The Parachute Regiment is the AirborneInfantry element of the British Army. It is considered an elite unit by virtue of its stringent selection process and rigourous training programme.
The Parachute Regiment is currently organised into three regular and one Reserve battalions, and a Pathfinder Platoon:
1st Battalion, The Parachute Regiment (1 PARA) (Now part of SFSG)
2nd Battalion, The Parachute Regiment (2 PARA)
3rd Battalion, The Parachute Regiment (3 PARA)
4th Battalion, The Parachute Regiment (4 PARA) (the reserve Battalion)
Pathfinder platoon
In December 2004, it was announced that 1 PARA would form the core of a new formation, to be known as the Joint Special Forces Support Group, to act as a support formation for the Special Air Service. The Parachute Regiment sends more soldiers for SAS selection, than any other regiment. The regiment provides over 60% of serving soldiers to the elite Special Air Service regiment. With the amalgamations of remaining single battalion regiments, the Parachute Regiment, formed in 1942, will become the oldest un-amalgamated line infantry regiment in the British Army – only the five foot guards regiments will be older.
At the end of 2005 the 4th Battalion dropped the word 'Volunteer' from its unit title, although it still forms part of the Territorial Army.
Formation
The Parachute Regiment has its origins in the elite force of Commandos set up by the British Army at the request of Winston Churchill.
Britain's first airborne assault took place on February 10, 1941, when, what was then known as 11th Special Air Service (some 40 men of 500 trained in No. 2 Commando), introduced themselves to the enemy by jumping into Italy and blowing up an aqueduct in a daring raid named Operation Colossus.
After the Battle of Crete, it was agreed that Britain would need far more paratroopers for similar operations. No 2 Commando were tasked with specialising in airborne assault and became the nucleus of the Parachute regiment.
Notable operations
The Parachute Regiment's display team, the Red Devils at an American airshow
Operation Biting - France
A Würzburg radar on the coast of France was attacked by British Paratroopers in Operation Biting on February 27, 1942. The electronics of the system were brought back to Britain for examination so that counter measures could be devised.
Operation Husky - Sicily
As part of the Operation Husky four airborne operations were carried out, landing during the night of the 9/10 July; two were British and two American. The strong winds blew the dropping aircraft off course and scattered them widely. British glider-landed troops fared badly; only 12 out of 144 gliders landing on target, many landing in the sea. Nevertheless the scattered airborne troops maximised their opportunities, attacking patrols and creating confusion wherever possible.
It was during operations in North Africa that the maroon beret was first seen by German troops. Within months they had christened them Rote Teufel - Red Devils. However, this nickname was not a reference to the colour of their headgear but in fact due to the red mud that the soldiers were covered in after heavy rain.
There were many separate airborne operations during Operation Overlord on D-Day (June 6 1944) but broadly the task of the airborne forces was to secure the flanks of the landing beaches in Normandy. The British secured the Eastern flank in Operation Tonga. There were other operations designed to take the specific hardened targets notably the guns of the Merville gun battery. Buried under 12ft-thick concrete, the four 105 mm guns, just miles from the beaches of Sword, Juno and Gold, had the capability to engage warships out at sea and sink landing craft heading for the beaches. The task of putting them out of action fell to the 9th Parachute Brigade which they succeeded in doing for 36 hours by killing all but a handful of the gunners.
Operation Dragoon - Southern France
On August 15, 1944, parachute units, which included the 4th, 5th and 6th Para battalions and lst Independent Pathfinder Platoon, dropped into Southern France between Frejus and Cannes as part of Operation Dragoon. Their objective was to capture the area, destroy all enemy positions and hold the ground until the US Seventh Army came ashore. Once they had captured their initial targets, they were reinforced by three thousand soldiers and critical equipment carried in over three hundred gliders in an operation code named Dove. The drop was almost unopposed and within days the British parachute group was withdrawn by sea to Italy in readiness for future operations.
Operation Market-Garden - the Netherlands
Perhaps the most famous airborne operation of history is Operation Market Garden of September 1944, in which 35,000 troops of the First Allied Airborne Army were dropped 100 miles behind the German front lines in an attempt to create a path across the Netherlands including the bridge over the Rhine at Arnhem. Three complete airborne divisions, the British 1st Airborne Division, and the US 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions, and the Polish 1st Independent Parachute Brigade from the Army were used. The units were dropped at various points along Highway 69 in order to create a "carpet" over which the British XXX Corps could rapidly advance. German opposition was some three times that expected, including two under-strength but very experienced panzer divisions. Although the operation had partial success in the end the British 1st Airborne division was all but destroyed and the bridge at Arnhem remained in German hands.
An interesting story arises from this episode - upon finally surrendering in the ruins of Arnhem, with no ammunition and virtually starved, a German officer reputedly said, to a British officer.. 'I fought at Stalingrad on the eastern front but I have never seen troops as good as you at cityfighting - where did you learn this?', to which the officer replied 'well it was our first time - but we'll try do better next time!'
Operation Varsity - Rhineland (Germany)
Operation Varsity - The Rhine Crossing was the biggest and most successful airborne operation in history and it marked the beginning of the end for Germany.
In total, six parachute battalions, including the Canadians, of the 6th Airborne division, supported by glider troops from the Air Landing Brigade, dropped on March 24, 1945, as a complete force, avoiding the mistakes of Arnhem.
Together with the US 17th Airborne Division, the aim of the operation was to secure and deepen the bridgehead cast of the Rhine and then advance across country to the Baltic coast, a journey of 350 miles. Their initial objectives were the high ground overlooking the crossing, point at Diersfordter Wald and the road and rail bridges over the River Issel at Hamminkeln
1946 – 1966
After the Second World War regular airborne forces were reduced to the 16th Independent Parachute Brigade Group while in the Territorial Army there was the 16th Airborne Division (TA), which was reduced to the 44th Independent Parachute Brigade Group (TA) in 1956.
In 1954, at the request of the Director of Operations in Malaya, an Independent Parachute Squadron was raised from volunteers from the Parachute Regiment to assist 22 SAS by providing a fourth sabre squadron for operations in Malaya against the Communist terrorists. Some 80 officers and men were selected to form The Independent Parachute Squadron and served in Malaya on operations with 22 SAS until disbanded in May 1957 on return to the UK.
In the Suez Crisis, Operation Musketeer needed the element of total surprise to succeed, and all 660 men had to be on the ground at El Gamil airfield and ready for action within four and a half minutes. At 04.15 hours on November 5, 1956, 3 Para jumped in and although opposition was heavy, casualties were few.
In 1964 2 Para had been sent to Singapore for jungle warfare training, after Indonesia threatened to invade the Malaysian state of Borneo. The remainder of the unit followed in March 1965, and moved direct to the Indonesian border. A month later one of the biggest battles of the war took place, when an Indonesian battalion attacked B Company of 2 Para.
More than 50 Indonesians were killed, and the Paras lost two men with seven injured. This short, but intense Far East deployment, ended in July, the Battalion having been awarded eight decorations including two Military Medals
1966 – 1996
Throughout "The Troubles" in Northern Ireland, the regiment's battalions undertook many tours of duty. In 1972, while assisting the Royal Ulster Constabulary in preventing a civil rights march from taking place, 28 civilians were shot of whom 14 died [link] ) in Derry , an event which became known as Bloody Sunday. Allegations of IRA gunfire towards the Paras have gained no acceptance; none of the dead or injured were found to have either firearms or bombs.
After the Falklands War began in April 1982, 2 and 3 PARA were used to bring 3 Commando Brigade up to war-strength . The regiment played a prominent part in the conflict, two of its soldiers being awarded the Victoria Cross. The two recipients were Lieutenant-Colonel H. Jones and Sergeant Ian McKay.
[Palace Barracks Memorial Garden] Further information:[link]
Due to defence cuts after the end of the Cold War (Options for Change), the 15th (Scottish) Battalion was reduced to a company, transferring to the 4th Battalion.
The 1st Battalion, augmented by C Company of 3 PARA, took part in the Kosovo War in 1999(Operation Joint Guardian); tasks given to the Battalion group during the invasion included a heliborne assault to secure the Kacanik pass and its strategic bridges. This was the only road between the Macedonian border and Pristina and its use was key to the followup armoured units.
After the civil war in Sierra Leone deteriorated further, 1 PARA landed at the country's capital, Freetown, on 7 May2000 to evacuate foreign nationals. The battalion was the lead element of a large naval task group, centred around HMS ''Ocean, that was heading for Sierra Leone as part of Operation Palliser. After the evacuation was completed, 1 PARA was tasked with retaining control of Freetown airport to ensure that UN supplies could be brought into the country, while also patrolling in the capital city. The rebel leader, Foday Sankoh, had been captured by government forces on 17 May. Operation Palliser ended on 15 June.
After 11 soldiers of the 1st Royal Irish Regiment (RIR) and a Sierra Leonean soldier were taken hostage by a rebel faction known as the West Side Boys ( West Side Boys was the name favoured by western media, although in actuality, West Side Niggaz was the correct name) on 25 August, "A" Company of 1 PARA was deployed to Dakar, Senegal on 5 September, then onto Freetown. Five RIR soldiers had been released on 30 August but after the rebels carried out mock executions, "A Company and the Special Air Service, supported by two Army Air Corps helicopters, launched a rescue attempt (Operation Barras) on 10 September, successfully releasing the soldiers and capturing many rebels, including their leader, Foday Kallay.
The 1st and 3rd Battalions together with the Pathfinder Platoon took part in Operation Telic, Britain's contribution to the 2003 invasion of Iraq that began on 20 March. The two battalions were part of 16 Air Assault Brigade. In addition to this, 120 soldiers of the Territorial Army 4 PARA were used to augment the regulars.
The regiment was actively involved in operations leading up to the capture of Iraq's second largest city, Basra. After 7 Armoured Brigade pushed into the city on 6 April, 3 PARA cleared the 'old quarter' that was inaccessible to vehicles.
The war officially ended on 1 May. 1 and 3 PARA remained in Iraq, operating in the British area in the south of the country. The Parachute Regiment was based in Maysan Province, mostly quiet though they did have sporadic encounters with Iraqi guerillas. A patrol of six Royal Military Policemen attached to 1 PARA were surrounded and killed on 24 June by an Iraqi mob in Majar Al-Kabir. A patrol of 1 PARA was also in the same city when it was ambushed by Iraqi guerillas, coming under very heavy attack that wounded a Para. Scmitar light tanks and a Chinook helicopter came to their assistance; the helicopter came under heavy attack, seven passengers inside being wounded.
Sergeant Gordon Robertson, who was part of the patrol, was awarded the Conspicuous Gallantry Cross -- the second highest award for bravery in the face of the enemy after the Victoria Cross -- as part of the awards list in October. It was the first CGC to be awarded to the Parachute Regiment.
1 and 3 PARA left Iraq along with the rest of 16 Air Assault Brigade in June.
Roulemont tours to Iraq continued for all Battalions of the Regiment as part of Operation Telic; 2 PARA deployed in November 2003 on a 6-month tour-of-duty as part of 20 Armoured Brigade, and once again in November 2005 as part of 7 Armoured Brigade. Meanwhile 3 PARA sent two Companies to support 12 Mechanised Brigade on Op Telic 6 in 2004. As well as individual reinforcements to all battalions Casino Company of 4 PARA deployed to Iraq in October 2005 for 6 months as part of the Divisional Rear Operations Battle Group (1 Royal Irish, later replaced by 1 Royal Scots in Jan 06).
The Regiment has lost three soldiers in Iraq; Private Andrew Kelly of 3 PARA and Captain Richard Holmes and Private Lee Ellis of 2 PARA.
In January 2006 16 Air Assault Brigade were tasked to provide a single Airborne Infantry Battle Group (3 PARA) for operations in Afghanistan as part of Operation Herrick. The Force deployed to Helmand Province in the south of the country in June 2006. Almost immediately 3 PARA were involved in Operation Mountain Thrust, a U.S.-led campaign to flush Taliban guerrillas out of the hills, billed as the biggest Western offensive in Afghanistan since 2002.
Battle honours
The Second World War: Bruneval, Normandy Landing, Merville Battery, Bréville, Dives Crossing, La Toucques Crossing, Arnhem 1944, Ourthe, Rhine, Southern France, North-West Europe 1942 ?44-45, Soudia, Oudna, Djebel Azzag 1943, Djebel Alliliga, El Hadjeba, Tamera, Djebel Dahra, Kef el Debna, North Africa 1942-43, Primosole Bridge, Sicily 1943, Taranto, Orsogna, Italy 1943-44, Athens, Greece 1944-45
