16th (Staffords) Parachute Battalion

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

16th (Staffords) Parachute Battalion
Cap badge of the Parachute Regiment
Country United Kingdom
Branch British Army
TypeInfantry
RoleAirborne forces
SizeBattalion
Part of77th Indian Parachute Brigade
Nickname(s)Red Devils[1]
Insignia
The emblem of the Second World War British Airborne Forces, Bellerophon riding the flying horse Pegasus

World War II

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

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
  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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