Active | 1941–1947 1948 – present |
---|---|
Country | United Kingdom |
Branch | British Army |
Type | Airborne forces |
Role | Air assault infantry |
Size | Battalion 662 personnel [1] |
Part of | Parachute Regiment 16 Air Assault Brigade |
Garrison/HQ | Colchester Garrison |
Nickname(s) | Immaculate Second Shiny Two [2] |
Motto(s) | Utrinque Paratus (Latin for "Ready for Anything") |
Engagements | |
Commanders | |
Notable commanders | Maj Gen John Frost CB, DSO & Bar, MC, DL Lt. Col Herbert 'H' Jones VC, OBE |
Insignia | |
Drop zone flash |
The Second Battalion, Parachute Regiment (2 PARA), is a formation of the Parachute Regiment, part of the British Army, and subordinate unit within 16th Air Assault Brigade.
2 PARA is an airborne light infantry battalion capable of a wide range of operational tasks, based at Merville Barracks, Colchester Garrison, England. Personnel regularly deploy outside the United Kingdom on operations and training.
The 2nd Battalion was formed on 30 September 1941, as the 2nd Parachute Battalion, and later became part of the Army Air Corps. The battalion took part in its first active operation over the night of 27–28 February 1942, Operation Biting, the raid on Bruneval in France. [3] In honour of the operation, C Company of the battalion took the nickname 'C (Bruneval) Company'. [4] On 1 August of the same year, the battalion was renamed the 2nd Battalion, the Parachute Regiment. [5]
The battalion was part of the 1st Parachute Brigade, 1st Airborne Division, and fought in the British airborne operations in North Africa, Operation Fustian in Sicily, Operation Slapstick on the Italian mainland and, most famously, the Battle of Arnhem in September 1944. [6]
After the Second World War, the battalion was reformed and served with the 6th Airborne Division in Palestine. It was then amalgamated with the 3rd Parachute Battalion and renamed the 2nd/3rd Battalion and shortly afterwards disbanded. A new 2nd Battalion was formed later the same year by renumbering the 5th (Scottish) Parachute Battalion. [7]
In 1951, the battalion was deployed to Ismaïlia, Egypt, after civil unrest in the region, to protect the Suez Canal. [8] In July 1956, 2 Para went to Cyprus to counter the EOKA insurgency. It then took part in Operation Musketeer in November of the same year as part of 16 Independent Parachute Brigade, landing by sea and occupying El Cap. [9]
In June 1961, as part of an 8,000 strong battle-group, 2 Para was sent to Kuwait to forestall a threatened invasion by Iraq. [10] In early 1965 the battalion was rushed to Singapore in response to a threat of invasion of Borneo by Indonesia. In the following Indonesian Confrontation, B Company repulsed an attack by an Indonesian battalion in the Battle of Plaman Mapu. [11] In March 1969, 2 Para went to the Caribbean island of Anguilla to restore the British administration. The men, who were landed by boat from three Royal Navy frigates (along with 40 police officers) were later awarded the Wilkinson Sword of Peace "for acts of humanity and kindness overseas". [12]
In the 1970s, the battalion was sent to Northern Ireland as part of Operation Banner for the first of many tours. [13]
In 1982, the battalion was part of the force sent to the South Atlantic in Operation Corporate, as part of 3 Commando Brigade during the Falklands War. [14] The battalion's men were the first troops from the main assault body to land on the Falkland Islands. The landing was on the shore at San Carlos Water (codename: Blue Beach). [15] The battalion's first battle was the Battle of Goose Green on 28 May. [16] This was followed by the Battle of Wireless Ridge and then the recapture of Port Stanley. [14]
In August 2001, the battalion was part of the NATO Operation Essential Harvest in Macedonia. This was followed in 2002 by Operation Fingal, in Afghanistan. [17] The battalion also took part in UK operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Following the Manchester Arena bombing and the enactment of Operation Temperer, 2 PARA were deployed in London to guard key locations, including the Palace of Westminster. [18]
In August 2021, due to the rapid Taliban advancement through the country of Afghanistan, 2 PARA were deployed on Operation Pitting to aid in the extraction of British nationals from the country. [19]
The Parachute Regiment, colloquially known as the Paras, is the airborne and elite infantry regiment of the British Army. The first battalion is part of the Special Forces Support Group under the operational command of the Director Special Forces. The other battalions are the parachute infantry component of the British Army's rapid response formation, 16 Air Assault Brigade. The Paras, along with the Guards, are the only line infantry regiment of the British Army that has not been amalgamated with another unit since the end of the Second World War.
The 1st Airborne Division was an airborne infantry division of the British Army during the Second World War. The division was formed in late 1941 during the Second World War, after the British Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, demanded an airborne force, and was initially under command of Major-General Frederick A. M. "Boy" Browning. The division was one of two airborne divisions raised by the British Army during the war, with the other being the 6th Airborne Division, created in May 1943, using former units of the 1st Airborne Division.
Major General John Dutton Frost, was an airborne officer of the British Army, best known for being the leader of the small group of British airborne troops that actually arrived at Arnhem bridge during the Battle of Arnhem in Operation Market Garden, in the Second World War. He was one of the first to join the newly formed Parachute Regiment and served with distinction in many wartime airborne operations, such as in North Africa and Sicily and Italy, until his injury and subsequent capture at Arnhem. He retired from the army in 1968 to become a beef cattle farmer in West Sussex.
The Canadian Airborne Regiment was a Canadian Forces formation created on April 8, 1968. It was not an administrative regiment in the commonly accepted British Commonwealth sense, but rather a tactical formation manned from other regiments and branches. It was disbanded in 1995 after the Somalia affair.
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16 Air Assault Brigade Combat Team, known simply as 16 Air Assault Brigade from 1999 – 2021, is a formation of the British Army predominantly based in Colchester, Essex. It makes up the Air Assault Task Force, a battlegroup held at high readiness, and is the only brigade in the British Army focused on operating via parachute, helicopter and air-landing.
The 10th Parachute Brigade, abbreviated as 10 PARA BDE, is an elite division-sized hybrid airborne-marine unit within the Malaysian Army. It is tasked with rapid reaction forces inside or outside the boundaries of Malaysia and serves as the key element of the Malaysian Rapid Deployment Force.
The 5th Infantry Brigade was a regular infantry brigade of the British Army that was in existence since before the First World War, except for a short break in the late 1970s. It was an Airborne Brigade from the early 1980s until amalgamating with 24th Airmobile Brigade, in 1999, to form 16 Air Assault Brigade.
The 1st Parachute Brigade, or the Red Devils, was an airborne forces brigade formed by the British Army during the Second World War. As its name indicates, the unit was the first parachute infantry brigade formation in the British Army.
The 2nd Parachute Brigade was an airborne forces brigade formed by the British Army during the Second World War.
The 4th Battalion, Parachute Regiment, is an Army Reserve unit of the British Army. Now recruiting across the United Kingdom originally the Battalion covered the North of England, with its headquarters located in Pudsey, West Yorkshire. Following the Options for Change review in 1993, 4 PARA amalgamated with the 15th (Scottish) Battalion of the Parachute Regiment, which was downsized and became 15 (Scottish) Company of 4 PARA. As part of further changes in 1999, the Battalion also merged with the 10th (Volunteer) Battalion which then became 10 (London) Company.
The 1st Airborne Task Force was a short-lived Allied airborne unit that was active during World War II created for Operation Dragoon–the invasion of Southern France. Formed in July 1944, under the command of Major General Robert T. Frederick, it took part in the "Dragoon" landings on 15 August 1944, securing the area north-west of the landing beaches, before moving towards the French–Italian border as part of the United States Seventh Army. The unit was disbanded in November 1944.
The 1st Battalion, Parachute Regiment, is a special forces battalion of the British Army's Parachute Regiment. Along with various other regiments and corps from across the British Armed Forces, it is part of Special Forces Support Group.
The 3rd Battalion, Parachute Regiment, is a battalion sized formation of the British Army's Parachute Regiment and is a subordinate unit within 16 Air Assault Brigade.
The 50th Parachute Brigade is a brigade sized formation of the Indian Army. Its main force is formed of battalions of the Parachute Regiment. It consists of Parachute Regiment battalions and the President's Bodyguard, supported by units of the Regiment of Artillery, the Corps of Engineers and the Army Medical Corps.
The 5th (Scottish) Parachute Battalion was an airborne infantry battalion of the Parachute Regiment, raised by the British Army during the Second World War.
The 10th Battalion, The Parachute Regiment was an airborne infantry battalion of the Parachute Regiment, originally raised as the 10th (Sussex) Battalion by the British Army during the Second World War.
The 6th Parachute Battalion was an airborne infantry battalion of the Parachute Regiment raised by the British Army during the Second World War.
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