A paratrooper is a military parachutist—someone trained to parachute into an operation, and usually functioning as part of an airborne force. 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.
A Parachute regiment is an airborne infantry military unit of paratroopers, trained in parachuting into a combat zone.
Fallschirmjäger is the German word for paratroopers. They played an important role during World War II, when, together with the Gebirgsjäger they were perceived as the elite infantry units of the German military. After World War II, they were reconstituted as parts of postwar armed forces of both West and East Germany, mainly as special ops troops.
The Structure of the Argentine Army is made up of administrative branches and the field organisation of three divisions and the parachute brigade which is part of the Rapid Deployment Force.
The Brigada de Fusileros Paracaidistas is a paratrooper unit created in 1969 within the Mexican Army but utilizing aircraft from the Air Force. Their headquarters were established in Mexico City and their training takes place in the Centro de Adiestramiento de Paracaidismo. A battalion can be deployed rapidly to any part of the country.
The maroon beret in a military configuration has been an international symbol of airborne forces since the Second World War. It was officially introduced in 1942, at the direction of Major-General Frederick "Boy" Browning, commander of the British 1st Airborne Division. It was first worn by the Parachute Regiment in action in North Africa during November 1942. Although coloured maroon, the beret of the British Parachute Regiment is often called the "red beret."
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 red beret is a military beret worn by many military police, paramilitary, commando, and police forces. The term is also used to refer to the British Parachute Regiment, although members wear the maroon beret.
The 3rd Marine Infantry Parachute Regiment is an airborne elite regiment of the French Army heir to the 3rd Colonial Commando Parachute Battalion 3e BCCP created in 1948 and the 3rd Colonial Parachute Regiment 3e RPC. The regiment is part of the 11th Parachute Brigade.
The 11th Parachute Brigade is a unit of the French Army, dominantly infantry, part of the French Airborne Units and specialized in air combat and air assault. The Brigade's primary vocation is to project in emergency in order to contribute a first response to a situational crisis. An elite unit of the French Army, the brigade is commanded by a général de brigade with headquarters in Balma near Toulouse. The Brigade's soldiers and airborne Marines wear the red beret (amaranth) except for the Legionnaires of the 2nd Foreign Parachute Regiment who wear Green beret of the French Foreign Legion.
The Special Operations Regiment, formerly the Light Brigade, is a Regiment of the Land Component of the Belgian Armed Forces. Its headquarters is located in Heverlee. Known until 3 July 2018 as the Light Brigade the regiment is Belgium's special operations and rapid response unit.
The Paratroopers Brigade "Folgore" is an airborne brigade of the Italian Army. Its core units are three battalions of paratroopers (paracadutisti). The name Folgore is Italian for lightning. The Folgore is one of three light infantry brigades of the Italian Army. While the Folgore specializes in parachute operations its sister brigade in the Friuli Division the Airmobile Brigade Friuli specializes in helicopter assault operations. The Folgore and its units are based in Tuscany, Veneto and Lazio.
The 1st Paratroopers Carabinieri Regiment "Tuscania" is a special operations unit of the Italian Carabinieri. It forms with the 7th Carabinieri Regiment in Laives, the 13th Carabinieri Regiment in Gorizia, and the Special Intervention Group the Carabinieri's Second Mobile Brigade.
The 9th Parachute Chasseur Regiment was an airborne unit of the French Army that was part of the French Airborne Units and all three histories of the 10th Parachute Division, 25th Parachute Division and the 11th Parachute Brigade. It was formed during the Algerian War and fought its most notable engagement at the Battle of Frontiers in 1958 at Souk Ahras during which the sacrifice of Captain's Beaumont 3rd combat company earned naming the garrison of the 9th Parachute Chasseur in his honor. During the Algerian War, the 9th Parachute Chasseur Regiment relieved the 1st Parachute Chasseur Regiment and became part of the 25th Parachute Division. The regiment didn’t take part in the 1961 Algiers Putsch. The regiment took part in numerous overseas operations before merging in 1999. The 9th Parachute Chasseur Regiment was the heir to the traditions, battle honours and decorations of the 9th Infantry Regiment created during the Ancien Régime.
44 Parachute Brigade was a parachute infantry brigade of the South African Army. It was founded on 20 April 1978, following the disbandment of 1 SA Corps. Upon formation, the brigade was commanded by Brigadier M. J. du Plessis, who was assigned the task of establishing the unit with the assistance of the Parachute Staff Officer, Colonel Jan Breytenbach. At the time du Plessis was the commanding officer of the Orange Free State Command and had previous experience serving in 1 Parachute Battalion. Breytenbach had also been a member of 1 Parachute Battalion and had also founded the South African Special Forces Brigade and 32 Battalion. The location that was chosen for the brigade's headquarters was in the lines of the OFS Cmd Headquarters, next to the old Tempe Airfield in Bloemfontein.
The Paratrooper Brigade is an airborne brigade of the Spanish Armed Forces called Black Berets and it is one of the Polyvalent Brigades of the Land Force of the Spanish Army.
The Portuguese Paratroopers are an elite infantry assault force, representing the bulk of the airborne forces of Portugal. They were created in 1956 as part of the Portuguese Air Force, being transferred to the Portuguese Army in 1993. Presently, most of the Paratroopers are part of the Portuguese Rapid Reaction Brigade which comprises all 3 special forces troops.
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.
