1. prapor Paradesantního pluku [1941-1948]

The 1st Battalion, Parachute Regiment was established on 15 September 1941 by renaming it from the 11th Special Air Service Battalion. The battalion was stationed at Hardwick Hall near Chesterfield. The battalion underwent airborne training at the 1st Parachute Training School, which was based at RAF Station Ringway near Manchester. Drops were made from Armstrong Whitworth A.W.38 Whitley aircraft into the area above Tatton Park. In November 1942 the battalion was combat deployed to North Africa as part of 1st Parachute Brigade. The battalion was tasked with securing the Tunisian town of Béja, which was an important communications hub in the plain area of Souk-el-Khemis. The battalion was successfully dropped from American Dakota aircraft near Souk-el-Arba on 16 November 1942 and then fought as a regular infantry unit.


The battalion's next deployment was to Sicily, where on 13 July 1943 it was dropped along with the 2nd and 3rd Battalion near Catania to seize the Primosola Bridge over the Simeto River south of the city. Operation FUSTIAN unfortunately failed and the bridge was only captured by ground troops of the 8th Army. The battalion took part in the landing from the sea at Tarenta. While at Foggie, it was withdrawn to England. The battalion was stationed on the Grimsthorpe Castle estate in Lincolnshire, preparing to land in France. The battalion was not to take part in Operation NEPTUNE, but was part of a force to be deployed as part of a contingency plan in case the situation on any of the beaches developed unfavourably. Operation WASTAGE was not needed, so the battalion did not look to Europe until Operation MARKET-GARDEN. Indeed, for some time it had been preparing for Operation COMET, which had the same objective but was to be smaller in scale.


On 17 September 1944, the battalion was dropped at Renkum west of Arnhem and tried to fight its way to the heights north of the city. It failed to do so. An attempt to force his way to the bridge over the area around St Elizabeth's Hospital was also unsuccessful. The battalion had to withdraw to the divisional headquarters at Oosterbeek. After heavy fighting, the remainder of the battalion was evacuated across the Rhine to Dreel and then to Nijmegen, from where it travelled home to the United Kingdom, where it was replenished. Towards the end of the war in Europe he took part in the liberation of Denmark.


After the war the battalion was deployed to Haifa. There it remained until 1948. During the journey home, the battalion was disbanded, with some of the men being transferred to the 4th, 5th or 7th Battalion.



Sources:
paradata.org.uk
en.wikipedia.org