Formation Of Airborne Troops

plant-pilot · 05-01-2005, 10:05 PM

My uncle joined the Parachute Regiment when it was formed in North Africa. I have very few other details.

Why were there airborne forces fomed in N Africa? Where and when were they formed? And from what units were the volunteers (if they were indeed volunteers) obtained?

Kiwiwriter · 06-01-2005, 02:22 PM

I think the 156th Battalion's origins are rooted in North Africa and the Indian Army, but I'm not certain. Of course, the Special Air Service got started in North Africa. Something I have to look up.

plant-pilot · 06-01-2005, 02:48 PM

Thanks for that, we know that he was involved in long range patrols in the desert before that, even if he wasn't actually LRDG. Very little else including what unit he was in before that. He ended up at Arnhem (11 Bn I believe) and he loved the desert so much he headed out to Egypt after the war as a NAAFI Manager for a while.

I don't know if there is any connection between 156 Bn and 11 Bn or whether there may just have been a re-adjustment or movement via postings at some point. Needs a deeper dig and I'm not placed or really qualified to do it.

populus02 · 03-05-2005, 06:40 PM

a lot of battialions from divisions in north afria went to form the indian paracute regiment , 44th indian airborne division which later went on to fight in burma , english regiments would have been used too . here are the formations of it :
01-Nov-44 Orders for the formation of the division were given by
Supreme Allied Commander, SEAC in Oct-44, confirmed by the War
Office in Nov-44. Headquarters formed from 44 Indian Armoured
Division HQ, taking the place of the planned 9 Indian Airborne Division.

01-Nov-45 Redesignated 2 Indian Airborne Division

Commanders

01-Nov-45 Maj Gen EE Down

Divisional Troops

Artillery

Field Regiments

123rd Parachute Field Regiment, RA

LAA/Anti-Tank Regiments

23rd Parachute Light Antiaircraft/Anti-Tank Regiment, Royal Artillery

Light Anti-aircraft Regiments

23rd Light Antiaircraft Regiment, RA Re-designated 23rd Para LAA/Atk Regt

Light Regiments

159th Parachute Light Regiment RA

Engineers

Field Companies

12th Field Company, RE Re-designated 12th Para Sqn

Parachute Field Park Squadrons

40th Indian Field Park Squadron, IE

Parachute Squadrons

12th Parachute Field Squadron, RE

33rd Parachute Squadron, IE

411st (Royal Bombay) Parachute Squadron, Indian Engineers

Recce

44th Indian Airborne Division Reconnaissance Squadron
(Governor General's Bodyguard)

Brigades

14 Airlanding Brigade

2nd Battalion, The King's Own Royal Regiment (Lancaster)

2nd Battalion, The Black Watch (Royal Highland Regiment)

4th Battalion (Outram's), 6th Rajputana Rifles (4/6th Raj Rif)

6th Battalion, 16th Punjab Regiment (6/16th Punjab)

50 Indian Parachute Brigade 01-Nov-44 01-Nov-45

1st (Indian) Battalion, The Indian Parachute Regiment

152nd (Indian) Parachute Battalion

153rd (Gurkha) Parachute Battalion

2nd (Gurkha) Battalion, The Indian Parachute Regiment
Re-designated from 153rd (Gurkha) Parachute Battalion 154th (Gurkha) Parachute Battalion Re-designated from 3/7th Gurkhas

3rd Battalion, The Indian Parachute Regiment Re-designated from 154th (Gurkha) Parachute Battalion

411st (Royal Bombay) Parachute Squadron, Indian Engineers

50th Medium Machine Gun Company

77 Indian Parachute Brigade

15th Battalion, The Parachute Regiment formed as 15th (Kings) Battalion, The Parachute Regiment

16th Battalion, The Parachute Regiment formed as 16th (Staffords) Battalion, The Parachute Regiment

2nd (Gurkha) Battalion, The Indian Parachute Regiment

4th (Indian) Battalion, The Indian Parachute Regiment

44th Independent Pathfinder Company

50 Indian Parachute Brigade

01-Oct-41 Formed at Delhi in October 1941

Units

16th Battalion, The Parachute Regiment

151st Parachute Battalion

1st (Indian) Battalion, The Indian Parachute Regiment Re-designated from151st Parachute Battalion 152nd (Indian) Parachute Battalion

153rd (Gurkha) Parachute Battalion

2nd (Gurkha) Battalion, The Indian Parachute Regiment Re-designated from 153rd (Gurkha)

Parachute Battalion

3rd Battalion, 7th Gurkha Rifles (3/7th Gurkha Rifles)

154th (Gurkha) Parachute Battalion Re-designated from 3/7th Gurkhas

3rd Battalion, The Indian Parachute Regiment Re-designated from 154th (Gurkha)

Parachute Battalion

411st (Royal Bombay) Parachute Squadron, Indian Engineers

50th Independent Parachute Platoon (Brigade Defence Platoon)

50th Medium Machine Gun Company

The Badge of this unit was

The same Badge was used by this unit as that of the British Airborne Division, the well known Pegasus with the addition of the word India in Blue under it's hooves.

History

As the 50th (Indian) Parachute Brigade, it was raised in 1941 and consisted of:-

The 151st British Parachute Battalion
This unit was formed in Delhi in 1941 from volunteers from twenty three British infantry battalions serving in India. In October the Battalion was transfered to the Middle East where it joined 4th Parachute Brigade and was reumbers the 156th Parachute Battalion.

The 152nd (Indian) Parachute Battalion
This unit was formed from nineteen Indian infantry regiments

The 153rd (Gurkha) Parachute Battalion
This unit was formed from volunteers from nine Gurkha regiments.

The 154th (Gurkha) Parachute Battalion
This unit was formed from the 3rd Btn of the 7th Gurkha Rifles: it joined the Brigade in October 1943

By the summer of 1945, the 50th Parachute Brigade had been expended to full divisional strength and was renamed the 44th Indian Infantry Division.

The 50th Parachute Brigade of this Division was in Action at Imphal (Sangshak) in 1944 & again in May 1945 when it made an Airborne Landing South of Rangoon in support of the26th Indian Division.

The 44th Indian Airborne Division consisted of:-

50th Indian Parachute Brigade made up of:
16th (British) Parachute Btn
1st (Indian) Parachute Btn
3rd (Gurkha) Parachute Btn

77th (Indian) Parachute Brigade made up of:
15th (British) Parachute Btn
4th (Indian) Parachute Btn
2nd (Gurkha) Parachute Btn
44th (British) Independent Pathfinder Company

14th Air Landing Brigade made up of:
2nd Btn The Black Watch
4th Btn Rajputana Rifles
6th/16th Punjab Regiment
4th Btn 5th Mahratta Light Infantry Regt

The Division was renumbered 2nd Indian Airborne Division in January 1947

They were COMMANDED by

Maj/Gen Hope-Thomson

hope its not all usless information .

plant-pilot · 19-08-2005, 09:21 AM

Thanks for that. Very interesting and informative.

But my uncle joined the Airborne Forces in the Middle East and eventually ended up at Arnhem with the 1st Airborne Div. The Indian Airborn troops headed East and took part in operations in the Far East.

Was there much inter-posting between Airborne Divisions or between Theaters of other ranks? I would have thought that unit level posting would have been more likley than individuals.

I am quite happy to be corrected and would love to know how the divisions interacted. Did they have standard training? Standard operating proceedure? Or were they left to figure things out for themselves in the new airborne environment?

Warren · 25-08-2005, 01:57 PM

I think I'm right in saying that the 10th and 11th Para Battalions were raised from volunteers in the Middle East in 1943 and then joined 1st Airborne Division the same year. They both served at Arnhem and I think one of the battalions actually saw some action in Italy or the Aegean in late 1943. There is some more information about all this in Martin Middlebrook's book about Arnhem.

Kiwiwriter · 25-08-2005, 04:26 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Warren@Aug 25 2005, 08:57 AM
I think I'm right in saying that the 10th and 11th Para Battalions were raised from volunteers in the Middle East in 1943 and then joined 1st Airborne Division the same year. They both served at Arnhem and I think one of the battalions actually saw some action in Italy or the Aegean in late 1943. There is some more information about all this in Martin Middlebrook's book about Arnhem.

Quoted post

Yes, Middlebrook covers it. I'm pretty sure the 4th Parachute Brigade's roots are in the Middle East, like its CO, Shan Hackett's, were.

TheRedBaron · 27-08-2005, 01:07 AM

4th Para Brigade was raised in the Middle East in November 1942 near Kabrit. Due to the unsuitability of Kabrit they then moved to the Ramat David area in Northern Palastine.

151 Para Btn moved from India to form its 1st Btn and the 2nd Btn Royal Sussex were earmarked for conversion to its second para btn.

151 was later re-numbered 156, and it was this number that it bore during the battle for Arnhem.

I would recommend Harry Bankhead's book, 'Salute to the Steadfast', as it is a narrative history of 151/156 btn.

There was a fair amount of moving and adjusting of the battalions during the divisional formations and probably personnel. Indeed some battalions had companies serving in different theatres of the war! Also several battalions were re-numbered from their original regimental numbering to new para numbers.

05-01-2005, 10:05 PM	#1 (permalink)
plant-pilot Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Posts: 949	My uncle joined the Parachute Regiment when it was formed in North Africa. I have very few other details. Why were there airborne forces fomed in N Africa? Where and when were they formed? And from what units were the volunteers (if they were indeed volunteers) obtained? __________________ M3... the ship of the desert 2003

06-01-2005, 02:22 PM	#2 (permalink)
Kiwiwriter Very Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Newark, NJ, and Christchurch, NZ Posts: 2,443	I think the 156th Battalion's origins are rooted in North Africa and the Indian Army, but I'm not certain. Of course, the Special Air Service got started in North Africa. Something I have to look up. __________________ "My intensity is intense." -- Roger Clemens "We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender." -- Winston Churchill. "I am not a hero. The heroes are all dead. I am a survivor." -- Sgt. William Guarnere, Easy Company, 506th Parachute Regiment, 101st Airborne Division. Check out my little contributions to World War II history at my web pages: World War II Plus 55 or http://davidhlippman.wildbillguarnere.com

19-08-2005, 09:21 AM	#5 (permalink)
plant-pilot Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Posts: 949	Thanks for that. Very interesting and informative. But my uncle joined the Airborne Forces in the Middle East and eventually ended up at Arnhem with the 1st Airborne Div. The Indian Airborn troops headed East and took part in operations in the Far East. Was there much inter-posting between Airborne Divisions or between Theaters of other ranks? I would have thought that unit level posting would have been more likley than individuals. I am quite happy to be corrected and would love to know how the divisions interacted. Did they have standard training? Standard operating proceedure? Or were they left to figure things out for themselves in the new airborne environment? __________________ M3... the ship of the desert 2003

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03-05-2005, 06:40 PM	#4 (permalink)
populus02 Junior Member Join Date: Jul 2004 Posts: 6	a lot of battialions from divisions in north afria went to form the indian paracute regiment , 44th indian airborne division which later went on to fight in burma , english regiments would have been used too . here are the formations of it : 01-Nov-44 Orders for the formation of the division were given by Supreme Allied Commander, SEAC in Oct-44, confirmed by the War Office in Nov-44. Headquarters formed from 44 Indian Armoured Division HQ, taking the place of the planned 9 Indian Airborne Division. 01-Nov-45 Redesignated 2 Indian Airborne Division Commanders 01-Nov-45 Maj Gen EE Down Divisional Troops Artillery Field Regiments 123rd Parachute Field Regiment, RA LAA/Anti-Tank Regiments 23rd Parachute Light Antiaircraft/Anti-Tank Regiment, Royal Artillery Light Anti-aircraft Regiments 23rd Light Antiaircraft Regiment, RA Re-designated 23rd Para LAA/Atk Regt Light Regiments 159th Parachute Light Regiment RA Engineers Field Companies 12th Field Company, RE Re-designated 12th Para Sqn Parachute Field Park Squadrons 40th Indian Field Park Squadron, IE Parachute Squadrons 12th Parachute Field Squadron, RE 33rd Parachute Squadron, IE 411st (Royal Bombay) Parachute Squadron, Indian Engineers Recce 44th Indian Airborne Division Reconnaissance Squadron (Governor General's Bodyguard) Brigades 14 Airlanding Brigade 2nd Battalion, The King's Own Royal Regiment (Lancaster) 2nd Battalion, The Black Watch (Royal Highland Regiment) 4th Battalion (Outram's), 6th Rajputana Rifles (4/6th Raj Rif) 6th Battalion, 16th Punjab Regiment (6/16th Punjab) 50 Indian Parachute Brigade 01-Nov-44 01-Nov-45 1st (Indian) Battalion, The Indian Parachute Regiment 152nd (Indian) Parachute Battalion 153rd (Gurkha) Parachute Battalion 2nd (Gurkha) Battalion, The Indian Parachute Regiment Re-designated from 153rd (Gurkha) Parachute Battalion 154th (Gurkha) Parachute Battalion Re-designated from 3/7th Gurkhas 3rd Battalion, The Indian Parachute Regiment Re-designated from 154th (Gurkha) Parachute Battalion 411st (Royal Bombay) Parachute Squadron, Indian Engineers 50th Medium Machine Gun Company 77 Indian Parachute Brigade 15th Battalion, The Parachute Regiment formed as 15th (Kings) Battalion, The Parachute Regiment 16th Battalion, The Parachute Regiment formed as 16th (Staffords) Battalion, The Parachute Regiment 2nd (Gurkha) Battalion, The Indian Parachute Regiment 4th (Indian) Battalion, The Indian Parachute Regiment 44th Independent Pathfinder Company 50 Indian Parachute Brigade 01-Oct-41 Formed at Delhi in October 1941 Units 16th Battalion, The Parachute Regiment 151st Parachute Battalion 1st (Indian) Battalion, The Indian Parachute Regiment Re-designated from151st Parachute Battalion 152nd (Indian) Parachute Battalion 153rd (Gurkha) Parachute Battalion 2nd (Gurkha) Battalion, The Indian Parachute Regiment Re-designated from 153rd (Gurkha) Parachute Battalion 3rd Battalion, 7th Gurkha Rifles (3/7th Gurkha Rifles) 154th (Gurkha) Parachute Battalion Re-designated from 3/7th Gurkhas 3rd Battalion, The Indian Parachute Regiment Re-designated from 154th (Gurkha) Parachute Battalion 411st (Royal Bombay) Parachute Squadron, Indian Engineers 50th Independent Parachute Platoon (Brigade Defence Platoon) 50th Medium Machine Gun Company The Badge of this unit was The same Badge was used by this unit as that of the British Airborne Division, the well known Pegasus with the addition of the word India in Blue under it's hooves. History As the 50th (Indian) Parachute Brigade, it was raised in 1941 and consisted of:- The 151st British Parachute Battalion This unit was formed in Delhi in 1941 from volunteers from twenty three British infantry battalions serving in India. In October the Battalion was transfered to the Middle East where it joined 4th Parachute Brigade and was reumbers the 156th Parachute Battalion. The 152nd (Indian) Parachute Battalion This unit was formed from nineteen Indian infantry regiments The 153rd (Gurkha) Parachute Battalion This unit was formed from volunteers from nine Gurkha regiments. The 154th (Gurkha) Parachute Battalion This unit was formed from the 3rd Btn of the 7th Gurkha Rifles: it joined the Brigade in October 1943 By the summer of 1945, the 50th Parachute Brigade had been expended to full divisional strength and was renamed the 44th Indian Infantry Division. The 50th Parachute Brigade of this Division was in Action at Imphal (Sangshak) in 1944 & again in May 1945 when it made an Airborne Landing South of Rangoon in support of the26th Indian Division. The 44th Indian Airborne Division consisted of:- 50th Indian Parachute Brigade made up of: 16th (British) Parachute Btn 1st (Indian) Parachute Btn 3rd (Gurkha) Parachute Btn 77th (Indian) Parachute Brigade made up of: 15th (British) Parachute Btn 4th (Indian) Parachute Btn 2nd (Gurkha) Parachute Btn 44th (British) Independent Pathfinder Company 14th Air Landing Brigade made up of: 2nd Btn The Black Watch 4th Btn Rajputana Rifles 6th/16th Punjab Regiment 4th Btn 5th Mahratta Light Infantry Regt The Division was renumbered 2nd Indian Airborne Division in January 1947 They were COMMANDED by Maj/Gen Hope-Thomson hope its not all usless information .

25-08-2005, 01:57 PM	#6 (permalink)
Warren Junior Member Join Date: Jun 2005 Posts: 8	I think I'm right in saying that the 10th and 11th Para Battalions were raised from volunteers in the Middle East in 1943 and then joined 1st Airborne Division the same year. They both served at Arnhem and I think one of the battalions actually saw some action in Italy or the Aegean in late 1943. There is some more information about all this in Martin Middlebrook's book about Arnhem.

27-08-2005, 01:07 AM	#8 (permalink)
TheRedBaron Junior Member Join Date: Aug 2005 Posts: 20	4th Para Brigade was raised in the Middle East in November 1942 near Kabrit. Due to the unsuitability of Kabrit they then moved to the Ramat David area in Northern Palastine. 151 Para Btn moved from India to form its 1st Btn and the 2nd Btn Royal Sussex were earmarked for conversion to its second para btn. 151 was later re-numbered 156, and it was this number that it bore during the battle for Arnhem. I would recommend Harry Bankhead's book, 'Salute to the Steadfast', as it is a narrative history of 151/156 btn. There was a fair amount of moving and adjusting of the battalions during the divisional formations and probably personnel. Indeed some battalions had companies serving in different theatres of the war! Also several battalions were re-numbered from their original regimental numbering to new para numbers.

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