The airborne assault on Suez in 1956 is the first parachute operation undertaken since 1945 and the last since. Parachute battalions are involved in counter-insurgency operations against EOKA in Cyprus, and provide support during crises in Jordan, the Persian-Gulf, Radfan, Borneo, Aden and Hong Kong, protecting British interests in the planned strategic withdrawal from the former empire east of Suez.
Civil strife led to armed insurrection and as the Island was a British Colony. 2 PARA was despatched with 120 members of London’s Metropolitan Police to restore order. It was decided not to conduct an airborne assault but instead land with Gemini a...
Service on operations in Malaysia and surrounding waters was recognised by the institution of a separate campaign clasp 'Malay Peninsula' for the General Service Medal. The qualifying period was 30 days service between 17 August 1964 and...
French paratroopers with part of the 1st (Guards) Independent Parachute Company were to capture two vital bridges leading south from Port Said and isolate the town. At 0515 GMT on 5th November 3 PARA conducted the first and last battalion sized opera...
A continual round of village cordon and search operations, road blocks, curfews, law enforcement and riot control followed. Operations were directed against terrorist enclaves in the Kyrenian and Troodos Mountains and the Paphos Forest. Colonel Grivasâ€...
An appeal for assistance from King Hussein saw the Brigade, less the 1st Battalion, flown into Amman to secure the airfield and bolster the King’s authority. They remained until October 29th returning to Cyprus and then England. Rapid acti...
Within five days of the Emir’s request 8,000 British troops had deployed to Kuwait including the carrier HMS Bulwark and a naval task force with the Aircraft Carrier HMS Victorious positioned in the Gulf. Iraq was deterred. The real enemy proved to be...
A concerted operation involving 3 PARA, 45 Commando and Federal troops to capture the Dhanaba Basin, a Radfan tribal stronghold, began at the end of April 1964. 3 PARA lost two killed and several wounded clearing the fort and village buildings at El Naq...
Borneo (Kalimantan to the Indonesians) is the second biggest island in the world. One third of the island was three British dependant territories – Sarawak, the Sultanate of Brunei and North Borneo. In 1961, Tungku Abdel Rahman, Prime Minister of M...
With a population from various ethic backgrounds. The Indians supported the Socialist People’s National congress while the Africans backed the communist inspired People’s National congress. Despite underlying tension the situation remained calm...
After receiving news in January 1967 that two terrorist groups - the Federation for the Liberation of South Yemen (FLOSY) and the National Liberation Front (NLF) - were vying for power in Aden, an emergency operational tour was ordered by the CO of 1 Pa...
Airborne Assault Museum