Paratroopers have looked back to their proud history as they prepare for the challenges of future operations.

This weekend (25-26 Feb), C (Bruneval) Company, 2nd Battalion The Parachute Regiment has marked the 75th anniversary of Operation BITING. The Second World War raid on northern France was the first successful British airborne mission.

The February 1942 operation saw C Company, 2nd Parachute Battalion parachute in to assault a German radar station at Bruneval, near Le Havre. The paratroopers captured radar equipment and technicians, before being picked up by the Royal Navy. The raid enabled radar countermeasures to be developed and was a massive morale boost, showing that Britain could strike back at Nazi-occupied Europe.

Bruneval was the first battle honour awarded to The Parachute Regiment and the name is carried by C (Brun) Coy 2 PARA in tribute to the men who carried out the raid and helped set the standards that paratroopers are expected to meet.

On Saturday (25 Feb), the paratroopers walked the route of the operation – from drop zone to target and extraction beach – before joining French dignitaries and villagers for memorial services on Sunday (26 Feb).

Major Al Hortop, Officer Commanding C (Brun) Coy 2 PARA, said: “It’s been a fantastic experience and a proud moment for C (Bruneval) Company to be here for the 75th anniversary of Operation BITING. It’s all very well looking at a past operation on paper but when you stand on the drop zone and follow the route to the objective it comes alive. You realise the risks that were taken, mitigated by training, and the quality of the fighting soldier and their airborne spirit.

“A company raid on a key strategic target is an operation we could be called upon to do and we are training at a high intensity to enable us to match what was achieved in February 1942.”

The in-depth study of Operation BITING has relevance to the modern role of 2 PARA, which is preparing to serve as lead infantry unit in the Air Assault Task Force, the British Army’s airborne rapid reaction force. Learning what went into the preparation and execution of the successful Bruneval raid will give paratroopers an insight into how they might conduct a similar mission.

Corporal Matthew Dalton, 26 from Moston, Manchester said: “I think it’s relevant because of the bravery, courage and commitment that was displayed when they were jumping out of the aircraft. They were jumping in on one of the first operations of its kind into a hot DZ and they didn’t know what they were getting themselves into, but they pressed forward anyway.”

Corporal Michael Jones, 26 from Mold, Wales said: “Learning about this operation teaches you that it created the shock and the surprise that’s needed to succeed. It was great to see the area that was used and the Drop Zone they jumped into, and to think about how we’d conduct an operation like that in the modern day.”