3rd Battalion , Parachute Regiment The 3rd Battalion , Parachute Regiment ( 3 PARA ) , is a battalion sized formation of the British Army ' s Parachute Regiment and subordinate unit within 16 Air Assault Brigade . Roled as an Airborne light infantry unit and is capable of a wide range of operational tasking ' s . Based at Merville Barracks , Colchester Garrison , their barracks in England , personnel regularly deploy outside of the United Kingdom on operations and training . All personnel will have completed the Pre Parachute Selection ( P Company ) course at Depot PARA at Catterick , North Yorkshire ( previously Aldershot , Hampshire ) , entitling them to wear the maroon beret . A unique part of the 3rd Battalion is the inclusion of the Guards Parachute Platoon incorporated into B Company and also known as 6 Platoon . The Guards Parachute Platoon is made up of volunteers from the 5 Regiments of the Foot Guards who can be distinguished from other paratroopers by a " blue red blue " patch sewn to their beret beneath the Parachute Regiment cap badge . Background . Impressed by the success of German airborne operations during the Battle of France , the British Prime Minister , Winston Churchill directed the War Office to investigate the possibility of creating a corps of 5 , 000 parachute troops . On 22 June 1940 , No . 2 Commando was redeployed to parachute duties and on 21 November re - designated the 11th Special Air Service Battalion , with both a parachute and glider wing , the men of which took part in the first British airborne operation , Operation Colossus , on 10 February 1941 . The success of the raid prompted the War Office to expand the airborne forces , setting up the Airborne Forces Depot and Battle School in Derbyshire in April 1942 , and creating the Parachute Regiment as well as converting a number of infantry battalions into airborne battalions in August 1942 . This resulted in the formation of the 1st Airborne Division with the 1st Parachute Brigade and the 1st Airlanding Brigade . Its commander Major General Frederick " Boy " Browning , expressed his opinion that the fledgling force must not be sacrificed in " penny packets " and urged the formation of further brigades . All parachute forces had to undergo a twelve day parachute training course at No . 1 Parachute Training School , RAF Ringway . Initial parachute jumps were from a converted barrage balloon and finished with five jumps from an aircraft . Anyone failing to complete a descent was returned to his old unit . Those men who successfully completed the parachute course were presented with their maroon beret and parachute wings . Airborne soldiers were expected to fight against superior numbers of the enemy armed with heavy weapons , including artillery and tanks . Training was as a result designed to encourage a spirit of self - discipline , self - reliance and aggressiveness . Emphasis was given to physical fitness , marksman ship and fieldcraft . A large part of the training regime consisted of assault course s and route marching while military exercise s included capturing and holding airborne bridgeheads , road or rail bridges and coastal fortifications . At the end of most exercises , the battalions would march back to their barracks . An ability to cover long distances at speed was also expected : airborne platoons were required to cover a distance of in twenty - four hours , and battalions . 3rd Battalion . The 3rd Parachute Battalion was formed in 1941 , from volunteers amongst infantry regiments in the British Army . It became part of the 1st Parachute Brigade , later part of the 1st Airborne Division . The battalion first saw action during the Operation Torch landings , and then further operations in North Africa , by the independent 1st Parachute Brigade . After the Tunisian campaign , the battalion and brigade rejoined the 1st Airborne Division , and took part in Operation Fustian in Sicily , and Operation Slapstick on the Italian mainland . Withdrawn to Britain with the rest of the 1st Airborne Division , their next mission was during Operation Market Garden and the Battle of Arnhem . During which the battalion was virtually wiped out . Afterwards the battalion was reformed but never saw any further action during the Second World War . The battalion was then assigned to the 3rd Parachute Brigade in the 6th Airborne Division and served with them in Palestine . The battalion was disbanded in 1948 , but was reformed by the re - numbering of the 7th ( Light Infantry ) Parachute Battalion as the 3rd later the same year . Recently , 3 PARA took part in a large training exercise to return to the Airborne Assault role . 3 PARA is training with its anti - tank platoon to take on the AATF role from May 2014 , with the unit ’ s airborne infantry bolstered by artillery , engineers , medics and logisticians from 16 Air Assault Brigade .