HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

The Para-Commando Brigade was an elite force in the Belgian
Land Component The Land Component ( nl, Landcomponent, french: Composante terre) is the land branch of the Belgian Armed Forces. The King of the Belgians is the commander in chief. The current chief of staff of the Land Component is Major-General Pierre Gérard. ...
, consisting of two paracommando battalions, the Special Forces Group and a support unit of the Communication & Information Systems Group (CIS). In 2003, its name was changed to the Light Brigade. On 3 July 2018, the Light Brigade was renamed and transformed into the
Special Operations Regiment The 21st Special Service Group (Abbreviation, Abbr.: 21 SSG, ) is a Command (military formation), command for Malaysian Army special forces, the ''Gerak Khas (Malaysian Army unit), Gerak Khas''. The 21 SSG and 10th Parachute Brigade (Malaysia), 10 ...
.


History

During the Second World War, parachutist and commando units were founded in Great Britain. In 1942, the first Belgian commandos started training to serve in the
No. 10 (Inter-Allied) Commando No. 10 (Inter-Allied) Commando was a commando unit of the British Army during the Second World War, recruited largely from non-British personnel from German-occupied Europe. This unit was used to help co-ordinate attacks with other allied forces ...
. Also that year, some Belgian soldiers underwent parachute training. These paras served in the Belgian
5th Special Air Service The 5th Special Air Service (5th SAS) was an elite airborne unit during World War II. It consisted entirely of Belgian volunteers. It saw action as part of the SAS Brigade in Normandy, Northern France, Belgium, the Netherlands and (Germany). In ...
which was under the command of the famous
Eddy Blondeel Lieutenant-Colonel Doctor of Dental Surgery, Dr. (Dent.) Edouard "Eddy" Blondeel (25 January 1906 – 23 May 2000) was the wartime commander of the Belgian 5 SAS, 5th SAS. After the war he was first Commanding Office of the 1st Parachute B ...
. Both units executed numerous raids and important missions. In 1952, these parachutist and commando units were brought together in a Para-Commando Regiment. Later, an antitank company, a
field artillery Field artillery is a category of mobile artillery used to support armies in the field. These weapons are specialized for mobility, tactical proficiency, short range, long range, and extremely long range target engagement. Until the early 20t ...
battery and a reconnaissance squadron were added. In November 1991, the Para-Commando Regiment became a brigade by adding new support units.' By 2003, the Brigade was disbanded. The Para-Commando units (
1st Parachute Battalion (Belgium) The 1st Paratroopers Battalion (french: 1er Bataillon Parachutiste, nl, 1 Bataljon Parachutisten) or 1 PARA was a military formation of the Belgian Army and part of the Paracommando Brigade from 1946 to 2011. Its regimental traditions, including ...
,
3rd Parachute Battalion (Belgium) The 3rd Paratroopers Battalion (french: 3ème Bataillon Parachutistes, nl, 3 Bataljon Parachutisten) is a military formation of the Belgian Land Component and part of the Special Operations Regiment. It carries on the regimental traditions of th ...
,
2nd Commando Battalion (Belgium) The 2nd Commando Battalion (french: 2e Bataillon de Commandos) is a military formation of the Belgian Armed Forces and part of the 'Special Operations Regiment'. Its regimental traditions, including the name "Commando" and the green beret, were a ...
) formed together with 12/13th Battalion of the Line the new 'Light Brigade'. In 2018, the Light Brigade was transformed into the
Special Operations Regiment The 21st Special Service Group (Abbreviation, Abbr.: 21 SSG, ) is a Command (military formation), command for Malaysian Army special forces, the ''Gerak Khas (Malaysian Army unit), Gerak Khas''. The 21 SSG and 10th Parachute Brigade (Malaysia), 10 ...
. The regiment consists of the two remaining Para-Commando battalions (3Para, 2Commando), the Special Forces Group (Belgium), a support unit of the Communication & Information Systems Group, the training centre for Parachutists and the training centre for Commandos. The 12/13th Battalion of the Line was transferred to the
Motorized Brigade (Belgium) The Motorised Brigade, formerly the Medium Brigade, is a Brigade of the Land Component of the Belgian Armed Forces commanded by Colonel Jean-Louis Crucifix. Its headquarters is located in Leopoldsburg. After World War II, the unit was known as ...
. The Paracommando battalions work closely with the
Belgian Air Force The Belgian Air Component ( nl, Luchtcomponent, french: Composante air) is the air arm of the Belgian Armed Forces, and until January 2002 it was officially known as the Belgian Air Force ( nl, Belgische Luchtmacht; french: Force aérienne belg ...
's 15th Transportation Wing, who operate the Lockheed C-130 Hercules transport aircraft.


Operations in Africa

From 1953, the commandos participated actively in the "African period" with numerous detachments destined for the base at Kamina (BAKA) in the Belgian Congo. After the riots of January 4, 1959, the 2nd Commando Battalion was dispatched urgently to Léopoldville where it was stationed for about a month. A cadre party and other elements later formed the 4th Commando Bataillon which was stationed at
Kitona Kitona is a town of about 4,000 persons in the Bas-Congo province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It is located to the southwest of the country along the Atlantic Ocean, about 190 miles southwest of the capital city of Kinshasa. Following ...
in Bas-Congo.


Congo

The regiment saw repeated action during the Congo Crisis of the 1960s. In July 1960, 3,000 para-commandos and five independent reserve companies intervened in a number of Congolese cities to facilitate the evacuation of Europeans and the disarmament of ''Armee Nationale Congolaise'' mutineers. The Simba Rebellion began in 1964 in the Kivu and Orientale regions of the Congo. In August 1964, Congolese government forces were making general headway against the rebels. Sensing defeat, rebel forces took hostages from the local white population. Several hundred were taken to Stanleyville and closely guarded in the Victoria Hotel. Congolese authorities turned to the Belgian and the United States governments for assistance. After failed negotiations, the Belgians responded by sending a task-force led by Colonel Charles Laurent, airlifted by five C-130s provided by the U.S. 322nd Airlift Division. On 24 November 1964, with the operation Dragon Rouge, five US Air Force C-130 transports dropped 350 paratroopers of the Para-Commando Regiment onto the airfield at Stanleyville. Once the paratroopers had secured the airfield and cleared the runway, they made their way to the Victoria Hotel. The Simbas were prevented from killing all but some 80 of the hostages. Over the next two days over 1,800 American and Europeans, and 400 Congolese were evacuated. The regiment later saw action at Kolwezi during Shaba II in 1978, where they evacuated about 2,000 expats and took part in the Battle of Kolwezi to liberate the city from rebels. They also evacuated European citizens during Operation Blue Beam in September 1991, and during Operation Green Stream in March 1997.


Somalia

From 1992 to 1993, all three battalions were deployed to Somalia as part of
UNITAF The Unified Task Force (UNITAF) was a United States-led, United Nations-sanctioned multinational force which operated in Somalia from 5 December 1992 until 4 May 1993. A United States initiative (code-named Operation Restore Hope), U ...
(1st Battalion),
UNOSOM I United Nations Operation in Somalia I (UNOSOM I) was the first part of a United Nations (UN) sponsored effort to provide, facilitate, and secure humanitarian relief in Somalia, as well as to monitor the first UN-brokered ceasefire of the Somali ...
(2nd Battalion) and
UNOSOM II United Nations Operation in Somalia II (UNOSOM II) was the second phase of the United Nations intervention in Somalia and took place from March 1993 until March 1995, following the outbreak of the Somali Civil War in 1991. UNOSOM II carried on ...
(3rd Battalion).


Other operations

In late November, 1985, around 1,000 Paracommandos comprising six companies of the 2nd Commando and 3rd Parachute Battalions were deployed to man static and mobile security posts around government buildings in Brussels, amidst a then-ongoing terrorist campaign by the Far-left Communist Combatant Cells (this being during a relatively violent period of militant and criminal activity in Belgian history; Les Années de plomb). The group had raided a Belgian Army barracks and stolen battle rifles, wounded a soldier, killed two firemen and wounded 13 civilians in a series of attacks. Concerns also arose due to an upcoming visit by US President
Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan ( ; February 6, 1911June 5, 2004) was an American politician, actor, and union leader who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He also served as the 33rd governor of California from 1967 ...
. Elements of the 3rd Para Battalion were deployed to Iran in 1991 to help Kurdish refugees fleeing from Iraq following the Gulf War. Elements of the Brigade have also been deployed to Kosovo as part of
KFOR KFOR may refer to: * KFOR (AM), a radio station (1240 AM) licensed to Lincoln, Nebraska, United States * KFOR-TV, a television station (channel 4 analog/27 digital) licensed to Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States * KFOR-TV (Nebraska), a defunct ...
(since 1999) and to Afghanistan as part of ISAF (since 2002).


Reformation 2003

Previously known as ''Paracommando Brigade'', the Light Brigade had grouped all personnel into three airborne infantry battalions, except for the independent support units that are typically part of a brigade structure. These support units were re-attached to regular battalions, but retained some airborne capacity. The Light Brigade had its headquarters in Heverlee. The three remaining airborne infantry battalions were located as follows: * 1 Paratroop Battalion in Diest (disbanded on 1 July 2011 and its two companies distributed between the other two battalions) * 2nd Commando Battalion in Flawinne *
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 ...
in
Tielen Tielen is a village in the province of Antwerp in Flanders, Belgium. It is part of the municipality of Kasterlee. The nearest city is the neighbouring city of Turnhout. Other neighbouring towns are Vosselaar, Lichtaart, , Lille and Gierle. The ...
The 2nd and 3rd battalion currently exist within the Light Brigade. Although these battalions refer to themselves as either commando or paratroopers, recruits have received the same training and perform the same duties. Individual battalion traditions cause units to have different designators, beret colours and insignia. 2nd Commando Battalion wear green berets in reference to their connection to the 4th (Belgian) Troop of No.10 Commando. 3rd Parachute Battalion wear maroon berets.


Reformation 2018

On 3 July 2018, the Light Brigade was renamed and transformed into the
Special Operations Regiment The 21st Special Service Group (Abbreviation, Abbr.: 21 SSG, ) is a Command (military formation), command for Malaysian Army special forces, the ''Gerak Khas (Malaysian Army unit), Gerak Khas''. The 21 SSG and 10th Parachute Brigade (Malaysia), 10 ...
.


Notes and references


External links


News and info about the Para-Commandos

The Belgian Special Forces Group

History of the Belgian Para-Commando Regiment
{{Belgian Paracommando Units Para Commandos Airborne units and formations of Belgium Military units and formations established in 1952 Military units and formations disestablished in 2010