10th Battalion, Parachute Regiment

rdf:langString 10th Battalion, Parachute Regiment

rdf:langString 10th Battalion, The Parachute Regiment

rdf:langString Red Devils

rdf:langString Cap badge of the Parachute Regiment.

rdf:langString

rdf:langString Utrinque Paratus

rdf:langString Red Devils

rdf:langString Died of wounds October 1944

rdf:langString Kenneth B. I. Smyth

rdf:langString The 10th Battalion, The Parachute Regiment was an airborne infantry battalion of the Parachute Regiment, originally raised as the 10th (Sussex) Battalion by the British Army during the Second World War. The battalion was raised during the Second World War around volunteers from the Royal Sussex Regiment at Kibrit in the Middle East. Assigned to the 4th Parachute Brigade, they joined the 1st Airborne Division in Tunisia. The battalion fought their first action in Operation Slapstick part of the Allied invasion of Italy. They were then withdrawn to England at the end of 1943. Being held in reserve during the Normandy landings, their second action was in Operation Market Garden in the Netherlands. The battalion landed on the second day of the Battle of Arnhem and unable to reach their assigned objective, it was gradually destroyed over two days of fighting. The surviving men managed to withdraw into the divisional position at Oosterbeek. After holding a position in the perimeter, the handful of men left were evacuated south of the River Rhine. The battalion never recovered from the heavy casualties, sustained during the battle and was disbanded. The surviving men being posted to the battalions of the 1st Parachute Brigade. When the Territorial Army was reformed after the war in 1947, a new 10th Battalion was raised. It was part of the reserve 44th Parachute Brigade in the 16th Airborne Division. However, as a result of defence cuts the battalion was eventually amalgamated with the 4th Battalion.