List of World War II British airborne battalions explained

The British airborne forces, during the Second World War, consisted of the Parachute Regiment, the Glider Pilot Regiment, the airlanding battalions, and from 1944 the Special Air Service Troops.Their formation followed the success of the 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.[1]

On 22 June 1940, No. 2 Commando was turned over to parachute duties and on 21 November, re-designated the 11th Special Air Service Battalion, with a parachute and glider wing.[2] [3] It was 38 men of this battalion who on 10 February 1941 took part in Operation Colossus the first British airborne operation.[4] In September, the battalion was re-designated the 1st Parachute Battalion.[4] A request for volunteers for parachute duties provided enough men to form the 2nd, 3rd and 4th Parachute Battalions.[4] The volunteers for glider-borne infantry were formed into airlanding battalions from December 1941.

The success of early British airborne operations prompted the War Office to expand the existing airborne force, setting up the Airborne Forces Depot and Battle School in Derbyshire in April 1942, and creating the Parachute Regiment.[5] The fledgling force received another boost following the German success in the Battle of Crete, when the War Office issued a communiqué.

The Airborne Forces of the British Army consists of the parachute troops and glider-borne troops of all arms of service. Officers and men in any regiment or corps, may apply for transfer to a parachute or glider-borne unit of the Airborne Forces.[6]

By the end of the war the British Army had raised seventeen parachute and eight airlanding battalions. These battalions served in seven parachute brigades, three airlanding brigades and three airborne divisions. Some British battalions served in the Far East with Indian Army formations. One Canadian parachute battalion served in a British parachute brigade and a Polish parachute brigade served with a British division.

Almost all the battalions played some part in British airborne operations. The first of which was a platoon sized operation in Italy. The second a company parachute landing in France. Building experience all the time these operations were followed by three battalion sized parachute landings in Tunisia. Parachute and airlanding brigades carried out landings in Sicily and the south of France. But the pinnacle of British airborne operations, were three divisional landings at Normandy, Arnhem and the River Rhine crossing in Germany.

The British airborne forces were easily identified by their distinctive uniform. The maroon beret,[7] the airborne forces patch of Bellerophon riding the flying horse Pegasus and parachute wings worn on the right shoulder of trained parachutists.[8] On operations, airborne forces wore their own pattern steel helmet instead of the standard British Brodie helmet and after 1942, the camouflaged Denison smock was issued to airborne forces.[9]

Battalions

BattalionActive in roleBrigadeDivisionOperationsImage
1941–1945[10] Operation Torch[11]
Operation Fustian[12]
Operation Slapstick[13]
Operation Market Garden[14]
1941–1945[15] Operation Ladbroke[16]
Operation Slapstick[17]
Operation Market Garden
Operation Doomsday[18]
1941–1945

6th Airlanding Brigade[19]
6th Airborne Division		Operation Tonga
Battle of the Bulge[20]
Operation Varsity[21]

1941–1945
Operation Tonga
Operation Mallard[22]
Operation Market Garden
Operation Varsity

1941–1945[23] Operation Houndsworth[24]
Operation Bulbasket[25]
Operation Archway[26]
1941–1945Operation Biting[27]
Operation Torch
Operation Fustian[28]
Operation Slapstick[29]
Operation Market Garden
1941–1945Operation Ladbroke[30]
Operation Slapstick[31]
Operation Market Garden
Operation Doomsday
1941–1945

6th Airlanding Brigade
6th Airborne Division		Operation Tonga[32]
Battle of the Bulge[33]
Operation Varsity
1945[34] [35] Participated in
Chindit operations.[36]
1945[37] Participated in
Chindit operations.
1941–1945Operation Freshman[38]
Operation Ladbroke[39]
Operation Fustian[40]
Operation Market Garden
Operation Varsity
1943–1945Operation Loyton[41]
Operation Archway[42]
Operation Tombola[43]
1941–1945Operation Torch
Operation Fustian[44]
Operation Slapstick[45]
Operation Market Garden
1942–1945
Operation Fustian[46]
Operation Slapstick[47]
Operation Rugby[48]
Operation Manna[49]

1942–1945
Operation Fustian[50]
Operation Slapstick[51]
Operation Rugby[52]
Operation Manna[53]

1942–1948
Operation Fustian[54]
Operation Slapstick[55]
Operation Rugby[56]
Operation Manna[57]

1942–1945

5th Parachute Brigade		Operation Tonga
Battle of the Bulge[58]
Operation Varsity
1943–1945Operation Ladbroke[59]
Operation Slapstick[60]
Operation Market Garden[61]
Operation Doomsday

1942–1945Operation Tonga
Battle of the Bulge[62]
Operation Varsity

1942–1945Operation Tonga
Battle of the Bulge[63]
Operation Varsity

1943–1944
Operation Slapstick[64]
Operation Market Garden

1943–1944
Operation Slapstick[65]
Operation Market Garden
1940–1941Operation Colossus[66]

1943–1945Operation Tonga
Battle of the Bulge[67]
Operation Varsity
1943–1945Operation Tonga
Operation Varsity

1943–1945Operation Tonga
Battle of the Bulge[68]
Operation Varsity

1945Participated in Chindit
operations before
converting to parachute
duties.

1945Participated in Chindit
operations before
converting to parachute
duties.
1945[69] [70]

1942[71]

1942–1944
Operation Slapstick[72]
Operation Market Garden

Notes

Footnotes
  • Citations

    • References

    Notes and References

    1. Otway, p.21
    2. Shott & McBride, p.4
    3. Moreman, p.91
    4. Guard, p.218
    5. Harclerode, p.218
    6. Peters, p.5
    7. r Ferguson, p.16
    8. Guard, p.227
    9. Guard, p.232
    10. Chant, P.270
    11. Harclerode, p.209
    12. Chant, p.58
    13. Chant, p.254
    14. Ferguson, p.22
    15. Guard, p.275
    16. Mitcham, p.73
    17. Chant, p.254
    18. Otway, p. 325
    19. Ferguson, p.16
    20. Cole, p.154
    21. Chant, p.317
    22. Peters, p.15
    23. Shott & McBride, p.12
    24. Bowman, p.144
    25. Web site: 23 March 2011. Royal British Legion. Operation Bulbasket. https://web.archive.org/web/20110727202303/http://www.rbl-linazay-france.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=52&Itemid=61. 27 July 2011. dead.
    26. Davies, p. 19
    27. Chant, p.7
    28. Chant, p.58
    29. Chant, p.254
    30. Mitcham, p.73
    31. Chant, p.254
    32. Ferguson, p.17
    33. Cole, p.154
    34. Web site: 20 March 2011. Order of Battle. 14 Airlanding Brigade.
    35. Web site: 20 March 2011. Order of Battle. 44 Indian Airborne Division.
    36. Wiest, pp.144–145
    37. Conboy, p.5
    38. Peters, p.10
    39. Peters, p.11
    40. Peters, p.14
    41. News: 23 March 2011. . Obituary:Henry Duce. London. 7 February 2007.
    42. Davies, p. 19
    43. News: Obituary for Major Roy Farran. 5 June 2006. Daily Telegraph. 23 March 2011. London.
    44. Chant, p.58
    45. Chant, p.254
    46. Chant, p.58
    47. Chant, p.254
    48. Rottman, p.15
    49. Chant, p.158
    50. Chant, p.58
    51. Chant, p.254
    52. Rottman, p.15
    53. Chant, p.158
    54. Chant, p.58
    55. Chant, p.254
    56. Rottman, p.15
    57. Chant, p.158
    58. Cole, p.154
    59. Mitcham, p.73
    60. Chant, p.254
    61. Ferguson, p.23
    62. Cole, p.154
    63. Cole, p.154
    64. Chant, p.254
    65. Chant, p.254
    66. Harclerode, p.200
    67. Cole, p.154
    68. Cole, p.154
    69. Web site: 20 March 2011. Order of Battle. 1 Parachute Brigade.
    70. Web site: 20 March 2011. Order of Battle. 1 Airborne Division.
    71. Conboy, p.3
    72. Chant, p.254

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