5th ( Scottish ) Parachute Battalion The 5th ( Scottish ) Parachute Battalion was an airborne infantry battalion of the Parachute Regiment , raised by the British Army in 1942 . The four proceeding British parachute battalions had been raised by volunteers from all ranks of the army . The 5th ( Scottish ) Parachute Battalion was formed by the conversion of the 7th Battalion , Queen ' s Own Cameron Highlanders , together with some volunteers from other Scottish regiments for parachute duties . The battalion was assigned to the 2nd Parachute Brigade , which at the time , was part of the 1st Airborne Division . The battalion fought in a number of actions in Italy , Greece and in the south of France , where they carried out their only parachute assault during Operation Dragoon . At the end of the war , now attached to the 6th Airborne Division , the battalion was posted to Palestine , in an internal security role . By 1948 the battalion was one of only three regular army parachute battalions remaining in the British Army . In June these battalions were renumbered and the 5th ( Scottish ) Parachute Battalion became the present day 2nd Battalion , The Parachute Regiment . Formation history . Background . Impressed by the success of German airborne operations during the Battle of France , the then Prime Minister of the United Kingdom , Winston Churchill , directed the War Office to investigate the possibility of creating a corps of 5 , 000 parachute troops . The standards set for British airborne troops were extremely high , and from the first group of 3 , 500 volunteers only 500 men were accepted to go forward to parachute training . Additionally on 22 June 1940 , a British Commando unit , No . 2 Commando was turned over to parachute duties and on 21 November , re - designated the 11th Special Air Service Battalion , with a parachute and glider wing . It was these men who 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 existing airborne force , 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 . Battalion . In 1942 the 7th Battalion , Queen ' s Own Cameron Highlanders , was part of the 46th ( Highland ) Infantry Brigade , in the 15th ( Scottish ) Division . On 24 March 1942 they were redesignated as the 5th ( Scottish ) Parachute Battalion . Those men that were deemed unsuitable for parachute duties were transferred to other units and were replaced by volunteers from other Scottish regiments . The 5th ( Scottish ) Parachute Battalion became the second unit assigned to the fledgling 2nd Parachute Brigade , at the time part of the 1st Airborne Division . Upon formation the battalion and had an establishment of 556 men in three rifle companies . The companies were divided into a small headquarters and three platoon s . The platoons had three Bren machine gun s and three 2 - inch mortar s , one of each per section . The only heavy weapons in the battalion were a 3 inch mortar and a Vickers machine gun platoon . By 1944 a headquarters , or support , company was added to the battalion . It comprised five platoons : motor transport , signals , mortar , machine - gun and anti - tank and was equipped with eight mortars , four Vickers machine guns and ten PIAT anti - tank projectors . During training , all members of the battalion had to undergo a twelve - day parachute training course , which was carried out at No . 1 Parachute Training School , RAF Ringway . Initial training consisted of parachute jumps from a converted barrage balloon before progressing to five parachute 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 . Initially the 5th Battalion wore a Balmoral bonnet instead of the beret , with the cap badge backed by a Hunting Stewart tartan patch . Airborne soldiers were expected to fight against superior numbers of the enemy , armed with heavy weapons , including artillery and tanks . As a result training was 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 . Military exercise s included capturing and holding airborne bridgeheads , road or rail bridges and coastal fortifications . At the end of most exercises the battalion would march back to their barracks . An ability to cover long distances at speed was expected : airborne platoons were required to cover a distance of in 24 hours , and battalions . Operational history . Italy . The 5th ( Scottish ) Parachute Battalion , as part of the 2nd Parachute Brigade , did not see any combat until 1943 , when they were sent to the Mediterranean . The war in North Africa was over and it was planned to parachute the battalion into Sicily during the invasion . However , a shortage of transport aircraft and then the speed of the Allied advance , made their deployment unnecessary . On 9 July 1943 the battalion took part in Operation Slapstick as part a diversionary landing at the Italian port of Taranto . The battalion was the last unit of the brigade to land but quickly seized their objective , a small town to the east of Taranto . In November the 1st Airborne Division was withdrawn to England , leaving the 2nd Parachute Brigade behind now as independent formation . Attached to the 2nd New Zealand Infantry Division , the battalion was involved in the battle of Cassino , the battles along the River Sangro and in the Salora region . France . Around 04 : 40 on 15 August the battalion landed in the south of France . As a result of adverse weather conditions many of the transport aircraft were off course and instead of landing on the selected drop zone ( DZ ) they were scattered over a wide area of the countryside . Only one company from the battalion had actually landed on the correct DZ ; most of the remainder were in the Fayence area . Unable to head for their objectives , the company moved to Le Mitan to defend brigade headquarters . At the same time they sent out patrols on the roads leading north and south of the DZ . Three groups of the battalion had landed to the north of the correct DZ . One group contained the commanding officer , half of battalion headquarters and most of ' C ' Company . The second group was composed of ' D ' Company and some American parachutists . The third group had two officers and twenty men . The first group divided into three smaller groups headed for brigade headquarters , the last of them arriving at 22 : 30 . The second group to the north east of Fayence headed towards the DZ , and had reached Tourettes village when they heard firing . Believing the Germans had occupied the village , the group sent a reconnaissance patrol out to establish the German positions . They discovered Tourettes was clear of Germans but Fayence had been occupied . Informed by the local Maquis about some wounded paratroopers nearby , they organised a stretcher party to bring them into the village where they were treated in the Maquis hospital . At 13 : 30 the French took over the defence of the village and the second group left for Le Muy . Just after leaving the group observed a German convoy of fifteen vehicles approaching and set up an ambush . However the convoy was attacked before they reached the ambush by a mixed group of twenty - five British and American paratroopers . The second group meanwhile had been joined by sixty American paratroopers and together both groups attacked the now stranded convoy . Their attack killed eight and wounded four Germans and destroyed several vehicles . Some hours later they joined , another group of Americans from the 3rd Battalion 517th Parachute Infantry Regiment . The third group had landed north east of Fayence , heading towards the DZ , they did not contact any German forces , but the number of injured from the parachute landing hindered progress . At 11 : 00 another platoon from the battalion joined the group and they moved around to the west of Fayence , where they stopped for the night . The members of the battalion at the DZ established a strong position on the road heading north . The next day the two groups continued to make their way south from Frayence . The second group from ' D ' Company , now 115 strong arrived at the battalion position unhindered . The third group attacked a convoy of fifteen vehicles , but while the attack was in progress , a large German force was seen approaching and the smaller battalion group was forced to withdraw . During the small battle eight vehicles had been destroyed , two staff cars and a truck captured . Seven Germans had been killed and seven taken prisoner . The next day small detachments from the battalion were sent out and ambushed the withdrawing Germans . Both ' B ' and ' C ' Companies were in contact with the Germans at Quatres Chemins . At dawn the next day ' B ' Company captured ten German officers and eighty - seven men . The battalion then moved into a brigade position at Le Muy , the brigade now becoming the army reserve . Cannes had been liberated on 25 August and on 26 August the brigade sailed for Naples arriving two days later . Greece . In October 1944 , the battalion was part of Operation Manna : a British force sent to assist the Democratic Greek government in suppressing the revolt of the Communist ELAS forces and to harass the anticipated German withdrawal from the Balkans . The battalion landed at Megara airfield from Athens . The battalion first moved on Athens and then , following up the retreating German forces , took part in an amphibious landing at Salonika in November . In the meantime riots and civil war had broken out in Athens between the different factions . The 2nd Parachute Brigade returned to the capital and became involved in intense street fighting against Greek rebels in December and early January 1945 . During this time the battalion suffered over 100 casualties . On 1 February 1945 the 2nd Independent Parachute Brigade returned to Italy where it remained until the end of the war . Palestine . At the end of the war the battalion had returned to England , and the brigade was assigned to the 6th Airborne Division , now the imperial strategic reserve . Unrest in the British mandate of Palestine , required an increase of troops and the division was sent to the area in an internal security role . On 25 April 1946 the battalion was involved in an incident where eight men guarding a car park in Tel Aviv were murdered by members of the Stern Gang . In February 1948 the 2nd Parachute Brigade left the 6th Airborne Division and moved to Germany where it became part of the British Army on the Rhine . The 6th Airborne Division was disbanded soon afterwards , leaving the 2nd Parachute Brigade as the only airborne formation in the British Army . In June the 5th ( Scottish ) Parachute Battalion was renumbered as the 2nd Battalion , The Parachute Regiment .