Tarrackin's Home Scroll (THS) 2010 British Army Parachute Regiment

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The Parachute Regiment is the Airborne spearhead for those operations in which the British Army is involved. They must be able to be deployed rapidly and capable of fighting in any environment; arctic, jungle, desert or urban surroundings (FIBUA or Fighting in Built Up Areas). The Regimental Headquarters for the Parachute Regiment is based in currently in Aldershot but will soon be moved to Colchester in order to be with the 16th Air Assault Brigade. The Headquarters responabilities are primarly logistic in nature controlling for the Regiment.

The 16th Air Assault Brigade comes out of the merging of several former units and came into being on the 1st September 1999. The formation comes out of the need of frequent and rapid deployment anywhere around the globe. This includes both Humanitarian operations and those of a traditionally Warfighting nature. Peace Keeping operations have made this a very previlant fact of modern soldiering and the move a to construct this new unit organisation a predent one.

Part of the 16th Air Assault Brigade and forward scouts for the Paras is the Pathfinder Platoon. Based in Wattisham airfield this relatively small unit is responiable for controlling Landing and Drop Zones for the Regiment, this means being on the ground upto a couple of weeks before the main influx of troops. Due to the nature of taskings the Pathfinders must be experts in all forms of airborne insertion, communications and demolitions. Advanced combat medical skills are taught to give their small units required survivability and independance.

The Parachute Regiment has and will continue to be a major spearhead element to any major engagement where the British Army is involved.

Training in the Parachute Regiment is some of the toughest of its kind in the world, and it has to be. A Light Infantry Airborne unit must be trained to the highest of standards possible if it is to win against numerically superior forces which are also better equipped. The initial training, Basic Recruit Training, is divided into two Phases; Phase 1 Common Military Syllabus (CMS PARA) and Phase 2, Infantry Training Centre - Catterick (ITC C). The first phase teaches basic skills and gives the recruit the fitness they require for military activity and to continue further on in the course. Phase 2 is teaching the recruit their Infantry skills and specialist skills of being an Airborne soldier, the skills of parachuting.

This takes place in Staffordshire. The course is different to the rest of the Army and the Regiment has their own instructors. This is due to the nature of the Parachute Regiment and their specific requirements. The training includes discipline and drill, parade work, fieldcraft, fitness, and basic weapons skills and marksmanship. Further weapons skills are taught to a much higher standard in Phase 2. Here the recruits face the Stretcher Race, four men taking turns to carry a 90kg steel stretcher while the others in the unit carry their packs and rifles. The recruits also learn what a Tab is. A Paratrooper 'Tabs' which is faster than normal over shorter distances, requirements of the nature of Airborne troops in field environments. The lighter weights carried and shorter distances traveled over are debatable. There is also the 'Ten Miler' run to content with.

Otherwise known as Special to Arm Training this Phase provides the recruit with the skills he needs to perform the role of the Infantry soldier. The skills of war are developed and fitness increases with speed and endurance marches. By the time the first ten weeks are up the recruit has been trained in the use of all the weapons of his trade including the Milan Anti-tank Guided Missile and hand grenades.

In weeks 10 and 11 Pre-Parachute Selection takes place, or P Company as it is known. The recruit must pass this selection if they are to carry on. If they fail they will be unable to become Paratroopers. The con-course (confidence course) tests a candidate's ability to handle heights. Courage and determination are constantly tested and the PTI's (Physical Training Instructors) keep a close eye on everyone very closely. At the conclusion the recruit earns the right to wear his Maroon Beret.

Week 12 consists of a five day life fire exercise called "Mole Mania". It teaches and reinforces all the skills learned for combat where trenches are dug, the recruits live in the field, defending their positions. This is something that recruits from other Regiments do not get to do until they are posted to their units after training.

Week 13 is Field firing week were the recruits get to use all their weapons, live ammunition only. From Close Quarters Battle (CQB) right up to Platoon level. In order to pass this part of the course recruits must show their complete competence in safe handling of all weapons.

The final week is spent in preparation for passing out. This is the point where a recruit has become a trained soldier, a Paratrooper in one of the most Elite regiments of the British Army and indeed one of the most elite fighting forces of the world.

At the end of Phase 2 it is time for Basic Parachute training which is held at Brize Norton and run by the Royal Air Force. The course progresses through from simple through to those with complete equipment at night. At the conclusion the Paratrooper gets his 'wings' and gets, as a result, their Para pay which is a bonus on top of normal pay in acknowledgement of the risks involved in military parachuting. From here the fully qualified Paratrooper goes off to continue their career with their respective battalions of the Parachute Regiment.

Being that the Parachute Regiment is an Airborne force, by definition its equipment and weapons must be light and highly mobile. Paras are therefore a lightly equipped force and do not have the luxury of major support which conventional forces have. As a result their training must be exellent to make up for this shortfall. The Paras have no problem in this area.

The M16A2 is US manufactured and issued to members of the Pathfinder Platoon, only after it was discovered that the SA80 suffered very badly in the area of reliability. A similar move was made by the Special Air Service (SAS), Special Forces. The SA80 is still trained in, and used, especially when posing as regular soldiers. The SA80 / LSW family uses the same M16 style magazine, while the M16 can be easily mounted with various sighting devices as operational requirements dictate. The Pathfinders also use the M16 with under barrel M203 40mm Grenade Launcher for counter ambush work, as much of their work involves reconnoitering in very small teams of Landing Zones and Drop Zones for Paratroop deployments which they precede.

The SA80 is the standard issue assault rifle of the British Army. Sadly it has fallen short of initial expectations. During trials on the rifle ranges of Europe it was raved about. It was quickly seen to be far from adequate once used in real field conditions. In Northern Ireland troops found that the magazine kept falling out. Only the saving grace of good training and professionalism has saved the troops who use it. All that aside the compact nature of its bullpup configuration make it ideal for Paratroop operations. A x4 SUSAT sight produces exellent accracy and unlike the three round burst of the American issued M16A2 the SA80 fires fully automatic in addition to standard single shot semi-automatic mode. Thankfully the British still retain their princples of marksmanship and automatic is retained for Close Quarter Combat (CQB) and urban fighting only.

Recently the A2 version of the rifle has been issued but it has been quickly established that over £ 80 million has not been enough to elivate the plague of problems facing the troops using it. It seems a likley course of action that either the American M16 or the German Heckler und Koch G36 will be a viable alternative.

The Light Support Weapon is simply a SA80 with a longer and heavier barrel. A bipod is fitted as standard and there is a butt end grip for increased stablity when firing. There is no capacity to take a belt so many gunners try their best to get hold of 40 round magazines for more extended fire capacity. Still, a primary role of the Light Automatic is fire suppression. Rather difficult using a magazine fed weapon. In recent years, particularly impacted by deployments to Afghanistan and Iraq, the British Army and Royal Marines have wisely adopted the C9 Minimi (the cut down Para version). This makes sense since it has long been used by many European countries and the US (as the M249). The LSW remains in service as a automatic rifle, while the Minimi provides proper suppressive fire as expected of a light machine gun. Typically, one fire team consists of a rifleman, a grenadier, a automatic rifleman (with the LSW), and a gunner armed with a Minimi.

Due to the recent inclusion of the FN Minimi to the British arsenal the British soldier and marine now have at their disposal adequate firepower. With its belt feed the Minimi is able to provide more firepower and sustained covering fire for the sub-unit while the LSW is retained for longer reach and greater accuracy. This makes up for the LSW's aforementioned design limitations in the role of a light machine gun. The "Para" version of the Minimi chosen for service features a more compact design including a substantially shorter barrel and collapsible stock. A box magazine holding belt link of 200 rounds is standard, while the Minimi also has the added advantage of being able to use M16 style magazines in an emergency, which are, as a NATO standard, used by the issue SA80 rifle. The version depicted below is the standard model with full length barrel.

This 81mm mortar is both light and very versatile, ideal for Paratroop missions. It is designed to fire the ammunition of most other NATO countries as well as British. The L16 is one of the best mortars in its class and is also in service with the US military. The weapon is so effective that the British no longer use heavy mortars preferring the higher volume of fire they can produce with the L16. A much lighter 51mm mortar is also in use. The L16 showed itself to be so effective early on that the British Army dispensed with adopting a heavy mortar. The 81mm is used by Australia, New Zealand, Canada amongst others'. The US uses this weapon under the designation M252.

The lightweight Milan can be carried by two men or dropped easily for airborne operations. It's shaped charge warhead can destory any known armoured vehicle including the latest Main Battle Tanks (MBT). This weapon worked well in the Falklands as a "Bunker buster" and served several other Collition Forces' troops' including France during the Gulf War. The MIRA thermal sight allows for all weather and night operation detecting targets out to three kilometers.

The Parachute Regiment was founded after a statement made by the Prime Minster Winston Churchill. The creation of this new elite force was not an easy one, whereby the British had to, if proposed deployments were to be met, do in six months what the German Fallschirmjager had done in six years. The British had no experience in the area of airborne warfare and could only base the development of the new unit with the theory of others' successes. The Germans had managed, with gliderborne forces to take the apparently impregnable fortress of Eban-Emal. So this alone was enough to say that these methods were worthy of trial. With gliders it was very much the opinion that this form of insertion was a much better option than parachute. Still there were enough in government convinced that parachuting should not be dismissed. After the first training of this kind at Ringway in Manchester, the first British military parachute operation, Operation Collossus, took place on 10 February 1941. This involved the Paras dropping into Italy and blowing up the Tragino aqueduct. After successfully taking out the objective the paratroops where to return the rendezvous to be extracted by a submarine, HMS Triumph. Unfortunately on returning to the RV everyone was captured.

After this, it took almost a year before the airborne forces were used again. This time a raid under the name Operation Biting. The overwhelming success of this operation behind enemy lines ensured the future of the Paras. It was Admiral Lord Mountbatten who proposed the raid, for which the objective was to dismantle Wurzburg precision radar dish intending to bring it back for research. This line of radar which went up the northern coast of France were valued by the Luftwaffe. Extensive defensive measures meant that the mission could only be managed by airborne infiltration. Heavy resistance didn't hamper a completely successful raid which included the capture of a German radar expert.

For Operation Overlord Airborne forces provided protection for the huge amounts of troops which formed the invasion force at the beaches of Normandy in France. Both parachute and glider methods were used. Preparations for this invasion had been going on for three years. The invasion itself only took place after the 6th Airborne Division had captured key points, one being a heavily fortified gun battery.

The first insertion came from the Pathfinders of 22nd Independent Parachute company. Just like today, the Pathfinders were charged with marking the Drop Zone (DZ) for which their fellow Red Berets would follow in on. Due to the Germans having destroying many of the features which the pilots were to have used as navigation 'markers' most drops were quite inaccurate.

9 Para was tasked with the silencing of the Merville battery which was just a few miles away from the beaches where the seaborne landings would begin. There, four 75mm guns where able to engage both HMS warships and the defenseless landing craft as they made their way to the shore. RAF bombers had tried to deal with the guns but to no avail under their thick concrete bunkers. It was up to the Paras to get in on the ground and deal with them. The succeeded just half an hour before the Navy was to start shelling the guns.

While 9 Para were busy at Merville, 3rd Parachute Brigade was dropped right in the middle of the German defenses to hit the Troarn, Varaville, Robehomme and Bures bridges across the Dives river. The 6th Air Landing Brigade was glider borne and responsible for similar actions against bridges over two rivers and the Caen Canal, securing the area where the British 2nd Army was to come ashore. 5th Parachute Brigade was charged with securing and holding bridges north of Ranville.

Four days after D-Day the Germans attempted to break through divisional lines at Breville. After 200 Germans and 13 Paras were killed they still held their position threatening to break through. To counter this the 153rd Infantry Brigade assaulted Breville but were thrown back after taking heavy casualties.

The Germans pushed on with two major attacks with armour support towards 9 Para on June 12. The Battalion survived and pushed the enemy back but by the end of the day they were only 200 strong. The village of Breville was ordered to be captured in order to secure the Divisions sector, to defend the beach head. 141 men were killed in the efforts to regain the village. Holding this position was vital to prevent the vulnerable beaches being attacked, very likely causing a totally different outcome in the war.

1954 saw members of the Parachute Regiment in Malaya to assist the 22SAS. These personnel provided a fourth Sabre Squadron to counter the Communist Terrorists (CT) there. The unit was disbanded in May 1957 when it returned to the United Kingdom.

The 2nd Battalion was sent to Singapore for Jungle Warfare Training when Indonesia threatened to invade Borneo in 1964. In March of the following year the rest of the unit moved in, directly to the Indonesian border. In April one of the biggest battles of the war occurred when an Indonesian Battalion attacked B Company of 2 Para. In the ensuing battle two Paratroopers were killed while more than fifty of the enemy were killed.

2nd of April 1982 saw the invasion of the Falkland Islands by Argentina. The first account came from the Islands' Telex Operator who said 'We have lots of new friends.' At 0930 hours the small 80 man Royal Marine garrison surrendered to prevent civilian casualties, but only after taking out an enemy LVTP7 Amphibious vehicle armed with a 50 caliber heavy machinegun. With 4500 troops, armour and naval support it wasn't long before the islands were overrun. Thus begun Operation Corporate, the retaking of the Falkland Islands in the South Atlantic.

The traditional role of the Paratrooper was brought forth as 3 Para acted as the spearhead, attached to 3 Commando Brigade Royal Marines. 2 Para initially deployed to Sussex Mountain while 3 Para landed near Port San Carlos where they met minimal resistance.

3 Para on the 27th of May pressed on to capture Teal Inlet. This was concluded two days.

A naval/artillery supported strike against the Argentinean Strategic Reserve and airfield by 2 Para on the 28th of May at Goose Green but strong defensive positions held the attack at Darwin. The CO and Adjutant were killed while attempting to remove an enemy machinegun position. The assault continued and with the surrender of over 1200 prisoners and 250 enemy dead the objective was taken.

2 Para joined up once again with the Commando Brigade to move on Port Stanley on 11th June. 3 Para fought at Mount Longdon taking the vital objective only after a very hard fight with a well prepared and dug in enemy. The Paras were subjected to intense and accurate artillery fire. On the night of the 13th / 14th of June 2 Para advanced on Wireless Ridge under the support of 3 Para mortars. At the conclusion of this both Battalions pushed on where they were the first to enter Port Stanley.

The two Battalions had 40 dead and 93 injured. Many of those who died were Officers and NCO's who died leading from the front, leading by example. Two posthumous Victoria Crosses were awarded to the Regiment for actions during the Falklands.

Since 1982 the Battalions of the Parachute Regiment has regularly rotated to Northern Island performing Internal Security operations there. In January 1999, the Gurkhas of C Company 2 Para were deployed to Bosnia for peacekeeping operations.

In June 1999 1 PARA, reinforced by members 3 PARA deployed to Kosovo as the spearhead of KFOR, once again in the classic role but this time to enforce peace.

The Airborne of the British Army continue to provide support for Special Forces operations. Additionally the Parachute Regiment had been on excercise and operationing in the Middle East and in parts of Africa, a precursor to current operations in Afghanistan and Iraq.

82nd Airborne Division, US Army

Before the advent of military parachuting the 82nd Airborne Division started its life as the 82nd Infantry Division first formed for World War One in August 25, 1917, at Camp Gordon, Georgia. Since the unit's members hailed from all over the United States it was given the nickname "All-Americans", thus the AA patch, those of other units quickly refered to the unit as "Almost Airborne".

The 82nd Division is part of the XVIII Airborne Corps which includes the 101st Air Assault Division, the 10th Mountain Division (Light) and 3rd Infantry Division (Mechanized). But the 82nd Airborne is the only Airborne force, in the strickest sense. It is also the oldest Airborne capable Division in the US Army. After being demobilised at the end of the First World War, it was over twenty years before the 82nd was reactived, on March 25, 1942 at Camp Claiborne, Louisiana under the command of Major General Omar N. Bradley.

On August 15, 1942, the 82nd Infantry Division became the first airborne division in the U.S. Army. On that date, the All-American Division was redesignated the 82nd Airborne Division.

The Division's first two combat operations were parachute and glider assaults into Sicily and Salerno, Italy on July 9 and September 13, 1943. These two mission concluded, Operation Neptune, was the 82nd's next step, being the airborne invasion of Normandy. Being some of the first soldiers to fight on the ground in Normandy, this was the largest airborne assault in history. Further missions included Operation Market Garden, the liberation of Holland. Defeat at Arnhem meant a retreat back to France. When the Germans struck out at Ardennes the 82nd Airborne were able to blood the nose of General Von Runstedt's northern penetration through American lines. The All Americans were part of the occupation force on Germany's surrender.

The 82nd returned to the United States January 3, 1946. where it made its home home at Fort Bragg, North Carolina and was formally designated a regular Army division on November 15, 1948.

In 1968 the Tet Offensive pushed through South Vietnam where the 3rd Brigade was on route to Chu Lai. Later they moved south to Saigon. After 22 months in Vietnam including operations on the Mekong Delta and along the Cambodian border the 3rd Brigade returned to Fort Bragg, December 12, 1969.

After being involved in Operation Power Pack in Dominican Republic in 1965, the Division was back in the Caribbean deployed in Operation Urgent Fury in 1983.

82nd Airborne 508th Regiment paratrooper

Operation Just Cause to Panama in December 1989 was the Division's first combat jump since World War Two. Objectives completed the units involved were back in Fort Bragg on January 12, 1990. Not much later things in the Gulf flared up.

Six weeks after the beginning of Operation Desert Storm the Division provided flank protection for the XVIII Airborne Corps. A 2nd Brigade task force was attached to the 6th French Light Armored Division becoming the far left flank of the Corps. The Division was part of the successful Allied effort which in only 100 hours, successfully liberated Kuwait.

82nd Airborne paratroops were some of the first on the ground in Kosovo in 1999. Paratroopers from this unit continue to rotate in and out for Peace-keeping duties.

Airborne Training consists of hard physical training to ensure the parachutist can handle the rigors of military parachuting activities. The three week airborne course is divided into two phases. The first two weeks is the Ground Training Phase where the jump techniques are taught. Week three is the Jump Training Phase. In order to opt for Airborne training the volunteer must prove their phyiscal ability for the hardships ahead. Phyiscal training is daily throughout the Ground Training Phase and those that can't keep up are returned to their orginal units. Jump Week includes, for qualification, five jumps at 1250 feet.

Russian Air Assault Division

The Soviet Union was the first state to constitute airborne forces, the first to drop airborne forces into battle, the first to include a major airborne drop in a major field exercise, and the first to totally mechanize its airborne forces. Since 1930, the Soviet Army maintained the world's largest airborne force and it remains to be the largest even after so much economic and political upheaval since the end of the Cold War. But largely unknown or ignored it is the the operations of the West which are acknowledged. It is an unfortunate thing when such issues are lost to history.

Announced on the 70th anniversary of the Russian Airborne Forces by Colonel Georgy Shpak, the manpower of RPT will increase by 5,000 to a total of 45,000 men by the end of 2001. This was justified by the ever increasing involvement in Peace-keeping operations.

Russian Parachute Troops (RPT) consists of these combat Divisions;

Apart from practice-battle tasks, parachute troops execute important peace-making missions. Today one and a half thousand paratroopers are in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the same numbers are present in Abkhazia.

This group executed its mission near Bamut during operations in Chechnya. Now it is used employed guarding aerodromes, radar air-defense stations, and other important vital installations.

In 1943 the German command offered large sums for any dead Russian paratrooper. They rolled back under the pressure of Guards division of the 9th Army. As in any force such history is instilled in the modern recruit to embrace the comradarid and spirit for future generations of fighting men.

As history has shown the Russians still captialise on any advantage they can gain through the effective use of snipers and basic core skills of marksmanship. This may have less a bearing in Motor Rifle troops but not so in the Elite Paratroop units. Very efficient close quarter fighters the Russian Paras train hard in unarmed and knife fighting techniques, including throwing the issue bayonet and diving over live blades. As with any force which can call itself elite, the Russian Paras are no different to their Western counterparts with regards training hard, under stressful conditions, environmental and otherwise, to liken the training as close as possible to real combat. And as with any Paratrooper force, training is preformed with a superior Opposing Force.

Training takes place at the Ryazan High Command Airborne School. For the Russians hard training is a fact of life rather than something that is imposed.

Russian Paratroops

German KSK Special Forces (Kommando Spezialkräefte)

Considering the difficulties Germany had with rebuilding its Armed Forces after the Second World War, despite the burdens heaped upon it for those years the Airborne component of the Bundeswehr was formally in existence by July of 1956. A Divisional unit, it consisted of the 25th Brigade (Schwarzwaldbrigade) and 26th Brigade (Saarlandbrigade). In 1970 the Division was strengthened by the addition of the 27th Brigade. This later unit was merged with the 31st Infantry Brigade to be reformed as the 31st Airborne Brigade. A year later the Paratroopers adopted the red beret, recogised universally as the head dress of the Airborne.

Not to be confused with German Combat Divers Company (Kampfschwimmerkompanie) whose training expectantly includes Para-commando skills, the Kommando Spezialkraefte came about in 1994 the The 1st Airborne Division where the the 25th Airborne Brigade was replaced by the Kommando Spezialkraefte (KSK), the Bundeswehr's first Special-Forces unit. The other brigades were were put under the command of a special institution for airborne operations.

This new force has the capacity to undertake a great diversity of military / peace-keeping operations including actions against primary enemy targets, communications and Counter-terrorist operations. Unlike the GSG-9 the KSK is able to operate outside German borders. Rescuing hostages and downed pilots is a vital skill and one primary reason for the forming of the Special Forces KSK was a lesson learned in Rwanda in 1994. French and Belgian paras had to be used to rescue 11 German nations because there were no suitable German units available.The force consists of a Headquarters and Signal Company and four 4 Commando Companies, a Long-Range Recce Company and Support Company and a Training Platoon.

Since 1993 the German Paras have been actively involved in United Nations Peace-keeping operations. As would be expected the training of the KSK is very tough. It has a force of some 1000 men. Training includes a three week combat survival course at the International Long Range Recon Patrol School in Pfullendorf. After having successfully completed the ground and practical training soldiers are awarded the bronze paratrooper-badge.

KSK

There are quite a number of French Airborne units. Within the Army units of such a nature include the 11th Parachute Division Commando Parachute Group The 11eme Division Parachutistes or 11eme DP. Tasks include Hostage Rescue missions, Pathfinder operations and Long Range Recon Patrolling. In the 11th DP is also the 17th Parachute Engineer Regiment which includes the Engineer Recon and Liaison Detachment and the Specialized Search Group.

The 113th Regiment of Dragon Parachutists (13eme Regiment de Dragons Parachutistes or 13eme RDP). Traditionally this seven Squadron unit has been charged with missions in Africa but more recently this has turned more towards Europe. This is the French Army's Long Range Recon unit.

The 2nd Parachute Infantry Marine Regiment (2er RPIMa) as a Platoon of Parachute Commandos within its Headquarters Company.

The Foreign Legion, the Gendarmarie, and the DGSE have airborne units primarily for flexiability in insertion and for counter terrorist operations.

Comments

A square badge under the parachute wings qualification signifies what element the individual Paratrooper hails from;

1 Para = Red
2 Para = Blue
3 Para = Green
4 (V) Para (TA) = Black
Vertical blue red and green bars making up the badge denote the Regimental Headquarters (RHQ)
Pathfinder Platoon = red top half / green bottom half, upward pointing black arrow.
16th Airborne Brigade

4th Battalion the Parachute Regiment is the only Territorial Army Parachute Battalion. The current Battalion has come about by several merges with the orginal 4th Batt which was first formed in 1942. First in 1993 was the 15th (Scottish) Battalion then in 1999 the 10th (London) Battalion also merged with 4 PARA. The roots of the various Companies within the 4th Battalion are still firmly based in the historical locations, as it is throughout the British Army. This is the mainstay and strength of the classic Regimental system.

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Links

British Army - The Parachute Regiment

Parachute Regiment Association

The Red Devils Online

The Band of the Parachute Regiment

John Carey's Parachute Regiment Homepage

The Airborne Forces Museum

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