The 50th Parachute Brigade is a

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. Br ...

-sized formation of the

Indian Army The Indian Army is the land-based branch and the largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Supreme Commander of the Indian Army, and its professional head is the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), who is a four- ...

. Its main force is formed of

battalions A battalion is a military unit, typically consisting of 300 to 1,200 soldiers commanded by a lieutenant colonel, and subdivided into a number of companies (usually each commanded by a major or a captain). In some countries, battalions are ...

of the Parachute Regiment. It consists of 2

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battalions, supported by units of the

Regiment of Artillery The Regiment of Artillery is a combat/fighting arm of the Indian Army, which provides massive firepower during all ground operations of the Indian Army. It is a successor to the Royal Indian Artillery (RIA) of British Indian Army, which itsel ...

, the Corps of Engineers and a

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History

The brigade was initially raised as part of the

Indian Army during World War II The Indian Army during World War II, a British force also referred to as the British Indian Army, began the war, in 1939, numbering just under 200,000 men.Sumner, p.25 By the end of the war, it had become the largest volunteer army in history, ...

. It was formed in October 1941, during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, as an independent parachute brigade. Later, it was one of two parachute brigades in the 44th Indian Airborne Division. The brigade took part in the

Battle of Sangshak The Battle of Shangshak took place in Manipur in the forested and mountainous frontier area between India and Burma, from 20 March to 26 March 1944. The Japanese drove a parachute brigade (fighting as infantry) of the British Indian Army from it ...

, which has been credited with delaying the Japanese forces moving up for the

Battle of Imphal ) , partof = the Operation U-Go during the Burma Campaign in the South-East Asian theatre of World War II , image = Imphalgurkhas.jpg , image_size = 300 , caption = Gurkhas advancing with Grant tanks ...

which allowed British and Indian reinforcement to reach

Kohima Kohima (; Angami Naga: ''Kewhira'' ()), is the capital of the Northeastern Indian state of Nagaland. With a resident population of almost 100,000, it is the second largest city in the state. Originally known as ''Kewhira'', Kohima was founded ...

. After formation, the brigade had the following structure: * Brigade Headquarters * Brigade Signal Section * 151st Battalion The Parachute Regiment (British) * 152nd Parachute Battalion (Indian) * 153rd Parachute Battalion (Gurkha) * 411st (Royal Bombay) Parachute Engineer Section

Indian Engineers The Indian Army Corps of Engineers is a combat support arm which provides combat engineering support, develops infrastructure for armed forces and other defence organisations and maintains connectivity along the borders, besides helping the civil ...

Engagements

Indo-Pakistani War of 1947-48

The 50th Parachute Brigade saw extensive action in the Kashmir operations of 1947-48. The 1st, 2nd and 3rd battalions of the Parachute Regiment each won a battle honour in their respective sectors. The brigade commander, Brig. Mohammad Usman, was killed in action on July 3, 1948, and was awarded the

Maha Vir Chakra The Maha Vir Chakra (MVC) () is the second highest military decoration in India, after the Param Vir Chakra, and is awarded for acts of conspicuous gallantry in the presence of the enemy, whether on land, at sea or in the air. It replaced the B ...

posthumously.

Liberation of Goa 1961

The brigade took part in the

annexation of Goa The Annexation of Goa was the process in which the Republic of India annexed ', the then Portuguese Indian territories of Goa, Daman and Diu, starting with the armed action carried out by the Indian Armed Forces in December 1961. In Indi ...

along with 17th Indian Infantry Division. Although the 50th Parachute Brigade was charged with merely assisting the main thrust conducted by the 17th Division, its units moved rapidly across minefields, roadblocks and four riverine obstacles to be the first to reach

Panjim Panaji (; also known as Panjim) is the capital of the Indian state of Goa and the headquarters of North Goa district. Previously, it was the territorial capital of the former Portuguese India. It lies on the banks of the Mandovi river estuary ...

. On the morning of 18 December, the 50th Parachute Brigade moved into Goa in three columns. #The eastern column, comprising the 2nd battalion, Parachute Regiment, advanced via the town of Ponda in central Goa. #The central column, comprising the 1st battalion, Parachute Regiment, advanced via the village of Banastari. #The western column - the main thrust of the attack - comprised the 2nd battalion,

Sikh Light Infantry The Sikh Light Infantry is a light infantry regiment of the Indian Army.Panjim Panaji (; also known as Panjim) is the capital of the Indian state of Goa and the headquarters of North Goa district. Previously, it was the territorial capital of the former Portuguese India. It lies on the banks of the Mandovi river estuary ...

, the capital town. In the absence of orders, the units set camp at Betim and proceeded to secure areas up and down the riverfront. The order to cross the river was received on the morning of 19 December, upon which two rifle companies advanced on Panjim at 0730 hours and secured the town without facing any resistance. On orders from Brig.

Sagat Singh Lieutenant General Sagat Singh, PVSM (14 July 1919 – 26 September 2001) was a General Officer in the Indian Army notable for his participation in liberation of Goa and later in Bangladesh. He held many commands and staff appointments throughou ...

, the troops entering Panjim removed their steel helmets and donned the Parachute Regiment's maroon berets. As the men marched into the town, they were welcomed as liberators by the locals.

Indo-Pakistani War of 1971

In 1971, the brigade saw numerous actions both in the eastern and western theatres. For the first time in the annals of independent India's history, an airborne infantry battle group, formed around the 2nd battalion, Parachute Regiment, was dropped at Tangail, which contributed substantially to speeding up the liberation of Bangladesh. Elements of 2 Para became the first Indian troops to enter Dhaka. The 50th Parachute Brigade saw action initially in Bangladesh with 2 Para in the airborne role, 7 Para as the advance guard, and the rest of the brigade in a ground role. The brigade then moved to assist its sister brigade in the western sector, thus becoming the only formation to see action on both fronts.

Operation Cactus

In response to an attempted coup d'état in the

Maldives Maldives (, ; dv, ދިވެހިރާއްޖެ, translit=Dhivehi Raajje, ), officially the Republic of Maldives ( dv, ދިވެހިރާއްޖޭގެ ޖުމްހޫރިއްޔާ, translit=Dhivehi Raajjeyge Jumhooriyyaa, label=none, ), is an archipelag ...

, and on the request of Maldivian President

Maumoon Abdul Gayoom Maumoon Abdul Gayoom (; dv, މައުމޫން ޢަބްދުލް ޤައްޔޫމް; born 29 December 1937) is a Maldivian politician and an Islamic scholar who served as the President of Maldives from 1978 to 2008. After serving as Minister of Trans ...

, the Indian Army launched Operation Cactus. The operation started on the night of 3 November 1988, when

Ilyushin Il-76 The Ilyushin Il-76 (russian: Илью́шин Ил-76; NATO reporting name: Candid) is a multi-purpose, fixed-wing, four-engine turbofan strategic airlifter designed by the Soviet Union's Ilyushin design bureau. It was first planned as a comm ...

aircraft of the

Indian Air Force The Indian Air Force (IAF) is the air arm of the Indian Armed Forces. Its complement of personnel and aircraft assets ranks third amongst the air forces of the world. Its primary mission is to secure Indian airspace and to conduct aerial w ...

airlifted elements of the 50th Independent Parachute Brigade, commanded by Brigadier Farukh Bulsara, from Agra Air Force Station and flew them non-stop over 2,000 kilometres (1,240 mi) to land them over the Malé International Airport on

Hulhulé Island Hulhulé (ހުޅުލެ), located at , is an island in the North Malé Atoll of the Maldives where the city's airport, Velana International Airport, is located. The island has no permanent population.17th Parachute Field Regiment made up the first wave, followed by the 7th battalion, Parachute Regiment as the second wave. The paratroopers arrived in Hulhule nine hours after the appeal from President Gayoom. They immediately secured the airfield, crossed over to Male using commandeered boats and rescued President Gayoom. The paratroopers restored control of the capital to President Gayoom's government within hours.

Kargil War

The 50th Parachute Brigade, at the time consisting of the 6th, 7th and 1st (

Commando Royal Marines from 40 Commando on patrol in the Sangin">40_Commando.html" ;"title="Royal Marines from 40 Commando">Royal Marines from 40 Commando on patrol in the Sangin area of Afghanistan are pictured A commando is a combatant, or operativ ...

) battalions of the Parachute Regiment and an ATGM detachment of the 19th battalion,

Brigade of the Guards The Brigade of The Guards is a mechanised infantry regiment of the Indian Army. It was raised as the first "all India", "all class" infantry unit of the Army where troops from all parts of India serve together, as opposed to other regiments that ...

, was deployed in the

Mushkoh Valley The Mushkoh Valley is a valley situated in Dras. Also known as valley of wild tulips, which are a major attraction for tourists but it's yet to explore. Located within the Indian-administered union territory of Ladakh. Widely considered to be ...

as the Army HQ reserve. Elements of the brigade were awarded with the COAS Unit Citation for their performance in clearing the Mushkoh valley intrusions.

Structure

The 50th Parachute Brigade comprises the following units: * 1 Para Special Forces battalion and 2 regular parachute battalions * 1 Parachute Field Regiment (

Artillery Artillery is a class of heavy military ranged weapons that launch munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during siege ...

) ( 9 and 17 Parachute Field Regiments in rotation) * 60 Parachute Field Hospital (

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) * 411 (Independent) Parachute Field Company (

Bombay Sappers The Bombay Engineer Group, or the ''Bombay Sappers'' as they are informally known, are a regiment of the Indian Army Corps of Engineers, Corps of Engineers of the Indian Army. The Bombay Sappers draw their origin from the erstwhile Bombay Pres ...

) * 622 Parachute Composite Company (

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) * 50th (Independent) Parachute Brigade OFP (

Ordnance Ordnance may refer to: Military and defense *Materiel in military logistics, including weapons, ammunition, vehicles, and maintenance tools and equipment. **The military branch responsible for supplying and developing these items, e.g., the Unit ...

) * 50th (Independent) Parachute Brigade Signal Company (

Signals In signal processing, a signal is a function that conveys information about a phenomenon. Any quantity that can vary over space or time can be used as a signal to share messages between observers. The ''IEEE Transactions on Signal Processing'' ...

) * 2 (Independent) Parachute Field Workshop Company ( EME) * 252 (Parachute) Air Defence Battery ( AAD) * 50th (Independent) Parachute Brigade Provost Section ( CMP) The

President's Bodyguard The President's Bodyguard (PBG) is an elite household cavalry regiment of the Indian Army. It is the senior-most regiment in the order of precedence of the units of the Indian Army. The primary role of the President's Bodyguard is to escort and ...

also forms part of the brigade as the

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company. The Airborne Special Forces Battalions of the Parachute Regiment rotate to form part of the brigade, alternatively serving their field tenures in counter-insurgency/high-altitude areas. One of the two field regiments (

9 (Parachute) Field Regiment 9 Parachute Field Regiment is part of the Regiment of Artillery of the Indian Army. Formation 9 Parachute Field Regiment was raised on 1 April 1943 at Kumbergaon, Pune, by Lieutenant Colonel R. A. Eden as 9 Field Regiment of the Royal Indian ...

and

17 (Parachute) Field Regiment (Zojila & Poongali Bridge) 17 (Parachute) Field Regiment (Zojila & Poongli Bridge) is part of the Regiment of Artillery of the Indian Army. Formation 17 Parachute Field Regiment was raised as the 8th Battalion, the 7th Rajput Regiment on 1 February 1941 at Fatehgarh by M ...

) also forms part of the brigade while the other serves out its field tenure on rotation.

References

{{Reflist Brigades of the Indian Army British Indian Army brigades Brigades of India in World War II Military units and formations established in 1941 Airborne brigades Military units and formations in Burma in World War II