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| Friz
Hill 1943 The 1st Belgian Independant Parachute Company |
THE
1st BELGIAN
INDEPENDANT PARACHUTIST COMPANY
1941 - 1944
THE 1st
BELGIAN SAS SQUADRON
1944
THE 1st
BELGIAN SAS PARACHUTIST REGIMENT
1945 - 1946
SHORT HISTORY
The Belgian Independant Parachute Company was raised at Malvern, United Kingdom, on May 8 1942.
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| Friz
Hill 1943 The 1st Belgian Independant Parachute Company |
In June 1943 the company was attached for some time to the 8th British Parachute Battalion.
The company continued to train for night jumps.
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| Friz
Hill 1943 training with explosives. |
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Friz Hill 1943
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In January
1944 the 1st Belgian Independant Parachute Company became the 1st
Belgian SAS Squadron
and was integrated into the British SAS Brigade.
On July 27
1944 the Squadron saw action for the first time and they were
parachuted
behind enemy lines in France.
During July and August 1944 the squadron acomplished several missions behind enemey lines.
On August 15 1944 several teams were parachuted near the Belgian border.
Their mission
was to penetrate into Belgian territory and to make contact with
the resisitance mouvements
with the purpose of organising sabotage actions.
They were the first Allied, and Belgian, military to enter Belgium.
Once Belgium liberated in September 1944, the unit started to train new recruits.
On November 11 1944 the unit was reorganised an became "jeepborne" instead of "airborne".
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| Belgium,
Ardennes 1944. Platoon of the 1st Belgian SAS Squadron on a flank defensive action during the Battle of the Bulge. |
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| Platoon on patrol during the Battle of the Bulge |
The squadron
took part in the battle of the Bulge and fulfilled flank
defensive operations
for the 6th British Airborne Division.
On February 4 1945 the squadron was reorganised and became the 1st Belgian SAS Parachute Regiment.
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| Death card of sergeant
Raymond HOLVOET executed by the Germans in 1945. |
After training the new recruits, the regiment was assigned to the 2nd Canadian Army Corps on April 10 1945.
The 1st Belgian SAS Parachute Regiment took part in the Holland-Germany campaign.
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| April 1945, advancing into The Netherlands towards Germany. | May 1945, Belgian SAS in Tönder, Denmark. |
After the
capitulation of Nazi Germany the regiment undertook counter
intelligence missions
in the North of Germany and the South of Denmark.
They apprehended von Ribbentrop and took part in the arrest of the Dönitz Government in Flensburg.
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| Germany, Flensburg, May 1945, on patrol. |
The regiment returned to Belgium on July 4 1945.
At the end of 1945 the 1st Belgian SAS Parachute Regiment became part of the newly formed Belgian Army.
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| Belgium,
Tervuren, end 1945. The 1st Belgian SAS Parachute Regiment returns to the Belgian Army. |
Commanding Officers :
Senior
Captain THISE from the start until January 20 1944
Major BLONDEEL from January 20 1944 until 1946
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| Senior Captain THISE | Major BLONDEEL |
BADGES AND INSIGNIA
BELGIAN SAS PARACHUTIST
1941-1946
