List of World War II British airborne battalions facts for kids

1st Airborne Division paratroopers and gliders during the Battle of Arnhem.

The British airborne forces, during the Second World War, consisted of the Parachute Regiment, the Glider Pilot Regiment, the airlanding battalions, and from 1944 the Special Air Service Troops. Their formation followed the success of the German airborne operations, during the Battle of France. The British Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, directed the War Office to investigate the possibility of creating a corps of 5,000 parachute troops.

On 22 June 1940, No. 2 Commando was turned over to parachute duties and on 21 November, re-designated the 11th Special Air Service Battalion, with a parachute and glider wing. It was 38 men of this battalion who on 10 February 1941 took part in Operation Colossus the first British airborne operation. In September, the battalion was re-designated the 1st Parachute Battalion. A request for volunteers for parachute duties provided enough men to form the 2nd, 3rd and 4th Parachute Battalions. The volunteers for glider-borne infantry were formed into airlanding battalions from December 1941.

The success of early British airborne operations prompted the War Office to expand the existing airborne force, setting up the Airborne Forces Depot and Battle School in Derbyshire in April 1942, and creating the Parachute Regiment. The fledgling force received another boost following the German success in the Battle of Crete, when the War Office issued a communiqué.

The Airborne Forces of the British Army consists of the parachute troops and glider-borne troops of all arms of service. Officers and men in any regiment or corps, may apply for transfer to a parachute or glider-borne unit of the Airborne Forces.

By the end of the war the British Army had raised seventeen parachute and eight airlanding battalions. These battalions served in seven parachute brigades, three airlanding brigades and three airborne divisions. Some British battalions served in the Far East with Indian Army formations. One Canadian parachute battalion served in a British parachute brigade and a Polish parachute brigade served with a British division.

Almost all the battalions played some part in British airborne operations. The first of which was a platoon sized operation in Italy. The second a company parachute landing in France. Building experience all the time these operations were followed by three battalion sized parachute landings in Tunisia. Parachute and airlanding brigades carried out landings in Sicily and the south of France. But the pinnacle of British airborne operations, were three divisional landings at Normandy, Arnhem and the River Rhine crossing in Germany.

The British airborne forces were easily identified by their distinctive uniform. The maroon beret, the airborne forces patch of Bellerophon riding the flying horse Pegasus and parachute wings worn on the right shoulder of trained parachutists. On operations, airborne forces wore their own pattern steel helmet instead of the standard British Brodie helmet and after 1942, the camouflaged Denison smock was issued to airborne forces.

Battalions

Battalion	Active in role	Brigade	Division	Operations	Image
001 1st Parachute Battalion	1941–1945	111 1st Parachute Brigade	001 1st Airborne Division	Operation Torch Operation Fustian Operation Slapstick Operation Market Garden
001 1st Border Regiment	1941–1945	112 1st Airlanding Brigade	001 1st Airborne Division	Operation Ladbroke Operation Slapstick Operation Market Garden Operation Doomsday
001 1st Royal Ulster Rifles	1941–1945	116 1st Airlanding Brigade 6th Airlanding Brigade	012 1st Airborne Division 6th Airborne Division	Operation Tonga Battle of the Bulge Operation Varsity
001 No. 1 Wing, Glider Pilot Regiment	1941–1945	997 Glider Pilot Brigade		Operation Tonga Operation Mallard Operation Market Garden Operation Varsity
001 1st SAS Regiment	1941–1945	999 SAS Brigade		Operation Houndsworth Operation Bulbasket Operation Archway
002 2nd Parachute Battalion	1941–1945	111 1st Parachute Brigade	011 1st Airborne Division	Operation Biting Operation Torch Operation Fustian Operation Slapstick Operation Market Garden
002 2nd South Staffordshire Regiment	1941–1945	112 1st Airlanding Brigade	011 1st Airborne Division	Operation Ladbroke Operation Slapstick Operation Market Garden Operation Doomsday
002 2nd Ox and Bucks Light Infantry	1941–1945	116 1st Airlanding Brigade 6th Airlanding Brigade	012 1st Airborne Division 6th Airborne Division	Operation Tonga Battle of the Bulge Operation Varsity
002 2nd King's Own Royal Regiment	1945	441 14th Airlanding Brigade	044 44th Indian Airborne Division	Participated in Chindit operations.
002 2nd Black Watch	1945	441 14th Airlanding Brigade	141 44th Indian Airborne Division	Participated in Chindit operations.
002 No. 2 Wing, Glider Pilot Regiment	1941–1945	998 Glider Pilot Brigade		Operation Freshman Operation Ladbroke Operation Fustian Operation Market Garden Operation Varsity
002 2nd SAS Regiment	1943–1945	999 SAS Brigade		Operation Loyton Operation Archway Operation Tombola
003 3rd Parachute Battalion	1941–1945	111 1st Parachute Brigade	011 1st Airborne Division	Operation Torch Operation Fustian Operation Slapstick Operation Market Garden
004 4th Parachute Battalion	1942–1945	121 2nd Parachute Brigade	011 1st Airborne Division	Operation Fustian Operation Slapstick Operation Rugby Operation Manna
005 5th Parachute Battalion	1942–1945	121 2nd Parachute Brigade	011 1st Airborne Division	Operation Fustian Operation Slapstick Operation Rugby Operation Manna
006 6th Parachute Battalion	1942–1948	121 2nd Parachute Brigade	011 1st Airborne Division	Operation Fustian Operation Slapstick Operation Rugby Operation Manna
007 7th Parachute Battalion	1942–1945	132 3rd Parachute Brigade 5th Parachute Brigade	026 6th Airborne Division	Operation Tonga Battle of the Bulge Operation Varsity
007 7th King's Own Scottish Borderers	1943–1945	112 1st Airlanding Brigade	001 1st Airborne Division	Operation Ladbroke Operation Slapstick Operation Market Garden Operation Doomsday
008 8th Parachute Battalion	1942–1945	131 3rd Parachute Brigade	026 6th Airborne Division	Operation Tonga Battle of the Bulge Operation Varsity
009 9th Parachute Battalion	1942–1945	131 3rd Parachute Brigade	026 6th Airborne Division	Operation Tonga Battle of the Bulge Operation Varsity
010 10th Parachute Battalion	1943–1944	141 4th Parachute Brigade	011 1st Airborne Division	Operation Slapstick Operation Market Garden
011 11th Parachute Battalion	1943–1944	141 4th Parachute Brigade	011 1st Airborne Division	Operation Slapstick Operation Market Garden
011 11th Special Air Service Battalion	1940–1941			Operation Colossus
012 12th Parachute Battalion	1943–1945	151 5th Parachute Brigade	026 6th Airborne Division	Operation Tonga Battle of the Bulge Operation Varsity
012 12th Devonshire Regiment	1943–1945	161 6th Airlanding Brigade	026 6th Airborne Division	Operation Tonga Operation Varsity
013 13th Parachute Battalion	1943–1945	151 5th Parachute Brigade	026 6th Airborne Division	Operation Tonga Battle of the Bulge Operation Varsity
015 15th Parachute Battalion	1945	777 77th Indian Parachute Brigade	044 44th Indian Airborne Division	Participated in Chindit operations before converting to parachute duties.
016 16th Parachute Battalion	1945	500 50th Indian Parachute Brigade	044 44th Indian Airborne Division	Participated in Chindit operations before converting to parachute duties.
017 17th Parachute Battalion	1945	111 1st Parachute Brigade	011 1st Airborne Division
151 151st Parachute Battalion	1942	500 50th Indian Parachute Brigade
156 156th Parachute Battalion	1942–1944	141 4th Parachute Brigade	011 1st Airborne Division	Operation Slapstick Operation Market Garden