Untitled Document

COMMENTS:

A. Russian records of their operational drops of the Czech supported 2 nd Parachute Brigade forces have been extremely difficult to obtain.

One Russian source states: "A total of 24 Czech and Soviet Partisans, divided into 24 Groups were dropped on Slovak territory in July and August 1944". Another source further states: "that in the last half of 1944 alone, 53 Groups jumped". Following the war a Czechoslovakian commemorative insignia for the Mnich Parachute Company appeared and it is believed the unit was part of these partisan forces.

To complete the story of the 2 nd Parachute Brigade. The Germans counter-attacked the area and the Brigade was forced to withdraw into the mountains to continue resistance during the winter of 1944. On 20 November 1944, the Brigade was renamed the 2 nd Brigade of Partisans and it held out until the final liberation. In 1946, the 22 nd Airborne Brigade was formed at Prostejev to continue the history.

B. The USSR established the Polish Independent Assault Battalion on 18 October 1943. The unit was later redesignated as the Polish

Independent Special Battalion (Assault). In January 1945, the unit was redesignated as the Polish Parachute Group of Reconnaissance, Information and Sabotage - GPPRIS

C. MACV SOG took over the program inserting intelligence teams into North Vietnam from the CIA in January 1964)

D. There may appear to be some conflict in the name of the Jedburgh Teams. This is due to fact that the teams were given an English name, but the French, who provided the radio operators, often used a different name for the same mission. Hence, at times the records can be confusing.

NOTES:

- 1/XXX = Subunit. i.e. 1/FJR = 1 st Company, 1 st Parachute Regiment (German)

- 6 th Company Parachutist Para Marche . This was an ad hoc unit formed in 1947 in Madagascar from the Company Marche of the 2 nd Para Bn Choc to conduct four local combat jumps, after which time the organization was disbanded.

- Base South. This is a term for the French Indochina era Base Aéroportée Sud = South Airborne Base. This base was established in Saigon on 1 January 1949 and deactivated on 31 December 1954.

- Some airborne operations took place over several different dates. All dates of the operational jumps are shown and the last date for any operation will often have the total of men dropped during the operation.

- Czechoslovakia WW-II parachute jumps were made by forces under operational control of the U.K,, USA , French, etc. Allied forces (W-West). Other jumps were made by Czech forces under operational control of the Russians (E-East).

- Estonia (G) indicates teams of German units composed of Estonian national members.

- Fireforce, the Rhodesian Rapid Reaction Force, airborne.

- Jedburg Teams. These were joint nationality service special forces teams operating for the SOE and OSS . Members included USA , British, French, Dutch and others. The British later used the same term for all British teams who later operated in Burma .

- "Mastiff" teams were British and Indian medical teams who conducted Prisoner of War rescues and assistance.

- Polish Airborne Shock Group Brygada "Grunwald" was a Russian trained and supported Polish Unit.

- Polish WW-II parachute jumps were made by forces under operational control of the U.K. , USA , French, etc. Allied forces (W-West). Other jumps were made by Polish forces under operational control of the Russians (E-East).

- Selous Scouts, The Rhodesian Special Forces

- Service d'Action, the special (action) section of the French Intelligence Service.

- Siam , old name for present Thailand .

- Special Groups were British and Gurkha units with the mission of establishing and training the resistance in Burma for Force 136.

- Support Groups were British and Gurkha units with the mission of assisting resistance groups in Malaya for Force 136.

ABBREVIATIONS

ABBREVIATION	NATIONALITY	IDENTIFICATION
ACP	France	Airborne Surgical Team

ADRA Bn.	Italy	Air Force Commando Battalion
AIB	USA , Australia	Allied Intelligence Bureau (included Z Force)
ARCT	USA	Airborne Regimental Combat Team
ARVN	Vietnam	Republic of Vietnam Army
BAPS	France	Base Aerportees Sud = Airborne Base - South
BATS	USA , U.K.	Balkan Air Terminus Service (aircrew rescue)
BCP	Portugal	Batalháo Cacdores Pára-Quedistas - Parachute Hunter Battalion
BCCP	France	Colonial Parachute Battalion - Bataillon Colonial de Chasseurs Parachutistes
BEP	France	Foreign Legion Parachute Battalion - Bataillon Etranger de Parachutistes
Bn	all	Battalion
BPC	France	Colonial Parachute Battalion = Bataillon de Parachutistes Coloniaux
BPChoc	France	Airborne Commando Battalion = Bataillon Parachutist de Choc
BPCP	France	Chasseurs a Pieds Parachute Battalion = Bataillon Parachutiste de Chasseurs à Pied
BPL	France	Bataillon de Parachutistes Laotiens = Laotian Parachute Battalion
BPVN	France , Vietnam	Vietnamese Parachute Battalion = Bataillon de Parachutistes Vietnamien
BPP	Thailand	Border Patrol Police
Brandenburg	Germany	Intelligence Raiding Force
Btry	USA	Battery (Artillery)
CCL	France	Compagnie de Commandos Laotiens = Laotian Commandos Company
CCP	France	Company Light Infantry Parachutist - Compagnie Chasseurs Parachutiste
CCPL	France	Compagnie de Commandos Parachutistes Laotiens = Laotian Airborne Cmdo Co.
CCT	USA	USAF Combat Control
CCRAK	UN - USA-Korea-UK-etc.	Combined Command Reconnaissance Activities - Korea
CIA	USA	Central Intelligence Agency
CIP	France	Compagnie Indochinoise Parachutiste = Indochinese Parachute Company
CLI	France	Light Intervention Corps - Corps Léger d'Intervention
CONUS	France	Parachute - Commando Unit (Commando CONUS)
DBCCP	France	Colonial Airborne Commandos Demi-Brigade - Demi-Brigade de Commandos Coloniaux Parachutistes
DBMP	France	Demi Brigade de March Parachutiste = Contingency Airborne Task Force (half Brigade size)
Det 101	USA	Detachment 101 Burma ( OSS )
DZ	All	Drop Zone
FA	USA	Field Artillery
FF	All	Freefall
FJR	Germany	Parachute Regiment
Force 133	U.K. , USA	SOE operations in the Balkans and Greece .
Force 136	U.K.	SOE operations in Burma , Malaya and Siam
GCCP	France	Groupement Colonial de Commandos Parachutistes = Colonial Parachute Commandos Group
GCL	France	Groupement de Commandos Laotiens = Laotian Commandos Group
GCMA	France	Groupement de Commandos Mixtes Aeroportees = Mixed Airborne Commandos Grp
GMI	France	Groupement Mixte d'Intervention = Mixed Intervention Group (successor to the GCMA organization)
GPPRIS	Poland	Polish Parachute Group of Reconnaissance, Information and Sabotage (1945)
GVNS	France	Guard of South Vietnam
HAHO	All	High Altitude - High Opening
HALO	All	High Altitude - Low Opening
IAM	Allied	Inter Allied Mission
Ind. Para Coy	Belgium	Independent Parachute Company (SAS)
KOPASSANHA	Indonesia	Unconventional Warfare Force
LRDG	U.K.	Long Range Desert Group
MACV	USA	Military Assistance Command - Vietnam
MI 9 "E" Group	U.K.	Escape and Evasion Unit
MIS-X	USA	Escape and Evasion Unit
MR-2	France	Military Region 2 (1, or 3 or 4)
No 1 Special Force	U.K.	SOE Operations in Italy
OG	USA	Operational Group ( OSS )
OGBM	Russian	Special Engineer Unit
OMSBOM	Russian	NKVD Operational Group
OSS	USA	Office of Strategic Services
PGT	Indonesia	Pasukan Gerak Tjepat = Air Force Parachute Commandos
PIB	USA	Parachute Infantry Battalion
PIR	USA	Parachute Infantry Regiment
POW	All	Prisoner of War
RAR	Rhodesia	Rhodesian African Rifles (Black parachute infantry)
Recce	South Africa	Reconnaissance Commando (Special Forces)
RCP	France	Regiment de Chasseurs Parachutistes = Parachute Infantry Regiment
RDP	France	Regiment de Dragons Parachutistes = Airborne Dragoons Regiment
RECON	USA	Reconnaissance
Regt Arditi	Italy	10 Arditi Special Raiding Regiment
REI	France	Régiment Etranger d'Infanterie = Foreign Legion Infantry Regiment
REP	France	Foreign Legion Parachute Regiment - Regiment Etranger de Parachutistes
RHP	France	Régiment de Hussards Parachutistes = Airborne Hussars Regiment
RIC	France	Régiment d'Infanterie Coloniale = Colonial Infantry Regiment (Para-Cmdo)
RLI	Rhodesia	Rhodesian Light Infantry (White parachute infantry)
RPC	France	Colonial Parachute Regiment = Regiment de Parachutistes Coloniaux
RPIM	France	Marine Parachute Infantry Regiment = Régiment Parachutiste d'Infanterie de Marine
RPKAD	Indonesia	Army Commando Regiment
RSR	U.K.	Raiding Support Regiment
SAARF	Allies, WW-II	Special Allied Airborne Reconnaissance Force

SAS	United Kingdom, France , etc	Special Air Service
SBS	United Kingdom	Special Boat Service
SEAL	USA	Navy Special Warfare Team
SFGp	USA	Special Forces Group
SOE	U.K.	Special Operations Executive
SOG	USA	Special Operations Group (MACV)
Sqdn	United Kingdom	Squadron
SVNSF	South Vietnam	South Vietnam Special Forces (LLDB)
Trp	United Kingdom	Troop
UNPFK	UN - USA-Korea-UK-etc.	United Nations Partisan Forces Korea
UNPIK	UN - USA-Korea-UK-etc.	United Nations Partisan Infantry Korea
USSF	USA	United States Special Forces
Z Force	Australia	Australia/England Services Reconnaissance Service

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS:

Many individuals have contributed to this effort over the past decades and unfortunately their names are forgotten. But some more recent individuals who have helped in this effort include Ken Conboy.

If you have additional information that could contribute to this webpage, or corrections please contact Harry Pugh.

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