The 16th (Staffords) Parachute Battalion was an airborne

infantry Infantry, or infantryman are a type of soldier who specialize in ground combat, typically fighting dismounted. Historically the term was used to describe foot soldiers, i.e. those who march and fight on foot. In modern usage, the term broadl ...

battalion A battalion is a military unit, typically consisting of up to one thousand soldiers. A battalion is commanded by a lieutenant colonel and subdivided into several Company (military unit), companies, each typically commanded by a Major (rank), ...

of the Parachute Regiment, raised by the

British Army in World War II 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 en ...

World War II

The battalion was formed in

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

from the 1st Battalion of the

South Staffordshire Regiment The South Staffordshire Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army in existence for only 68 years. The regiment was created in 1881 under the Childers Reforms by the amalgamation of the 38th (1st Staffordshire) Regiment of Foot a ...

in January 1945. The South Staffords had previously been part of the

Chindits The Chindits, officially known as Long Range Penetration Groups, were special operations units of the British and Indian armies which saw action in 1943–1944 during the Burma Campaign of World War II. Brigadier Orde Wingate formed the ...

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 Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

Prisoner of War A prisoner of war (POW) is a person held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold prisoners of war for a ...

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 The 16th Airborne Division was an airborne infantry division of the British Territorial Army. It was first commanded by Major-General Roy Urquhart, and had its divisional headquarters in London. It was raised in 1947, to compensate for the ...

. It was re-designated 16 (Welsh) PARA (TA) in 1948 and resulting from defence cuts disbanded in October 1956.

Notes

British Parachute Regiment Battalions Military units and formations in Burma in World War II {{WWII-stub