Formation Of Airborne Troops

A little bit late but just joined the forum, the glider troops or Air landing could also be parachute qualified so throughout their history some did jump.

Pete

 

Opening pages Brammells The Tenth
(Sorry scan did not take.)
Will type.
At Karabit men of the 2nd. Bn. The Royal Sussex Regiment were volunteering to Parachute with the new 4th.Parachute Brigade in the Middle East.This Brigade included the recently formed 10th and 11th Battalions and 156 Battalion which had arrived in the Middle East in Oct. 1942..
The 156 Bn. previously 151 Bn had been founded by volunteers of British Troops serving in India.........

The 2nd Bn. The Royal Sussex Regiment had distinguished itself against Rommel at Ruweiset Ridge was scheduled for conversion to a Parachute Bn,and was known as S Battalion.



My Note.
In effect the Battalion was not converted as War office said this could not happen but the 10th was formed based on the 200 Officers and men who had Volunteered

The Parachute Training School at Karabit was formed in 1941 in response to David Stirling's request for instructors from Ring-way

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the wife's uncle joined from the 2 bt. South Staffords when they were selected to form the 1st Air Landing Brigade, then to N.Africa in 1943, then transported to Sicily but the glider ditched on the way, then went into Arnhem by glider with the Air Landing Brigade

 

I know that in the main that soldiers could volunteer to become parachutist leaving their parent formation or that units en- block could be converted but it was still voluntary in as much as anyone not wanting to parachute could op out.( As shown with 2nd Royal Sussex and 10 Para.)
But was it the same with Glider borne troops?
I get the feeling that it was not so easy to op out if your unit became Airborne in a Glider formation.

 

can anyone say why each man whore his own regt. cap badge after transfering to the airborne? and on a visit to the war cemetery near Arnhem the markers bore the mens units badge, even saw one from the Physical training corps...

 

'Airborne Forces' was an umbrella term, not a 'regiment'. Apart from the parachute battalions and the Glider Pilot Regiment, all the other units wore their own capbadges: engineers, medics, etc. As the airlanding (glider infantry) battalions were simply 'ordinary' battalions that were given a new job, they kept their original identity, like the South Staffords.

 

Even the Physical Training Corps. A stand to be corrected but when they weren't teaching PT they were the CO's bodyguard.