page_title: 13th (Lancashire) Parachute Battalion
section_title: Ardennes
hierarchical_section_title: 13th (Lancashire) Parachute Battalion / Operational history / Ardennes
caption_attribution_description: English: British paratroops in Hamminkeln, Germany, during airborne landings east of the Rhine.
context_page_description: The 13th (Lancashire) Parachute Battalion was an airborne infantry battalion of the Parachute Regiment, raised by the British Army during the Second World War. The battalion was formed in May 1943 by the conversion of the 2/4th Battalion, South Lancashire Regiment to parachute duties and was assigned to the 5th Parachute Brigade in the 6th Airborne Division.
  In June 1944, the battalion took part in Operation Tonga, the invasion of Normandy on D-Day, and the 6th Airborne Division advance to the River Seine, before being withdrawn back to England. Three months later they were sent to Belgium to help counter the surprise German Ardennes offensive, which became known as the Battle of the Bulge. Later, in March 1945, the battalion took part in the last airborne operation of the war: the River Rhine crossing in Germany. After the war in Europe ended, they were sent to India to conduct operations against the Japanese Empire, however, the war ended before they could begin. As a result, the battalion was sent to British Malaya, Singapore and Java to help disarm the Japanese occupiers and restore law and order.
context_section_description: In December 1944, the battalion was still reforming after the Normandy battles when they were moved to Belgium to help counter the German advance in the Ardennes, known as the Battle of the Bulge. By 29 December, the 6th Airborne Division was established along the River Meuse. The 13th Parachute Battalion was attached to the 29th Armoured Brigade of 11th Armoured Division. On 2 January 1945, they were ordered to capture the villages of Bure and Grupont supported by the Sherman tanks of the Fife and Forfar Yeomanry. Once these had been captured a crossing over the River Lhomme would be seized to stop the German breakthrough.
  The following day the battalion left Resteigne on foot and at 13:00 started the attack on Bure. 'A' Company was to secure the village, while 'B' Company secured the high ground and 'C' Company was in reserve. The village was defended in force and the assault was met with sustained and heavy mortar and machine gun fire, supported by armoured vehicles. Despite the heavy fire both 'A' and 'B' Companies managed to capture half the village. At 17:00 'C' Company was sent in to reinforce them, supported by tank and artillery fire.
  The battalion formed a number of strong points in their half of the village, carried out fighting patrols and fought off four German counterattacks. One attack on 'A' Company, was only defeated when they called down artillery fire on their own positions. In the closeness of the fighting, the paratroopers used their fighting knives to avoid giving away their locations and casualties could not be evacuated or supplies brought forward.
  On 4 January the battalion was subjected to a continuous artillery barrage, and fought off another five German counterattacks. Later that day they were reinforced by a company from the Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry. In the early hours of 5 January the battalion started another attack and had successfully captured the rest of the village by 21:00. During the same time the 7th Parachute Battalion had captured Grupont and at 22:00 the battalion became the brigade reserve. The battle for Bure had cost the 13th Battalion 68 killed and 121 wounded.
caption: Paratroops advance through a German town March 1945
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