Impressed by the German airborne force during the 1940 Battle of France, the British Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, ordered the creation of a paratrooper force of 5,000 men. The success of Operation Colossus, a small scale commando raid, prompted further expansion of this force, and resulted in an additional requirement for a glider force of 10,000 men to be created. The recruitment for the size of this force took through to 1943, by which time two divisions had been formed. The airborne division was to comprise three brigades: two parachute brigades, each with three battalions from the Parachute Regiment, and an airlanding brigade with three infantry battalions. The first parachute battalions were formed from volunteers from across the British military. As the airborne force grew, infantry battalions were selected to be converted into parachute battalions. The men were invited to volunteer for parachute service, or assigned to a new unit. The new battalions were then brought up to strength from volunteers from other units. The airlanding battalions came from existing infantry units that had been converted into this new role, and the soldiers did not have the ability to opt-out. The latter were flown into battle via gliders, while the former parachuted in.
| Formation name | width=6% scope="col" | Existing or date created | width=6% scope="col" | Date ceased to exist | width=15% scope="col" | Location(s) served | width=15% scope="col" | Notable campaign(s) | class=unsortable width=7% scope="col" | Division(s) mostly associated with | class=unsortable width=39% scope="col" | Notes | class=unsortable width=1% scope="col" | Source(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st Airlanding Brigade | 10 December 1941 | N/A | UK, Tunisia, Italy, Netherlands, Norway | Tunisian, Italian, Arnhem | 1st Airborne | The brigade was formed by the re-designation of the 31st Independent Brigade Group, and was initially known as the 1st Airlanding Brigade Group. On 10 March 1943, the brigade was renamed the 1st Airlanding Brigade. The brigade ended the war in the UK. | ||||||||
| 6th Airlanding Brigade | 6 May 1943 | N/A | UK, France, Germany | Normandy, Western Allied invasion of Germany | 6th Airborne | The brigade ended the war based in the UK | ||||||||
| 14th Airlanding Brigade | 1 November 1944 | N/A | British India | did not see combat | 44th Indian Airborne | The brigade was formed by the re-designation of the headquarters of the 14th Infantry Brigade. The brigade ended the war in British India. |
| Formation name | width=6% scope="col" | Existing or date created | width=6% scope="col" | Date ceased to exist | width=15% scope="col" | Location(s) served | width=15% scope="col" | Notable campaign(s) | class=unsortable width=7% scope="col" | Division(s) mostly associated with | class=unsortable width=39% scope="col" | Notes | class=unsortable width=1% scope="col" | Source(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st Parachute Brigade | 5 September 1941 | N/A | UK, Tunisia, Italy, Netherlands | Tunisian, Allied invasion of Sicily, Arnhem | 1st Airborne | Following heavy losses during the Battle of Arnhem, the brigade was merged with the 4th Parachute Brigade from September through to November 1944. The brigade ended the war based in the UK. | ||||||||
| 2nd Parachute Brigade | 17 July 1942 | N/A | UK, Tunisia, Italy, Greece, France | Tunisian, Italian, Southern France | 1st Airborne, 2nd New Zealand, 8th Indian | On 17 November 1943, the brigade was re-designated as the 2nd Independent Parachute Brigade Group. Between 18 September and 6 October 1944, the brigade was temporarily renamed Force 140 while it operated in Greece. It ended the war based in the UK. | ||||||||
| 3rd Parachute Brigade | 7 November 1942 | N/A | UK, France, Germany | Normandy, Western Allied invasion of Germany | 1st Airborne, 6th Airborne | The brigade was formed by the re-designation of the 223rd Independent Infantry Brigade. It ended the war based in the UK. | ||||||||
| 4th Parachute Brigade | 1 December 1942 | 10 December 1944 | Egypt, Palestine, Italian-Libya, Tunisia, Italy, Netherlands, UK | Italian, Arnhem | 1st Airborne | The brigade was formed in Egypt from British troops based there. Following heavy losses during the Battle of Arnhem, the brigade was merged with the 1st Parachute Brigade. It was disbanded on 10 December 1944. | ||||||||
| 5th Parachute Brigade | 1 June 1943 | N/A | UK, France, Germany, British India | Normandy, Western Allied invasion of Germany | 6th Airborne | The brigade was formed by the re-designation of the 72nd Independent Infantry Brigade. It ended the war in British India. | ||||||||
| Special Air Service Troops | N/A | UK, France, Italy, Belgium, Netherlands, Germany, Norway | France, Italy, Western Allied invasion of Germany | N/A | The brigade contained British, Belgian, and French Special Air Service units. It did not fight as a cohesive force, instead the it oversaw the control of various units that were engaged in various operations across Europe. With the exception of May through August 1945 when the brigade HQ moved to Norway, the HQ remained in the UK and ended the war there. |