Portuguese Paratroopers

Last updated
Parachute Troops
Tropas Paraquedistas
MASS DROP-EXCHANGE BETWEEN PARATROOPERS FORCES OF THE MULTINATIONAL BRIGADE- TRIDENT JUNCTURE 2015 EXERCISE (22585140412).jpg
Portuguese Paratroopers during NATO Trident Juncture 2015 exercise
Active1956 – Present day
CountryFlag of Portugal.svg  Portugal
Branch Portuguese Army
Type Paratrooper
Part of Rapid Reaction Brigade
Nickname(s)Paras
Boinas Verdes (Green Berets)
Motto(s)Que nunca por vencidos se conheçam "May they never be known as defeated"

The Portuguese Paratroopers (Portuguese : Tropas Paraquedistas) 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.

Contents

The Portuguese Paratroopers were usually nicknamed "Paras" or "Green Berets" (Boinas Verdes).

Organization

Until 2006, the Portuguese Paratroopers formed an autonomous command within the Army, the Airborne Troops Command (Comandos de Tropas Aerotransportadas) or CTA. All parachute units and most of the Paratroopers were under that command. The CTA was also responsible for the selection of the future Paratroopers and for their training. The main operational formation of the CTA was the Independent Airborne Brigade (Brigada Aerotransportada Independente) or BAI. The CTA was created in 1993, when the Paratroopers were transferred to the Army, succeeding the Parachute Troops Command (Comando de Tropas Paraquedistas), that had the same functions within the Air Force.

The CTA was extinct in the Army reorganization of 2006, at the same time the BAI being transformed in the Rapid Reaction Brigade or BrigRR. Since then, the Paratroopers do not form a collective corps, constituting only a speciality of the Army. They serve mainly in the following units of the BrigRR (that now also includes non-parachute units):

History

The Parachute Rifle Battalion

The first female paratrooper nurses and an instructor in 1961 Enf.jpg
The first female paratrooper nurses and an instructor in 1961

The first Portuguese Paratroopers were a group of 12 Timorese soldiers trained in Australia in 1942, to participate in the fight against the Japanese forces that were occupying Portuguese Timor. Some of them were launched in the rearguard of the Japanese forces.

After the successful use of airborne forces in the Second World War by Germany and the Allies, other armed forces began to examine the possibility of forming parachute Troops for special missions. In 1955, the Portuguese Defense Minister approved a request for funds for airborne paratroop training. Two Portuguese Army captains went to France to take the French parachute course at the École des Troupes Aéroportées.

After the Portuguese Air Force was created as an independent service branch, it was decided that the Paratroopers would be part of the Air Force, much like the German organizational structure during World War II. The Parachute Rifle Battalion (Batalhão de Caçadores Páraquedistas) or BCP was formed in 1956. The Paratroopers were issued unique green berets and camo uniforms, being the first Portuguese military unit to wear these items of uniform. The Paratroopers initially jumped using the venerable German tri-motored Junkers Ju 52 aircraft.

The BCP was provisionally installed in the Carregueira Military Camp, near Lisbon, but soon it was moved to Tancos, which still serves today as the main base of the Portuguese Paratroopers.

The Parachute Rifles Regiment and the Overseas War

Paratroopers being launched from an Alouette III helicopter in an air-mobile assault in Angola in the early 1960s AssaltonaMatadaSanga.jpg
Paratroopers being launched from an Alouette III helicopter in an air-mobile assault in Angola in the early 1960s

In 1961, conflict erupted in the African colonies, which soon evolved into a series of guerrilla campaigns against Portuguese rule. The Paratroopers were then required to fight in Africa. The BCP was enlarged to become a regiment, as the Regimento de Caçadores Paraquedistas or RCP. It included an operational battalion (11th Paratroopers Rifles or BCP 11) and a training battalion. By this time, the men were armed with the modern 7,62mm ArmaLite AR-10 battle rifle, a weapon previously not seen in Western military forces. [1] The paratroopers liked the accuracy and mobility of the AR-10, but supplies were embargoed after initial deliveries were completed in 1960, and paratroopers were later issued the collapsible-stock variant of the m/961 (G3) rifle. [1] To fight the various separatist guerrilla movements, additional Paratroopers battalions were created in the Portuguese African territories of Angola, Guinea and Mozambique.

Due to Portuguese Air Force control over airborne units, the Paratroopers rifles battalions (BCP) numbers reflected their subordination to the several regional Air Force commands. So, the 1st Air Region (North Atlantic air command) commanded the BCP 11 based in European Portugal and the BCP 12 based in Portuguese Guinea, 2nd Air Region (South Atlantic air command) commanded the BCP 21 based in Angola and the 3rd Air Region (Indian Ocean air command) commanded the BCP 31 and BCP 32 both based in Mozambique.

In the War, the Portuguese Paratroopers suffered the following casualties:

A total of 160 Portuguese paratroopers were killed in action.

On April 25, 1974, a military coup led by left-wing members of the Portuguese Army ended the authoritarian government regime in Portugal, and the country moved towards fully democratic elections. Shortly afterwards, peace negotiations with the various African colonies resulted in an end to the African wars, followed by the independence of Angola, Mozambique, and Guinea-Bissau. Military reforms were instituted in Portugal in 1975, resulting in a reorganization of airborne forces.

The Parachute Troops Corps

In 1975, the Parachute Troops Corps (Corpo de Tropas Paraquedistas) or CTP is created within the Portuguese Air Force, to centralize the control of all its parachute units, under the command of a general officer.

On the 5 July 1975, to the CTP is given an organization consisting of a dual structure: fixed and dynamic. The so-called fixed structure would include fix bases designed to train and support the Parachute Troops. Within this structure, the following bases are created:

A third operational base (BOTP 3) located within the Beja Airbase area was planned, but it was never activated. As part of this, the RCP was disbanded and transformed in the BETP within the CTP. The dynamic structure of the CTP would consist of its operational parachute units, the great majority of them being concentrated in the new Paratroopers Light Brigade (Brigada Ligeira de Páraquedistas) or BriParas. The BriParas organization included the following units:

The CTP was responsible for changing the Paratroopers from a counter-guerrilla force to a conventional airborne force capable of fighting in a possible NATO vs Warsaw Pact war.

Army integration

Paratroopers after conducting a high altitude low opening (HALO) jump in multinational airborne training (2018) Italian, Portuguese Soldiers Conduct Halo Jump During Saber Strike 18 (2).jpg
Paratroopers after conducting a high altitude low opening (HALO) jump in multinational airborne training (2018)

In 1993, further changes in the organization of airborne forces took place when the Defense Minister decided that the entire corps should leave the Portuguese Air Force and become part of the Portuguese Army. This meant also that the Army Commandos Regiment would be disbanded and the commandos that had taken the parachute course would be part of the new airborne brigade which was named Brigada Aerotransportada Independente (Independent Airborne Brigade) or BAI.

The BETP then changed its name again to Escola de Tropas Aerotransportadas (Airborne Troops School) or ETAT, the Parachute Troops Corps changed to the Comando de Tropas Aerotransportadas (Airborne Troops Command) and all three Paratrooper battalions changed to Airborne infantry battalions (Batalhão de Infantaria Aerotransportada; BIAT). This new Army Airborne Brigade meant to be larger and more powerful than the previous Air Force Paratroopers Light Brigade. As part of its strengthening, the new brigade received 105 mm guns (replacing the heavy mortars as its main artillery) and wheeled armored vehicles.

In territorial terms, the BOTP 1 was closed (still under the Air Force) and BOTP 2 changed its name to São Jacinto Military Area. The units of the brigade that were not at Tancos (Airborne Support Battalion) or São Jacinto (2nd BIAT) were now garrisoned at Army barracks (Regiments) like the 15th Infantry Regiment at Tomar (1st BIAT), 3rd Infantry Regiment at Beja (3rd BIAT), 4th Artillery Regiment at Leiria (Grupo de Artilharia de Campanha – Field Artillery Battalion), 3rd Cavalry Regiment at Estremoz (Esquadrão de Reconhecimento Aerotransportado – Armoured Recon Squadron) and others.

The BAI structure was:

It was envisaged that all BAI be fully staffed by paratrooper qualified personnel, including its combat support and service support units. However, due to various difficulties, this objective was never fully achieved. Moreover, it was never possible to maintain the 3rd BIAT continuously active, this unit being inactive much of the time.

In November 2007, a Paratrooper was killed in a vehicle accident in Afghanistan.

Rapid Reaction Brigade

The last reorganization of the Army though, changed the ETAT designation again to ETP – Escola de Tropas Paraquedistas (School of Parachute Troops) with the BAI being renamed and reorganized as BRR – Brigada de Reacção Rápida . The Airborne Troops Command was disbanded. Currently, airborne forces are under direct control of regular army commands, such as Land Forces Operational Command (operational units) or the Instruction Command (ETP – Paratrooper School).

The Elite Forces brigade is no longer a full deployable brigade, but rather an organizational structure that controls all the special trained army units.

The 3rd Airborne Infantry Battalion and Anti-Tank Company were disbanded and the other two BIAT were renamed Paratrooper Infantry Battalions (BIParas), the São Jacinto Military Area was renamed 10th Infantry Regiment, the Airborne Artillery Group and the Services and Support Battalion were transferred to the Intervention Brigade and their no longer Airborne capable and the Engineering Company and the Anti-Aircraft Artillery Battery were reduced to platoon size. This new Rapid Reaction Brigade joined all remaining Paratrooper units together with Army Special Operations and the reborn battalion-size Army Comandos unit. Finally a newly formed unit has joined BRR: UALE (Army Light Aviation Unit), which is waiting to be equipped with NH-90 TTH and a still-to-be-chosen light utility helicopter, possibly the Eurocopter EC-135 or the AgustaWestland AW109.

BRR forces include:

Candidate selection and training

General conditions

Admission tests

Training courses in the ETP

Qualification Courses

Equipment

Infantry equipment

Armoured vehicles

Aircraft

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paratrooper</span> Military parachutists functioning as part of an airborne force

A paratrooper is a military parachutist—someone trained to parachute into a military operation, and usually functioning as part of an 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Airborne forces</span> Military units set up to be moved by aircraft and "dropped" into battle

Airborne forces are ground combat units carried by aircraft and airdropped into battle zones, typically by parachute drop. Parachute-qualified infantry and support personnel serving in airborne units are also known as paratroopers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">82nd Airborne Division</span> Active duty airborne infantry division of the US Army

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Operation Tonga</span> Airborne operation during World War II

Operation Tonga was the codename given to the airborne operation undertaken by the British 6th Airborne Division between 5 June and 7 June 1944 as a part of Operation Overlord and the D-Day landings during World War II.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pathfinder (military)</span> Specialized soldier who prepares sites for airborne operations

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 were 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Air assault</span> Military movement of ground forces by air into combat or unsecured areas

Air assault is the movement of ground-based military forces by vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft, such as helicopters, to seize and hold key terrain that has not been fully secured, and to directly engage enemy forces behind enemy lines. In addition to regular infantry training, air-assault units usually receive training in rappelling, fast-roping techniques, and air transportation. Their equipment is sometimes designed or field-modified to allow better transportation and/or carrying within aircraft.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Italian Army</span> Land warfare branch of Italys military forces

The Italian Army is the land force branch of the Italian Armed Forces. The army's history dates back to the Italian unification in the 1850s and 1860s. The army fought in colonial engagements in China, Libya, Northern Italy against the Austro-Hungarian Empire during World War I, Abyssinia before World War II and in World War II in Albania, Balkans, North Africa, the Soviet Union, and Italy itself. During the Cold War, the army prepared itself to defend against a Warsaw Pact invasion from the east. Since the end of the Cold War, the army has seen extensive peacekeeping service and combat in Afghanistan and Iraq. Its best-known combat vehicles are the Dardo infantry fighting vehicle, the Centauro tank destroyer and the Ariete tank and among its aircraft the Mangusta attack helicopter, recently deployed in UN missions. The headquarters of the Army General Staff are located in Rome opposite the Quirinal Palace, where the president of Italy resides. The army is an all-volunteer force of active-duty personnel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">508th Infantry Regiment (United States)</span> Military unit

The 508th Infantry Regiment is an airborne infantry regiment of the United States Army, first formed in October 1942 during World War II. The 508th is a parent regiment under the U.S. Army Regimental System, and two battalions from the regiment are currently active: the 1st Battalion, 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment is assigned to the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, and the 2nd Battalion, 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment is assigned to the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division. The regiment served in combat during World War II, and regimental elements have served in combat in the Dominican Republic, Vietnam, Grenada, Panama, Iraq and Afghanistan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maroon beret</span> International symbol of airborne forces

The maroon beret in a military configuration has been an international symbol of airborne forces since the Second World War. It was first officially introduced by the British Army 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rapid Reaction Brigade (Portugal)</span> Military unit

The Brigada de Reacção Rápida is a unit of the Portuguese Army which was known as BAI - Brigada Aerotransportada Independente until 2006. Its different units are highly trained Paratroopers, Commandos and Special Operations Troops capable of responding to threats in any part of continental Portugal or any other Portuguese overseas territory with quick deployment by air, sea or land. This brigade is the most requested by the Portuguese Government to fulfill international assignments due to its experience and multi-role capability.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paratroopers' Regiment</span> Military unit

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">11th Parachute Brigade (France)</span> Military unit

The 11th Parachute Brigade is a unit of the French Army, predominantly 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 2ème REP who wear the green beret.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aeroterrestrial Support Battalion</span> Military unit

The Batalhão de Apoio Aeroterrestre, based at the ETP - Escola de Tropas Páraquedistas, in Tancos is unit responsible for the execution of several key missions of the Portuguese Parachute Troops, such as the operation of launch zones (CPRECs), folding and maintenance of parachutes (CEA) and launching of air supply (CAA).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paratroopers Brigade "Folgore"</span> Military 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 Division "Vittorio Veneto" the Airmobile Brigade Friuli specializes in helicopter assault operations. The Folgore and its units are based in Tuscany, Veneto and Lazio.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">50th Parachute Brigade (India)</span> Military unit

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 3 Parachute Regiment battalions, supported by units of the Regiment of Artillery, the Corps of Engineers and the Army Medical Corps

<span class="mw-page-title-main">44 Parachute Brigade (South Africa)</span> Military unit

44 Parachute Brigade was a parachute infantry brigade of the South African Army. It was founded on 20 April 1978, by Colonel Jan Breytenbach, following the disbandment of 1 SA Corps and the battle of Cassinga. Upon formation, the brigade was commanded by Brigadier M. J. du Plessis, who was assigned the task of establishing by working with 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.

References

  1. 1 2 Afonso, Aniceto and Gomes, Carlos de Matos, Guerra Colonial (2000), pp. 183-184