Parachute Regiment (India)

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The Parachute Regiment is the main airborne formation of the Indian Army.

Indian Paratroop History

The first Indian airborne formation was the 50 Independent Parachute Brigade raised in October 1941 with 151 British, 152 Indian, and 153 Gurkha Parachute Battalions and other support units. The formation expanded to form the 2nd Indian Airborne Division which was later redesignated as the 44th Indian Airborne Division. At the onset of Independence in 1947, the airborne division was divided between the Indian Army and the army of the newly formed Pakistan, with Indian retaining two of the parachute bridages and the remaining going to Pakistan. The 77th Indian Parachute Brigade was disbanded and the 50th Bde, made up of batallions each from the 2nd Punjab Regiment, Marathra Light Infantry and Kumaon Regiment. The three battalions saw extensive action in the war in Kashmir and won a battle honour each in their respective sectors. The brigade commander, Brig. Mohd. Usman, was killed in action. In 1952, these battalions were rebadged as the new Parachute Regiment.

The regiment's first airborne action was towards the end of the Second World War, when it was parachuted into Burma. However, post independence, the regiment's first airborne action was during the Bangladesh Liberation War, 1971 Indo-Pak War, when the 2nd Battalion became the first Indian unit into Dhaka. But it would be interesting to note that 60th Parachute Field Ambulance, which was part of the 50th Parachute Brigade, participated in Operation Tomahawk on March 22, 1951 in Korea in aid of the 187th Airborne Regimental Combat Team, the action which won them two Mahavir Chakras, 7 Vir Chakras, and 25 Mention-in-Despatches apart from the Presidents Trophy for the unit (the only one presented so far) by Dr. Rajendra Prasad, Unit citations from the UN Commander, the chief of the Republic of Korea Army, the US and the British Armies, and also a special mention in the British House of Commons.

After the Chinese debacle of 1962 when the need to have a larger army was felt, the Parachute Regiment too had its share of expansion, with the 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th battalions being raised in a span of two years and the rasing of a second parachute brigade, the 51th Parachute Brigade. In the 1965 war, a small band of volunteers under a Guards officer, Lt Col Megh Singh, performed feats which necessiated it to be formed into a special operations unit. Originally to be part of the Brigade of the Guards, but because parachute qualification being an essential part of commando training, the unit was transferred to the Parachute Regiment and raised as the 9th Battalion (Commando), The Parachute Regiment on July 1, 1966. On July 1, 1967, the battalion was split into two halves and both brought up to strength as the 9th and the 10th Para Cdo Battalions. In 1978, 1st Para Bn, was designated as the third commando battalion.

Strength

The regiment has a total of ten battalions; of these, five are standard parachute infantry battalions, while the four are commando trained battalions. Formerly designated as "commando" units, they are now designated as special forces:

1st Battalion (Special Forces) - ex 1st Battalion, Punjab Regiment
2nd Battalion (Special Forces) - ex 3rd Battalion, Maratha Light Infantry
3rd Battalion - ex 1st Battalion, Kumaon Regiment
4th Battalion
5th Battalion
6th Battalion
7th Battalion
9th Battalion (Special Forces)
10th Battalion (Special Forces)
21st Battalion (Special Forces) - ex 21st Battalion, Maratha Light Infantry

Three of the Special Forces battalions were originally trained for use in certain environments; 1st bn-[strategic/reserve], 9th Bn-[mountain] and 10th Bn-[desert] and the 21st bn-[jungle]. Currently all Special Forces battalions are cross trained for all environments.

The missing 8th Battalion became 16th Battalion, Mahar Regiment in 1976 before transferring as the 12th Battalion, Mechanised Infantry Regiment.

Regimental Details

Regimental Centre: Bangalore with the training establishment at Agra. Recruit training is imparted at Bangalore whereas Para training is imparted at Agra.
Regimental Insignia: An open parachute with wings spread out and a dagger placed upright, between the wings. The other badge, called the Balidan (Sacrifice) shown on the right, is worn on the right chest and is the commando qualification badge and used by the four Parachute (Special Forces) Battalions.
Motto: Shatrujeet (The Conqueror).

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