15th (Scottish Volunteer) Parachute Battalion

15th (Scottish Volunteer) Parachute Battalion
Cap badge of the Parachute Regiment
Country United Kingdom
Branch British Army
TypeInfantry
RoleAirborne
SizeBattalion
Part of77th Indian Parachute Brigade
44th Parachute Brigade
Nickname(s)Red Devils[1]
Commanders
Notable
commanders		Sir George Lea
Jock Pearson
Insignia
DZ Flash

The 15th (Scottish Volunteer) Parachute Battalion was an airborne infantry battalion of the Parachute Regiment, originally raised as 15th (King's) Parachute Battalion by the British Army in World War II.

The 15th Parachute Battalion was formed in India during 1945 from the 1st Battalion the King's Regiment (Liverpool). Prior to this the 1st Battalion King's had been part of the Chindits special force and taken part in the second Chindit expedition, Operation Thursday, of 1944. It was assigned to the 77th Chindit Brigade, taking part in the Battle of Mogaung in June 1944. It then became part of the 44th Indian Airborne Division.[2]

The war ended before the battalion was committed to any combat but a number of officers and sergeants parachuted into Japanese Prisoner of War Camps in Java, Sumatra, Bangkok and Singapore to provide aid to the prisoners.[2] After the war, the battalion was reconverted to standard line infantry as the 1st King's Regiment (Liverpool).

During the Royal Indian Navy mutiny of February 1946, HMIS Hindustan was berthed at Karachi, and occupied by mutineers. When ordered to debark the mutineers refused, but finally surrendered after a brief firefight with the 15th (King's) Parachute Battalion, supported by four 75mm pack howitzers of C Troop, 159 Parachute Light Regiment, Royal Artillery.[3]

  1. ^ Otway, p.88
  2. ^ a b "15th (King's) Battalion". Paradata. Archived from the original on 25 July 2011. Retrieved 5 April 2011.
  3. ^ Baker, Jon (2012). "HMIS Hindustan Incident". paradata.org.uk. Archived from the original on 17 June 2012. Retrieved 7 June 2012.