The 3rd Parachute Brigade was an airborne forces brigade raised by the British Army during the Second World War. The brigade was initially part of the 1st Airborne Division, but remained in Britain when that division was sent overseas, and became part of the 6th Airborne Division, alongside 5th Parachute Brigade and 6th Airlanding Brigade.
Parachute troops during Exercise Mush, April 1944
General Sir Bernard Montgomery greets RSM A. Parsons of the 8th (Midlands) Parachute Battalion during an inspection of the 6th Airborne Division at Bulford, Wiltshire, 8 March 1944. Stood closest to the camera is the brigade's commander, Brigadier "Speedy" Hill.
Men of the 9th Parachute Battalion in Amfreville, near the hotly contested village of Breville
Operation Varsity
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Operation Varsity was a successful airborne forces operation launched by Allied troops toward the end of World War II. Involving more than 16,000 paratroopers and several thousand aircraft, it is the largest airborne operation ever conducted on a single day and in one location.
C-47 transport aircraft drop hundreds of paratroopers as part of Operation Varsity
C-47s and CG-4A gliders before take-off, 24 March 1945
British paratroopers in Hamminkeln, 25 March 1945
The city of Wesel lies in ruin after Allied bombardment.