The Story of the 7th Parachute Bn

The 7th Parachute Bn (LI) was established on November 10, 1942 from the 10th Battalion of the Somerset Light Infantry. As Britain was expanding its airborne forces, several infantry battalions were dissolved and reconstituted as parachute battalion. The 7th retained the light infantry designation and initially, only accepted volunteers from light infantry regiments. This policy changed as casualties mounted and the need for replacements rose. It was initially assigned to the 1st Airborne Division, however, was transferred to the 5th Parachute Brigade as one of the core battalions of the newly formed 6th Airborne Division.

The battalion’s first action was the Normandy landings on 6 June 1944. Commanded by Lt. Col. Richard Pine-Coffin, the paratroopers were tasked with reinforcing the Caen Canal and Orne River bridges seized by glidermen of the Oxford and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry. The battalion remained in Normandy through August of 1944 when they were removed to England for recuperation. They were rushed back into the fight in December 1944 to counter Hitler’s Ardennes Offensive where they remained until the line was stabilized. In March of 1945, the light infantrymen took part in Operation Varsity, the largest airborne assault in history. Dropping across the Rhine, they advanced across Germany until the surrender. The war was not over for the 7^th Bn, however. Along with the rest of the 5^th Brigade, the battalion was transferred to the Pacific to join the war on Japan. In the final days of WWII, the battalion took part in an amphibious landing on Java and assisted with the Japanese surrender in the area.