engine trouble and we sadly watched the convoy sail away with only a tiny Destroyer escort circling around us to keep off the Nazi U-Boat "Wolfpacks", which had been having a turkey shoot on shipping to England and Russia.  We kept busy with continuous chow lines, boat drills, with "Army sweepers, sweep down fore and aft", and getting to know the Navy Armed Guard who were to man the anti-aircraft guns in case of air or sea attack.

During the 15 day trip, Capt. Gallup, Bn Surg., performed an emergency Appendectomy using the then-new McBirney Technique, and the soldier carried his own barrack bag off the ship.  The green hills of Ireland and the U.K. were a welcome sight after the anxiety of the cold grey midwinter crossing.

After disembarking in Cardiff, Wales, we proceeded by rail to a tin roof Quonset hut camp near Nun Eaton, heated with tiny, very dirty coal stoves. First night we all gawked at the spectacular show of the Nazi Luftwaffe making its nightly call on nearby Coventry. Most vivid recollections are the cold and the horror of Irish whiskey.

Soon the battalion moved down into Devon and Somerset, Co D going to the delightful cathedral town of Wells.  Here on the beautiful grounds of an English country estate we set up a tent camp and housed hordes of replacements being readied for the coming invasion of Europe.  During this period, training continued with frequent trips to the Royal Armour Moving Target Moving Tank Ranges near Minehead.  Skills honed here paid off a few months later.

After cheering for the hordes of bombers and glider tows that filled the skies at D-Day, Co D moved down to a British barracks near Salisbury and then through one of the "Sausage Camps" to the channel and aboard LSTs to Omaha Beach.  While still near the beach, Co D sustained our first casualties.  Sgt Boyer, Otis L. and T4 Harley D. Larsen were killed by a "Bouncing Betty" landmine planted in an uncleared mine field adjacent to the orchard where the company was in bivouac.  Several other soldiers were wounded and rejoined us later on.

After the Third Army breakout at St. Lo, we followed the tracks of our old buddies of the Fifth AD around Paris and through Belgium to the Aachen area and went into support of the 28th ID.  The period in the Heurtgen Forest bloodied the battalion and inflicted heavy losses on the "Bloody Buckets" of the 28th.  Co D mainly was concerned with keeping communications open and supporting forward observers for the artillery.  Co D suffered some mortar fire damage and another death during the action.  Sgt Nastase, Commo Sgt, did heroic duty in maintaining communications.

When relieved from the forest, Co D moved south into the Duchy of Luxembourgh to the village of Brachtenbach.  This was a ruggedly hilly quiet sector where a number of divisions had been rested and allowed to lick their wounds.  The other companies of the battalion were billeted in nearby villages and the 28th ID set up outposts and patrols along the eastern border of the Duchy, mainly the Our River in our sector and the border with Germany.  German and American troops watched each other across to keep in touch with the situation.

The Germans had occupied Luxembourgh for about five years and had conscripted many of the young men for their army, and had taken other men and women into the Motherland for labor.  This caused much bitterness toward the Nazis by most of the civilians.  Being a small village, almost every home billeted a tank crew or Company section.  During this time we celebrated Thanksgiving Day with turkey and all the fixings, baked in the village bakery and served in the school.  All the local bigwigs, Burgermeister, school teacher, pub owner, and village priest were our guests for a glorious dinner.  Lt Anderson, who was billeted with the priest, let him know that this was the wrong day for Thanksgiving Day because President Roosevelt had moved the celebration a week early that year.  The following Thursday, Father Wagner had a special Thanksgiving Mass for the whole village, and hosted a dinner for ten priests - none of whom spoke English, and Lt. Anderson, who almost lost his cookies when a whole roast hare - eyes and all - was placed before him.

Being a quiet sector, several cities had been set up for "R & R".  One was the city of Clervaux and another the Belgian city of Arlon.  Three-day passes were issued to men and officers to these spas.  Thus when the Germans launched a surprise offensive, there were many men away from their units - already sadly understrength from previous actions.  Everywhere people were making preparations for the fast-approaching Christmas, and hopes were high that the war would soon be history.  Upon the attack, all companies of the battalion went into close support of the 28th ID Regiments.  Co D was sent to the north end of the Duchy and then sent south along the "Sky Line Drive" to relieve a unit which had been overrun.

In the vicinity of Marnach, hostile fire halted the column and though the crews took evasive action, the limited space for maneuver caused most of the tanks to be destroyed and many of the crewmen killed or captured.  Several "Kraut" (German) vehicles were destroyed and prisoners taken and evacuated with wounded.

Meanwhile, back in Brachtenbach, the leave group from Arlon returned to find all but the maintenance and kitchen sections of the company gone.  While Lt Anderson, among the leave returnees, was trying to make contact with Bn, Capt Ellison appeared and said "They're all gone" and then disappeared.  Lt Anderson got through to Bn HQ and was told to join the Headquarters in Wiltz, which was also the 28th ID Division HQ.  In attempting to follow orders, the small column of two Halftracks, a Peep, and the kitchen truck headed for Wiltz.  Before reaching same, the Krauts blocked the road and the detachment slipped by back roads to Bastogne, where directions were given to continue to Neufchateau where the Headquarters were to have moved.

Upon reaching Neufchateau, Lt Anderson reported to the Corps Commander with two Halftracks, a kitchen truck, two Peeps, one Medium Tank with a damaged turret, and 37 men from D & Svc Co.  General Middleton said, "Lt, you are my mobile reserve.  Reform your battalion and establish roadblocks between here and Bastogne".  After checking with the Operations Officer, a kitchen was set up in a rather modern schoolhouse.  Roadblocks were then set up on two main roads, and a search was begun to round up armor people to man the "strong" points.  There were people from several other line companies of the 707 as well as the Rcn Trp of the 28th ID and from the 6th AD.

Within days a sizeable number of troopers had been gathered up including officers from A, B, & Svc Co, and the replacement system began returning wounded to us.  Among the new arrivals was Lt Col Streeter who had been a classmate of Col Ripple, to assume command.

During this period, on the first sunny day, we had the shock of being strafed by two Messerschmitt jets.  They did no appreciable damage, but the sight of them leaving the P47s - flying air cover high above us - standing still was a little hair raising.

General Patton and his relief column for Bastogne passed through our roadblocks on their way to reversing the action.

Shortly after the first of the year, 1945, the battalion moved back to Epernay near Reims in France.  This was also the Headquarters of the XIII Airborne Corps as well as the Champagne capital of the World.  A number of incidents best forgotten took place in this "oil and water" mixture of airborne, tankers, and vino.

After drawing new equipment and being brought up to strength with young replacements - most barely 18 and with basic eight weeks training - an intensive program of training was begun.  None of the replacements had ever been in the M5A1 Light Tank before, so they had to quickly learn the whole ball of wax.  (Co D was a Light Tank Company, as opposed to the other companies having Medium Tanks. - Webmaster)

Lt Anderson was given command of D Co;  Lt Wilbur Zastrow - formerly a Sgt in Svc Co became Maintenance Officer;  Lts Roger Pratt, Nick Petrakis, and Charles Lamb became the Platoon Leaders.  Fortunately, we had three experienced platoon sergeants, and at least one veteran in each tank as we regrouped.

As the unit resumed the offensive, Germany was entered near Trier, the Rhine was crossed near Koblenz and in support of several larger units proceeded in a north-easterly direction, axis Geissen, Fulda, Bad Hersfeld, Eisenach, Gotha, Erfurt, Weimar, Jena, Zwickau, Chemnitz.  During this almost unopposed advance, Co D performed mainly scouting and liaison missions for the major units being supported by the 707 Tk Bn.  with the rapid advance, there was little time for taking prisoners or the capability to handle them, so we frequently disarmed them and sent them walking back to our rear area and following troops.  We did witness several labor and concentration camps - and the horror and stench of Buchenwald and other camps near Weimar made an unforgettable memory.

Lt Pratt's platoon, with the mission to seize one river crossing, made a wrong turn and barreled at full speed into a sizeable city on the river.  Realizing that he was in the wrong place, he made a quick right down a side street - which led in a half circle into a town center.  Suddenly, he was confronted with the rear end of a German Panzer.  Slamming on the brakes, he took the enemy tank under fire and, even with canister load in the gun, the German tank burst into flames.  Fortunately the Pz could not traverse his turret to the rear because of the narrow street that he had backed into to command the main road which the platoon had avoided.  Pratt and his following infantry backed out and raced back to resume his mission - leaving another unit to accept the surrender of the city.

Another evening as the company coiled for the night, tracer fire came from a nearby wooded hilltop.  Trigger-happy guard posted in outpost tanks returned the fire until Sgt Parish, driving Lt Anderson in a tank, went up the slope to check out the fire - which looked more like American.  As the top of the hill was reached, through the trees could be seen huge black shapes coming up the reverse slope!  Sure enough, Lt Anderson was able to identify the troops as belonging to a Self-propelled Artillery unit that was far from where it belonged.

Shortly, the unit reach the restraining line near the Czechoslovak border, and all forward movement stopped.  German troops wanting to surrender were refused and told to turn around and surrender to the Russians.  After a short time, the battalion was released from support of an Infantry Division and backtracked to Nurnberg.  Initially, we set up in the courthouse where a few months later the War crimes trials took place.

A short time later each company was assigned to a nearby billage to function as government until the civil government could be established.  Many months went by as attempts were made to complete records, establish combat losses, and attempt to find information on dead and missing.

In the early fall, most of the battalion moved to the "Cigarette Camps", ours being "Lucky Strike" near Le Havre.  After a millennium of playing Hearts, a Victory ship took us to Boston and Camp Miles Standish, where the battalion was disbanded.

• Seeker Battalion
• 707th Battalion
• Blackout Company *707th Battalion*

707th Seeker Battalion

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"Search and destroy."-707th Seeker Battalion motto

The 707th Seeker Battalion was a battalion-sized unit of fighting and support personnel that served the Grand Army of the Galactic Republic during the Clone Wars.

Created in the aftermath of the Battle of Geonosis, their mission objective was to find and eliminate a high ranking officer in the Separatist Alliance who escaped the previous battle. After arriving at his supposed location they realised that he was no longer there, but rather someplace else on the planet. After a long hunt for him, they finally found and slew him. Thus they earned their name: "Seeker". They have since participated in missions on various planets such as Geonosis and Christophsis, and also in space.

The 707th's secondary task was to provide support to other battalions while engaged in planetary warfare. Common tasks included flanking the enemy, delivering medical and standard supplies, and the usual backup responsibilities.

Another side to the 707th's coin was that several of their units were associated with military assassination, infiltration, and urban assault missions. These elite companies were hand-picked, chosen based on skill, experience, and character. They were responsible for Seeker Battalion's deadly reputation throughout the Grand Army.

"How are you holding up, 'Si'?" "Not so good... Why did we even attack that hellhole...?"" 

"Because the Seps were there." -CT-3590-2511 "Mercy" and CT-4548 "Silence". 

Unit Composition [ ]

Blackout Company

Dawn Company

Horizon Company

Turtle Company

Personnel Roster [ ]

Trooper CT-7045

Trooper CT-6969 "Goatee"

Trooper CT-2823 "Wire"

Trooper CT-5394 "Rook"

Trooper "Target"

Trooper "Warm"

Trooper "Sentry" [Medic]

Trooper CT-8790-34 "Crystal"

Trooper "Attic" [Heavy Weapons] [Blackout Company]

Trooper CT-6513-24 "Arc" [Engineer]

Trooper CT-4615 “Storm”

Trooper CT-1918 "Dice" [Blackout Company]

Specialist VT-#### "Valkyrie"

RC-4703 "Razor"

Alpha-28 "Crater" [Doomsday Squad]

Alpha-19 "Preach" [Doomsday Squad] [Medic]

Sergeant CT-2727 "Sky"

Sergeant VT-7543 "Fury"

Second Lieutenant CT-4548 "Silence"

Lieutenant CL-5195 "Ion" [Heavy Weapons] [Blackout Company]

Captain CT-3590-2511 "Mercy" [Medic]

Captain CT-9297 "Tango" [Heavy Weapons] [Horizon Company]

Major CT-1716 "Caesar"

Commander VC-2002 "Amish" [Blackout Company]

Commander CC-1337-2 "Random"

Senior General VG-4923 "Nyx" [Dawn Company]

The 707th Battalion is the only known battalion with the "seeker" designation, as there no other units of similar size within the Grand Army of the Republic that have made their career out of going to such extreme lengths to capture or eliminate enemy officers.

• 1 303rd Legion
• 2 77th Nighthawk Battalion
• 3 Coruscant Guard

Ranking - Full List

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The Ranking System [ ]

The entire legion follows a base ranking system that usually applies to all game outfits and, primarily, the discord server. Specific ranks also give permissions within media like FANDOM wikia admin or comment mod/manager on the Youtube channel.

General Legion Ranks [ ]

• Legion Major General

Staff Ranks [ ]

• Legion Commander
• Legion Second in Command
• Member Support

707 ECHO COMPANY, 707th LEGION DIVISION

• Articles incorporating text from Wikipedia
• 1980s establishments in South Korea
• Counter-terrorist organizations
• Military units and formations established in 1982
• Special forces of the Republic of Korea

707th Special Mission Group

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The 707th Special Mission Group (Hangul : 제707특수임무단, Hanja : 第707特殊任務大隊) is an elite counter-terrorism unit in the Republic of Korea Army Special Warfare Command .

• 1.1 1982 Korean Air Force transport crash
• 3 Weaponry and equipment
• 4 References
• 5 External links

History [ ]

The unit was formed after the Munich massacre , which forced the South Korean government to create a counter-terrorist unit in time for the 1988 Olympics that would be held in South Korea. [3] In 1984, B Squadron of Delta Force traveled to South Korea to conduct training with the 707th. [4] The 707th Group has about 200 men and women organized in two assault companies, one support company, and one all-female company that could be used as bodyguards or for low-visibility operations, all divided into fourteen-man operating teams, as well as support and demolition teams. [5] [6] [7]

The unit has also been called on by the South Korean government to prioritize potential counter-terrorist operations against any possible threats on South Korean soil. [8] The unit is South Korea's primary counter-terrorist and quick reaction force. The unit's soldiers – once distinguished by their black berets (before the standardization of the black beret for all active soldiers) – are tasked with conducting urban counter-terrorist missions, and constitute the Army's quick-reaction force for emergencies. [9] The unit's nickname is 'White Tiger.' [2]

The unit has a small number of female special forces operatives. They are used in counter-terrorism operations where the presence of a woman is not seen as a threat to a terrorist. [3]

In February 2019, the former 707th Special Mission Battalion was reorganized and renamed into the 707th Special Mission Group (제707특수임무단) with additional personnel and equipment to ensure higher readiness against various threats. [10] It is now commanded by a Colonel instead of a Lieutenant Colonel.

1982 Korean Air Force transport crash [ ]

On 5 February 1982, the unit suffered a devastating blow, when a Fairchild C-123J carrying 47 of its members, along with six Korean Air Force personnel, were killed in a crash while on approach to Jeju International Airport , Jeju , South Korea. [11] [12] [13] It was the deadliest peacetime accident the Korean armed forces experienced since the Korean War , with the exception of another Air Force C-123 that crashed into Mt. Choenggye on 1 June 1982, killing 53, including 49 paratroopers and four air force personnel. [14]

Training [ ]

The recruitment process usually involves conscripts from different branches of the Republic of Korea Armed Forces who apply and try out to become members of the elite force. Others are handpicked by their superiors across the different branches of the military and try out like their applicant counterparts. The selection process is very rigorous. First applicants will undergo a background check and then undergo a 10-day procedure in which 90% are eliminated.

All members of the 707th Group are SCUBA and parachute qualified. It is reported that members frequently perform daily calisthenics in the snow and sub-zero temperatures and will swim in freezing lakes without any thermal protection. [15]

Every year, the soldiers of 707th Special Mission Group train with foreign partners, including Australia’s Tactical assault group and Specialist Response Group , British SAS , Canadian JTF-2 , French GIGN , German GSG-9 , Hong Kong SDU , New Zealand SAS , Russian FSB and Alpha Group , Singaporean STAR and Delta Force , Green Berets and FBI HRT from the United States . The purpose of joint training is to gain experience and increase relationships and exchanges with international special forces communities in order to get to a whole new level. [16] [17]

The 707th Group also owns and operates a multi-complex counter-terrorism training site for the Republic of Korea Army Special Warfare Command and hosts multi-national counter-terrorist training. [18]

707th Special Mission Group snipers in United Arab Emirates.

Since 2011, the 707th Special Mission Group has maintained presence in the United Arab Emirates as part of the South Korean Special Operations Forces contingent, named 'Akh Unit,' deployed there to train local forces. [19]

Weaponry and equipment [ ]

• Accuracy International AW50F
• Accuracy International AWM
• B&T MP9
• Daewoo K-1A
• H&K MP5
• H&K MP7A1
• H&K HK417
• H&K MSG-90
• H&K USP 9mm
• IWI Jericho 941
• Kel-Tec KSG-12
• S&T Motiv K-14
• Steyr SSG 69

References [ ]

• ↑ Illustrated Directory of Special Forces , p. 70, at Google Books
• ↑ 2.0 2.1 Republic of Korea. Retrieved on November 1, 2007.
• ↑ 3.0 3.1 Special Operations and Counterterrorist Forces. Archived 2005-12-04 at the Wayback Machine . Retrieved on November 1, 2007.
• ↑ https://thenewsrep.com/79009/special-forces-detachment-korea-south-korean-counter-terrorism-and-the-all-female-ct-company-part-14/
• ↑ "Article about 707th SMG" . November 9, 2014 . https://northatlanticblog.wordpress.com/2014/11/09/the-707th-special-missions-battalion/ .  
• ↑ Bonds, Ray; Miller, David (13 February 2003). "Illustrated Directory of Special Forces" . Voyageur Press . https://books.google.com/books?id=FMgpdulJsGgC&pg=PA70&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q&f=false .  
• ↑ "Special Forces Detachment Korea: South Korean Counter-Terrorism and the all-female CT company (Part 14) - SOFREP" . 5 May 2017 . https://sofrep.com/79009/special-forces-detachment-korea-south-korean-counter-terrorism-and-the-all-female-ct-company-part-14/ .  
• ↑ Korean Forces Strengthen Counter-Terrorism Posture After al-Qaida Warning. Archived 2008-10-07 at the Wayback Machine . Retrieved on November 1, 2007.
• ↑ 707th. Retrieved on May 25, 2011.
• ↑ Article in Asia Today , Retrieved on June 4, 2019.
• ↑ "53 special troops killed in operation" . jejusori.net . http://www.jejusori.net/?mod=news&act=articleView&idxno=110497 . Retrieved 22 January 2018 .  
• ↑ "53 South Korean soldiers killed in transport crash" . https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=6echAAAAIBAJ&sjid=IGgEAAAAIBAJ&dq=korea%20plane&pg=2363%2C2791805 . Retrieved 22 January 2018 .  
• ↑ "Around the world military air crash kills 53 in South Korea" . nytimes.com . https://www.nytimes.com/1982/02/07/world/around-the-world-military-air-crash-kills-53-in-south-korea.html . Retrieved 22 January 2018 .  
• ↑ "Accident description" . aviation-safety.net . http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19820601-1 . Retrieved 22 January 2018 .  
• ↑ 707th South Korea. Retrieved on May 25, 2011.
• ↑ 707th Special Missions Battalion. Retrieved on November 1, 2007.
• ↑ Reports Discuss Korea's 707th Special Mission Unit. Archived 2004-10-22 at the Wayback Machine . Retrieved on November 1, 2007.
• ↑ Republic of Korea. Retrieved on May 25, 2011.
• ↑ Article in Chosun Ilbo

External links [ ]

• Specialoperations.com report

• Special Operation

707th Special Mission Battalion: South Korea’s Shield Against Terrorism

The 707th Special Missions Battalion, a unit of South Korea’s Army Special Warfare Command ( ROKA SOCOM ), is renowned globally as a team of skilled and proficient operatives. Their reputation for excellence is well-established.

Introduction

The 707th Special Missions Battalion is the primary counter-terrorism unit and rapid response force of South Korea. The unit’s operators, distinguished by their black berets, are responsible for executing various missions, including urban counter-terrorism operations. Additionally, they serve as the South Korean Army’s rapid response force in emergencies. Comprised of several primary counter-teams supported by demolition and support teams, their headquarters are in Songham, southeast of Seoul.

The 707th Special Missions Battalion was formed in response to the Munich massacre. The South Korean government recognized the need for a counter-terrorist unit in preparation for the 1988 Olympics to be held in South Korea. In 1984, the B Squadron of Delta Force traveled to South Korea to conduct training with the 707th.

Before its reorganization, the 707th Battalion had approximately 200 members organized into various teams, including a Counter-Terrorism Team, Maritime-Operations Team, Air-Assault Team, Sniper Team, Intelligence Company, and All-female Company. The all-female company could be utilized for bodyguard duties or low-visibility operations, with all teams divided into fourteen-man operating teams and support and demolition teams.

The South Korean government has also called on the unit to prioritize potential counter-terrorist operations against any possible threats on South Korean soil. The unit is South Korea’s primary counter-terrorist and quick-reaction force. Once distinguished by their black berets (before the standardization of the black beret for all active soldiers), the unit’s soldiers are tasked with conducting urban counter-terrorist missions and constitute the Army’s quick-reaction force for emergencies. The unit’s nickname is ‘White Tiger.’

In February 2019, the former 707th Special Mission Battalion underwent reformation and was renamed the 707th Special Mission Group, with additional personnel and equipment to ensure higher readiness and operational capabilities.

1982 Korean Air Force transport crash

On February 5th, 1982, the unit experienced a tragic loss when a Fairchild C-123J aircraft carrying 47 members and six Korean Air Force personnel met with a fatal accident while approaching Jeju International Airport in Jeju, South Korea. This was the deadliest non-war related accident the Korean armed forces had seen since the Korean War, except another Air Force C-123 that crashed into Mt. Choenggye on June 1st, 1982, resulting in the deaths of 53 individuals, including 49 commandos and four air force personnel.

Training and selection

The 707th Special Mission Battalion recruitment process typically involves individuals from various Republic of Korea Armed Forces branches who apply and compete to become members of the elite unit. Additionally, some candidates are personally selected by superiors across different military branches and go through the same application process as their counterparts. The selection process is highly rigorous, beginning with a background check and culminating in a 10-day evaluation during which 90% of applicants are eliminated.

Upon being chosen to join the unit, candidates undergo a year-long basic training program, which includes six months of basic infantry combat skills and another six months of specialized warfare training. All members of the 707th Special Mission Battalion are SCUBA and parachute qualified. There are reports of their daily routines, including performing calisthenics in the snow and sub-zero temperatures. The Army has also released a video of 707th members swimming in freezing lakes without thermal protection.

There are also rumors that the 707th Special Mission Battalion has a group of female operators who are combat qualified and can be deployed in situations where a woman would not be suspected of posing a risk, such as during an airline hijacking.

The 707th Group also owns and operates a multi-complex counter-terrorism training site for the Republic of Korea Army Special Warfare Command and hosts multi-national counter-terrorism training. Since 2011, the 707th Special Mission Group has been present in the United Arab Emirates as part of the South Korean Special Operations Forces contingent, named ‘Akh Unit,’ deployed to train local forces.

For years, members of the 707th Special Mission Battalion have shaped themselves through joint training with foreign special forces partners, including the US Army’s Delta Force , British Special Air Service , Russian FSB, Alpha Group , French GIGN , FBI HRT , Hong Kong SDU, and Singapore Police Force STAR. This joint training aims to gain experience, increase relationships and exchanges with international special forces communities, and reach a new level of proficiency.

The 707th Special Mission Battalion is outfitted with a diverse array of weapons and equipment, both foreign and domestically-produced. The unit employs the Colt .45, the Daewoo 9mm, and Berretta M9 9mm handguns among their secondary weapons. Their primary weapon of choice for assaults is the HK MP5 submachine gun .

They also utilize the Daewoo K1 and K2 assault rifles , often modified for specialized operations with the addition of forward pistol grips and night vision devices. For machine gun support, the unit employs modified M60E3s and Daewoo K3 Beltfeds. The unit uses the Benelli Super-90 shotgun with pistol grips to protect the rearguard. The unit’s snipers are equipped with the HK PSG1 and M-24 7.62mm rifles, while larger caliber needs are met with the M-40 .50 and RAI .50 caliber weapons.

The 707th Special Mission Battalion has a long history of providing security for significant public events and high-profile individuals. They were responsible for securing the 1986 Asian Games and the 1988 Olympics, where their primary mission was to protect attendees from potential terrorist attacks. In addition to securing major events, the unit is tasked with urban counter-terrorism operations. Furthermore, the 707th Special Mission Battalion serves as a rapid-response force for various emergencies and special warfare requirements during the war.

Oldest SOF operator in the world

Warrant Officer Joo Ho Han (1957-2010) was a highly respected member of the South Korean UDT/SEALs and the oldest active-duty special operations operator in the world . He was renowned for his exceptional physical fitness, even in his later years. As a key pioneer for the UDT/SEALs, he served the unit from its early establishment and was a true exemplar of a “superfit operator.” Sadly, his unwavering dedication and commitment resulted in his tragic death in 2010, at the age of 53, during a mission.

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707th Legion

707th Strike Legion - Command

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707th Strike Legion (Troopers)

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* RC-99327 'Fierfek'

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* RC-99330 'Tri-Zed'

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Moscow-City: 7 surprising facts about the Russian capital’s business center

1. Guinness World Record in highlining

The record was set in 2019 by a team of seven athletes from Russia, Germany, France and Canada. They did it on September 8, on which the ‘Moscow-City Day’ is celebrated. The cord was stretched at the height of 350 m between the ‘OKO’ (“Eye”) and ‘Neva Towers’ skyscrapers. The distance between them is 245 m. The first of the athletes to cross was Friede Kuhne from Germany. The athletes didn't just walk, but also performed some daredevil tricks. Their record is 103 meters higher than the previous one set in Mexico City in December 2016.

2. Domination of Europe's top-10 highest skyscrapers

7 out of 10 Europe’s highest skyscrapers are located in Moscow-City. Earlier, the  ‘Federation Tower’ complex’s ‘Vostok’ (“East”) skyscraper was the considered the tallest in Europe.

Left to right: the lower of the ‘Neva Towers’ (296 m), Commerzbank Tower in Frankfurt (300 m), Gorod Stolits (“City of Capitals”) Moscow tower (302 m), Eurasia tower (309 m), The Shard’ skyscraper in London (310 m), Mercury City Tower (339 m), Neva Towers (345 m).

However, in 2018, the construction of the 462 meter tall ‘Lakhta Center’ in Saint-Petersburg was completed, pushing ‘Vostok’ (374 m) into 2nd place. The 3rd place is taken by OKO’s southern tower (354 m).

3. The unrealized ‘Rossiya’ tower

If all the building plans of Moscow-City were realized, the ‘Lakhta Center’ in St. Petersburg wouldn't have a chance to be Europe's highest skyscraper. Boris Tkhor, the architect who designed the concept of Moscow-City, had planned for the ‘Rossiya’ tower to be the tallest. In his project, it was a 600 meter tall golden cylindrical skyscraper ending with a spire that was inspired by traditional Russian bell towers. Then, the project was reinvented by famous British architect Sir Norman Foster. He had designed ‘Rossiya’ as a pyramid ending with a spire. The skyscraper itself would have been 612 meters tall, and the height including the spire would have reached 744,5 meters (for comparison, the ‘Burj Khalifa’ in Dubai, UAE, would have been just 83,5 meters taller). Unfortunately, the investors faced a lot of economic problems, due to the 2008 financial crisis, so the ‘Rossiya’ skyscraper was never built. A shopping mall and the ‘Neva Towers’ complex was constructed at its place in 2019.

4. Changed appearance of ‘Federation Tower’

In its first project, the ‘Federation Tower’ was designed to resemble a ship with a mast and two sails. The mast was to be represented by a tall glass spire with passages between the towers. It was planned to make a high-speed lift in it. The top of the spire was going to be turned into an observation deck. But the ship lost its mast in the middle of its construction. Experts at the Moscow-city Museum based in the ‘Imperia’ (“Empire”) tower say, that the construction of the spire was stopped, firstly, due to fire safety reasons and secondly, because it posed a threat to helicopter flights – the flickering glass of the spire could potentially blind the pilots. So, the half-built construction was disassembled. However, an observation deck was opened in the ‘Vostok’ tower.

5. Open windows of ‘Federation Tower’

We all know that the windows of the upper floors in different buildings don’t usually open. Experts say that it’s not actually for people’s safety. Falling from a big height is likely to be fatal in any building. The actual reason is the ventilation system. In a skyscraper, it’s managed with a mechanical system, and the building has its own climate. But in the ‘Zapad’ (“West”) tower of the ‘Federation Tower’ complex, the windows can open. The 62nd and last floor of the tower are taken up by a restaurant called ‘Sixty’. There, the windows are equipped with a special hydraulic system. They open for a short period of time accompanied by classical music, so the guests can take breathtaking photos of Moscow.

6. Broken glass units of ‘Federation Tower’

The guests of the ‘Sixty’ restaurant at the top of the ‘Zapad’ tower can be surprised to see cracked glass window panes. It is particularly strange, if we take into consideration the special type of this glass. It is extremely solid and can’t be broken once installed. For example, during experiments people threw all sorts of heavy items at the windows, but the glass wouldn’t break. The broken glass units of ‘Zapad’ were already damaged during shipment . As each of them is curved in its own way to make the tower’s curvature smooth, making a new set of window panes and bringing them to Russia was deemed too expensive . Moreover, the investors had financial problems (again, due to the 2008 financial crisis), so the ‘Vostok’ tower even stood unfinished for several years. Eventually, the cracked window panes were installed in their place.

7. The highest restaurant in Europe

‘Birds’, another restaurant in Moscow-City, is remarkable for its location. It was opened at the end of 2019 on the 84th floor of the ‘OKO’ complex’s southern tower. Guests at the restaurant can enjoy an amazing panoramic view at a height of 336 meters. On January 28, the experts of ‘Kniga Recordov Rossii’ (“Russian Records Book”) declared ‘Birds’ the highest restaurant in Europe, a step toward an application for a Guinness World Record.

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