8th (Midlands) Parachute Battalion

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The 8th (Midlands) Parachute Battalion was formed from the 13th Battalion The Royal Warwickshire Regiment in November 1942 and became part of the 3rd Parachute Brigade of the newly formed 6th Airborne Division in 1943.

The Battalion jumped at D-Day on 6th June 1944 and was tasked to destroy bridges across the Dives River. It fought in Normandy until the break-out to the Seine in August and again in the Ardennes during the winter of 1944-5. In March 1945 the Battalion parachuted as part of the Rhine Crossings and participated in the subsequent advance across Germany to the Baltic.

After the war it served with the 6th Airborne Division in Palestine until the disbandment of the 3rd Parachute Brigade, when it was amalgamated with the 9th Parachute Battalion in January 1948 to form the 8th/9th Parachute Battalion.

Commanding Officers:

1943 Lt Col Hildersly

1943-4 Lt Col AS Pearson, DSO, MC

1944-7 Lt Col G Hewetson, DSO

1946-8 Lt Col JHM Hackett, DSO