662 personnel{{cite web|url=https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2018-11-22/194616|title=Army –Question for Ministry of Defence|page=1|access-date=14 December 2020|archive-date=26 February 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210226013531/https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2018-11-22/194616|url-status=dead}}"},"command_structure":{"wt":"[[File:Logo of the Parachute Regiment.png|22px]] [[Parachute Regiment (United Kingdom)|Parachute Regiment]]
[[File:16AAB new.svg|18px]] [[16 Air Assault Brigade]]"},"current_commander":{"wt":""},"garrison":{"wt":"[[Colchester Garrison]]"},"ceremonial_chief":{"wt":""},"ceremonial_chief_label":{"wt":""},"colonel_of_the_regiment":{"wt":""},"colonel_of_the_regiment_label":{"wt":"Colonel Commandant"},"nickname":{"wt":"Gungy Third{{sfn|Bishop|2009|p=28}}"},"patron":{"wt":""},"motto":{"wt":"''Utrinque Paratus''
([[Latin language|Latin]] for \"Ready for Anything\")"},"colours":{"wt":""},"identification_symbol":{"wt":"[[File:3-para.png]]"},"identification_symbol_label":{"wt":"[[DZ Flash|Drop zone flash]]"},"identification_symbol_3":{"wt":""},"identification_symbol_3_label":{"wt":"Abbreviation"},"march":{"wt":""},"mascot":{"wt":""},"battles":{"wt":"{{Tree list}}\n* [[Falklands War]]\n** [[Battle of Mount Longdon]]\n{{tree list/end}}"},"notable_commanders":{"wt":"[[Gerald Lathbury|Sir Gerald Lathbury]]
[[Richard Lonsdale]]"},"anniversaries":{"wt":""}},"i":0}}]}" id="mwBQ">.mw-parser-output .infobox-subbox{padding:0;border:none;margin:-3px;width:auto;min-width:100%;font-size:100%;clear:none;float:none;background-color:transparent}.mw-parser-output .infobox-3cols-child{margin:auto}.mw-parser-output .infobox .navbar{font-size:100%}body.skin-minerva .mw-parser-output .infobox-header,body.skin-minerva .mw-parser-output .infobox-subheader,body.skin-minerva .mw-parser-output .infobox-above,body.skin-minerva .mw-parser-output .infobox-title,body.skin-minerva .mw-parser-output .infobox-image,body.skin-minerva .mw-parser-output .infobox-full-data,body.skin-minerva .mw-parser-output .infobox-below{text-align:center}html.skin-theme-clientpref-night .mw-parser-output .infobox-full-data div{background:#1f1f23!important;color:#f8f9fa}@media(prefers-color-scheme:dark){html.skin-theme-clientpref-os .mw-parser-output .infobox-full-data div{background:#1f1f23!important;color:#f8f9fa}}
Third Battalion, Parachute Regiment | |
---|---|
Active | 1941–1948 1948 – present |
Country | United Kingdom |
Branch | British Army |
Type | Airborne infantry |
Role | Air assault infantry |
Size | Battalion 662 personnel [1] |
Part of | Parachute Regiment 16 Air Assault Brigade |
Garrison/HQ | Colchester Garrison |
Nickname(s) | Gungy Third [2] |
Motto(s) | Utrinque Paratus (Latin for "Ready for Anything") |
Engagements | |
Commanders | |
Notable commanders | Sir Gerald Lathbury Richard Lonsdale |
Insignia | |
Drop zone flash |
The 3rd Battalion, Parachute Regiment (3 PARA), is a battalion sized formation of the British Army's Parachute Regiment and is a subordinate unit within 16 Air Assault Brigade.
Roled as an Airborne light infantry unit, the battalion is capable of a wide range of operational taskings. Based at Merville Barracks, Colchester Garrison, their barracks in England, personnel regularly deploy outside of the United Kingdom on operations and training.
A unique part of the 3rd Battalion is the inclusion of the Guards Parachute Platoon, which is incorporated into B Company and also known as 6 (Guards) Platoon. The Guards Parachute Platoon is made up of volunteers who have passed P Company from the five Regiments of Foot Guards and Infantry qualified members of the Household Cavalry; they can be distinguished from other paratroopers by a "blue red blue" patch sewn to their beret beneath the Parachute Regiment cap badge.
Impressed by the success of German airborne operations during the Battle of France, the British Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, directed the War Office to investigate the possibility of creating a corps of 5,000 parachute troops. [3] On 22 June 1940, No. 2 Commando was redeployed to parachute duties and on 21 November re-designated the 11th Special Air Service Battalion, with both a parachute and glider wing, [4] [5] the men of which took part in the first British airborne operation, Operation Colossus, on 10 February 1941. [6] The success of the raid prompted the War Office to expand the airborne forces, setting up the Airborne Forces Depot and Battle School in Derbyshire in April 1942, and creating the Parachute Regiment as well as converting a number of infantry battalions into airborne battalions or platoons in August 1942. [7]
All parachute forces had to undergo a twelve-day parachute training course at No. 1 Parachute Training School, RAF Ringway. Initial parachute jumps were from a converted barrage balloon and finished with five jumps from an aircraft. [8] [nb 1] Anyone failing to complete a descent was returned to his old unit. Those men who successfully completed the parachute course were presented with their maroon beret and parachute wings. [8] [10]
Airborne soldiers were expected to fight against superior numbers of the enemy armed with heavy weapons, including artillery and tanks. Training was as a result designed to encourage a spirit of self-discipline, self-reliance and aggressiveness. Emphasis was given to physical fitness, marksmanship and fieldcraft. [11] A large part of the training regime consisted of assault courses and route marching while military exercises included capturing and holding airborne bridgeheads, road or rail bridges and coastal fortifications. [11] At the end of most exercises, the battalions would march back to their barracks. An ability to cover long distances at speed was also expected: airborne platoons were required to cover a distance of 50 miles (80 km) in twenty-four hours, and battalions 32 miles (51 km). [11]
There was a wide spread rumour that started circulating about the 3rd Battalion that they would often defecate into the boots of men in other battalions as a sort of practical joke. This rumour was found to be true when an officer of the regiment discovered human excrement in his shoe, no one was found guilty of the prank however until a couple of years later where Michael Smith (1st Battalion), caught Sam Bowyer (3rd Battalion) placing human excrement into his boots. [12]
The 3rd Parachute Battalion was formed in 1941 from volunteers from various infantry regiments. It became part of the 1st Parachute Brigade, later part of the 1st Airborne Division. The battalion first saw action during the Operation Torch landings, and then further operations in North Africa, by the independent 1st Parachute Brigade. After the Tunisian campaign, the battalion and brigade rejoined the 1st Airborne Division, and took part in Operation Fustian in Sicily, and Operation Slapstick on the Italian mainland. [13]
Withdrawn to Britain with the rest of the 1st Airborne Division, the next mission was during Operation Market Garden and the Battle of Arnhem, during which the battalion was virtually wiped out. Afterwards, the battalion was reformed but never saw any further action during the Second World War, though it may have gone to Norway with the initial reoccupation force in 1945. The battalion was then assigned to the 3rd Parachute Brigade in the 6th Airborne Division and served with them in Palestine. The battalion was disbanded in 1948, but was reformed by the re-numbering of the 7th (Light Infantry) Parachute Battalion as the 3rd at Itzehoe in July 1948. [14]
The battalion was deployed in Northern Ireland 12 times between 1971 and 2004, during the Troubles. In the summer of 1976, it was based in South County Armagh, where complaints were made of its treatment of residents. [15]
In 1981, it joined 5th Infantry Brigade at Aldershot on the reconversion of British Army Field Forces back into brigades. In 1982, it was hurriedly transferred to 3 Commando Brigade, along with 2 PARA, to reinforce that brigade ahead of the Task Force's sailing for the Falklands Conflict. After marching 50 miles across the islands, the Battalion saw action on 11/12 June when it was engaged in the Battle of Mount Longdon. [16]
In 2006 3 PARA battle group was deployed to Helmand Province in Afghanistan. As the first NATO troops to enter Helmand they were soon engaged in some of the heaviest fighting the British Army had seen since the Korean War. On 4 September 2006, four Soviet anti-personnel mines, undetonated since the 1979-1989 Soviet–Afghan War, were set off by members of 3PARA in what became known as the Kajaki Dam Incident. There was a single fatality and seven others were left with seriously life-threatening injuries. [17]
In October 2013, 3 PARA took part in a large training exercise to return to the Airborne Assault role. [18]
In September 2014, a comprehensive history of the battalion, with numerous links to photos, obituaries and more was founded – the creation of Paradata, a 'living history' of the Parachute Regiment and Airborne Forces [19]
3 PARA trained with its anti-tank platoon to take on the Air Assault Task Force (AATF) role from May 2014, with the unit's airborne infantry bolstered by artillery, engineers, medics and logisticians from 16 Air Assault Brigade. [20]
In 2018, over 80 members of 3 PARA were sent to Afghanistan as part of the Resolute Support Mission, to protect military and civilian advisors working in government ministries and work as advisors at the Afghan National Army Officers' Academy, alongside the 1st Battalion Royal Gurkha Rifles. [21] [22] [23]
In April 2019 the battalion was investigated by the Ministry of Defence when a video circulated on social media showing four members of 3 PARA firing simulation weapons at an image of Labour leader and Leader of the Opposition Jeremy Corbyn. [24]
On 7 June 2022, the Chief of the General Staff, Sir Patrick Sanders, took the decision to cancel an overseas deployment by the battalion after a number of incidents which demonstrated a poor standard of discipline in the battalion. [25] The minister, James Heappey, was said to be "sorry and embarrassed" by the "disgraceful" behaviour. [26]
A paratrooper is a military parachutist—someone trained to parachute into a military operation, and usually functioning as part of airborne forces. Military parachutists (troops) and parachutes were first used on a large scale during World War II for troop distribution and transportation. Paratroopers are often used in surprise attacks, to seize strategic objectives such as airfields or bridges.
The 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) ("Screaming Eagles") is a light infantry division of the United States Army that specializes in air assault operations. It can plan, coordinate, and execute multiple battalion-size air assault operations to seize terrain. These operations can be conducted by mobile teams covering large distances, fighting behind enemy lines, and working in austere environments with limited or degraded infrastructure. It was active in, for example, foreign internal defense and counterterrorism operations in Iraq, in Afghanistan in 2015–2016, and in Syria, as part of Operation Inherent Resolve in 2018–2021.
The 82nd Airborne Division is an airborne infantry division of the United States Army specializing in parachute assault operations into hostile areas with a U.S. Department of Defense mandate to be "on-call to fight any time, anywhere" at "the knife's edge of technology and readiness." Primarily based at Fort Liberty, North Carolina, the 82nd Airborne Division is part of the XVIII Airborne Corps. The 82nd Airborne Division is the U.S. Army's most strategically mobile division.
The Parachute Regiment, colloquially known as the Paras, is the airborne and 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 6th Airborne Division was an airborne infantry division of the British Army during the Second World War. Despite its name, the 6th was actually the second of two airborne divisions raised by the British Army during the war, the other being the 1st Airborne Division. The 6th Airborne Division was formed in the Second World War, in mid-1943, and was commanded by Major-General Richard N. Gale. The division consisted of the 3rd and 5th Parachute Brigades along with the 6th Airlanding Brigade and supporting units.
In military organizations, a pathfinder is a specialized soldier inserted or dropped into place in order to set up and operate drop zones, pickup zones, and helicopter landing sites for airborne operations, air resupply operations, or other air operations in support of the ground unit commander. Pathfinders first appeared in World War II, and continue to serve an important role in today's modern armed forces, providing commanders with the option of flexibly employing air assets. There was a group of pilots who were also designated pathfinders. They flew C-47 (DC-3) aircraft and were the lead planes followed by paratroop transports, used for dropping paratroopers into designate drop zones such as on D day, the Normandy Invasion.
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 Pathfinder Platoon is a pathfinder unit of the British Army, and an integral part of 16 Air Assault Brigade. The Pathfinder Platoon acts as the brigade's advance force and reconnaissance force. Its role includes locating and marking drop zones and helicopter landing zones for air landing operations. Once the main force has landed, the platoon provides tactical intelligence and offensive action roles for the brigade.
The British Army primarily divides its infantry into regiments, which are subdivided into battalions. However, for various reasons, since the end of the Second World War it has also maintained companies that are intended to provide increments and reinforcements.
The 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment, originally the 505th Infantry Regiment, is an airborne infantry regiment of the United States Army, one of four infantry regiments of the 82nd Airborne Division of the United States Army, with a long and distinguished history.
The 3rd Parachute Brigade was an airborne forces brigade raised by the British Army during the Second World War. The brigade was initially part of the 1st Airborne Division, but remained in Britain when that division was sent overseas, and became part of the 6th Airborne Division, alongside 5th Parachute Brigade and 6th Airlanding Brigade.
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 Regimento de Paraquedistas, based in Tancos, Portugal, is a unit of the Portuguese Army and serves as the instruction center for recruitment and training of the Portuguese paratroopers. This unit includes an entire battalion, acting as support and reserve for airborne units which contains for example, military war dogs and airborne pathfinders and an instruction battalion responsible for the forming of new paratroopers.
The 1st Battalion, Parachute Regiment, is a 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 Second Battalion, Parachute Regiment, is a formation of the Parachute Regiment, part of the British Army, and subordinate unit within 16th Air Assault Brigade.
The 7th Parachute Battalion was an airborne infantry battalion of the Parachute Regiment, formed by the British Army during the Second World War. The battalion was raised in November 1942 by the conversion of the 10th Battalion, Somerset Light Infantry to parachute duties. It was initially assigned to the 3rd Parachute Brigade, part of 1st Airborne Division, but moved to the 5th Parachute Brigade, alongside the 12th and 13th Parachute battalions, of the 6th Airborne Division soon afterwards.
The 8th (Midlands) Parachute Battalion was an airborne infantry battalion of the Parachute Regiment, raised by the British Army during the Second World War. The battalion was created in late 1942 by the conversion of the 13th Battalion, Royal Warwickshire Regiment to parachute duties. The battalion was assigned to the 3rd Parachute Brigade, serving alongside the 7th and 9th Parachute battalions, in the 1st Airborne Division before being reassigned to help form the 6th Airborne Division in May 1943.
The 9th Parachute Battalion was an airborne infantry battalion of the Parachute Regiment, raised by the British Army during the Second World War. The battalion was created in late 1942 by the conversion of the 10th Battalion, Essex Regiment to parachute duties. The battalion was assigned to the 3rd Parachute Brigade, alongside the 7th and 8th Parachute battalions, then part of the 1st Airborne Division but was later transferred to the 6th Airborne Division.
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.