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The British and Commonwealth system of battle honours recognised participation in fighting at Arnhem in 1956, 1957 and 1958 by the award of the battle honour Arnhem 1944 to six units. [218] After the liberation of the Netherlands, the Grave Registration units of 2nd Army began the task of identifying the British dead. [ 219 ]
British paratroopers adjust their parachute harnesses during a large-scale airborne forces exercise in England, 22 April 1944. The brigade returned to England in late 1943 and trained for operations in North-West Europe under the supervision of I Airborne Corps , commanded by Lieutenant-General Frederick Browning .
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. [1] Their formation followed the success of the German airborne operations, during the Battle of France .
The only heavy weapons in the battalion were a 3 inch mortar and a Vickers machine gun platoon. [11] By 1944 a headquarters or support company, was added to the battalion, comprising five platoons: motor transport, signals, mortar, machine-gun and anti-tank. With eight 3 inch mortars, four Vickers machine guns and ten PIAT anti-tank projectors ...
The existing 11th Special Air Service Battalion was renamed the 1st Parachute Battalion on 15 September 1941, and, together with the newly raised 2nd and 3rd Parachute Battalions, formed the first of the new airborne formations, the 1st Parachute Brigade, commanded by Brigadier Richard Gale, [12] who would later command the 6th Airborne Division from 1943 to 1944. [13]
Finally, in September 1944, the battalion, commanded by Lieutenant Colonel David Dobie, dropped into Arnhem the Netherlands with the rest of the 1st Airborne Division, as part of Operation Market Garden, where they suffered extremely heavy casualties and never saw combat again for the rest of the war. [3]
The Second Battalion, Parachute Regiment (2 PARA), is a formation of the Parachute Regiment, part of the British Army, and subordinate unit within 16th Air Assault Brigade. 2 PARA is an airborne light infantry battalion capable of a wide range of operational tasks, based at Merville Barracks, Colchester Garrison , England.
The 1st Airborne Division had taken 11,500 men to Arnhem where 1,440 were killed and just over half, some 5,960 men, were prisoners of war of whom 3,000 had been wounded before capture. [122] Of the 4th Parachute Brigade's 2,170 men who arrived in Arnhem, 252 were killed, 462 were evacuated and 1,456 were missing or prisoners of war. [29]