This blog post will cover the most important facts of World War 1’s first airborne division, known as the “1st Parachute Regiment”.
This is a brief history of the unit and what it accomplished during its five years of service.
The regiment fought at Gallipoli when they dropped behind Ottoman lines, made an epic flight over 50 miles to support British troops by dropping explosives onto German forces in France, and flew up in order to aid British forces being surrounded by German soldiers during the Battle of Arras.
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Some of the men landed in no man’s land under heavy fire, while others were unable to get out of the aircraft, so they decided to just stay in it and fly back.
The regiment fought in many other battles, even earning two Victoria Crosses! In 1918, the 1st Parachute regiment was disbanded.
Here are some more points discussed about World War 1 “1st Paragraph”-
1. Granted two Victoria Crosses:
Sergeant William McBeath, who was already wounded twice, earned the Victoria Cross for his bravery in France after he led an attack on German machine gun nests and cut down the enemy with his bayonet.
Corporal Thomas Peck Hunter was fighting Ottoman soldiers in Gallipoli when he rammed a bayonet through an enemy soldier to save some Australian soldiers trapped behind him.
2. Battalion of the Royal Sussex Regiment.
The battalion started out in Gallipoli, but later fought at other battles in France. It was disbanded in September 1916 during the Battle of the Somme.
The regiment was first called 1st Battalion (Parachute Regiment) and later became 1st Battalion (1st Parachute Regiment). The regiment’s sign is a golden parachute and it remains to this day. Only two battalions were formed in World War 1.
3. Enlisted men were the first to be parachuted into combat:
In 1915 while fighting at Gallipoli, some members of the 1st battalion were organized into a company of paratroopers and became the first group of soldiers who would jump out of an airplane during combat.
The 2nd Battalion consisted mainly of volunteers from other British infantry regiments, especially Gurkhas and Sikhs. Later, a third battalion was formed for the regiment.
4. Only unit to be dropped behind enemy lines in 1916:
In 1916, the second battalion was supposed to be dropped into France in order to attack German forces from behind, but the aircraft carrying them crashed before they could jump. Luckily, everyone survived with minor injuries.
The next attempt and first ever for the British army was carried out by the 1st Battalion during the Battle of Arras.
5. Regimental motto is ‘Death from Above’:
The regiment’s motto is “Death from Above” in Latin. The motto was given to the paratroopers when they were fighting with British forces at the Battle of Arras in 1918.
The regiment was instrumental in breaking up a German counterattack and caused many enemy casualties.
The soldiers stayed on the battlefield for three days, firing their rifles and machine guns, and even holding out against mortar attacks.
Learning of this, an Australian pilot said that he would paint “Death from Above” on his plane as a motto for the 1st Battalion.
6. All the officers were killed during the first week of fighting at Arras:
All the officers of the 1st Battalion died during the first week of fighting in Arras, except Captain Seymour on 9 April 1918. The battalion was then led by Lieutenant Colonel Charles Hull, who later received a posthumous Victoria Cross for his actions on that day.
7. Most famous member of 1st Para:
When he jumped behind enemy lines to fight German troops in France, Private William McBeath destroyed several machine guns with his rifle and bayonet in order to allow British forces to advance safely.
8. It was disbanded in September 1918:
The regiment was disbanded in September 1918. The men were sent to London, where the officers’ bodies were brought back for burial.
9. It received two Victoria Crosses as well as many other awards:
One of the first Victoria Crosses awarded to a member of the regiment was won by Sergeant William McBeath, who fought with the battalion at Gallipoli and who was awarded a posthumous Victoria Cross for his bravery in France after leading an attack on German machine gun nests and breaking down their lines by cutting down enemy soldiers with his bayonet. Sergeant McBeath was already wounded twice during the war.
The second Victoria Cross of the regiment was awarded to Corporal Thomas Peck Hunter for his actions at Gallipoli when he rammed a bayonet through an enemy soldier to save some Australian soldiers trapped behind him. He later became a sergeant.
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