Stand up, snap up, 1944 edition
Some 75 years ago today:
22 April 1944: British paratroopers prepare for a practice jump from an RAF Dakota, based at Down Ampney in Wiltshire. Imperial War Museums (TR 1662)
The British 1st Airborne division was formed in late 1941 after Churchill, demanded an airborne force, and was initially under command of Major-General Frederick A. M. Browning.
By the end of the war, the Brits had 17 parachute battalions in two full divisions (1st and 6th) as well as the 11th SAS, eight air landing (glider) battalions including a whole unit of the Black Watch, a recce regiment, and two entire glider-borne artillery regiments equipped first with the First World War vintage 3.7 inch Mountain Howitzer and later with the 75mm U.S. Pack gun.
A Gotcha on the last word. The piece is an M8 75mm Pack Howitzer, not gun. I was Chief of the Firing Battery for the Veteran Corps of Artillery, State of NY (An Historic Military Command going back to the end of the Revolutionary War.)
Phil, bklyn NY
Back in the 70’ while I was with the 82nd I did TDY with the British 3rd Para and earned my British jump wings, the Para’s were a bunch of hard core, hard drinking sob’s, thank god they are on our side.