This is the third article on the Allied and German units featured in the game.

We continue our survey of Allied Airborne units in Southern France in the order of arrival—third to land was the 2^nd Independent Parachute Brigade Group, with parachute elements including the 4^th, 5^th Scottish and 6^th Royal Welch Parachute Battalions and the 2^nd Parachute Squadron, Royal Engineers. Air-Landing (glider) elements included the 64^th Airlanding Light Battery, Royal Artillery (RA); 300^th Airlanding Anti-Tank Battery, RA; 2^nd Parachute Brigade Signals Company; 2^nd Parachute Brigade Provost Section; 127^th Parachute Field Ambulance, Royal Army Medical Corps (RAMC); 751^st Composite Company, Royal Army Service Corps (RASC); and the 2^nd Parachute Brigade Workshops, Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (REME). 

The 2^nd Parachute Brigade was formed in July 1942. Its first commander was Brigadier Eric Down. British parachute battalions were initially created as new units from volunteers drawn from across the service. 4^th Parachute Battalion was formed in this way. However, it was decided that to improve unit cohesion and speed the expansion of airborne forces, regular infantry battalions would be trained for the parachute role. Two such infantry battalions were: the 7th Battalion, Queen’s Own Cameron Highlanders—redesignated as the 5th (Scottish) Parachute Battalion; and the 10th Battalion, Royal Welch Fusiliers—renamed the 6th (Royal Welch) Parachute Battalion. No one was forced to become a paratrooper (unlike the air-landing battalions). For example, from the 10th Battalion, Royal Welch Fusiliers 552 of 820 men (67%) volunteered for parachute training, and the remainder were re-assigned to other Welsh regiments. Vacancies were then filled by volunteers from other Welsh regiments.

All three battalions also became part of the newly formed Parachute Regiment. The British paratroopers were nicknamed the Rote Teufels (Red Devils) by their German opponents in Tunisia. This elite regiment adopted distinctive headgear and insignia. The British paras wore the famous red beret, later adopted by many parachute units around the world. However, the 5^th Scottish Para Battalion retained their distinctive Balmoral bonnets with an Army Air Corps insignia, and did not adopt the red beret until September 1944. The 6^th Welsh Para Battalion likewise retained the Black Flash of the Royal Welch Fusiliers.

In combat, the Red Devils wore the HSAT (helmet, steel, airborne troops) Mk1 helmet, modelled after the German fallschirmjäger helmet. While it was a very functional helmet, the similarity in appearance became a liability, especially when American and British paratroops drifted together while landing. As an example, General Frederick, the 1^st Airborne Task Force Commander, was moving alone in the pre-dawn darkness, shortly after landing in France on 15 August. He spotted the silhouette of a man wearing what looked like the distinctive German fallschirmjäger helmet. The general crept up and pounced on him. As he tried to break his enemy’s neck, the “German” began cursing with a strong British accent. As Frederick released his grip, the surprised Red Devil exclaimed “I say, old boy, you are a bit rough!”

The 2^nd Brigade was assigned to the 1^st Airborne Division under Major-General Hopkinson. The 2^nd Brigade arrived in North Africa in April 1943, too late to take part in the fighting there. During the invasion of Sicily, 2^nd Brigade prepared for a parachute jump to seize the port of Augusta, but this operation was canceled when the ground forces captured the objective more quickly than expected. Next, the 1^st Airborne Division conducted Operation SLAPSTICK, an amphibious invasion of Italy at Taranto, in September 1943.  2^nd Brigade made an unopposed landing, but the 6^th Welch Para Battalion suffered 58 men killed when their transport struck a mine. Although the Wehrmacht had not opposed the landing, the Germans still fought a determined rearguard action to delay the advance of the 1^st Airborne. During heavy fighting at Gioia del Colle, the division commander, General Hopkinson, was killed in action and replaced by Brigadier Down. Brigadier Charles Pritchard, formerly commander of the 6^th Welch Paras, and then the deputy brigade commander, assumed command of the 2^nd Parachute Brigade.

The 1^st Airborne Division re-deployed to Great Britain in November 1943 to prepare for OVERLORD. Only the 2^nd Brigade remained in Italy, as the sole British airborne unit in the Mediterranean theater. It was redesignated as the 2nd (Independent) Parachute Brigade Group in December. Lieutenant-Colonel V. W. Barlow commanded the 6^th Royal Welch Para Battalion, having succeeded Pritchard in May 1943. Lieutenant-Colonel D. R. Hunter was in charge of the 5^th Scottish Para Battalion. Hunter has served as the Brigade Major of 1^st Parachute Brigade’s and was veteran of jump at Primasole bridge in Sicily (Operation FUSTIAN), where he was awarded the Military Cross.

Finally, Lieutenant-Colonel Victor “Vic” Coxen, veteran of 1^st Para Battalion’s campaigns in North Africa and Sicily, was commander of the 4^th Para Battalion. Coxen had been commissioned into the Duke of Cornwall’s Light Infantry (DCLI) in 1939 and went with the British Expeditionary Force to France. After heavy fighting, the DCLI eventually made it to Le Havre, for evacuation. Coxen volunteered for the paratroops, and was assigned to the 1^st Parachute Battalion. He was awarded the Military Cross for his actions at Djebel Mansour in Tunisia in early 1943. Coxen was also awarded the Distinguished Service Order, his citation reads in part: On the 28th March 1943 in the Djebel Abiod Sector… Major Coxen’s company had to attack a superior German force in a wood. Major Coxen personally led a bayonet charge against the enemy… capturing the enemy positions and some fifty prisoners… Coxen made the jump at Primasole bridge in Sicily, before being given command of the 4th Battalion.

The 2^nd Brigade was attached to the 2^nd New Zealand and 8^th Indian Infantry Divisions, and fought as regular infantry for over six months, from December 1943 till May 1944. The paras saw heavy combat at Orsogna, Sangro and Cassino. On June 1^st, a small element of the 2^nd Brigade conducted its first parachute jump, Operation HASTY. The task force consisted of 60 paras from the 6^th Welch Para Battalion, under command of Captain L. A. Fitzroy-Smith. These Red Devils parachuted behind German lines at Torricella, and successfully harassed the German lines of communication. The week-long diversion drew an entire German division off the line, but the cost was high. Less than half of the paras returned to friendly lines, the remainder were killed or captured. The 2^nd Brigade was pulled off the line and placed in reserve in late May, joining the 1^st Airborne Task Force in July.             

The pre-dawn 1^st ABTF parachute jump into Southern France (Mission ALBATROSS) consisted of 13 Serials. The 2^nd Brigade was dropped in the last four Serials, numbered 10 through 13. Serials 10-12 were each carried by 36 C-47 transport planes; Serial 13 was smaller and lifted with only 27 planes. You can see that Brigadier Pritchard jumped in the first British serial, and brought along a company from his old battalion, the 6^th Welch Paras. The units featured in the Drop Zone: Southern France game are shown by serial below.

SERIAL # 10

SERIAL # 11

SERIAL # 12

SERIAL # 13

The table below provides a comparison of the units carried in each of the four 2^nd Brigade serials:

The remaining air-landing elements of 2^nd Brigade will be covered in the next article. We will see how these parachute Serials fared in the drop and the battles that followed later. 

Previous Articles:

Drop Zone: Southern France – Unit Histories (Part 1)

Drop Zone: Southern France Unit Histories – Part 2: US 517th Parachute Regimental Combat Team

Drop Zone: Southern France Organization of Units Series