Inspired by the exploits of the German Fallschirmjager in the blitzkrieg campaigns, Winston Churchill called for the formation of a 5,000-strong Airborne Force in June 1940. From these beginnings The Parachute Regiment became one of the foremost units of the British Army both in World War II and up to the present day. This new history of the British Paratrooper, from 1940 to 1945, details the unique training, weapons and equipment used by these elite troops. A wealth of first-hand and until now unpublished materials brings the history of the ordinary paratrooper to life, drawing on the author's position as a former curator of the Regimental Museum. Illustrations and photographs illuminate the equipment and combat performance of the elite 'Paras' in the context of some of the most significant campaigns of World War II, including D-Day and Operation Market-Garden.

Author Biography

Rebecca Skinner graduated with honours in 2007, she completed her PGCE in 2009. Whilst studying she was a member of the Territorial Army, serving with the Royal Corps of Signals. She began her career in Military Museums in 2009, at the Airborne Assault, the Museum of The Parachute Regiment and Airborne Forces. She now works as the Director of the Army Medical Services Museum since March 2014. Graham Turner is a leading historical artist, specializing in the medieval period. He has illustrated numerous titles for Osprey, covering a wide variety of subjects from the dress of the 10th-century armies of the Caliphates, through the action of bloody medieval battles, to the daily life of the British Redcoat of the late 18th century.