16th (Staffords) Parachute Battalion

Cap badge of the Parachute Regiment

Country|  United Kingdom
Branch|  British Army
Type| Infantry
Role| Airborne forces
Size| Battalion
Part of| 77th Indian Parachute Brigade
Nickname(s)| Red Devils[1]
Commanders
Notable
commanders| Peter Young
Insignia
The emblem of the Second World War British Airborne Forces, Bellerophon riding the flying horse Pegasus|

Military unit

The 16th (Staffords) Parachute Battalion was an airborne infantry battalion of the Parachute Regiment, raised by the British Army in World War II.

## World War II

[edit]

The battalion was formed in India from the 1st Battalion of the South Staffordshire Regiment in January 1945. The South Staffords had previously been part of the Chindits special force and took part in the second Chindit expedition in 1944, Operation Thursday. The battalion was then assigned to the 77th Indian Parachute Brigade, attached to the 44th Indian Airborne Division. The war ended before the battalion was committed to action but a number of men parachuted into Japanese Prisoner of War camps to aid the prisoners.

## Territorial Army

[edit]

The battalion was disbanded in 1946, but a new battalion was formed in the United Kingdom as part of the Territorial Army. Renamed the 16th (Welsh) Parachute Battalion (TA), it was assigned to the TA 5th Parachute Brigade of the 16th Airborne Division. It was re-designated 16 (Welsh) PARA (TA) in 1948 and resulting from defence cuts disbanded in October 1956.[2]

## Notes

[edit]

1. ^ Otway, p.88
2. ^ "16th Parachute Battalion". Paradata. Archived from the original on 25 July 2011. Retrieved 6 April 2011.

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British airborne units of the Second World War

Parachute
Battalions|

* 1st
* 2nd
* 3rd
* 4th
* 5th (Scottish)
* 6th (Royal Welch)
* 7th (Light Infantry)
* 8th (Midlands)
* 9th (Eastern and Home Counties)
* 10th
* 11th
* 11th Special Air Service
* 12th (Yorkshire)
* 13th (Lancashire)
* 15th (King's)
* 16th (Staffords)
* 17th
* 151st/156th

Airlanding
Battalions|

* 1st Royal Ulster Rifles
* 1st Border Regiment
* 2nd Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry
* 2nd South Staffordshire Regiment
* 2nd King's Own Royal Regiment
* 7th King's Own Scottish Borderers
* 12th Devonshire Regiment

Artillery|

* 1st Airlanding Light Regiment
* 53rd (Worcester Yeomanry) Airlanding Light Regiment

Reconnaissance|

* 6th Airborne Armoured Reconnaissance Regiment

Field
Ambulances|

* 16th (Parachute) Field Ambulance
* 127th (Parachute) Field Ambulance
* 133rd (Parachute) Field Ambulance
* 181st (Airlanding) Field Ambulance
* 195th (Airlanding) Field Ambulance
* 224th (Parachute) Field Ambulance
* 225th (Parachute) Field Ambulance

Glider Pilots|

* Glider Pilot Regiment

Brigades

* 1st Parachute Brigade
* 1st Airlanding Brigade
* 2nd Parachute Brigade
* 3rd Parachute Brigade
* 4th Parachute Brigade
* 5th Parachute Brigade
* 6th Airlanding Brigade
* Special Air Service Troops

Divisions|

* 1st Airborne Division
* 6th Airborne Division

Corps|

* 1st Airborne Corps

Deception|

* Deception formations

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