Paratroopers medal group purchased !! info required please !!

[WW1wingman]

Hi ,
just bought a lovely mounted paratroopers WW2 group consisting of War Medal 1939 Star France and Germany Star ,these are all contempory privately named for 2 para together with a Palestine GSM named to the same person in the Army Air Corps..my request what did 2 para do in France ?? are we talking Arnhem here ??? and what did the AAC do in palestine in 1945/48
out of interest i will also be being from my friend a South Staffs WW2 group fully documented killed in a glider in 1943 Italy Sicily ....were gliders used over there in a lesser famous action.
If any one wants to post pics email me !! stephenjfrench@msn.com
thanks !!!
Steve

[Jim Maclean]

Steve,

A good comprehensive book on the Parachute Regiment during WW2 is 'The Red Beret' by Hilary St.George Saunders.

Gliders were used in the taking of Ponte Grande at Syracuse July '43

[leigh kitchen]

2 Para are of Arnhem fame.
I don't know if the Para Regt would still come under the umbrella of "AAC" for things like medal naming by the time of Palestine, they were part of AAC, I think, until 1959, when they became "Line Infantry".
The recipient would have got the Stars etc named himself (Boots, for example offered a such a service). He may have preferred to put "Para Regt" on his medals rather than "AAC", but some of the forum para anoraks (or should that be para Denisons) will know what's what with the naming.
6th Airborne Div are known for "mutiny" in Palestine.

[Allan H.]

...out of interest i will also be being from my friend a South Staffs WW2 group fully documented killed in a glider in 1943 Italy Sicily ....were gliders used over there in a lesser famous action.
If any one wants to post pics email me !! stephenjfrench@msn.com
thanks !!!
Steve

I believe that that was Operation "Ladbroke" and approximately seventeen of the men in the dummy seats were American Glider Pilots!
Allan

[WW1wingman]

.....a thought !!

I believe for a short period post war,ie in palestine the parachute regt became a section of the AAC hence for this period their medals are named thus.
All his other medals are what i believe as kindly stated "Boots" named.The group is quiet contempory being swing mounted etc ...
anyone got any idea about how to research the activities of a WW2 2nd airborne Div Para???
cheers
Steve

[Adrian Stevenson]

Hi Steve, the Parachute Regt during the war was classed as part of the Army Air Corps. This can be seen on all gravestones with the legend "Parachute Regiment, Army Air Corps". Indeed prior to the introduction of the Parachute Regt cap badge, they wore the Army Air Corps cap badge.

If they are for 2nd Battalion The Parachute Regiment (I hate the post war terminology "2 PARA"" ) the man should have been at Arnhem. Send me his name and I will see what I can find.

The South Staffs group sounds very nice too. I would really love to see pics of them all.

Many of the units of 1st and 6th Airborne Div were in Palestine in the early post war period.

Cheers, Ade.