4th Battalion, Parachute Regiment | |
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![]() Cap badge of the Parachute Regiment | |
Active | 1942 – present |
Country | ![]() |
Branch | ![]() |
Type | Air assault infantry |
Role | Airborne forces |
Size | Battalion 559 personnel [1] |
Part of | ![]() ![]() |
Garrison/HQ | Leeds |
Nickname(s) | The Red Devils The Paras Fighting Forth |
Motto(s) | Utrinque Paratus (Latin for "Ready for Anything") |
March | Quick— Ride of the Valkyries Slow— Pomp and Circumstance No 4 |
Mascot(s) | Shetland Pony (Pegasus) |
Commanders | |
Honorary Colonel | Lt.-Gen. Giles Hill, CB, CBE [2] |
Notable commanders | General Anthony Farrar-Hockley GBE, KCB, DSO & Bar, MC |
Insignia | |
Drop zone flash | ![]() |
The 4th Battalion, Parachute Regiment (4 PARA), 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 (XV PARA), which was downsized and became 15 (Scottish) Company of 4 PARA. As part of further changes in 1999 (Strategic Defence Review), the Battalion also merged with the 10th (Volunteer) Battalion which then became 10 (London) Company.
Under the Army 2020 plan, it formed a reserve air assault infantry battalion of 16 Air Assault Brigade. [3]
The original 4th Parachute Battalion was formed in 1942 and saw service in Algeria (as part of the British 1st Airborne Division during Operation Torch) and Tunisia (supporting American forces). In 1943 Operation Avalanche (Invasion of Italy) was launched and the Battalion was in action at Taranto and Cassino. In August 1944, the battalion was part of Operation Rugby in Southern France. In October 1944 the Battalion seized by airborne assault (Operation Manna) the airfield at Megara near Athens in Greece as part of the 2nd Independent Parachute Brigade. The battalion spent the rest of the war supporting the 2nd New Zealand Division. Then from 1945 served with the 6th Airborne Division in Palestine. [4]
The present day Battalion is the successor to several T.A. Parachute Battalions which were all raised in 1947, although these units were raised during the Second World War either as parachute troops or infantry. These are:
All of the TA Parachute Battalions formed part of the 44th Parachute Brigade (V) in 1956. [9] While in this brigade, 12th/13th (Yorkshire and Lancashire) Battalion and the 17th (9 DLI) Battalions of the Parachute Regiment were amalgamated to form the 4th Battalion, Parachute Regiment in 1967. [10]
Members of the battalion have since been deployed on various occasions to Afghanistan (Operation Herrick) and Iraq (Operation Telic). [11] In 2024, the regiment is due to deploy to Cyprus as part of operation Operation Tosca. [12]
The battalion is organised as follows: [13]
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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.
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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 2nd Parachute Brigade was an airborne forces brigade formed by the British Army during the Second World War.
44th Parachute Brigade was a British Army Territorial Army parachute brigade, active from c.1950 to 1978.
The 44th Indian Airborne Division was an airborne forces division of the Indian Army during World War II, created in 1944. It provided a parachute battalion for one minor airborne operation, but the war ended before the complete formation could take part..
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 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.
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The 15th Parachute Battalion was an airborne infantry battalion of the Parachute Regiment, originally raised as 15th (King's) Parachute Battalion by the British Army in World War II.
The 16th (Staffords) Parachute Battalion was an airborne infantry battalion of the Parachute Regiment, raised by the British Army in World War II.
The 13th (Lancashire) Parachute Battalion was an airborne infantry battalion of the Parachute Regiment, raised by the British Army during the Second World War. The battalion was formed in May 1943 by the conversion of the 2/4th Battalion, South Lancashire Regiment to parachute duties and was assigned to the 5th Parachute Brigade in the 6th Airborne Division.
The 6th Parachute Battalion was an airborne infantry battalion of the Parachute Regiment raised by the British Army during the Second World War.
The 16th Parachute Brigade was an airborne infantry brigade of the British Army.
The 16th Airborne Division was an airborne infantry division of the British Territorial Army. It was first commanded by Major-General Roy Urquhart, and had its divisional headquarters in London.
The Antrim Fortress Royal Engineers was a coast defence unit of the UK's Territorial Army formed in Northern Ireland in the late 1930s. During World War II it was converted to a parachute role and dropped into Normandy on D Day and across the Rhine during Operation Varsity. Its successors continue in the Army Reserve today.