School of Parachute Troops
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Escola de Tropas Paraquedistas Parachute Troops School |
|
|---|---|
| Active | 1956 – Present day |
| Country | Portugal |
| Branch | Portuguese Army |
| Type | Military Instruction School |
| Size | Two Battalions |
| Part of | Rapid Reaction Brigade |
| Garrison/HQ |
Aeroterrestrial Support Battalion Instruction Battalion |
| Nickname(s) | Páras / Boinas Verdes (Paras / Green Berets) |
| Motto(s) | "Que nunca por vencidos se conheçam" (Let them never be known as vanquished) |
The Regimento de Paraquedistas (Formerly: Escola de Tropas Pára-Quedistas - Parachute Troops School), based in Tancos, Portugal, is a unit of the Portuguese Army and serves as the instruction center for recruitment and training of the Portuguese paratroopers. This unit includes an entire battalion, acting as support and reserve for Airborne units which contains for example, military war dogs and Airborne Pathfinders and an instruction battalion responsible for the forming of new paratroopers.
The RPára is part of the Rapid Reaction Brigade that includes other elite units like the Army Comandos and Army Special Operations.
Like other Portuguese Airborne units, the troops of the School are nicknamed "Boinas Verdes" (Green Berets) while recruits are nicknamed "Catatuas".
After the successful use of airborne forces in the Second World War by Germany and the Allies, other armed forces began to examine the possibility of forming parachute Troops for special missions. In 1955, Portuguese Defense Ministry cabinet approved a request for funds for airborne paratroop training.
Two Army captains went to France to take the French parachute course at the École de Troupes Aeroportèes. After the Portuguese Air Force was created as an independent branch of the military, was decided that the paratroopers would be part of the Air Force, much like the German organizational structure during World War II. The BCP - Batalhão de Caçadores Páraquedistas (Paratrooper Hunters Battalion) was formed in 1956. The paratroopers were issued unique berets and camo uniforms. Airborne forces initially jumped using the venerable German tri-motored Junkers Ju 52 aircraft. The unit was first deployed to Tancos, which still serves as headquarters for today's Portuguese airborne forces.
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Wikipedia