The 16th Parachute Brigade was an airborne forces

brigade A brigade is a major tactical military formation that typically comprises three to six battalions plus supporting elements. It is roughly equivalent to an enlarged or reinforced regiment. Two or more brigades may constitute a division. B ...

of the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

. It can trace its formation to February 1948, when the 2nd Independent Parachute Brigade left the 6th Airborne Division and moved to Germany, becoming part of the

British Army of the Rhine There have been two formations named British Army of the Rhine (BAOR). Both were originally occupation forces in Germany, one after the First World War and the other after the Second World War. Both formations had areas of responsibility located ...

. The 6th Airborne Division was disbanded soon afterwards, leaving the 2nd Independent Parachute Brigade as the only brigade-sized airborne formation in the British Army. In June the

5th (Scottish) Parachute Battalion The 5th (Scottish) Parachute Battalion was an airborne infantry battalion of the Parachute Regiment, raised by the British Army during the Second World War. The four proceeding British parachute infantry battalions had been raised by volunteers ...

was renumbered the

2nd Battalion, The Parachute Regiment The Second Battalion, Parachute Regiment (2 PARA), is a battalion-sized formation of the Parachute Regiment, part of the British Army, and subordinate unit within 16th Air Assault Brigade whose Commanding Officer for the period 2013-2016 was L ...

, the

4th/6th Parachute Battalion The 4th Battalion, Parachute Regiment (4 PARA), is an Army Reserve unit of the British Army. Now recruiting across the United Kingdom originally the Battalion covered the North of England, with its headquarters located in Pudsey, West Yorkshire ...

became the 1st Battalion, and the

7th (Light Infantry) Parachute Battalion The 7th (Light Infantry) Parachute Battalion was an airborne infantry battalion of the Parachute Regiment, formed by the British Army during the Second World War. The battalion was raised in November 1942 by the conversion of the 10th Battalion, ...

became the 3rd Battalion. Finally, on 25 June 1948, the brigade was re-designated as the 16th Independent Parachute Brigade Group, taking the "1" and "6" from the two wartime airborne divisions, the 1st and 6th. In July 1960, the brigade was re-designated as the 16th Parachute Brigade Group removing the word "Independent" from the title. In January 1965, the brigade was re-designated as the 16th Parachute Brigade removing the word "Group" from the title. The Army Restructuring Plan 1975 assigned the United Kingdom Mobile Force (UKMF) role to the brigade to replace 3rd Division which meant the loss of airborne status. On 1 April 1977, 16th Parachute Brigade reorganised and was re-designated as the 6th Field Force . On 1 April 1978, the 6th Field Force assumed the full role of the UKMF.

Notes

References

* *{{cite book, last=Wilson, first=Dare, title=With the 6th Airborne Division in Palestine 1945–1948, year=2008, publisher=Pen and Sword Military, location=Barnsley, United Kingdom, isbn=978-1-84415-771-6 Airborne infantry brigades of the United Kingdom Military units and formations established in 1948