Utrinque Paratus – The Story of the Parachute Regiment
Flying Pig
The Parachute Regiment is the finest unit in the British Army that members can admit to being in. It has a long and glorious history, but it is very difficult to find much information on this from books or the internet, so this article is meant to tell people about its history and to put some modern history into the World History section. Any bias or unclear military language in the article is un-intentional, feel free to correct it.
Formation and the Africa Campaign
When the Parachute Regiment was founded, airborne warfare was not a new idea. The idea of troops jumping out of aircraft had first been proposed by Benjamin Franklin; and the German invasion of Crete had shown the world that parachute invasions could work. Britain now needed a force of these new soldiers to keep constant with the changes in war.
On 15 September 1941 the British Army responded to Prime Minister Churchill’s request for a corps of 5000 properly trained and equipped parachute soldiers, Ringway Airport near Manchester was chosen for a new Parachute Training School, and the 11 Special Air Service regiment which had evolved from No.2 Commando became the three battalions of the regiment; 1, 2 and 3 PARA. They made jumps at Tatton Park, for a salary of 2s per day. The new regiment was commanded by Sir John Dill.
They saw action as part of the new 1st Parachute Brigade under the overall command of Brigadier Richard Gale, with regimental command delegated to Lt. Colonel John Dill. They saw much action during the war; C Company of 2 PARA carried out the second British parachute raid of the war in February 1942 at a radar station at the channel port of Bruneval (Operation Biting); the first battle honour of the new regiment.
The Brigade was sent in to the North African theatre of war in November 1942, and on the twelfth of that month 3 PARA made the first battalion-level parachute landing in British history at Borne Airfield, Tunisia; while the first battalion dropped in to secure an important road junction at Beja; then proceeded to operate as Line Infantry for the remainder of the war. 2 PARA was dropped at Depienne on the 29th to take Oudna, nine miles from the city of Tunis. They held the objective for a while, but German forces prevented their link-up with the 1st Army. Under fire from armoured and aerial units they made a fighting withdrawal to the Allied lines losing over 250 men (Oudna was added as a battle honour). For the next five months they too served as Line Infantry. In January 1943 10 PARA was formed for a brief service until 1945, when they were disbanded, to later re-appear as a TA battalion until 1999, when they were amalgamated into 4 PARA, the new TA Battalion. It was during the Africa campaign that they earned the nickname the ‘Red Devils’, from the mud which covered them during battle.
The Invasion of Italy
On 13 July 1943 1, 2 and 3 PARA attacked Primsole Bridge in Sicily, where they were dropped with 1st Parachute Brigade on the Catalonia Plain. They fought a heroic battle for the bridge until the arrival of the 8th Army. One in two men from 3 PARA died in that action, but the heroism of the men enabled the army to make their way through Sicily and into Italy.
They landed with 1st Airborne Division at Taranto on the heel of Italy as part of Operation Slapstick to take the port and a few nearby airfields, before linking with the 8th Army which had come through the Straits of Messina, and pressing north into Italy; up to Foggia (where they joined with the US 5th Army) and Barletta facing little resistance before they were brought back to the UK along with the rest of the division. 10 PARA, under the 4th Parachute Brigade, saw a brief action before returning home. Their actions in Italy facilitated the collapse of the Italian state and paved the way for a greater amphibious attack into France.
D-Day and Battle for France
Many infantry battalions joined the Regiment for the campaign to liberate France; raising the strength of the regiment to ten battalions: these were used to secure the eastern flank of the beaches in Operation Tonga. The reason for this was to form the 6th Airborne Division, which was actually the second, which was used heavily during the battle for France.
On the evening of 5th June, the 6th parachuted 7000 men into Normandy along with their allies in the American 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions; with path finding support from the 22nd Independent Parachute Company. Thanks to the winds and heavy German anti-air fire, only about one in three men were able to unite with the rest for the initial duties; but 7 PARA took the Orne River and Canal Bridges (the famous Pegasus Bridge). 9 PARA had only one quarter of their full complement of 600; but they still attacked and heroically took the Merville Battery despite 50% casualties; and the bridges of the Dives were also taken out. The scattered units of the division proceeded to secure the 24 square miles that were their charge, tying up valuable German soldiers who would have been fighting the landing forces on the beaches.
7 PARA’s small force was relived by sea-borne troops from D-Day and infantry from the 6th Air-Land brigade came in, providing welcome re-enforcement to the men of the Airborne Divisions. Four days after this action, the Germans made an attack with infantry and tanks on the sector to take the beaches at Breville, which the units fought off after a ferocious two-day action; saving the gains of D-Day. Through June and July the division kept fighting to hold the eastern flank if the armies, and finally in August the 6th participated in the Allied advance to the Seine.
On the 15th of August, 4, 5 and 6 PARA dropped in between Frejus and Cannes to secure the landing site for the US 7th Army. The drop was a huge success, going almost un-opposed, and the army came ashore to fight in France. On the 27th August the Division pulled out, having saved the invasion despite huge losses.
Operation Market Garden
Operation Market Garden is perhaps the most famous action of the Regiment during the war. The 1st Airborne Division dropped with the 1st Allied Airborne Corps which contained the 101st and 82nd Airborne Divisions from the USA which had participated in the France landings. The objective was simple – go in, take the river crossings between Eindhoven and Arnhen, and provide a safe zone for the ground forces, with XXX Corps at their head, to enter the Ruhr Valley and win the war.
The task of the Division (which now contained 1, 2, 3, 10, 11 and the deceptively-numbered 156 PARA) was to take the road bridge over the Neder Rijn; however there were not enough aircraft to land the whole division in one go, and so the Air-Landing brigade was needed to protect the second lift, so just the three battalions of the 1st Parachute Brigade to take the bridge.
Unfortunately for the operation, the German II SS Panzer Corps was re-fitting in the region and so provided determined and capable resistance to the lightly-equipped paratroopers. Only 2 PARA reached the bridge, but they managed to secure the northern end regardless. In spite of the massive German resistance, the units there (2 PARA, a Royal Engineers squadron and a Recon company) held heroically on for three days and four nights: the initial objective had been 48 hours.
At the same time, the rest of the Division which had lost many troops trying to reach the bridge got compressed into a small space across the river at Oosterbeek. They held on, despite huge attacks on their position, for nine days until they were commanded to pull out, across the river, by night on the 25th September. Of the 10,000 who landed, less than a third made it over the river – the ground forces had failed in their mission, and so the attempt to win the war in 1944 failed. Arnhem is a Battle Honour on the Regimental Colours.
The End of the War
The allies were determined to learn lessons from Arnhem and so in March 1945 the six battalions of the 6th Airborne Division with support from gilder troops from the Air Landing Brigade landed in the Rhineland to take the high ground of Diersfort Wood; which would have given the enemy a vantage point on the advance of the British 21st Army. They landed right in the firestorm of enemy fire suffering some casualties as a result, and in 51/2 hours they had taken the objective; the ground forces succeeded in their mission, and the 21st Army was safe. The Division then marched 300 miles through Germany, to Wismar where they lined up with the Russians coming from the east.
The 1st Airborne Division oversaw surrender in Norway and of the Japanese in India, Following the end of the war the regiment reduced from 21 British and Indian battalions to three regular and three TA battalions.
The last action of the division was in Palestine; it came under attack from terrorist Zionists before the foundation of Israel; then the area was partitioned, the men withdrawn and the division disbanded.
Malaya
This period saw a big change to the regiment; from 1953 it was possible to join up directly on completion of the gruelling selection process known as P [Pegasus] Company, where before a man joining had to already be a soldier.
The deployment to Malaya came about after 22 Special Air Service (the British Army’s best Special Forces unit) requested, in 1954, a replacement Sabre squadron to deploy to the emergency in that part of the world. The ‘emergency’ was an unofficial war against the Communist forces infiltrating Malaya. The jungles of that country were full of the Communist ‘CTs’ who used the local natives as labour and as extra men in the army. 22 SAS wished to operate in the dense jungle which the CTs considered safe, to destroy their cleared food-producing areas, to ambush their gangs and to assist the natives whom they had abused.
The Independent Parachute Squadron, as it was named, joined 22 SAS in 1955 following a short spell of training to prepare for action in the dense jungles of Malaya. The Squadron consisted of a HQ troop and four sabre troops of 14 soldiers, which were organised into three patrols each. These patrols were to insert by foot, parachute or helicopter into the deep jungle carrying arms and two weeks’ worth of rations; and being re-supplied by air if possible. You should note that jungle patrols are possibly the least enjoyable exercise in the history of warfare; they are difficult, lonely and boring (it takes about 500 hours of patrolling to come into contact with the enemy) and when the patrol comes under attack they become very dangerous; and there are traps and enemy positions to avoid.
The IPS spent most the year tramping around swamps in the region, with the goal of gaining information on the enemy and eliminating their patrols and press-gangs via ambush, and to rescue those natives that had been captured. The overall plan was to force the enemy into the fringes of the jungle, where 22 SAS could destroy them at will. They spent the second year in the mountains, where the Paras excel traditionally, being fairly successful.
In April 1957; the tour ended and the men went back to the UK and their units; having provided valuable assistance to the SAS and helping to keep Malaya free.
The Suez Crisis
The Suez Crisis came about in 1956 when the Egyptians nationalised the Suez Canal without consulting the shareholders, and the British and French made a military strike to recover it. The mission of 3 PARA was to assault the Al Gamil airfield west of Port Said and clear the coastal defences there, before commandos landed and liked up with them. French paratroopers along with some of the 1st Independent Parachute Company were to capture two vital bridges leading into Port Said, and isolate the town.
At 0515 London Time the last parachute assault to date and the first since WWII was launched by the men of the 3rd Battalion. They attacked in the face of massive defensive fire, but still managed to take Al Gumil in half an hour. The action to destroy the coastal defences was bloody and close-ranged; going through a sewage farm and a cemetery. They provided covering fire for the landings by 45 Commando and linked up the next day. 2 PARA landed as well by sea and advanced down the canal to fortify Al Cap. This was as far as the Task Force got; as international pressure was to stop the campaign; but 3 PARA had inflicted a massive defeat on the Egyptians with minimal losses of three officers and four men.
Cyprus
Trouble started in British Cyprus when the Greek Colonel Grivas, a Second World War veteran, started a terrorist group called EOKA which started a campaign of terror in 1955. 16 Parachute Brigade arrived in 1956 to co-ordinate operations against the terrorists, in the known EOKA positions in the Paphos Forest and two mountain ranges – the Kyrenian and the Troodos ranges. 3 PARA arrested Archbishop Makarios, the head of the Greek Orthodox Church in Cyprus in January because of his support for EOKA, who was exiled.
After that, the army made a massive campaign of attrition against EOKA with numerous units, which lead to the removal of several leaders of the movement and a lot of weapons; with Grivas himself only just avoiding capture, and EOKA, by 1957, being substantially weakened.
A truce was declared, which opened up the way for negotiations; it was agreed that Cyprus be turned into a republic. Turks went to the north, and the focus became less EOKA and more how to keep the two apart – to this day, the British Army and the UN deploy there to keep the peace.
Action in the Middle East
Jordan
The Parachute Regiment saw much action in the Middle East, first in June 1958 to support Jordan following a coup in Iraq. 16th Air Assault Brigade was sent to Cyprus in June.
When the King of Jordan asked for help, all of the men except 1 PARA, who stayed in Cyprus to prevent further EOKA offensives, made for Jordan. They stayed there until 29th October when the returned to Cyprus and then home, having potentially prevented a bloodbath in that region. 1 PARA came home in March 1959, having kept the peace well.
Yemen
After rebels backed by Yemen and Egypt mined the Dhala road in Radfan region, which is north of Aden, and is a mountainous, hostile area, 3 PARA intervened to restore security to the South Arab Federation. 3 PARA formed part of the British response, when it was decided to intervene the following year. 3 PARA and 45 Commando joined with Federal troops to clear out the tribesmen.
3 PARA scaled the Bakari Ridge which is 5,000 feet high and housed the tribesmen’s leadership, carrying 90 lbs and moving 11 miles in two night marches; eventually occupying the ridge on 24th May despite fierce resistance.
The unit then came down to the Wadi Dhubson floor, using a 30-foot rope, bypassing enemy positions there. There was a great battle there, during which the commander’s helicopter was hit, which broke the enemy resistance. The men held on for 48 hours, wiping out enemy resistance in that area. 3 PARA returned to the colony of Aden on 28 May, having distinguished themselves and shown that the enemy’s so called impenetrable fortress could be broken. The local troops then proceeded to crush the rebellion.
Kuwait
In June 1961 Britain responded to a request from the Emir of Kuwait who feared that his country would be invaded by Iraq by sending a rapid-defence force containing 2 PARA from Cyprus, which they positioned to watch the main tank route from Iraq to Kuwait. Along with a naval task force, they deterred Iraq’s potential invasion. They stayed on for six years training and maintaining the deterrent; then in 1967 they gave over command to 1st Battalion the King’s Own Royal Border Regiment.
British Guiana
In October 1965 3 PARA was deployed to British Guiana to replace the 1st Battalion The Lancashire Fusiliers who were there to keep the peace, since the people had been told that independence was coming in 1966. Companies deployed loosly, as little trouble was expected, with some platoons 50 miles from their parent company. Every four weeks, the companies rotatated around, with a reserve company based at Atkinson Field. The opposrtunity was taken to undergo a lot of jungle training while on tour.
The battalion was further tasked to train the Guyanese Defence Force to prepare for its defence and internal security responsibilities after Independence. On the fourth of February, independence was granted, with the tour having gone smoothly.
Aden – Back to the Middle East
Aden had been a British Colony until 1967, when the British pulled out. In January 1 PARA, under Lt. Col. Walsh, were sent in to keep the transition smooth. They surveyed the main roads from their own fortified observation posts in volatile areas; using these to contain serious outbreaks of violence during the city-fighting of 1 June and the mutiny by the army and police force.
They spent nearly a year out in Aden until 27th November, which was when the transition was formally made. The battalion was heavily decorated for this campaign; since they had managed to hold the nation together as it crawled out of colonialism into liberty.
Operation Sheepskin
On 19th March 1969 2 PARA (except B Company) made an attack by sea on the island of Anguilla, a British colony, in response to popular unrest over proposed federation with other Caribbean states. This had lead to armed insurrection, so the battalion along with 120 members of the Metropolitan Police went in to restore order.
The Royal Navy conducted the invasion so that it would look less like a military action and more like a movement of men; and they were lucky not to come under fire on the landing.
The Police quickly restored law and order while 2 PARA concentrated on winning people’s minds back to the UK. Six weeks into the tour, A, C and D Companies returned home while B Company went out there. They participated in the ‘Grass Roots’ population census that won over the inhabitants by their friendly and tolerant approach to maintaining security; visiting all parts of the island.
On 14th September B Company returned to England; and the battalion was given the Wilkinson Sword of Peace for its massive success at turning the island from a hostile, lawless mess into a loyal and peaceful colony of the UK.
Borneo
2 PARA was deployed hastily to Singapore for a short but hard and intensive course in jungle combat to make them ready to oppose Indonesia if they acted on the President’s threats to de-stabilise the government of the new Malaysian Federation. By March of 1965 2 PARA was in fortified jungle bases which were to be supplied by helicopter; within 2000 yards of the border. The unit made ten-day patrols; with C Company being made the first patrol unit by the men of 22 SAS.
Most of the tour was relatively calm with the exception of a two-hour snippet of the 27th April, when a whole battalion of Indonesian soldiers attacked the camp which B Company had established at Plaman Mapu; which was lightly defended because the patrols were being changed. Two of the section which were left were killed and several of them wounded after the Indonesians broke the wire at dawn in driving rain of the monsoon season and overran a mortar position. The defenders fought heroically to repel them; which took two hours of vicious close-quarters fighting before the Indonesians were beaten back, minus fifty of their number. Action continued until July, when the battalion pulled out hardened having earned three medals and the same number of Mentions in Dispatches.
Operation Banner and Hong Kong
The Troubles came about when Irish Protestants and Catholics formed paramilitary groups; the Catholic ones leant towards independence while the Protestants tended to be loyalist; and the Parachute Regiment got involved when the 1st Battalion was ordered to take over peace-keeping duty in the Shankhill and Falls Road districts of the capital. After a brief period of calm, the situation descended into civil war and in late 1969 re-enforcements were sent in to keep the violence down; this succeeded on some fronts but angered the separatists who saw the British sending in soldiers to cement their hold on the city. Among their first actions was to set up a boundary between the Protestants and Catholics apart.
Between 1964 and 2005 all three Battalions saw a lot of action in Ireland with 42 tours between them. They did duty on the streets in Belfast and Londonderry or in the hills of south Armagh where the IRA were strong. The cost was great, 40 men died in the twenty years between 1971 and 1991; the first of which received the George Cross. They were often called upon to carry out patrols, manning check-points on the roads, surveying areas and controlling riots; and all the time there was the constant threat of hidden marksmen and bombs which could strike the men at any time.
In January 1972 1 PARA was helping the Royal Ulster Constabulary in Londonderry when the Bloody Sunday riots broke out, leaving many civilian casualties. This was the first major killing of the deployment.
Most of the killing was done by the separatist IRA; they bombed the officers’ mess in Aldershot and were responsible for a bombing at Warrenpoint in 1979 which left 17 soldiers of 2 PARA killed. New laws were passed in the province which let the army act as an armed police force; they were given the power of arrest, for example. In total, they spent two-and-a-half years in Northern Ireland.
In 1975 16 Parachute Brigade was disbanded, and in 1980 1 PARA deployed to Hong Kong which was at that time a British colony to counter the incursion of illegal immigrants from the People’s Republic of China. They returned home after four months.
In 2005, the IRA agreed to lay down their arms, ending the Troubles and the longest campaign in Airborne Infantry history. The role of the Parachute Regiment and all of the British forces in the region had been huge; they helped to keep the peace and wear down support for the IRA. The Regiment received over 40 gallantry awards, 180 honours and commendations and 60 Mentions in Dispatches.
