This is not really common for me to use the text of someone else. But sometimes, when a published archive is very interesting and has many photos I have to republish it for my readers. While surfing the Net for wartime photos, I found Harold’s website and started reading the archive on the Canadian Airborne Units. Of course, I am not using the entire archive because the title – Canadian Airborne Units before 1968 – doesn’t really fits with my area of expertise. This is why I asked Harold to use the WW2 part of his work. I hope you will like it because it’s a splendid work and it contains a lot of information. If you want to read the entire archive and many others texts then just [click here] and enjoy the trip.
1st Canadian Parachute Bn, 1st Special Service Force, Canadian Airborne Units during WW-2.
The Canadian Airborne Regiment traces its origin to the WW2 period, just like the 1.CPB and the 1-SSF which was administratively known as the 2-CPB. The Canadian Airborne Regiment bears battle honors on its Regimental Colors from both units, including the Normandy Landing, the Dives River and the Rhine River Crossings in the case of the former, and Monte Camino, Monte Majo, Monte La Difensa – Monte La Remetanea, Anzio and Rome in the case of the latter.
The 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion was an airborne infantry battalion of the Canadian Army formed in July 1942. After the end of the hostilities in Europe, the battalion was returned to Canada where it was disbanded on September 30, 1945. By the end of the war, the battalion had gained a remarkable reputation. They never failed to complete a mission, and they never gave up an objective once taken. They were the only Canadians to participate in the Battle of the Bulge and had advanced deeper than any other Canadian unit into enemy territory. Despite being a Canadian Army formation, it was assigned to the British 3rd Parachute Brigade, a British Army formation, which was itself assigned to the British 6th Airborne Division.
On July 1, 1942, the Department of National Defense authorized the raising of the 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion. The battalion had an authorized strength of 26 officers and 590 other ranks, formed into a battalion headquarters, three rifle companies and a headquarters company. Later in the year, volunteers were also requested for the recently formed 2nd Canadian Parachute Battalion, which formed the Canadian contingent of the 1st Special Service Force.
The 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion was Canada’s original airborne unit, formed on July 1, 1942. Volunteers completed jump training in England then underwent four months of training at Fort Benning (Georgia), and the Parachute Training Wing at Shilo (Manitoba). Part airman, part commando, and part engineer, the paras underwent dangerously realistic exercises to learn demolition and fieldcraft in overcoming obstacles such as barbed wire, bridges, and pillboxes. By March, Canada had its elite battalion, which returned to England to join the British 6th Airborne Division as a unit of the Britain’s 3rd Parachute Brigade.
The initial training was carried out at Fort Benning (Georgia) in the USA and at RAF in Ringway in the UK. Groups of recruits were dispatched to both countries with the intention of getting the best out of both training systems prior to the development of the Canadian Parachute Training Wing at Camp Shilo (Manitoba). The group that traveled to Fort Benning (Georgia) included the unit’s first commanding officer, Maj H.D. Proctor, who was killed in an accident when his parachute rigging lines were severed by the following aircraft. He was replaced by Col G.F.P. Bradbrooke, who led the battalion until the end of operations in Normandy on June 14, 1944. 
In July 1943, the 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion was dispatched to the UK and came under the command of the 3rd Parachute Brigade of the British 6th Airborne Division. The Battalion then spent the next year in training for airborne operations. Major differences between their previous American training and the new regime included jumping with only one parachute, and doing it through a hole in the floor of the aircraft, instead of through the door of a Douglas C-47 Dakota.
(Below) The Armstrong Whitworth AW.38 Whitley, flown by RCAF aircrew serving with the RAF, used as a tow-plane for gliders and for dropping paratroops. The Whitley was in service with the RAF at the outbreak of the Second World War. It had been developed during the mid-1930s, and formally entered the RAF squadron service in 1937. Following the outbreak of war in September 1939, the Whitley participated in the first RAF bombing raid on German territory and remained an integral part of the early British bomber offensive. By 1943, it was being superseded as a bomber by the larger four-engined heavy bombers such as the Avro Lancaster. Its front line service included maritime reconnaissance with Coastal Command and second-line roles including glider-tug, trainer, and transport aircraft. None of these airplanes have been preserved.
(Above) Paratroopers inside the fuselage of an AW.38 aircraft at the RAF Ringway Paratrooper School, Aug 1942. In 1940, the Whitley had been selected as the standard paratroop transport; in this role, the ventral turret aperture was commonly modified to be used for the egress of paratroopers. Members of the 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion would have been jumping from these aircraft during their training in the UK at RAF Ringway.
The Battalion served in northwest Europe, including the Landing in Normandy (France), with the 6th Airborne Division, during Operation Tonga, in conjunction with the D-Day landings of June 6, 1944. They were part of the 3rd Parachute Brigade which included the 8th and 9th Battalions and the 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion, and the 7th, 12th, and 13th Battalions of the 5th Parachute Brigade were involved, with considerable casualties. On the evening of Jun 5, 1944, the battalion was transported to France in fifty aircraft. Each man carried a knife, toggle rope, escape kit with French currency, and two 24-hour ration packs in addition to their normal equipment, in all totaling 70 pounds. The battalion landed one hour in advance of the rest of the brigade in order to secure the Drop Zone (DZ). Thereafter they were ordered to destroy road bridges over the Dives River and its tributaries at Varaville, then neutralize strong points at the crossroads. In addition, the Canadians were to protect the left (southern) flank of the 9th Battalion, Parachute Regiment during that unit’s attack on the Merville Battery, afterward seizing a position astride the Le Mesnil crossroads, a vital position at the center of the ridge. Col Bradbrooke issued the following orders to his company commanders, Charlie Co (Maj H.M. MacLeod) was to secure the DZ, destroy the enemy headquarters (HQs), secure the Southeast corner of the DZ, destroy the radio station at Varaville, and blow the bridge over the Divette Stream in Varaville. Charlie Co would then join the battalion at Le Mesnil crossroads.
Able Co (Maj D. Wilkins) would protect the left flank of 9th Battalion during their attack on the Merville Battery and then cover 9th Battalion’s advance to the Le Plein feature. They would seize and hold the Le Mesnil crossroads. Baker Co (Maj C. Fuller) was to destroy the bridge over the Dives River within two hours of landing and deny the area to the enemy until ordered to withdraw to Le Mesnil crossroads.
The Battalion landed between 0100 and 0130 on June 6, 1944, in Normandy, becoming the first Canadian unit on the ground in France. For different reasons, including adverse weather conditions and poor visibility, the soldiers were scattered, at times quite far from the planned drop zone. By mid-day, and in spite of German resistance, the men of the battalion had achieved all their objectives; the bridges on the Dives and Divette in Varaville and Robehomme were cut, the left flank of the 9th Parachute Battalion at Merville was secure, and the crossroads at Le Mesnil was taken. In the following days, the Canadians were later involved in ground operations to strengthen the bridgehead and support the advance of Allied troops towards the Seine River.
On August 23, 1944, Col Bradbrooke was appointed to the General Staff at Canadian Military Headquarters in London with Maj G.F. Eadie taking temporary control of the battalion. Three days later, on August 26, the 6th Airborne Division was pulled from the line in Normandy. 27 officers and 516 men from the 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion took part in the Battle of Normandy and the unit suffered 367 casualties. Of those casualties, 5 officers and 76 men were killed or died of wounds. The unit had to be re-organized and retrained in order to regain its strength and combat-readiness. The Battle of Normandy had brought a major change to the way the war was fought. Airborne troops needed new training to prepare for an offensive role, including street fighting and capturing enemy positions. On September 6, the Battalion left Normandy and returned to the Bulford Training Camp in the UK. While there, Col Jeff Nicklin became the battalion commander.
In December 1944, the Battalion was again sent to mainland Europe. On Christmas Day they sailed for Belgium, to counter the German offensive in the Ardennes, in what became known as the Battle of the Bulge. On January 2, 1945, the 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion was again committed to ground operations on the continent, arriving at the front during the last days of the Battle of the Bulge. They were positioned to patrol during both day and night and defend against any enemy attempts to infiltrate their area. The Battalion also took part in a general advance, taking them through the towns of Aye, Marche en Famenne, Roy and Bande. The capture of Bande marked the end of the fight for the Bulge and the Battalion’s participation in the operation.
The Battalion was next moved into the Netherlands in preparation for the crossing of the River Rhine. They were active in carrying out patrols and raids and to establish bridgeheads where and when suitable. Despite the heavy shelling of the Canadian positions, there were very few casualties considering the length of time they were there and the strength of the enemy positions. During this time, the Battalion maintained an active defense as well as considerable patrol activity until its return to the United Kingdom on February 23, 1945.
Following this action, the Battalion took part in a short reinforcement stint in Belgium and the Netherlands. On March 7, 1945, the Battalion returned from leave to start training for what would be the last major airborne operation of the war, Operation Varsity, the crossing of the Rhine. The US 17th Airborne and 6th British Airborne divisions were tasked to capture Wesel across the Rhine River, to be completed as a combined paratrooper and glider operation conducted in daylight. The 3rd Parachute Brigade was tasked to clear the DZ and establish a defensive position road at the west end of the drop zone and, to seize the Schnappenburg feature astride the main road running north and south of this feature.
