Units
The story of the French parachute units is long and complicated, but for those prepared to stick at it and spend far too long using on-line translation tools it is very interesting. From the pre-war pioneers of 1937 through to the SAS regiments, from the defenders of Dien Bien Phu to the Jebel the French paratrooper has earned a reputation second to none, but heard of by very few.
It is beyond the scope of this site to give a history of every unit, though I will try to give as much coverage to the lesser known units (to the non-French speaker anyway)that had parachute troops.
Units whose uniforms, equipment and insignia are covered include the first Free French paratroops, the French Squadron SAS, the 1er RCP, the 3eme and 4eme BIA, the 2eme and 3eme RCP, the Commando Ponchadier, the Demi-Brigade SAS, the post-war Colonial and Metropolitan para batallions, the French Foreign Legion para units and the GCMA/GMI.