Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

1st Australian Parachute Battalion, 2nd AIF

Neither Australia's miniscule Permanent Army nor its militia forces, extant at the outset of WW2, had a parachute operations capability.  However, the demonstration of the effectiveness of such forces by the Germans in the early stages of the conflict notably at Fort eben Emael in Belgium in 1940, provided the impetus for its development.

In November 1942, 40 volunteers were selected for initial training with the newly formed RAAF Paratroop Training Unit. The first descents were made at Tocumwal in New South Wales, with the initial parachute courses consisting of four jumps.  PTU relocated to RAAF Richmond in NSW where in March 1943, the 1st Parachute Battalion was raised.

Initially, raised on a reduced scale of only two rifle companies, the battalion's personnel were mainly drawn from volunteers from other Army units—mostly from the independent companies that had been set up in 1941–42 to carry out irregular warfare—and as a result, most of the battalion's personnel had seen active service prior to being accepted.

Volunteers undertook parachute training with 1st Parachute Training Unit before joining the battalion.  On completion of their training they were deemed qualified to wear the maroon beret, a symbol of their elite status.

In April 1943, while based at Scheyville Farm not far from RAAF Richmond, a troop of engineers was added to the unit establishment,  specially trained to undertake clandestine demolitions work alongside the battalion's rifle companies.

A third rifle company was formed in October 1943 and by January 1944 the battalion was at full strength.  Following company and battalion level exercises the battalion was declared ready for operations in May 1944 and moved to Mareeba airstrip in North Queensland, where a fourth rifle company was formed in June 1944. In August 1944 the battalion gained its own organic indirect fire support when it was joined by the parachute qualified 1st Mountain Battery, Royal Australian Artillery, equipped with short 25 Pounder guns, which could be air-dropped with their crews.

In late 1944, the battalion was alerted to begin preparations for operations in Borneo as part of Operation Oboe.The battalion also conducted amphibious training in late January and early February 1945 as part of a possible role in the amphibious landing at Balikpapan.

However the Battalion was estined never to deploy.

The Battalion did not take part in Operation Oboe,  due to a shortage of suitable aircraft.

Subsequently, it was warned to prepare for a mission to rescue thousands of Allied prisoners held by the Japanese at Sandakan in North Borneo. This operation, codenamed Operation Kingfisher, was controversially also also cancelled due to a lack of aircraft, and the prisoners were subsequently killed by the Japanese in what subsequently became known as the Sandakan Death Marches.

This turn of events casued great frustration among the members of the unit with many requesting transfers. 

The Battalion was then directed to prepare to operate alongside British paratroopers in the planned liberation of Singapore that was to have taken place later in 1945 as part of Operations Zipper and Mailfist.

However the war ended before any of this materialised, and the unit was disbanded in early 1946, in Australia.

References:

1.  Dunn, J.B. (1999). Eagles Alighting: A History of 1st Australian Parachute Battalion. East Malvern, Victoria: 1 Australian Parachute Battalion Association. ISBN 0-646-37323-4.

2. Long, Gavin (1963). The Final Campaigns. Australia in the War of 1939–1945, Series 1—Army. Volume VII (1st ed.). Canberra, Australian Capital Territory: Australian War Memorial. OCLC 1297619.

3.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1st_Parachute_Battalion_(Australia), accessed Oct 2020

We would particularly like to encourage individual historians researchers or members of unit associations to contribute to the development of a more detailed history and photographs pertaining to this unit and its members.

Please contact [email protected] (mailto:[email protected])  for details on how to contribute.