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Stare Master
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| BF, you are combining two different incidents. The steel plate was welded to the floor of the glider for BG Pratt, Asst. Div. Commander of the 101st, for the Normandy invasion. I have never seen anything that says that he was the one that had it done. Rather, based on what I have read someone on the Division staff decided it was necessary and it was done without his knowledge. There was a glider with some of British LTG Browning's staff on it that was shot down and crashed. This glider had the plans for Market-Garden on it, but German FM Model discounted the plans thinking they were meant as a diversion. It was unfortunate but really had no impact on the battle.
Only two defining forces have ever offered to die for you, Jesus Christ and the American GI. One died for your soul, the other for your freedom.
"History teaches that when you become indifferent and lose the will to fight someone who has the will to fight will take over." COLONEL BULL SIMONS
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Air Force Liaison/P.Net Original Cast of Characters
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Bonnie Prince Chuck is the Honorary Commander of the Paras.......and jump qualified. I doubt seriously that the Royals will let this happen......
LOAD CLEAR! LOAD CLEAR! To avoid criticism do nothing, say nothing, be nothing. Elbert Hubbard
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OIF Veteran
 
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509Trooper (12/18/2006)
BF, you are combining two different incidents. The steel plate was welded to the floor of the glider for BG Pratt, Asst. Div. Commander of the 101st, for the Normandy invasion. I have never seen anything that says that he was the one that had it done. Rather, based on what I have read someone on the Division staff decided it was necessary and it was done without his knowledge. There was a glider with some of British LTG Browning's staff on it that was shot down and crashed. This glider had the plans for Market-Garden on it, but German FM Model discounted the plans thinking they were meant as a diversion. It was unfortunate but really had no impact on the battle. Barry, they portrayed the incident with BG Pratt's glider in the film Saving PVT Ryan. As for the Market Garden Plans on that staff glider...not only did Allied intelligence disregard the evidence of substantial Nazi armor near Arnhem but they also were careless with the entire plans of the operation. IMO even without the Germans paying too much attention to those captured plans they were quickly on to what the Allies were trying to accomplish and quickly positioned themselves to counter the move.
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Regular Joe
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Mortarman11c (12/18/2006)
Bonnie Prince Chuck is the Honorary Commander of the Paras.......and jump qualified.I doubt seriously that the Royals will let this happen......
True, but Harry joined the Blues and Royals and rumor control says William will pick the same regiment.
Aren't the Windsors also associated with Clan Stuart? The Princes didn't choose a highland regiment and several historical highland regiments got the axe.
Not everything can be saved in a crunch. Like I said, the Royal Marines are probably going to get some good recruits out of this. If a young man is a hard charger, has no family history with a geographical regiment, and wants to join a unit with 'elan where else is he apt to turn? Not to the "Paras" if he's apt to do four years without jumping.
Aim small; miss small.
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Regular Joe
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It's my understanding that 1 Para is now dedicated to SAS support much the same way that the 75th Ranger Regiment supports Delta and SOCOM. I believe that 2 and 3 Para are organic to 16 Air Assault Brigade, evidently with the idea of securing a lodgement for the brigade follow on units.
If the lack of jump training becomes reality I wonder if it will include 1 Para or just the two battalions dedicated to a conventional role?
If money really has to be saved it would seem better, for operational capability and histroy, to consolidate the qualified jumpers into one jump capable battalion and disband the remaining two. Britain has a long history of single battalion regiments and Britain's regiments have often been expanded and downsized throughout the her history. That would leave the Parachute Regiment on the roles with a single battalion, and preserves a jump capability to support special operations.
Aim small; miss small.
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Regular Joe
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| Hey Gents - how's things? Just read thru your comments and have to say that I totally agree with BlackFlagg/Ranger Rios & Longrifle(except where he says if a PARA is a PARA...naughty,naughty...) Firstly,I have my info from inside the War House - plus - the Defence Correspondent for a Senior Newspaper(same PARA Bn.as me - 10 PARA) and we met in the SF Club in London over a different matter - plus the SNCO i/c scheduling for the PCAU... Sitrep is the same every year - Forward Planning - Strategy und zu weiter... ...on the costing side,turns out that SEVERAL options are considered,and the one listed by the dickheads who wrote this,is the most drastic - of course - the dumb Drama Queens did not stop to read ALL the Report did they? The SNCO involved on the scheduling side of PCAU states that they are pretty full with planned jump courses for the PARAS - for the coming Year...along with whoever they deal with in Rent-A-Flight (utterly,utterly useless by the way) meaning that this whole who-haa is just that - they are not cutting the PARACHUTING courses. Longrifle - your assumptions are wrong re; recruits heading for the cabbage-heads. Truth is, ALL courses for the end of this Year,and the first and second of next year - are FULL. More courses are frantically being organised,as over 600 would-be recruits need placement NOW - in fact the Recruiting Offices across this tiny Island have been swamped,flooded with them - recruits that is - which caused our not-revered Political Masters some HUGE embarassment I'm GLAD to say,as they NOW realise how over-extended we are,due to a rain-storm of committments for B'Liar's ego,regarding how History will view his period in office. I am happy to say that the Govt.,belatedly realised that they NEED The Parachute Regiment to carry out this task of committments - no other serving Regiment can match what we have achieved - continuously & constantly since August 1st 1942. Should we end up with 600 more recruits - that is a whole Battalion!!! reality check says maybe 100-150. The manpower of the three Battalions is around 1800-1900 men,with supporting Arms we may reach 2400-2600 men - in total. We STILL punch above our weight. ...and how about this Longrifle - the cabbage-heads manning level is circa 4500-5000 men - it was closer to 6000 I'm told - but only now have they got a chance to prove that they can do(what we have done consistently for decades)in Afghanistan and Iraq,for their honour. Remembering that the PARAS more than decimated the Taliban,when 3 PARA BDE smashed into them,breaking their hard-core of resistance,and centre,which reports suggest they are having trouble in replacing.... As usual the PARAS have been the head of the spear, ALONG WITH SOME FIRST CLASS PILOTS FROM THE USAF - just bloody stunning stuff Gentlemen. More of this later if your interested. In conclusion,I agree that we should be shot of the Royals (always been a Republican) and further Longrifle, FYI, Charles IS our Commandant/Colonel in Chief, who did NOT qualify, nor earn his Red Beret,and only did 2 balloon jumps(I'm told) meaning he never did 'P'Coy nor did his statutory jumps to earn his Wings. WTF!!
DEATH,IS ANOTHER WAY OF SAYING - - YOU FAILED SELECTION.
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Regular Joe
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| Blackflagg - you are a little beauty - YOU have picked on MY bete-noir................... For bloody YEARS the fucking useless Guards in their tin-cans of XXX Corps.claimed that they were hard-pressed to get where they were - when they stopped! They stopped EVERY bloody night! They didn't drive on thru the night as they were afraid of landmines and ambushes...!WTF! If roles were reversed - the PARAS would bust a gut to get thro to them if they needed help. What's the opposite of Blitzkreig? cos that's what they bloody did - the thick bastards even got MEDALS for what they didn't do.Out of 10,000 men 2,000 got away - after holding the shagging bridge for NINE DAYS! Only meant to hold for 48hrs - fuck! over 8,000 dead, wounded or captured with no ammo left...bloody Rent-A-Flight again,and they still cant read maps! The Yanks did their job perfectly,bridge after bridge - where are the Brits and Poles - still waiting...no ammo, robbing dead of both sides using whatever weapons fitted the ammo...where's XXX Corps (as you said Blackflagg)drinking fucking TEA!! Angry aint in it - over 60 years later... and we STILL punch above our weight,but as we succeed the jealousy GROWS...onto Longrifles post next...
DEATH,IS ANOTHER WAY OF SAYING - - YOU FAILED SELECTION.
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