The
following text was contributed by R. Wulfsohn.
Unit Profile
Primary
role: airborne infantry
Secondary
role: light infantry
The
Parachute Regiment was formed in 1942 and since then
has seen service around the world. At present it consists
of the following elements:
1st
Battalion, The Parachute Regiment - 1 Para
2nd
Battalion, The Parachute Regiment - 2 Para
3rd
Battalion, The Parachute Regiment - 3 Para
4th
Battalion(Volunteer), The Parachute Regiment - 4 Para(V)
Pathfinder
Platoon
1
and 2 Para are based at Aldershot in Hampshire and
form part of 16th Air Assault Brigade, along with
the Pathfinder Platoon. 3 Para is located at Dover
in Kent and is part of Britain's contribution to the
Allied Command Europe Mobile Force (Land) - AMF(L).
There is also a small Regimental Headquarters at Aldershot;
this has no tactical function and is a purely administrative
body. 4 Para has its headquarters at Leeds but its
companies and detachments are scattered over the UK.
History
Winston
Churchill ordered the formation of a force of British
paratroopers on 22 June 1940. No.2 Commando was selected
for this task and began training at Ringway near Manchester.
Soon it was redesignated as 11th Special
Air Service Battalion and it was a detachment of this
unit which carried out the first Allied airborne operation
of the war. This was the raid on the Tragino acqueduct
in southern Italy in February 1941. Later in 1941
the airborne troops became 1st Parachute
Battalion and soon more battalions were formed, along
with the necessary supporting units. In 1942 The Parachute
Regiment was formed as the " home " for
the parachute battalions. Seventeen such battalions
were raised during the war, although the last three
were too late to see any action. There were also three
pathfinder companies, one in each of the two British
airborne divisions and one in the Indian airborne
division formed in 1944. The most famous actions of
the Paras in
World War 2 are probably those in Normandy
in June 1944 as part of the 6th Airborne
Division and at Arnhem in September 1944 with the
1st Airborne Division. However elements
of the 1st had already fought in North
Africa, Sicily and Italy, while the 6th
was to go on to the Ardennes campaign and the crossing
of the Rhine. In addition an independent brigade served
in Italy, southern France and Greece.
The
6th Airborne Division was one of the last
elements of the British occupation force to pull out
of Palestine in 1948, just before the creation of
the State of Israel. That same year the number of
parachute battalions was reduced to three, along with
a Guards independent pathfinder company. Together
with airborne engineers, gunners etc. these formed
the 16th Parachute Brigade. In 1949 The
Parachute Regiment became a permanent part of the
British Army's order of battle as a separate Corps
of Infantry. Previously it had formed part of the
Army Air Corps but was now to have its own colours,
march, Colonel Commandant ( the first being Field
Marshal Montgomery) and other distinctions. From 1953
other ranks could enter the Paras directly from civilian
life, while the first officer was commissioned into
the regiment in 1958. ( Before this regular officers
had been seconded from other regiments. A few still
transfer today )
In
the 1950s the 16th Parachute Brigade served
mainly in the Middle East. Here its operations included
the Suez invasion of 1956, in which 3 Para carried
out the last combat drop of the regiment to date,
and the deployment to Jordan during the Lebanon crisis
in 1958. In the following decade the regiment saw
action in Cyprus in 1964 ( 1 Para ), the Radfan in
the same year ( 3 Para ), Borneo in 1965 ( 2 Para
) and Aden in 1967 (1 Para ). In addition a company
each from 2 and 3 Para served tours in Borneo in the
long-range patrol role, under the command of 22SAS.
No.1(Guards) Independent Company and the Gurkha Independent
Parachute Company, which existed from 1963 to 1971,
also served such tours. 1969 saw the first emergency
tour by a parachute battalion in Northern Ireland;
since then Paras have been there more often than not,
both on what are now called " roulemont "
tours, lasting six months, and as part of the permanent
garrison. The 1970s, however, saw the regiment in
decline when 16th Parachute Brigade was
disbanded in 1977. There was no reduction in strength
of the Paras themselves but almost all the parachute-trained
support units went, along with the Guards company.
Only one battalion group was kept " in-role",
as the Parachute Contingency Force.
The
Falklands War of 1982 saw some of the toughest fighting
by the Paras since World War 2. 2 and 3 Para formed
part of 3 Commando Brigade, which also included 40,
42 and 45 Commandos Royal Marines. 2 Para's capture
of the Darwin/Goose Green isthmus on 28/29 May was
the most famous battle of the campaign. 3 Para's night
attack to seize Mount Longdon on 11/12 June was equally
hard-fought and in fact resulted in the highest British
casualties of the war. By contrast 2 Para's assault
on nearby Wireless Ridge two nights later went about
as flawlessly as such an operation can; this was the
final nail in the coffin for the Argentine forces
on East Falkland and they surrendered the next day.
After
the Falklands War it was decided that Britain again
needed a proper airborne capability and 5th
Infantry Brigade became 5th Airborne Brigade.
It was to consist of
two battalions of Paras, a Gurkha infantry
battalion and various supporting elements, such as
7th Parachute Regiment Royal Horse Artillery
which once again returned to the airborne role. The
most recent operational deployment for the Paras was
in Kosovo in June 1999. Here 1 Para, reinforcements
from 3 Para and the Pathfinder Platoon formed the
initial element of 5 Airborne in the province. This
was the last operation for the airborne brigade as
later that year it became a mechanised brigade. Earlier
that year C(Gurkha) Company of 2 Para served a six-month
tour in Bosnia. The rest of 2 Para completed a tour
in Northern Ireland. Exercises in 1998 and 1999 were
carried out as far afield as Poland, Germany, Canada,
Belize, Gibraltar, Kenya, Norway, Cyprus and the United
States, involving either whole battalions or company
groups. " Adventure " training saw groups
going to Scotland, Nepal and other locations.
Recruitment
and Training
Officers
The
majority of men applying to join the Paras as officers
today are in their last year of university, but some
come from school or jobs in civilian life and others
from within the ranks of the army, though they must
be under 25 years of age. Applicants go on a familiarisation
visit to one of the battalions and a Potential Officer
Course run at Regimental Headquarters. Often
applicants will spend a day or two in the field
with a couple of NCOs to see " if they've got
a bit of bloody spark in them. "
Assuming
he passes the POC interviews and the Regular Commissions
Board tests an applicant will then go on to the Royal
Military Academy Sandhurst. Here cadets " sponsored
" by the Paras do the same Common Commissioning
Course as cadets of all arms and services, excluding
professionally qualified officers such as lawyers
and doctors.
The
course is divided into three 14-week terms each separated
by 3 or 4 weeks leave. It covers leadership, platoon
tactics, map reading, skill at arms, drill, communications
skills, military administration and organisation and
academic professional studies( military history and
defence policy ). The leave periods will be mainly
spent on what the British Army calls " adventurous
training ", for example rock climbing, parachuting,
scuba diving or sailing.
After
" passing-out " at Sandhurst, Parachute
Regiment officers have to pass the All Arms Pre-Parachute
Selection Course or " P Company". P Company
is based at Catterick and has a staff of five NCO
instructors commanded by a major. Here they will be
joined by sappers and gunners wishing to join the
parachute-trained units of these arms, and by officers
transferring to the Paras from other regiments. The
first half of this 3-week course is the Buildup Phase,
in which candidates run and do gym work in the mornings
and march with rifles and Bergens in the afternoons.
Test Phase starts on the Thursday of the second week.
The first test is the Steeplechase, a 3km obstacle
run. Following this is the Log Race, 8 men for each
72kg(160lb) log; the Ten Mile Bash, a 16km march that
has to be completed in 1 hour 45 minutes; the Assault
Course, three laps to be completed in a certain time;
the Confidence Course, carried out on the trainasium,
basically a huge piece of scaffolding; and Milling,
in which two candidates face each other in the boxing
ring for one minute- no flinching, dodging, weaving
or turning is allowed. On the next Wednesday the candidates
move to the Brecon Beacons in Wales for the final
tests. The first of these is known as Endurance 1
and is a 29km forced march, like all marches done
with rifle, webbing and Bergen ( rucksack). On day
2 in Wales comes Endurance 2, an 18km march over the
famous Pen-y-Fan mountain, the scene of part of the
SAS selection course. After thirty minutes rest candidates
must do a 16km speed march over the hills near the
mountain. The last test is the stretcher race, in
which teams of twelve run with a 90kg (200lb) steel
stretcher for 11km, being assessed by the instructors
on their individual efforts. The pass rate for P Company
is about 45%. ( for all candidates, not just Para
officers ).
Officers
who do not pass P Company must transfer to another
regiment. The rest must then complete the Basic Military
Parachute Course run by No.1 Parachute Training School
at RAF Brize Norton. While on the four-week course
candidates are split into groups of eight, each with
its own Parachute Jump Instructor(PJI). Their first
jump will be from the Skyvan aircraft which has replaced
the old balloon, while the next seven will be from
the Hercules(C-130), progressing from a " clean
fatigue"
in daytime to a night drop with full equipment.
Now the lieutenants are finally ready to join a parachute
battalion, usually in command of a rifle platoon.
However their training is not over as after about
six months learning the ropes they will be off to
the three-month Platoon Commanders' Battle Course,
run by the Infantry Training Centre,Wales. New officers
will normally spend their first two years of service
as platoon commanders.
Other
ranks
Those
wishing to join the Paras as soldiers will be put
through a quick Parachute Regiment Assessment Course
to weed out those obviously unsuitable for duty with
the regiment. They may also go on an " insight"
weekend to find out more about the regiment. Most
recruits will be 17 or 18 years old; some may have
done a year as junior soldiers at the Army Foundation
College. Recruit training is divided into two phases:
the Common Military Syllabus- Recruits and "
special to arm " training, the arm in this case
being the infantry. Both are 14 weeks long.
The
CMSR in the British Army is carried out at five Army
Training Regiments. Those destined for the Paras go
to ATR Lichfield in Staffordshire, where the regiment
has its own company, run by Para officers and NCOs.
Here recruits learn basic fieldcraft; basic fitness;
drill, discipline and turnout; military knowledge;
first aid; and basic weapon handling, including firing
their first annual personal record. From Lichfield
they go to the Infantry Training Centre, Catterick,
in North Yorkshire. Once again they are instructed
by their own officers and NCOs. Weeks 1 to 10 at Catterick
include endurance and speed marches, as well as many
fieldcraft exercises. Marksmanship training moves
from the range to field firing and covers all weapons
used by the infantry. Week 10/11, lasting ten days,
is the P Company test phase, in which recruits must
pass the same tests as the All Arms Course. Success
here results in the right to wear the maroon beret.
Week 12, also known as Exercise Mole Mania, is a five-day
live firing field exercise. Recruits live and fight
in trenches in the defensive phase and also carry
out day and night platoon attacks. Week 13 is devoted
to field firing, including grenades, mortars, anti-tank
missiles and medium machine guns. Close quarter battle
and platoon tactics are also practiced. Week 14 is
spent on brushing up on drill in preparation for the
pass-out parade.
On
completion of the second phase of their training Paras
go to Brize Norton for the basic parachute course.
They then usually join a rifle platoon within one
of the parachute battalions. Later they may specialise
in mortars, anti-tanks, sniping etc. Training for
most of these skills is done at the Infantry Training
Centre, Warminster. Promotion to lance corporal is
usually done after passing a 3-week cadre run by the
battalion itself, but from then on promotion courses
are integrated with the rest of the infantry. Candidates
for corporal must pass a 6-week Section Commanders'
Battle Course in Wales and a 6-week weapons and range
qualification course at Warminster. Those going for
sergeant usually have to pass a written exam and have
qualified as an instructor, as well as the Platoon
Sergeants' Battle Course.
Organisation,
Weapons and Equipment
Regimental
Headquarters
The
Regimental Headquarters at Browning Barracks, Aldershot,
consists of the Regimental Lieutenant Colonel, the
Recruiting Officer( usually a retired major ), the
Recruiting Warrant Officer and a number of clerks
who are responsible for the administration of the
regiment. The Colonel Commandant is usually a high-ranking
former Para, retired or still serving. The current
Colonel Commandant is General Sir Rupert Smith, Deputy
Supreme Allied Commander Europe.
Battalion
Organisation
Each
regular parachute battalion has a headquarter company
, three rifle companies, a patrol company and a fire
support company, for a total strength of about 550
all ranks. Headquarter Company is comprised of the
Battalion Headquarters Platoon, which includes the
Provost (regimental police) Section and Medical Section,
the Orderly Room, Quartermaster Platoon and Motor
Transport Platoon, as well as two non-Para sub-units,
the Catering Platoon from the Royal Logistics Corps
and the Pay Section from the Adjutant General's Corps.
Support Company has three platoons- Mortar, Machine
Gun and Anti-Tank. The Mortar Platoon consists of
four sections, each with two 81mm mortars and a Mortar
Fire Control (MFC) party. An MFC party is usually
attached to each rifle company on exercises or operations.
The Machine Gun Platoon has six 3-man gun detachments
each with a 7.62mm General Purpose Machine Gun( the
FN MAG ) operating in the sustained fire role i.e.
with a tripod and mortar-type dial sight. There are
also four .50in Browning heavy machine guns for optional
use; these were seen in Kosovo mounted on Pinzgauer
light trucks. The Anti-Tank Platoon is organised as
a small headquarters and two sections, each with three
Milan missile launchers ( referred to as firing posts
or FPs ).
Patrol
company
The
patrol company concept originated in September 1964
when C Company of 2 Para was reorganised from volunteers
from throughout the battalion as a long-range patrol
unit, to operate in Borneo. 22 SAS at this time had
only two squadrons and despite reinforcement from
the Guards and Gurkha independent companies was struggling
to cover the long Malaysian-Indonesian border, as
it also had operational commitments in Aden and the
Radfan ( the mountainous area north of Aden ). An
Independent Parachute Squadron had in fact served
in a similar role as part of 22 SAS in Malaya 1955-57.
C Company's tour in Borneo lasted from March to July
1965. D Company of 3 Para served a simiar tour in
March-July 1966. C Company served another independent
tour, this time in the Radfan in 1966, while the rest
of 2 Para was in Bahrain. These two companies were
retained by their parent units in the patrol role,
originally consisting of four 16-man platoons. Later
the organisation was changed to two 24-man platoons,
one usually in vehicles and the other on foot, although
they were interchangeable. Both served in the Falklands
War.
Today
the organisation of the patrol company( which is lettered,
not named ) in each battalion is slightly different.
Each has as its main combat element the Patrols Platoon,
which depending on the battalion has from six to eight
4-man patrols, operating in armed Land Rovers or on
foot. Also under command of the patrol company, mainly
for administrative purposes, are the Signals Platoon,
which provides the radio operators for both the battalion
HQ and the various company headquarters, the Intelligence
Section and the Training Wing( in 2 Para this is part
of the Air Training Cell under the Air Adjutant ).
In 1 and 2 Para the Assault Pioneer Platoon is also
part of the patrol company while in 3 Para it comes
under HQ Company. The Assault Pioneers are responsible
for such tasks as wiring, mining and demolitions within
the battalion.
Rifle
Companies
A
rifle company has a small headquarters and three 28-man
platoons, for a full strength of about 90. On operations
or exercises the HQ would normally be split into two
and reinforced by attachments such as signallers,
an MFC party, a Forward Observation Officer(FOO) from
the supporting battery and his team and some medics.
One group would be under the officer commanding(OC),
a major, and the other under his second in command(2IC),
a captain. The company sergeant major, a WO2, would
be with one of the groups.
The
basic building block of the company is the rifle section
of two four-man fire teams, one under the section
commander, a corporal, and the other under his 2IC,
a lance corporal. Each of these teams has a 5.56mm
Light Support Weapon as well as SA80 rifles, hand
grenades and LAW80 94mm disposable anti-tank rockets,
these having replaced the 66mm Light Anti-tank Weapon.
However the LSW is not popular and before the entry
into Kosovo 1 Para replaced most of its LSWs with
GPMGs. The platoon commander and platoon sergeant,
like the junior NCOs, have small radios to speak to
these men in action. The other two men in the platoon
HQ are soldiers carrying a larger radio ,set to the
company net, and a 51mm mortar. Up to sixteen men
in a battalion are trained as snipers in addition
to their roles within a rifle company. They usually
operate in pairs armed with the 7.62mm L96A1 sniper
rifle. The Barrett Model 82 .50-calibre rifle has
also entered service.
Major
weapons systems
6x
Milan anti-armour missile launchers( range 1950m )
8x
81mm mortars( range 5650m )
9x
51mm mortars (range 800m )
6x
Sustained Fire Machine Guns
4x
0.5in Browning Machine Guns
Equipment
and Vehicles
A
parachute battalion does not have a huge amount of
vehicles but its equipment includes some Land Rover
90s and 110s, and also Steyr-Daimler-Puch Pinzgauers,
known as the Truck Utility Medium (Heavy Duty). A
more specialised vehicle is the Supacat, a small 6x6
All Terrain Mobile Platform(ATMP). Four wheeled offroad
bikes have also been tested for use by the Paras.
The Clansman series of radios has been in service
since the early 1980s and ranges from the PRC-349
used at section level to the VRC-353 used at battalion
HQ. Another, newer radio in service is the long-range
but lightweight PRC-320; more sophisticated signals
equipment would be operated by an attached Royal Signals
rear link detachment. Clansman is to be replaced soon
by Bowman. In service already is the Irvin Low Level
Parachute which has been successfully tested with
full equipment from a height of 300 feet ( 90m).
Capabilities
and Role
The
two parachute battalions forming part of 16th
Air Assault Brigade train for parachute, tactical
air landing and helicopter-borne operations. One battalion
is at all times designated the Airborne Battle Group
(ABBG) and typically reinforced by a 105mm Light Gun
battery from 7th Parachute Regiment Royal
Horse Artillery (7 Para RHA) and a troop of about
50 sappers from 9 Parachute Squadron Royal Engineers
(9 Para Sqn RE). These are the last two remaining
support units which are fully manned by graduates
of P Company and parachute training. The ABBG is at
2-5 days notice to move and the role is switched between
battalions every six months. As part of the commitment
to the Joint Rapid Deployment Force (JRDF) the ABBG
serves two-month tours in rotation with other units
as the UK Spearhead Battalion, on 24 hours notice
for operational deployment.
The
ABBG would be the lead force of the brigade, seizing
a Tactical Landing Zone (TLZ) to bring in the remainder
of the troops. Such an operation could be launched
from the home base in the UK or a Forward Mounting
Base. It could be a " theatre entry", the
first troops into the area of operations, or what
is called Cross Forward Line of Own Troops, in other
words in concert with forces advancing by land. In
a parachute operation initial entry could involve
a stand-off drop and approach march to the target,
or a direct overhead assault. The ABBG could be followed
by the other Para battalion as the basis of a Follow
Up Parachute Battle Group. The other troops and heavy
equipment would be brought in by Rapid Air Landing
using Hercules aircraft.
Tactical
Air Landing Operations (TALO) involve the use of up
to four Hercules to capture an airfield, usually by
night. This is the type of operation used in Prague
in 1968, Entebbe in 1976 and Kabul in 1979. TALO requires
a single runway at least 1500m long; several runways
could see multiple aircraft landing at the same time.
The operation would see a very low level approach,
under 250ft ( 75m ), a sudden deep descent and a quick
stop to allow rapid deplaning of vehicles and infantry
into the assault. Helicopter-borne operations are
referred to as SH after the RAF's Support Helicopter
Force, whose Chinooks and Pumas provide the lift capacity.
The Apache and Lynx helicopters of the 3rd
, 4th and 9th Regiments Army
Air Corps, part of 16 Brigade, would constitute the
attack element. As in other operations the Royal Air
Force could also supply escorting fighter and attack
aircraft. The Tactical Transport Fleet, the four squadrons
of Hercules based at RAF Lyneham, is vital to paratrooping,
supply dropping, air landing and logistical build-ups.
Besides
these operations 16 Air Assault Brigade is to be capable
of long-range raids, area interdiction and support
to special forces. It will be under the control of
the new Army/RAF/Navy Joint Helicopter Command although
many deployments will probably be conducted as part
of Britain's contribution to the Allied Command Europe
Rapid Reaction Corps (ARRC). Britain is designated
the lead nation for the ARRC and the commander and
many of his staff are British. During the Kosovo crisis
of 1999 both the ARRC, which provided the headquarters
for KFOR, and the AMF(L), which did the same for the
troops in Albania, were commanded by former Paras-
Lieutenant Generals Mike Jackson and John Reith. 16
Brigade, besides two battalions of Paras and three
AAC regiments, has another infantry battalion, a pathfinder
platoon, a parachute artillery regiment of 18 guns,
an engineer regiment (including the parachute squadron),
a support regiment from the Royal Logistics Corps,
an air defence battery (Javelin shoulder-fired missiles),
a close support medical regiment, a signal squadron
and a battalion from the Royal Electrical & Mechanical
Engineers (REME- pronounced " remmy " ).
The brigade is expected to become fully operational
in April 2000.
Pathfinder
Platoon
The
present-day Pathfinder Platoon was formed at the same
time as 5 Airborne Brigade, in 1983. It was originally
manned both by Paras and volunteers from other units
within the brigade. Since 1996 it has formed part
of the establishment of The Parachute Regiment. The
Pathfinders have the responsibility for what are called
Advance Force Operations. Chief among these is the
covert reconnaissance, location and marking of Drop
Zones(DZs), TLZs and helicopter Landing Zones. They
may also be employed on target recces for air and
land raids and limited high-value offensive action(OA).
Pathfinders may be inserted up to a week before the
arrival of the rest of the troops. Their role once
joining up with the main force is that of brigade-level
Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition and
Reconnaissance (ISTAR). This involves operations beyond
the range and capacity of the Patrols Platoons and
other recce elements of the brigade. Recces could
be on foot or in armed Land Rover 90s.
The
Pathfinder Platoon has its own selection course and
training programme, taking only men from the parachute
battalions. The platoon maintains the following skills
in some or all of its members:
Resistance
To Interrogation training
Combat
Survival
Jungle
Warfare Skills
Combat
Medic
Mobility
Skills
Helicopter
Fast Roping and Abseiling
Demolitions
and Route Denial
Mountain
Warfare Skills
Forward
Air Controllers
Long
Range Communications Skills
The
Pathfinders operate in four-man patrols, four of which
make up a troop under the senior patrol commander,
a lieutenant. There are two troops, Air and Mountain,
and a small headquarters, for a total strength of
about 40, the platoon commander being a captain. Air
Troop is trained in both High Altitude Low Opening(HALO)
and High Altitude High Opening(HAHO) free-fall parachuting,
while Mountain Troop utilises only HALO. Unlike the
rest of the Paras the Pathfinders use the M16A2 rifle
as their main weapon, often with the M203 grenade
launcher attached. They also use GPMGs and the 66mm
anti-tank rocket, retained because of its light weight.
Many members of the Pathfinder Platoon go on to join
22SAS.
TA
Paras
In
the 1950s there were nine battalions of Territorial
Army paratroopers, forming the infantry element of
the 16th Airborne Division. Since this
time the number of Para reservists has been steadily
reduced until in 1999 the last two battalions were
combined into one, known as 4 Para(V). This battalion
has its headquarters at Leeds in South Yorkshire and
the three rifle companies spread around the UK. 10
Company is at London; 12 Company at Leeds with 16
Detachment at Hebborn; and 15 Company at Glasgow and
Edinburgh. These numbers represent the battalions
from which the companies are descended. TA Para recruits
do two weeks full-time initial training, which ends
with a reduced two-day pre-parachute selection course.
Their parachute training also lasts two weeks and
does not include a night jump.
Insignia
The
distinctive maroon beret and capbadge of the Paras
have been the model for airborne forces the world
over. The beret was adopted in the middle of 1942
and the badge a few months later. The volunteers from
the Royal Gurkha Rifles who have made up C Company
of 2 Para since 1996 wear their own badge on the maroon
beret. So do members of the airborne supporting arms,
but only when actually serving with a parachute-trained
unit. Full colonels and brigadiers are considered
" late Infantry
" and wear their own capbadge, as do major
generals and above. However these officers continue
to wear the maroon beret to show their Para origins.
The parachute wings are worn on the right sleeve,
just below the shoulder; recently subdued examples
have been seen on combat kit. Assistant Parachute
Jump Instructors(APJIs), Paras who are responsible
for such training within the battalions, wear their
own special wings. ( The PJIs at No.1 PTS are all
from the RAF) Each parachute battalion has its own
DZ flash, worn on the right sleeve of the combat smock.
These are red for 1 Para, blue for 2 Para and green
for 3 Para. These colours are also worn as lanyards
on No.2 Dress ( the khaki service dress ). The Pathfinder
Platoon wears a red/green flash with a black upward-pointing
arrow over it. The famed Pegasus shoulder flash was
worn on both sleeves by all members of Airborne Forces
from 1942 to 1964, when the World War 2 " battledress
" was replaced and such flashes discontinued.
It was revived by the Paras in the 1990s and worn
on the left sleeve of the smock. The Paras are now
to wear the diving eagle flash of 16 Air Assault Brigade,
for starting in the Gulf War formation signs have
been re-introduced in the British Army.
Further
Reading
Adkin,
Mark. Goose
Green: A Battle is Fought to be Won ( Orion, 1993
)
Beevor,
Anthony. Inside
the British Army ( Corgi, 1991 )
Harclerode,
Peter. Para!:
Fifty Years of The Parachute Regiment (Orion,
1992 )
Thompson,
Julian. Ready
For Anything ( Wiedenfeld & Nicholson, 1989)
