The 3rd Parachute Brigade was an airborne forces

brigade A brigade is a major tactical military formation that typically comprises three to six battalions plus supporting elements. It is roughly equivalent to an enlarged or reinforced regiment. Two or more brigades may constitute a division. B ...

raised by the

British Army during the Second World War At the start of 1939, the British Army was, as it traditionally always had been, a small volunteer professional army. At the beginning of the Second World War on 1 September 1939, the British Army was small in comparison with those of its enem ...

. The brigade was initially part of the 1st Airborne Division, but remained in Britain when that division was sent overseas, and became part of the 6th Airborne Division, alongside 5th Parachute Brigade and 6th Airlanding Brigade. The brigade first went into action on 5 June 1944 during

Operation Tonga Operation Tonga was the codename given to the airborne operation undertaken by the British 6th Airborne Division between 5 June and 7 June 1944 as a part of Operation Overlord and the D-Day landings during World War II. The paratroopers and ...

, part of the

Normandy landings The Normandy landings were the landing operations and associated airborne operations on Tuesday, 6 June 1944 of the Allies of World War II, Allied invasion of Normandy in Operation Overlord during World War II. Codenamed Operation Neptune and ...

. The objective was to destroy the Merville Gun Battery and the bridges over the

River Dives The Dives (; also ''Dive'') is a 105 km long river in the Pays d'Auge, Normandy, France. It flows into the English Channel in Cabourg. The source of the Dives is near Exmes, in the Orne department. The Dives flows generally north through th ...

. The brigade achieved all its objectives, and remained defending the left flank of the invasion zone until mid August. They then crossed the River Dives and advanced as far as the River Seine before they were withdrawn. While recovering in England, the brigade was moved to Belgium in December 1944, to counter the German attack in the Ardennes. The brigade remained on the border between Belgium and the Netherlands carrying out patrols until March 1945. Their next airborne mission was

Operation Varsity Operation Varsity (24 March 1945) was a successful airborne forces operation launched by Allied troops that took place toward the end of World War II. Involving more than 16,000 paratroopers and several thousand aircraft, it was the largest ai ...

, the assault crossing of the River Rhine in Germany. After this, the brigade advanced towards the

Baltic Sea The Baltic Sea is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that is enclosed by Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Sweden and the North and Central European Plain. The sea stretches from 53°N to 66°N latitude and ...

, arriving just ahead of the

Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army ( Russian: Рабо́че-крестья́нская Кра́сная армия),) often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic and, afte ...

. Still part of the 6th Airborne Division, the brigade was sent to the

British mandate of Palestine British Mandate of Palestine or Palestine Mandate most often refers to: * Mandate for Palestine: a League of Nations mandate under which the British controlled an area which included Mandatory Palestine and the Emirate of Transjordan. * Mandatory P ...

in October 1945 after the end of the war. Carrying out an

internal security Internal security is the act of keeping peace within the borders of a sovereign state or other self-governing territories, generally by upholding the national law and defending against internal security threats. Responsibility for internal secu ...

role with the rest of 6th Airborne Division, it remained in Palestine until it was disbanded in 1947.

Background

Impressed by the success of German airborne operations during the Battle of France, the

British Prime Minister The prime minister of the United Kingdom is the head of government of the United Kingdom. The prime minister advises the sovereign on the exercise of much of the royal prerogative, chairs the Cabinet and selects its ministers. As moder ...

Winston Churchill Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 187424 January 1965) was a British statesman, soldier, and writer who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom twice, from 1940 to 1945 during the Second World War, and again from ...

, directed the

War Office The War Office was a department of the British Government responsible for the administration of the British Army between 1857 and 1964, when its functions were transferred to the new Ministry of Defence (MoD). This article contains text from ...

to investigate the possibility of creating a force of 5,000 parachute troops. As a result, on 22 June 1940,

No. 2 Commando No. 2 Commando was a battalion-sized British Commando unit of the British Army during the Second World War. The first No.2 Commando was formed on 22 June 1940 for a parachuting role at Cambrai Barracks, Perham Down, near Tidworth, Hants. The unit ...

assumed parachute duties, and on 21 November was re-designated the 11th Special Air Service Battalion, with a parachute and glider wing. On 21 June 1940 the Central Landing Establishment was formed at Ringway airfield near

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...

. Although tasked primarily with training parachute troops, it was also directed to investigate the use of gliders to transport troops into battle.Smith, p. 7 At the same time, the Ministry of Aircraft Production contracted

General Aircraft Ltd General Aircraft Limited was a British aircraft manufacturer from its formation in 1931 to amalgamation with Blackburn Aircraft in 1949 to become Blackburn and General. Its main products were military gliders and light transport aircraft. His ...

to design and produce a glider for this purpose.Flint, p. 73 The result was the

General Aircraft Hotspur The General Aircraft GAL.48 Hotspur was a military glider designed and built by the British company General Aircraft Ltd during World War II. When the British airborne establishment was formed in 1940 by order of Prime Minister Winston Church ...

, an aircraft capable of transporting eight soldiers, that was used for both assault and training purposes. The success of the first British airborne raid,

Operation Colossus Operation Colossus was the codename given to the first airborne operation undertaken by the British military, which occurred on 10 February 1941 during World War II. The British airborne establishment was formed in June 1940 by the order of th ...

, prompted the War Office to expand the airborne force through the creation of the Parachute Regiment, and to develop plans to convert several infantry battalions into parachute and glider battalions. On 31 May 1941, a joint

army An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...

and

air force An air force – in the broadest sense – is the national military branch that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an ...

memorandum was approved by the Chiefs-of-Staff and Winston Churchill; it recommended that the British airborne forces should consist of two parachute brigades, one based in England and the other in the Middle East, and that a glider force of 10,000 men should be created.

Formation

The 3rd Parachute Brigade was raised on 7 November 1942, under the command of

Brigadier Brigadier is a military rank, the seniority of which depends on the country. In some countries, it is a senior rank above colonel, equivalent to a brigadier general or commodore, typically commanding a brigade of several thousand soldiers. I ...

Sir Alexander Stanier. Stanier was soon replaced by Brigadier Gerald Lathbury, who in turn was replaced in May 1943 by Brigadier James Hill, previously of the 1st Parachute Brigade.Ferguson, p. 16 Hill remained in command through the remaining war years until July 1945, when Lathbury once again assumed command. The last commander of the brigade was Brigadier Francis Rome, who took over on 15 November 1946.Wilson, p. 86 Parachute training 1944

The brigade was initially composed of the

7th (Light Infantry) Parachute Battalion The 7th (Light Infantry) Parachute Battalion was an airborne infantry battalion of the Parachute Regiment, formed by the British Army during the Second World War. The battalion was raised in November 1942 by the conversion of the 10th Battalion, ...

, the 8th (Midlands) Parachute Battalion and the 9th (Eastern and Home Counties) Parachute Battalion.Horn and Wyczynski, p. 270 On 11 August 1943 the

1st Canadian Parachute Battalion The 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion was an airborne infantry battalion of the Canadian Army formed in July 1942 during the Second World War; it served in North West Europe, Landing in Normandy during Operation Tonga, in conjunction with the D-D ...

arrived in England and was assigned to the brigade, and the 7th Battalion was transferred to the 5th Parachute Brigade which was in the process of forming.Gregory, p. 53 At the end of the Second World War, the 1st Canadian Battalion returned to Canada, and was replaced in the brigade by the

3rd Parachute Battalion The 3rd Battalion, Parachute Regiment (3 PARA), is a battalion sized formation of the British Army's Parachute Regiment and is a subordinate unit within 16 Air Assault Brigade. Roled as an Airborne light infantry unit, the battalion is capable ...

, which had previously been part of the 1st Parachute Brigade. The brigade's other units were the 3rd Airlanding Anti-Tank Battery from the

Royal Artillery The Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery (RA) and colloquially known as "The Gunners", is one of two regiments that make up the artillery arm of the British Army. The Royal Regiment of Artillery comprises t ...

, the 3rd Parachute Squadron of the Royal Engineers and the 224th (Parachute) Field Ambulance from the Royal Army Medical Corps. During operations the

artillery Artillery is a class of heavy military ranged weapons that launch munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during siege ...

support available to the brigade would also include a battery of howitzers from the

53rd (Worcester Yeomanry) Airlanding Light Regiment 53 may refer to: * 53 (number) * one of the years 53 BC, AD 53, 1953, 2053 * FiftyThree, an American privately held technology company that specializes in tools for mobile creation and visual thinking * 53rd Regiment Alabama Cavalry * 53rd Regiment ...

, although it was not part of the brigade.Guard, p. 37 On formation the brigade was assigned to the 1st Airborne Division, and as such had to supply reinforcements to make the 1st Parachute Brigade up to strength before they left to take part in Operation Torch. When the 1st Airborne Division left England for operations in the

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western Europe, Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa ...

, the 3rd Parachute Brigade remained behind, and was assigned as the first unit of the newly raised 6th Airborne Division. The brigade would remain part of the 6th Airborne Division until 1947, when it was disbanded.

Operational history

From June to December 1943, the brigade prepared for operations as part of the 6th Airborne Division, training at every level from

section Section, Sectioning or Sectioned may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * Section (music), a complete, but not independent, musical idea * Section (typography), a subdivision, especially of a chapter, in books and documents ** Section sig ...

up to division by day and night.Harclerode, p. 225 Airborne soldiers were expected to fight against superior numbers of the enemy, who would be equipped with artillery and tanks. Training was therefore designed to encourage a spirit of self-discipline, self-reliance and aggressiveness, with emphasis given to physical fitness,

marksman A marksman is a person who is skilled in precision shooting using projectile weapons (in modern days most commonly an accurized scoped long gun such as designated marksman rifle or a sniper rifle) to shoot at high-value targets at longer-than- ...

ship and fieldcraft.Guard, p. 225 A large part of the training consisted of assault courses and route marching. Military exercises included capturing and holding airborne

bridgehead In military strategy, a bridgehead (or bridge-head) is the strategically important area of ground around the end of a bridge or other place of possible crossing over a body of water which at time of conflict is sought to be defended or taken over ...

s, road or rail bridges and coastal fortifications. At the end of most exercises, the troops would march back to their barracks, usually a distance of around . An ability to cover long distances at speed was expected; airborne platoons were required to cover a distance of in 24 hours, and battalions . The British Army in the United Kingdom 1939-45 H36429

The British Army in the United Kingdom 1939-45 H36429

In April 1944, under the command of 1st Airborne Corps, the brigade took part in Exercise Mush, in the counties of

Gloucestershire Gloucestershire ( abbreviated Glos) is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn and the entire Forest of Dean. The county town is the city of Gl ...

, Oxfordshire and

Wiltshire Wiltshire (; abbreviated Wilts) is a historic and ceremonial county in South West England with an area of . It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset to the southwest, Somerset to the west, Hampshire to the southeast, Gloucestershire ...

. This was an airborne military exercise spread over three days involving the 1st and 6th Airborne Divisions. Unknown to the 6th Airborne, it was a full-scale rehearsal for the division's involvement in the imminent Normandy invasion. In the invasion, the division's two parachute brigades would land just after midnight on 6 June, while the 6th Airlanding Brigade arrived later in the day just before dark. The division's objective was to secure the left flank of the invasion area by dominating the high ground in the area between the rivers

Orne Orne (; nrf, Ôrne or ) is a département in the northwest of France, named after the river Orne. It had a population of 279,942 in 2019.Dives. For their part in the operation, the 3rd Parachute Brigade had to destroy the

Merville Gun Battery The Merville Gun Battery is a decommissioned coastal fortification in Normandy, France, which was built as part of the Germans' Atlantic Wall to defend continental Europe from Allied invasion. It was a particularly heavily fortified position and ...

, whose guns were in range of the

Sword Beach Sword, commonly known as Sword Beach, was the code name given to one of the five main landing areas along the Normandy coast during the initial assault phase, Operation Neptune, of Operation Overlord. The Allied invasion of German-occupied Fr ...

landings, and to demolish bridges across the River Dives to hamper the arrival of German reinforcements from the east.

D-Day

Just after midnight on 6 June 1944, Albemarle aircraft arrived, carrying the brigade's pathfinders, a company from the 1st Canadian Battalion to clear the

drop zone A drop zone (DZ) is a place where parachutists or parachuted supplies land. It can be an area targeted for landing by paratroopers, or a base from which recreational parachutists and skydivers take off in aircraft and land under parachutes. In ...

(DZ) of obstructions, a group from each battalion, and brigade headquarters.Harclerode, p. 317 Some planes got lost and failed to reach the DZ or arrived late. Others were damaged before dropping all their paratroops and turned back, and one returned to base after failing to find the drop zone at all. From around 00:50 the rest of the brigade arrived in Normandy after crossing the

English Channel The English Channel, "The Sleeve"; nrf, la Maunche, "The Sleeve" (Cotentinais) or ( Jèrriais), (Guernésiais), "The Channel"; br, Mor Breizh, "Sea of Brittany"; cy, Môr Udd, "Lord's Sea"; kw, Mor Bretannek, "British Sea"; nl, Het Kana ...

, transported in 108 C-47 Dakotas, along with 17 Horsa gliders carrying their heavy equipment. The 8th Parachute Battalion, landing on DZ-K along with the brigade headquarters, was tasked with destroying the bridges over the River Dives at Bures and Troarn. The 1st Canadian Battalion, landing on DZ-V, was required to destroy the bridges at Varaville and Robehomme. The 9th Battalion, also landing on DZ-V, had arguably the hardest task; neutralising the

. Due to a combination of poor navigation, heavy cloud cover, and several of the drop zones not being marked correctly, the parachute drop was widely scattered. One group of paratroops landed away, and another landed on the wrong side of the River Orne, only from the invasion beaches. Less than half of each battalion gathered at their individual assembly areas.Otway, p. 180 In the south, at DZ-K, only 141 men of the 8th Parachute Battalion had assembled. Divided into two groups, they headed for their objectives. One group demolished the two bridges at Bures without opposition. The other group, while on their way to Troarn, intercepted and ambushed a convoy of six armoured vehicles belonging to the

21st Panzer Division The 21st Panzer Division was a German armoured division best known for its role in the battles of the North African Campaign from 1941–1943 during World War II when it was one of the two armoured divisions making up the Deutsches Afrikakorp ...

.Harclerode, p. 322 When they reached Troarn, they discovered it was defended by the Germans. A platoon, including engineers, managed to fight their way to the bridge. They found that it had already been damaged, so the engineers planted their explosives and enlarged the gap to around . The 1st Canadian Battalion successfully destroyed the bridges at Varaville and Robehomme after landing on the northern DZ. They then withdrew to defend Le Mesnil, where the brigade headquarters and the field ambulance were located. Meanwhile, by 02:50 only 150 men of the 9th Parachute Battalion had gathered at their assembly area, with virtually no heavy weapons or supplies. Unable to wait any longer, they headed for the Merville Gun Battery. The battalion captured the battery, but without explosives, could only damage two of its four guns. The battle had been costly, and only 85 men were left to head for their secondary objective, the village of Le Plein. The village was defended in strength by the Germans, and the weakened battalion could only dig in and wait the arrival of

commandos Royal Marines from 40 Commando on patrol in the Sangin">40_Commando.html" ;"title="Royal Marines from 40 Commando">Royal Marines from 40 Commando on patrol in the Sangin area of Afghanistan are pictured A commando is a combatant, or operativ ...

from the

1st Special Service Brigade The 1st Special Service Brigade was a commando brigade of the British Army. Formed during the Second World War, it consisted of elements of the British Army (including British Commandos) and the Royal Marines. The brigade's component units saw a ...

later that day. By nightfall the brigade was deployed facing east, along the ridge of high ground from Le Plein in the north to the Bois de Bavent in the south.Harclerode, p. 327

Orne bridgehead

On 7 June 9 Parachute Battalion, relieved by the Special Service Brigade commandos, moved southwards to the Bois de Mont near Bréville, shortening the front held by the 3rd Parachute Brigade. The 6th Airborne Division's deployments now had the 6th Airlanding Brigade in the south, holding a line between Longueville and Herourvillette, the 5th Parachute Brigade to the rear just to the east of the River Orne bridge, the attached 1st Special Service Brigade to the north with troops in Sallenelles and Franceville-Plage, and finally the 3rd Parachute Brigade holding the ridge of high ground to the east. The Germans still held the village of Bréville, between the 3rd Parachute and 1st Special Service Brigades, which gave them a vantage point to observe the airborne division's positions. On 8 June the Germans launched a two pronged attack from Bréville, against the commandos and against the 9th Parachute Battalion. The German force, comprising elements of the 857th Grenadier Regiment, 346th Infantry Division, were only driven back by a counterattack led by the 9th Parachute Battalion's

Regimental Sergeant Major Regimental sergeant major (RSM) is an appointment that may be held by warrant officers class 1 (WO1) in the British Army, the British Royal Marines and in the armies of many other Commonwealth and former Commonwealth nations, including Australia ...

. The next morning the 9th Parachute Battalion was the target for a heavy mortar bombardment, followed by two further infantry attacks. Later the same morning, the 3rd Parachute Brigade's headquarters was attacked by German troops who had infiltrated the lines. The brigade defence platoon managed to hold out until a counterattack by the 9th Parachute Battalion cleared the enemy away. On 10 June, 31 men who had landed in the wrong locations joined the battalion, bringing their numbers up to 270 all ranks. The fighting was now concentrated around the Château Saint Come, which was occupied by a German infantry company supported by two self propelled guns. One of the self-propelled guns was blown up by

Vickers machine gun The Vickers machine gun or Vickers gun is a water-cooled .303 British (7.7 mm) machine gun produced by Vickers Limited, originally for the British Army. The gun was operated by a three-man crew but typically required more men to move and o ...

fire, but the Germans then mounted a determined infantry assault, and the battalion had to call for support from HMS ''Arethusa''. The leading German troops were undaunted by the naval bombardment, and reached the battalion's lines before they were stopped. One of the German prisoners was a battalion commander, who informed his captors that the 875th Grenadier Regiment had been virtually destroyed in the previous day's fighting. That evening the 9th Parachute Battalion captured the Château Saint Come, and was involved in skirmishes throughout the night.Harclerode, p. 330 The following day, 11 June, the 5th Battalion

Black Watch The Black Watch, 3rd Battalion, Royal Regiment of Scotland (3 SCOTS) is an infantry battalion of the Royal Regiment of Scotland. The regiment was created as part of the Childers Reforms in 1881, when the 42nd (Royal Highland) Regime ...

was attached to the brigade to assist in their attempt to capture Bréville, but their attacks were repulsed by the Germans with heavy losses. They tried again on the 12th, and the German response was an attack by infantry supported by armour, which not only drove the Black Watch back, but almost overran the 9th Parachute Battalion's position. The situation was only saved by a counterattack by 'A' Company 1st Canadian Battalion under the command of Brigadier Hill. 9 para btn normandy 1944

During this time the 8th Battalion, located in the thick forest of the Bois de Bavant, were under an almost constant mortar bombardment. Not being directly attacked, the battalion concentrated on night time patrols to harass the Germans, some going as far as the German occupied villages of Troan and Bures. On 7 June 1 Canadian Parachute Battalion at Le Mesnil was attacked by units from the 857th and 858th Grenadier Regiments, supported by tanks and self-propelled guns. The battalion inflicted heavy casualties on the Germans, but only managed to drive them back with a bayonet charge by 'B' Company. The next day the battalion was involved in several small battles, and on 9 June sent a reconnaissance patrol to check if the Germans were still occupying

Bavent Bavent () is a commune in the Calvados department in the Normandy region of north-western France. The inhabitants of the commune are known as ''Baventais'' or ''Baventaises''. Geography Bavent is located on the northern edge of the Caen plain ...

. The patrol was driven back by a strong German force, but that night another patrol entered the village and planted explosive charges on weapons and in buildings. Attacks by German infantry and armour continued until the night of the 12/13 June, when Bréville was finally captured by the division's only reserves, a mixed force from the 12th Parachute Battalion and 12th Devonshire Battalion supported by a troop of tanks from the

13th/18th Royal Hussars The 13th/18th Royal Hussars (Queen Mary's Own) was a cavalry regiment of the British Army. It was formed by the amalgamation of the 13th Hussars and the 18th Royal Hussars in 1922 and, after service in the Second World War, it amalgamated with ...

. On 13 June the

51st (Highland) Infantry Division The 51st (Highland) Division was an infantry division of the British Army that fought on the Western Front in France during the First World War from 1915 to 1918. The division was raised in 1908, upon the creation of the Territorial Force, as ...

crossed the River Orne from the west, and took over responsibility for the southern sector of the Orne bridgehead. At the same time the

4th Special Service Brigade The 4th Special Service Brigade was a brigade-sized formation of the British Commandos formed during the Second World War in March 1944 from battalion-sized units of the Royal Marines. Due to the success of the British Army Commandos' operations ...

was attached to the 6th Airborne Division, which gave them the ability to rotate one brigade at a time out of the front line to allow them to rest. The 3rd Parachute Brigade, having suffered more casualties than the division's other brigades, was the first formation relieved.Harclerode, p. 348

Advance to the Seine

With the capture of Breville the division was not attacked in force again, apart from an almost continuous artillery bombardment between 18 and 20 June. Further reinforcements arrived east of the River Orne on 20 July; the

49th (West Riding) Infantry Division The 49th (West Riding) Infantry Division was an infantry division of the British Army. The division fought in the First World War in the trenches of the Western Front, in the fields of France and Flanders. During the Second World War, the divis ...

moved into the line between the 6th Airborne and the Highland Division. Then on 7 August, the 6th Airborne Division was ordered to prepare to move over to the offensive, with its objective being the mouth of the

River Seine ) , mouth_location = Le Havre/Honfleur , mouth_coordinates = , mouth_elevation = , progression = , river_system = Seine basin , basin_size = , tributaries_left = Yonne, Loing, Eure, Risle , tributarie ...

. The three divisions east of the Orne now became I Corps, and when issuing his orders Lieutenant General

John Crocker General Sir John Tredinnick Crocker, (4 January 1896 – 9 March 1963) was a senior British Army officer who fought in both world wars. He served as both a private soldier and a junior officer in the First World War, and as a distinguished br ...

, aware that the 6th Airborne had almost no artillery, vehicles or engineer equipment, did not expect them to advance very quickly. To reach the Seine the division would have to cross three major rivers, and there were only two main lines of advance; one road running along the coast and another further inland from Troarn to Pont Audemer. On 17 August the Germans started to withdraw northwards. The divisional commander had already decided that the 3rd Parachute Brigade would lead the advance along the interior road. Their objective was to capture Bures, cross the River Dives and secure the area between there and

Dozulé Dozulé () is a Communes of France, commune in the Calvados (department), Calvados Departments of France, department in the Normandy (administrative region), Normandy Regions of France, region in northern France. Population The apparitions an ...

. At 03:00 the brigade attacked the retreating Germans. By 08:00 the 8th and 9th Battalions had captured Bures, and the 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion moved through the Bois de Bavant. The bridges in Bures had been blown up previously, and it took the brigade's engineers until the afternoon to build a crossing. By 21:00 the brigade had crossed the Dives and halted with the 8th Parachute Battalion out in front at Goustranville. The 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion was behind them, and the 9th Parachute Battalion in reserve.Saunders, p. 198 The next day the brigade met heavy resistance just beyond Goustranville, on the

Dives Canal Dives may refer to: * Dives, Oise, a French commune of the Oise département * Dives (river), a river in Normandy * Dives-sur-Mer, a commune in Normandy * ''Dives'' (bird), a genus of New World blackbirds * Dis Pater, Roman god of the underworl ...

and at Dozulé train station. The 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion had taken over the advance and were ordered to seize four bridges crossing the canal. The assault began at 22:00; at 22:35 the railway bridge in the north had been captured, and by midnight all four bridges were secured with 150 prisoners taken. The 9th Parachute Battalion then passed through the Canadians and crossed the next water obstacle without boats, as they found the water was only deep. At 01:00 on 19 August they reached Dozulé. It was not until 07:00 on 21 August that the advance restarted, with the objective of Pont-l'Evêque on the

River Touques The Touques () is a small coastal river in Pays d'Auge in Normandy, France. The Touques is officially navigable up to the Pont des Belges, from its estuary. Its source is in the Perche hills, south of Gacé. The river runs northwards, and flow ...

. After a hard battle the 8th Parachute Battalion captured

Annebault Annebault () is a commune in the Calvados department in the Normandy region in northwestern France. Its population is 466 people (2018). Geography Annebault is located in the pays d'Auge, 17 kilometers from Lisieux. Toponymy The village ...

, and the 5th Parachute Brigade then took over as the division's lead unit. On 24 August the 3rd Parachute Brigade and 4th Special Service Brigade captured

Beuzeville Beuzeville () is a commune in the north-western part of the department of Eure in the Normandy region in northern France. Located on the Lieuvin plateau, it is adjacent to the communes of Pont-l'Évêque, Honfleur and Deauville. Beuzeville i ...

, and the 5th Parachute Brigade reached Pont Audemer, which was the division's last objective. On 27 August the division was ordered to concentrate in the area between

Honfleur Honfleur () is a commune in the Calvados department in northwestern France. It is located on the southern bank of the estuary of the Seine across from le Havre and very close to the exit of the Pont de Normandie. The people that inhabit Honf ...

and Pont Audemer and prepare to return to England.Harclerode, p. 363 In nine days of fighting the 6th Airborne Division had advanced ,Otway, p. 191 despite, as the divisional commander

Major-General Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...

Richard Gale put it, his infantry units being "quite inadequately equipped for a rapid pursuit". They had captured of territory and taken over 1,000 German prisoners. Since landing on 6 June, the division's casualties were 4,457, of which 821 were killed, 2,709 wounded and 927 missing. The 3rd Parachute Brigade had 207 killed. The division was withdrawn from France and embarked for England at the beginning of September.

Ardennes

In England the brigade went into a period of recruitment and training, concentrating on house-to-house street fighting in the bombed areas of

Southampton Southampton () is a port city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire built-up area, which also covers Po ...

and

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands (county), West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1. ...

. The training programme culminated in Exercise Eve, an assault on the

River Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the second-longest in the United Kingdom, after the R ...

, which was intended to simulate the River Rhine in Germany.Saunders, p. 279 By December the brigade was preparing for Christmas leave, when news of the German offensive in the Ardennes broke. As part of the

First Allied Airborne Army The First Allied Airborne Army was an Allied formation formed on 2 August 1944 by the order of General Dwight D. Eisenhower, the Supreme Allied Commander of the Allied Expeditionary Force. The formation was part of the Allied Expeditionary For ...

, 6th Airborne Division was available as a component of the strategic reserve for the Allied forces in northwest Europe. The other two divisions available in reserve, the American 82nd and

101st Airborne The 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) ("Screaming Eagles") is a light infantry division of the United States Army that specializes in air assault operations. It can plan, coordinate, and execute multiple battalion-size air assault operati ...

, were already at

Rheims Reims ( , , ; also spelled Rheims in English) is the most populous city in the French department of Marne, and the 12th most populous city in France. The city lies northeast of Paris on the Vesle river, a tributary of the Aisne. Founded by ...

in northern France, and the 6th Airborne was sent by sea to Belgium to assist the defence. With 29 German and 33 Allied divisions involved, the Battle of the Bulge was the largest single battle on the Western Front during the war. On Christmas Day the division moved up to take position in front of the spearhead of the German advance; by Boxing Day they had reached their allocated places in the defensive line between Dinant and Namur. The 3rd Parachute Brigade were on the left, 5th Parachute Brigade on the right, and the 6th Airlanding Brigade in reserve.Harclerode, p. 549 Over the next days the German advance was halted and forced back, until at the end of January 1945, the brigade crossed into the Netherlands. Here the division was made responsible for the area along the

River Maas The Meuse ( , , , ; wa, Moûze ) or Maas ( , ; li, Maos or ) is a major European river, rising in France and flowing through Belgium and the Netherlands before draining into the North Sea from the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta. It has a t ...

, between

Venlo Venlo () is a city and municipality in the southeastern Netherlands, close to the border with Germany. It is situated in the province of Limburg, about 50 km east of the city of Eindhoven, 65 km north east of the provincial capital Maastricht, a ...

and

Roermond Roermond (; li, Remunj or ) is a city, municipality, and diocese in the Limburg province of the Netherlands. Roermond is a historically important town on the lower Roer on the east bank of the river Meuse. It received town rights in 1231. Ro ...

. The brigade carried out patrols, on both sides of the river, against their opponents from the German 7th Parachute Division. Near the end of February the division returned to England to prepare for another airborne mission, to cross the River Rhine into Germany.

Germany

Whereas all other Allied airborne landings had been a surprise for the Germans, the Rhine crossing was expected, and their defences were reinforced in anticipation. The airborne operation was preceded by a two-day round-the-clock bombing mission by the Allied air forces. Then on 23 March, 3,500 artillery guns targeted the German positions. At dusk

Operation Plunder Operation Plunder was a military operation to cross the Rhine on the night of 23 March 1945, launched by the 21st Army Group under Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery. The crossing of the river was at Rees, Wesel, and south of the river Li ...

, an assault river crossing of the Rhine by the 21st Army Group, began. For their part in Operation Varsity, the 6th Airborne Division was assigned to the American

XVIII Airborne Corps The XVIII Airborne Corps is a corps of the United States Army that has been in existence since 1942 and saw extensive service during World War II. The corps is designed for rapid deployment anywhere in the world and is referred to as "America ...

alongside the United States

17th Airborne Division The 17th Airborne Division, "The Golden Talons", was an airborne infantry division of the United States Army during World War II, commanded by Major General William M. Miley. It was officially activated as an airborne division in April 1 ...

In the British sector the 3rd Parachute Brigade would be the first unit to arrive in Germany.Saunders, p. 288 Their initial objective was to secure the western edge of the Schneppenberg woods. Brigade headquarters was fully aware of the expected opposition to the landings, and the commander of the 224th (Parachute) Field Ambulance was warned to prepare for around 600 casualties; almost a third of the brigade's manpower. On 24 March 1945 at 07:00 the 122 C-47 Dakotas transporting the brigade took off from England in three waves. The first wave carried brigade headquarters and the 8th Parachute Battalion, the second carried the 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion, and the 9th Parachute Battalion came last.Cole, p. 160 The gliders carrying the brigade's heavy equipment were scheduled to arrive 40 minutes after the third wave. Nine minutes ahead of schedule, the brigade started landing at their DZs. Their premature arrival stopped the Allied artillery and fighter bombers which were engaging targets in the area, especially anti-aircraft gun emplacements. The descending parachutists were met with heavy fire from the German defenders, causing several casualties. One of the dead was the commanding officer of the 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion. It was during the landing that one of the Canadian medics, Corporal Frederick Topham, won a

Victoria Cross The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious award of the British honours system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British Armed Forces and may be awarded posthumously. It was previously ...

, becoming the division's only recipient of the award during the war. By 11:00 the 8th Parachute Battalion had secured the DZ, and the other two battalions headed for the Schneppenberg woods, which were secured by 14:00. The 9th Parachute Battalion dug in within the woods, and the 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion on the outskirts.Saunders, p. 289 At 15:00 the first troops of the

Royal Scots The Royal Scots (The Royal Regiment), once known as the Royal Regiment of Foot, was the oldest and most senior infantry regiment of the line of the British Army, having been raised in 1633 during the reign of Charles I of Scotland. The regime ...

arrived after completing their assault crossing of the Rhine. The day's fighting had cost the brigade 80 dead and 190 wounded, however they had taken around 700 prisoners. On 27 March the division started advancing further into Germany. The 8th Parachute Battalion was the first to reach Lembeck, which was defended by two Panzer Grenadier companies. A hand-to-hand battle ensued, lasting 18 hours and eventually drawing in all three battalions; by midnight the town was secured, with around 300 prisoners taken. The brigade's next objective was

Greven Greven (; Westphalian: ''Graiwen'') is a medium-sized town in the district of Steinfurt, in Germany's most populous state of North Rhine-Westphalia and close to the city of Münster. Geography Greven is situated on the river Ems, approx. 25&n ...

and the bridge across the River Ems. At 21:30 the 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion were about away from the town. Leaving what vehicles they had behind, they attempted to approach the bridge unseen on foot, and by 23:00 had successfully secured the town and bridge. The 9th Parachute Battalion was called forward to continue the advance, but just as they approached the bridge it was blown up by the Germans. In the early hours of the morning, a footbridge across the river was discovered, and the 9th Battalion prepared to carry out an assault. 'A' Company crossed the footbridge under fire just before dawn, and after a short fight had secured the crossing. After a few hours' rest the advance continued with the 8th Battalion in the lead, and by nightfall they had reached their next objective, the

Dortmund–Ems Canal The Dortmund–Ems Canal is a long canal in Germany between the inland port of the city of Dortmund () and the seaport of Emden. The artificial southern part of the canal ends after at Herbrum lock near Meppen. The route then takes the r ...

. Resting overnight, the battalion crossed the half-empty canal at 10:30 the next day. Over the next 36 hours the brigade advanced to Minden. The 15th (Scottish) Infantry Division then took over from the 6th Airborne Division as the lead formation until 30 April when the Airborne Division once more resumed the advance, crossing the

River Elbe The Elbe (; cs, Labe ; nds, Ilv or ''Elv''; Upper and dsb, Łobjo) is one of the major rivers of Central Europe. It rises in the Giant Mountains of the northern Czech Republic before traversing much of Bohemia (western half of the Czech Rep ...

over a bridge captured by the Scottish division.Saunders, p. 299 The division's objective was

Wismar Wismar (; Low German: ''Wismer''), officially the Hanseatic City of Wismar (''Hansestadt Wismar'') is, with around 43,000 inhabitants, the sixth-largest city of the northeastern German state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, and the fourth-largest city ...

on the

; the two parachute brigades advanced on separate routes to Gadebusch, aware that the brigade to arrive first would continue as the division's lead formation. By this stage of the war the advance was hampered more by refugees fleeing westwards than by any organised opposition. The 3rd Parachute Brigade won the race and led the division to Wismar, arriving on 1 May only 30 minutes before the lead troops of the Soviet

advancing from the east.

Palestine

At the end of May 1945, the division was pulled out of Germany and returned to England. It was initially intended to send them to India to form an airborne corps with the

44th Indian Airborne Division The 44th Indian Airborne Division was an airborne forces Division (military), division of the Indian Army during World War II, created in 1944. It provided a parachute battalion for one minor airborne operation, but the war ended before the compl ...

. The division’s advance party, formed around the 5th Parachute Brigade, had already arrived in India. Following the Japanese surrender, all these plans changed. The post-war British Army only needed one airborne division, and the 6th Airborne was chosen to remain on strength. Reinforced by the 2nd Parachute Brigade, the division was sent to the Middle East as the Imperial Strategic Reserve. Jewish civilians waiting to be interrogated July 1946

Jewish civilians waiting to be interrogated July 1946

The 3rd Parachute Brigade was the first unit of the Airborne Division to arrive in Palestine, disembarking at

Haifa Haifa ( he, חֵיפָה ' ; ar, حَيْفَا ') is the third-largest city in Israel—after Jerusalem and Tel Aviv—with a population of in . The city of Haifa forms part of the Haifa metropolitan area, the third-most populous metropol ...

on 3 October 1945. The brigade then moved to Gaza to acclimatise and regain their fitness after the voyage from England. On 21 October the brigade was deployed around the

Lydda Lod ( he, לוד, or fully vocalized ; ar, اللد, al-Lidd or ), also known as Lydda ( grc, Λύδδα), is a city southeast of Tel Aviv and northwest of Jerusalem in the Central District of Israel. It is situated between the lower Sheph ...

district, with responsibility for

Tel Aviv Tel Aviv-Yafo ( he, תֵּל־אָבִיב-יָפוֹ, translit=Tēl-ʾĀvīv-Yāfō ; ar, تَلّ أَبِيب – يَافَا, translit=Tall ʾAbīb-Yāfā, links=no), often referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the ...

and Jaffa. The first incident involving the brigade came on 14 November 1945, when the

Jewish National Council The Jewish National Council (JNC; he, ועד לאומי, ''Va'ad Le'umi''), also known as the Jewish People's Council was the main national executive organ of the Assembly of Representatives of the Jewish community (Yishuv) within Mandatory Pale ...

called for a 12-hour strike, which resulted in rioting in Tel Aviv. By 18:15 the

Palestine Police Force The Palestine Police Force was a British colonial police service established in Mandatory Palestine on 1 July 1920,Sinclair, 2006. when High Commissioner Sir Herbert Samuel's civil administration took over responsibility for security from Gene ...

was unable to cope and sent for reinforcements from the 8th Parachute Battalion. The complete battalion was deployed and the riot was under control by 21:40 and a curfew imposed for the rest of the night. Early the following day the curfew was broken by large crowds gathering to loot and burn buildings, so the remainder of the brigade was deployed to the city under the codename Operation Bellicose. Night time curfews remained in place until 05:20 on 20 November, when all troops returned to their barracks. All was quiet in the brigade area until the night of 26/27 December, when police stations in Jaffa and Tel Aviv, the railway at Lydda and an armoury at Tel Aviv were attacked. The brigade again imposed a curfew around Tel Aviv. This was followed by

cordon and search Cordon and search is a military tactic to cordon off an area and search the premises for weapons or insurgents. It is one of the basic counterinsurgency operations. Two types of cordon and search operations are cordon and knock Yibna Yibna ( ar, يبنى; ''Jabneh'' or ''Jabneel'' in Biblical times; ''Jamnia'' in Roman times; '' Ibelin'' to the Crusaders), or Tel Yavne is an archaeological site and depopulated Palestinian town. The ruins are located immediately southeast of ...

occurred at the same time as a patrol from the 9th Parachute Battalion was entering the village. The patrol's leading two vehicles exploded mines that had been laid on a bridge, wounding three men. At daylight the tracks of around 30 men were found, and a section from the 8th Parachute Battalion eventually cornered 24 armed men. In the firefight that followed, 14 of them were wounded and the remainder surrendered, with no British casualties. On 29 June Operation Agatha started; the brigade had been rotated to cover the south of Palestine, and were to search for arms and arrest any members of the Palmach in

Givat Brenner Givat Brenner ( he, גִּבְעַת בְּרֶנֶר, lit. ''Brenner Hill''; ar, غفعات برينر), is a kibbutz in the Central District of Israel. Located around south of Rehovot, it falls under the jurisdiction of Brenner Regional C ...

and No'ar Oved. On 22 July the

King David Hotel The King David Hotel ( he, מלון המלך דוד, Malon ha-Melekh David; ar, فندق الملك داود) is a 5-star hotel in Jerusalem and a member of The Leading Hotels of the World. Opened in 1931, the hotel was built with locally qua ...

in Jerusalem was bombed, which was the catalyst for Operation Shark, the searching of every house and property in Tel Aviv. For this operation the brigade had all the divisional artillery and the

3rd The King's Own Hussars The 3rd (The King's Own) Hussars was a cavalry regiment of the British Army, first raised in 1685. It saw service for three centuries, including the First and the Second World Wars, before being amalgamated with the 7th Queen's Own Hussars, to ...

under their command. The brigade's next tasks were Operations Bream and Eel between 28 August and 4 September, which entailed the search of Dorot and

Ruhama Ruhama ( he, רֻחָמָה) is a kibbutz in the Negev desert in southern Israel. The original settlement, established in 1911, is considered the first modern Jewish settlement in the Negev. Located around ten kilometres east of Sderot and surro ...

in the

Negev The Negev or Negeb (; he, הַנֶּגֶב, hanNegév; ar, ٱلنَّقَب, an-Naqab) is a desert and semidesert region of southern Israel. The region's largest city and administrative capital is Beersheba (pop. ), in the north. At its sout ...

. For the first time army dogs trained in metal detecting were used during the operations, and they located a large arms cache in both settlements. In January 1947, the 6th Airborne Division was moved to northern Palestine, swapping locations with the 1st Infantry Division. The 3rd Parachute Brigade took over responsibility for

, which was considered a problem area. The brigade had to guard the docks and port of Haifa, which were the main entry point for immigrants arriving in the country. In addition, the many oil pipelines and installations in the region were a potential target for sabotage. The brigade's first operation was imposing a curfew on the Jewish quarter after the kidnapping of two Britons in retaliation for the death sentence imposed on

Dov Gruner Dov Béla Gruner ( he, דב בלה גרונר; 1912–1947) was a Hungarian-born Zionist activist in Mandatory Palestine and a member of the pre-state Jewish underground Irgun. On April 16, 1947, Gruner was executed by the British Mandatory ...

. The next major operation was in July, when an indefinite night time curfew was imposed, in response to several attacks in and around the city. The curfew lasted until the end of the month. In October 1947, the War Office announced its intention to reduce the division's strength by one brigade. The 3rd Parachute Brigade, being more recently established than the other units, was selected to be disbanded. However, instead of disbanding its battalions, it was decided to amalgamate them. The 3rd Parachute Battalion joined with the 2nd Parachute Battalion and was renumbered the 2nd/3rd Parachute Battalion, and the brigade's other two battalions were amalgamated to become the 8th/9th Parachute Battalion. Both of these new units would serve in the 1st Parachute Brigade. The amalgamation of the 2nd and 3rd Parachute Battalions was completed in December, and the 8th and 9th Parachute Battalions in early January. Finally, the brigade headquarters was disbanded at the end of January.Wilson, p. 153 During their service in Palestine, nine men from the brigade had been killed.Wilson, pp. 207–211

Order of battle

;Commanding officers *

Sir Alexander Stanier, 2nd Baronet *Brigadier Gerald Lathbury *Brigadier James Hill *Brigadier Francis Rome ;Units *

* 8th (Midlands) Parachute Battalion * 9th (Eastern and Home Counties) Parachute Battalion *

* 224th (Parachute) Field Ambulance– Royal Army Medical Corps *3rd Airlanding Anti-Tank Battery–

*3rd Parachute Squadron– Royal Engineers

Notes

;Footnotes ;Citations

References

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * {{British parachute units of the Second World War Parachute Regiment (United Kingdom) 3 Parachute UK Parachute Brigade Military units and formations established in 1943 Military units and formations disestablished in 1947 Airborne infantry brigades of the United Kingdom Operation Overlord