5th Parachute Brigade ( United Kingdom ) The 5th Parachute Brigade was an airborne forces formation of brigade strength , raised by the British Army during the Second World War . It was assigned to the 6th Airborne Division , serving alongside the 3rd Parachute Brigade and the 6th Airlanding Brigade . The brigade first saw action in the Normandy landings , where it was responsible for capturing bridges over the Caen Canal and the River Orne in Operation Deadstick . The brigade remained in Normandy until September 1944 , by which time it had advanced to the mouth of the River Seine . Its next engagement was in reaction to the surprise German offensive in the Ardennes , the Battle of the Bulge . This was followed by Operation Varsity , the last Allied airborne mission of the war . After this , the brigade advanced across Germany , reaching the Baltic Sea by the end of fighting in the European theatre . The brigade was then sent to India as the division ' s advance party , but the war ended before it could begin operations . Instead the brigade became involved in disarming the Japanese forces in Malaya and Singapore , to restore British sovereignty . Its last operation was in Java , where it remained until a Dutch force arrived to take over . The brigade then rejoined the 6th Airborne Division , which was serving in Palestine , but was disbanded almost immediately afterwards . 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 force of 5 , 000 parachute troops . As a result , on 22 June 1940 , No . 2 Commando assumed parachute duties , and on 21 November was re - designated the 11th Special Air Service Battalion , with a parachute and glider wing . On 21 June 1940 the Central Landing Establishment was formed at Ringway airfield near Manchester . Although tasked primarily with training parachute troops , it was also directed to investigate the use of gliders to transport troops into battle . At the same time , the Ministry of Aircraft Production contracted General Aircraft Ltd to design and produce a glider for this purpose . The result was the General Aircraft Hotspur , an aircraft capable of transporting eight soldiers , that was used for both assault and training purposes . The success of the first British airborne raid , Operation Colossus , prompted the War Office to expand the airborne force through the creation of the Parachute Regiment , and to develop plans to convert several infantry battalions into parachute and glider battalions . On 31 May 1941 , a joint army and air force memorandum was approved by the Chiefs - of - Staff and Winston Churchill ; it recommended that the British airborne forces should consist of two parachute brigades , one based in England and the other in the Middle East , and that a glider force of 10 , 000 men should be created . Formation . On 23 April 1943 the War Office authorised the formation of a second airborne division , which would be numbered the 6th Airborne Division . Under its command the division would have the existing 3rd Parachute Brigade , along with two airlanding battalions transferred from the 1st Airborne Division to form the nucleus of the new 6th Airlanding Brigade . To fill out the division , a new parachute brigade was raised on 1 July . Numbered the 5th Parachute Brigade , it was initially commanded by Brigadier Edwin Flavell , but on 5 July he was given command of the Airborne Forces Depot , and Brigadier Nigel Poett took over the brigade . In 1945 , while the brigade was serving in the Far East , the brigade ' s last commander , Brigadier Kenneth Darling , took over from Poett . The parachute battalions in the brigade were the experienced 7th ( Light Infantry ) Parachute Battalion , which was transferred from the 3rd Parachute Brigade , and two new parachute battalions , the 12th ( Yorkshire ) Parachute Battalion and the 13th ( Lancashire ) Parachute Battalion . These were line infantry converted to parachute duties , and had to undergo airborne forces selection and training at the Airborne Forces Deport . On formation , each battalion had an establishment of 556 men in three rifle companies ; the companies were divided into a small headquarters and three platoon s . Each platoon had three Bren machine gun s and three 2 - inch mortar s , one of each per section . The only heavy weapons in the battalions were a 3 inch mortar platoon and a Vickers machine gun platoon . By 1944 a headquarters or support company was added to the battalion , comprising five platoons : motor transport , signals , mortar , machine - gun and anti - tank . This company had eight 3 inch mortars , four Vickers machine guns , and ten PIAT anti - tank projectors . The brigade was supported by the 4th Airlanding Anti - Tank Battery from the Royal Artillery . This battery had three troop s , equipped with four Ordnance QF 6 pounder s each , and provided the brigade ' s only anti - tank guns . Later in the war , the battery was increased to five troops , three of them retaining the 6 pounder , while the other two had four Ordnance QF 17 pounder s each . While the 6 pounder could fit inside the Horsa glider , the size and weight of the 17 pounder and its Morris C8 tractor unit required the larger Hamilcar glider . The 591st ( Antrim ) Parachute Squadron from the Royal Engineers and the 225th ( Parachute ) Field Ambulance of the Royal Army Medical Corps completed the brigade formation . ' D ' Company from the 2nd Battalion Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry also served with the brigade for a one off mission in Normandy . At the end of the war , while serving in the Far East , the pathfinders of the 22nd Independent Parachute Company , and the Parachute Platoon from the Light Composite Company , Royal Army Service Corps , were attached to the brigade . Operational history . From June to December 1943 , the brigade prepared for operations as part of the 6th Airborne Division , training at every level from section up to division by day and night . Airborne soldiers were expected to fight against superior numbers of the enemy , who would be equipped with artillery and tanks . Training was therefore designed to encourage a spirit of self - discipline , self - reliance and aggressiveness , with emphasis given to physical fitness , marksman ship and fieldcraft . A large part of the training consisted of assault course s and route marching . Military exercise s included capturing and holding airborne bridgeheads , road or rail bridges and coastal fortifications . At the end of most exercises , the troops would march back to their barracks , usually a distance of around . An ability to cover long distances at speed was expected ; airborne platoons were required to cover a distance of in 24 hours , and battalions . In April 1944 , under the command of 1st Airborne Corps , the brigade took part in Exercise Mush , in the counties of Gloucestershire , Oxfordshire and Wiltshire . This was an airborne military exercise spread over three days involving the 1st and 6th Airborne Divisions . Unknown to the 6th Airborne , it was a full scale rehearsal for the division ' s involvement in the imminent Normandy invasion . During the invasion , the division ' s two parachute brigades would land just after midnight on 6 June , while the 6th Airlanding Brigade arrived later in the day just before dark . The division ' s objective was to secure the left flank of the invasion area , by dominating the high ground in the area between the rivers Orne and Dives . For their part in the operation , the 5th Parachute Brigade had to capture intact the Caen Canal and the River Orne bridges . To assist the brigade in its mission , ' D ' Company from the 2nd Battalion , Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry was taken under its command to carry out a coup de main operation on the bridges . D - Day . Just after midnight on 6 June 1944 , six Halifax bombers towing Horsa gliders , with the reinforced ' D ' Company from the 2nd Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry on board , crossed the French coast . Shortly afterwards , the tow ropes were released and five of the gliders landed in the strip of land between the Caen Canal and the River Orne . Major John Howard commanded the company for the assault , which in short order captured the Benouville and Ranville bridges intact , for the loss of two dead and several wounded . The intention was for this force to hold the bridges until relieved by the 7th Parachute Battalion . Next , Albermarle bombers carrying the 5th Parachute Brigade ' s pathfinders , a group from each battalion , and the brigade headquarters started to arrive over the drop zone ( DZ ) . Some planes got lost and failed to reach the DZ or arrived late . Others were damaged before dropping all their paratroops and turned back , and one returned to base after failing to find the drop zone at all . At 00 : 50 the brigade started landing at DZ - N , just north of Ranville . Equipment and navigational failures by the Royal Air Force pilots and the division ' s pathfinders resulted in the brigade being scattered all over the countryside . By 02 : 40 only around 40 per cent of the 7th Parachute Battalion had reached their assembly point . Unable to wait any longer , the battalion headed for the captured bridges , and established a defensive position in Benouville , the division ' s only position west of the Caen Canal . Most of the 12th Parachute Battalion landed on the eastern edge of the DZ , and only around 60 per cent of the battalion arrived at their assembly point . Their objective was to secure the village of Le Bas de Ranville , which was achieved by 04 : 00 . The 13th Parachute Battalion could also only muster around 60 per cent of its strength on the DZ . This battalion had two objectives ; to secure Ranville and to clear the DZ of obstacles for the division ' s gliders which were to land next . By daybreak all the brigade ' s objectives had been secured . To the west of the Caen Canal , the 7th Parachute Battalion was attacked by tanks and armoured vehicles from the 21st Panzer Division . With no heavy weapons available , one Panzer IV that reached the centre of Benouville had to be destroyed using Gammon bomb s . The battalion held out all morning against attacks by German tanks and infantry , and around noon the commandos from the 1st Special Service Brigade started arriving from Sword beach . The battalion was still being attacked from the south , but the commandos ' arrival meant their northern flank was now relatively secure . On the eastern side of the bridges , the 12th Parachute Battalion had been under mortar and artillery fire and was then attacked by the 21st Panzer Division ' s 125th Panzer Grenadier Regiment , which withdrew after losing a tank ; several German infantry were taken prisoner . A second German attack was also stopped , this time assisted by the 4th Airlanding Anti - Tank Battery , which destroyed three self propelled gun s and a tank . The 13th Parachute Battalion secured Ranville , which had been held by a company from the German 711th Infantry Division , and was the first French village to be liberated during the landings . This battalion was also attacked by infantry and tanks , three of which were destroyed during the day . At 21 : 00 the 6th Airlanding Brigade arrived at two landing zones , one on each side of the Orne river . By the end of the day the 12th and 13th Parachute Battalions were still holding Le Bas de Ranville and Ranville . The 7th Parachute Battalion , after being relieved by the 3rd Infantry Division , was now in reserve , dug in along the western side of DZ - N . The 3rd Parachute Brigade was holding a ridge of high ground to the east of the 5th Parachute Brigade , and the 6th Airlanding Brigade were moving into position to their south . The north was covered by the 1st Special Service Brigade which was now under the 6th Airborne Division ' s command . Orne bridgehead . Because of their positioning , the 5th Parachute Brigade was largely protected by the 6th Airborne Division ' s other units , and did not suffer from the almost constant German attempts to dislodge the division . However , the 12th Parachute Battalion was attacked on 7 June by seven tanks and an infantry company . The attack was beaten off for the loss of three tanks , but caused several casualties amongst ' A ' Company , including the crew of their only supporting 6 pounder anti - tank gun . Later the same day during an attack on the 13th Parachute Battalion , three German self - propelled guns were destroyed , and the next day the battalion destroyed another six attacking tanks . The 12th Battalion , Devonshire Regiment arrived by sea later in the day , and took over the 12th Parachute Battalion ' s position . The 7th and 12th Parachute Battalions and the 2nd Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry now formed the divisional reserve . Elements from three German formations were responsible for the attacks on the division ; the 21st Panzer Division and the 346th and 711th Infantry Divisions . On 10 June a large German force assembled to the south west of Breville and at 09 : 00 attacked across DZ - N towards the bridges and the 13th Parachute Battalion . Waiting until the enemy were only away , the battalion opened fire . Supported by the mortars and Vickers machine guns of the 7th Parachute Battalion , ' C ' Company from the 13th Parachute Battalion started a counterattack which drove the Germans away . The attack had cost the Germans 400 dead and 100 captured . Major - General Richard Gale , commander of the 6th Airborne Division , decided to try to drive the Germans out of the large woods at Le Mariquet , which were occupied by the 857th Grenadier Regiment , part of the 346th Infantry Division . The operation would be carried out by the 7th Parachute Battalion , supported by Sherman tank s from ' B ' Squadron 13th / 18th Royal Hussars . Two companies from the battalion entered the woods , while the tanks remained outside giving covering fire . By that evening the woods had been cleared . The cost to the 7th Parachute Battalion was only 10 men wounded , but the Hussars lost seven tanks , with 10 dead and five wounded . The German defenders had 20 men killed , and 100 prisoners were taken . At the same time , the 3rd Parachute Brigade , supported by the 5th Battalion , Black Watch , were attempting to capture Breville , the only German held village on the high ground overlooking the British positions . By 12 June Breville was still in German hands , and Gale decided on one more attack , this time at night . This would be carried out by his only reserves ; the 12th Parachute Battalion , now only 350 men strong , supported by the pathfinder company , a company from the 12th Devonshire Regiment , and a squadron of tanks from the 13th / 18th Hussars . The attack would be supported by artillery fire from five regiments of artillery . The assault started at 22 : 00 , and after fighting throughout the night the village was eventually captured . British casualties were heavy ; the 12th Parachute Battalion lost 141 men , the Devons another 35 . The 12th Parachute Battalion was now reduced to only 55 men in its three rifle companies , plus the Headquarters Company . Some casualties were victims of the British artillery falling short . These included the 12th Parachute Battalion ' s commanding officer , Lieutenant Colonel Johnny Johnson , who was killed . The same shell wounded Brigadiers Hugh Kindersley of the airlanding brigade and Lord Lovat of the commandos . The next day , 13 June , the 51st ( Highland ) Infantry Division crossed the waterways and took over the defence of the southern sector from the airlanding brigade . This , and the assignment of the 4th Special Service Brigade to the division , allowed one brigade at a time to go into reserve to rest . The first brigade withdrawn was the 3rd , and the 5th Parachute Brigade took over their positions on the ridge of high ground , between the 1st Special Service Brigade in the north and the Highland Division in the south . Advance to the Seine . After the capture of Breville the division was not attacked in force again , apart from an almost continuous artillery bombardment between 18 and 20 June . Further reinforcements arrived east of the River Orne on 20 July , when the 49th ( West Riding ) Infantry Division moved into the line between the 6th Airborne and the Highland Division . On 7 August Gale was ordered to prepare the division to move over to the offensive , with its objective being the mouth of the River Seine . The three divisions east of the Orne together became I Corps ; its commander , Lieutenant General John Crocker , knowing that the 6th Airborne had almost no artillery , vehicles or engineer equipment , did not expect it to advance very quickly . To reach the Seine , the division would have to cross three major rivers . There were two main lines of advance , the road running along the coast and another road further inland from Troarn to Pont Audemer . The commando brigade and the two parachute brigades would use the inland route , with the 3rd Parachute Brigade being responsible for the breakout when the time was right . On 17 August the Germans had began to withdraw , and the 3rd Parachute Brigade started their attack at 03 : 00 . By 18 August the brigade had crossed the River Dives and reached the outskirts of Goustranville . Here they halted , and the 5th Parachute Brigade took over the attack , their first objective being the village of Putot en Auge . The 7th Parachute Battalion were to secure the ground to the east of the village . Delayed on the way , they ambushed a column of Germans advancing on them , before securing their objective . The 13th Parachute Battalion , which had been under fire for three hours , dashed across of open land into cover at the base of Hill 13 . Then ' A ' and ' B ' Companies fixed bayonet s and charged up the hill . Simultaneously , a German battalion , which had just arrived to reinforce the defenders , counterattacked causing several casualties . The two companies were forced to withdraw , closely followed by the enemy . The German counter - attack was halted by an artillery barrage , and Putot en Auge was captured by the combined forces of the 7th and 12th Parachute Battalions . They also took 120 German prisoners . The 3rd Parachute Brigade then resumed the advance towards Pont - l ' Évêque on the River Touques . They were held up capturing Annebault , and the 5th Parachute Brigade moved to the front again , reaching Pont - l ' Évêque at 12 : 00 on 22 August . The River Touques has two branches running through the town , and the 13th Parachute Battalion were given the objective of establishing a bridgehead across the river . The battalion reached and safely crossed the westernmost branch , but heavy German resistance prevented them from securing the main part of the town . Overnight a patrol managed to cross the eastern branch , using a girder that had been left spanning the river when the bridge had been blown up . The patrol was then reinforced by ' A ' and ' B ' Companies , and fought a three hour battle trying to form a bridgehead . They were then withdrawn back across the river , where the 7th Parachute Battalion had dug in to form a defensive position . At the same time , the 12th Parachute Battalion had tried to cross the river using fords to secure Saint Julien and the nearby railway embankment . They , too , were stopped by heavy German fire , which pinned them down on the embankment , inflicting significant casualties ; 16 dead and 50 wounded . As they were unable to proceed , brigade headquarters called off their attack , but the battalion had to wait until dark to pull back . The next day , 24 August , a patrol from the 7th Parachute Battalion discovered that the Germans had withdrawn during the night . The whole brigade crossed the river and advanced unopposed to Bourg , which was secured after a brief fight . The brigade was halted again and the commandos of 1st Special Service Brigade took over the lead . On 26 August , to provide some mobility , the Royal Netherlands Motorized Infantry Brigade was placed under the brigade ' s command . Together with the 6th Airborne Armoured Reconnaissance Regiment , they headed for Pont Audmer , which was the brigade ' s final objective . The Dutch were ordered to move with all speed , but arrived 20 minutes after the retreating Germans had blown up the bridge across the River Seine , and just before the 7th Parachute Battalion arrived by foot . In nine days of fighting the 6th Airborne Division had advanced , despite , as the divisional commander Major - General Gale put it , his infantry units being " quite inadequately equipped for a rapid pursuit , " . They had captured of enemy held territory , and taken over 1 , 000 prisoners . Since landing on 6 June the division ' s casualties were 4 , 457 , of which 821 were killed , 2 , 709 wounded and 927 missing . The 5th Parachute Brigade had 268 killed during the campaign . The division was withdrawn from France , and embarked for England at the beginning of September . Ardennes . In England the division went into a period of recruitment and training , concentrating on house - to - house street fighting in the bombed areas of Southampton and Birmingham . The training programme culminated in Exercise Eve , an assault on the River Thames , which was intended to simulate the River Rhine in Germany . By December the brigade was preparing for Christmas leave , when news of the German offensive in the Ardennes broke . As part of the First Allied Airborne Army , 6th Airborne Division was available as a component of the strategic reserve for the Allied forces in northwest Europe . The other two divisions available in reserve , the American 82nd and 101st Airborne , were already at Rheims in northern France , and the 6th Airborne was sent by sea to Belgium to assist the defence . With 29 German and 33 Allied divisions involved , the Battle of the Bulge was the largest single battle on the Western Front during the war . On Christmas Day the division moved up to take position in front of the spearhead of the German advance ; by Boxing Day they had reached their allocated places in the defensive line between Dinant and Namur . The 3rd Parachute Brigade were on the left , 5th Parachute Brigade on the right , and the 6th Airlanding Brigade in reserve . By the time they arrived in position the German advance had faltered . The 5th Parachute Brigade was ordered towards Grupont , south of Rochefort , and on 3 January became involved in the division ' s only fighting in the Ardennes . By 13 : 30 the 13th Parachute Battalion had covered and was in position to assault the village of Bure . The battalion had been observed by the Germans , and was met with heavy fire as their attack started . The battalion ' s ' A ' Company made for the village , while ' B ' Company attempted to secure the heights overlooking it . ' B ' Company , faced with infantry supported by tanks and artillery , suffered heavy casualties , and was reduced to 21 men by nightfall . By 17 : 00 ' A ' Company had secured around half the village , and were joined by ' C ' Company . Over the following day the Germans launched fifteen separate assaults to try to retake the village , but the battalion held out . With reinforcements from ' C ' Company of the 2nd Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry , the remainder of the village was captured . The battalion was then ordered to withdraw ; the battle had cost them 68 dead and 121 wounded . At the same time , the 7th Parachute Battalion was attacking the village of Wavreille , which was defended by around a hundred infantry with tank and artillery support . The village was captured with minimal casualties . Over the next days the German advance was halted and forced back , until at the end of January 1945 , the brigade moved into Holland . Here the division was made responsible for the area along the River Maas , between Venlo and Roermond . The brigade carried out patrols , on both sides of the river , against their opponents from the 7th Parachute Division . Near the end of February the division returned to England to prepare for another airborne mission , to cross the River Rhine into Germany . Germany . Whereas all other Allied airborne landings had been a surprise for the Germans , the Rhine crossing was expected and their defences were reinforced in anticipation . The airborne operation was preceded by a two day round - the - clock bombing mission by the Allied air forces . Then on 23 March 3 , 500 artillery guns targeted the German positions . At dusk Operation Plunder , an assault river crossing of the Rhine by the 21st Army Group , began . For their part in Operation Varsity , the 6th Airborne Division was assigned to the American XVIII Airborne Corps alongside the 17th Airborne Division . Both airborne divisions began landing at the same time , 10 : 00 on 24 March 1945 . The 6th Airborne were to protect the northern part of the landing area ; they had six drop zones around the town of Hamminkeln . The plan was for them to secure the town , the high ground east of the village of Bergen , and bridges across the River Ijssel . The 5th Parachute Brigade would land on the northernmost DZ , DZ - B , and hold the area east of the Wesel railway line . The brigade arrived in the second wave of aircraft , after the 3rd Parachute Brigade , and the German anti - aircraft gunners were waiting for them . The parachute descent was made under fire , and the DZ itself was also subjected to artillery and mortar fire . The 7th Parachute Battalion suffered casualties from air burst artillery shells . Their section of the DZ was only from a battery of German 88 mm guns , which also targeted the brigade headquarters and the assembly areas of the 12th Parachute Battalion . The 7th Parachute Battalion secured the DZ , while the 12th and 13th Parachute Battalions headed for the brigade objective , the road from the DZ to Hamminkeln . By 15 : 00 , despite fierce opposition , the brigade had secured its objectives , with a large number of prisoners taken , but had suffered around 700 casualties . Casualties for the division as a whole were 347 dead and 731 wounded . That night , the division was ordered to prepare to advance east into Germany from 26 March , when they were to be relieved by troops from the 52nd ( Lowland ) Infantry Division . On 27 March the brigade led the division ' s advance . Their first objective , the village of Brünen , was unoccupied , so they pressed on to the next village , Erle , by that evening . The 7th Parachute Battalion was ordered to attack what was believed to be three self - propelled guns on the village outskirts , while the 13th Parachute Battalion captured the nearby high ground . As the 7th Parachute Battalion ' s leading platoon approached the guns , they were met with heavy fire from anti - aircraft and anti - tank guns . The battalion was forced to take cover and was unable to move forward ; but when darkness came , they advanced and seized the position , capturing 60 prisoners , one anti - tank gun , 11 anti - aircraft guns and several light machine guns . Elsewhere , the 13th Parachute Battalion had captured the high ground and the 12th Parachute Battalion had moved across country , and were ready to assault Erle once daylight came . They attacked at dawn , and captured the village after a 15 minute fight . The brigade held these positions while the rest of the division passed through them to continue the advance . They then resumed the lead after the division crossed the Dortmund – Ems Canal towards Osnabruck , fighting several small engagements on the way . After the River Weser , the brigade again assumed the lead towards Leine . Supported by tanks from the 4th Armoured Battalion , Grenadier Guards , they captured two bridges at Bordenau and Neustadt , and fought a small battle at Wunstorf airfield . On 7 April the brigade was informed that they were the lead formation of 21st Army Group , having advanced further into Germany than any of its other units . The 15th ( Scottish ) Infantry Division then took over from the 6th Airborne Division as the lead formation until 30 April when the airborne division once more resumed the advance , crossing the River Elbe over a bridge captured by the Scottish . The division ' s objective was Wismar on the Baltic Sea ; the two parachute brigades advanced on separate routes to Gadebusch , aware that the brigade to arrive first would continue as the division ' s lead formation . By this stage of the war the advance was hampered more by refugees fleeing westwards than by any organised opposition . The 3rd Parachute Brigade won the race and led the division to Wismar , arriving on 1 May only 30 minutes before the lead troops of the Soviet Red Army advancing from the east . While the rest of the brigade remained at Wismar , ' B ' Company of the 13th Parachute Battalion were sent to Denmark to liberate Copenhagen , arriving on 5 May . They remained in Copenhagen until the 1st Parachute Brigade arrived from England to relieve them . Far East . Now that the war in Europe was over , plans were made to form an airborne corps comprising the 6th Airborne Division and 44th Indian Airborne Division for service against Japanese forces in the Far East . The corps would be used in operations to recapture Malaya and Singapore . The division ' s advance party , based partly on the 5th Parachute Brigade , arrived in India in July 1945 . The brigade travelled ahead of the rest of the division as it had been intended to use them for Operation Zipper , an independent mission in Burma . They would have landed in Malaya , between Singapore and the Japanese forces in Burma . Reinforcements would then arrive by sea and attack northwards and southwards , while the brigade carried out another airborne landing on Singapore itself . However , following the Japanese surrender , all these plans changed , and the remainder of the 6th Airborne Division were sent to Palestine . Instead of carrying out an airborne landing , the 5th Parachute Brigade travelled by sea , leaving Bombay on 9 September and arriving at Morib in Malaya on 17 September . Only the 7th and 12th Parachute Battalions landed , and they re - embarked the next day to sail for Singapore as part of Operation Tiderace ; they arrived on 21 September . The brigade , now part of XV Corps , became the island ' s garrison . In December the 23rd Indian Infantry Division was sent from Seremban to Java , and the brigade was moved to replace them . By 17 December the situation in Java had worsened , and the brigade was moved again , sent as reinforcements to assist the Indian division . They arrived at Batavia three days later . The brigade ' s mission was to restore law and order and disarm the Japanese military forces in the area . They were told to expect to remain in Java until relieved by units of the Royal Netherlands Army . Under the command of the 23rd Indian Infantry Division , the brigade carried out Operation Pounce , clearing the town and surrounding region of dissidents . In January 1946 they were moved to garrison Semarang . At the time Semarang had a population of around 210 , 000 , a mixture of Indonesians , Chinese , Koreans , Dutch and Japanese . During the fighting before the brigade ' s arrival considerable damage had been caused to the town ' s infrastructure . There were no public utilities or medical services , food or water , so the brigade ' s engineers and medics were tasked to rectify the situation . To protect the inhabitants , the brigade ' s three battalions established a defensive perimeter around the outskirts of the town . Their main concern was Indonesian nationalists whose stated aim was to " slaughter all the Dutch and Chinese " . To assist with security , a Japanese battalion was rearmed and given a sector of the defences to man . The 4th Anti - Tank Battery carried out patrols inside the town limits , while the Royal Army Service Corps platoon distributed food supplies . The brigade remained in Semarang until relieved by the Dutch ' T ' Brigade Group on 26 April 1946 , and then returned to Singapore . Mutiny and disbandment . On their return from Java , the 13th Parachute Battalion was stationed at Muar Camp in Malaya . The camp consisted of tents with no electricity , and no facilities for washing , cooking or recreation . Unhappy with the conditions , at 07 : 00 on 14 May around 260 privates grouped together and refused to disperse when ordered to do so by the orderly officer . The commanding officer then spoke to the men and ordered them to return to duty , which they again refused to do . That afternoon the commanding general arrived and spoke to them . They were then ordered to fall in and when they failed to comply , 258 men were taken into military custody . A Court of Inquiry was held which decided the 258 men were to stand trial for mutiny . In the trial , three men were acquitted , eight were sentenced to five years ' penal servitude and discharged from the army , and the rest were given two years imprisonment with hard labour and discharged . Two days after sentencing , the Secretary of State for War quashed all the convictions , stating that the Judge Advocate - General had advised him that there were , " a number of irregularities of a substantial nature which may well have prejudiced the accused individually . These irregularities in his opinion rendered the trial as a whole so unsatisfactory that the convictions ought not to be allowed to stand . " The brigade spent two months in Malaya , before being ordered to rejoin the 6th Airborne Division in Palestine . The 13th Parachute Battalion was disbanded before leaving Malaya , and the remainder of the brigade arrived at Nathanya in Palestine on 5 August 1946 . Shortly after disembarking , orders were received that the brigade was to be disbanded . Of the two remaining parachute battalions , the 7th was amalgamated with the 17th Parachute Battalion , retaining the number of the senior battalion , and the 12th Parachute Battalion was disbanded . Any men not immediately demobbed were distributed among the other battalions in the division . On 13 September , the 22nd Independent Parachute Company , no longer part of the brigade by this time , was also disbanded . Territorial Army . In 1947 , a new 5th Parachute Brigade ( Territorial ) was raised as part of the Territorial Army and assigned to the 16th Airborne Division . It comprised the 12th Battalion Parachute Regiment , the 17th Battalion Parachute Regiment and the 18th Battalion Parachute Regiment . In 1950 , the brigade was renumbered the 45th Parachute Brigade ( TA ) .