127th (Parachute) Field Ambulance
Encyclopedia
The 127th Field Ambulance was a Royal Army Medical Corps
unit of the British airborne forces
during the Second World War.
The 127th (Parachute) Field Ambulance (127 PFA) was originally a pre war Territorial Army unit converted to parachute duties, becoming the second parachute field ambulance
in the British Army. As such it was assigned to the 2nd Parachute Brigade at the time part of the 1st Airborne Division.
As part of the 1st Airborne Division it moved to North Africa in 1942, in preparation for the Allied invasion of Sicily
. A lack of suitable transport negated their use it that campaign, but they did take the lead in Operation Slapstick
, which was an amphibious landing at Taranto
in Italy. Remaining in Italy with 2nd Parachute Brigade when the 1st Airborne Division returned to England, 127 PFA took part in the fighting of the Italian campaign
. Their first offensive parachute jump was in the Allied landing in the south of France, Operation Dragoon
. Later, it was planned for the brigade to be sent to the Far East to take part in operations against the Japanese Empire, however, they became involved in the Greek civil war
during Operation Manna
, and remained in Greece until 1945. Relieved by a larger force, 127 PFA returned to Italy where they remained until the end of the war.
With the war over 127 PFA returned to England and, still part of the 2nd Parachute Brigade, they were assigned to the 6th Airborne Division. Their next assignment was in the British mandate
of Palestine, following which 127 PFA became part of the British Army of the Rhine
. In 1947, when the Territorial Army was reformed, 127 PFA was re-designated as the 23rd (Parachute) Field Ambulance because the number 127 was a reserve designation.
, the British Prime Minister, Winston Churchill
, directed the War Office
to investigate the possibility of creating a corps
of 5,000 parachute troops. In September 1941 the 1st Parachute Brigade began forming, comprising three parachute infantry battalions. In keeping with British Army practice at the same time as the infantry battalions were being raised, airborne supporting arms were formed including Royal Army Medical Corps
(RAMC) volunteers.
The war establishment of a Parachute Field Ambulance
was 177 all ranks, made up of thirteen doctors in two surgical teams and four sections. The doctors could deal with 330 cases in a twenty-four hour period. Each surgical team could handle 1.8 operations an hour. However this was not sustainable and if they were required to operate the following day, the team had to be relieved after twelve hours. It was envisaged that during airborne operations, it would not be possible to evacuate casualties until the ground forces had linked up with them. To accommodate this, the field ambulance had the ability to treat all types of wounds, and provide post operative care for up to fourteen days. They also had the transport required to evacuate casualties from the Regimental Aid Post (RAP) to the Main Dressing Station (MDS).
An airborne field ambulance was commanded by a lieutenant-colonel, with a major as the second in command
and a regimental sergeant major
as the senior non commissioned rank. Headquarters staff included two specialist surgeons and a specialist anaesthetist, a pharmacist
and an Army Dental Corps
dentist. To assist in the operating theatre and with post operative care, there were six operating room assistants, a sergeant
nursing orderly and six nursing orderlies. Other medical staff were a sergeant sanitary assistant, a masseur, a dental orderly and five stretcher bearers, one of whom was trained as a shoemaker. The rest of the headquarters consisted of a Quartermaster
, clerks, cooks, storemen, an Army Physical Training Corps
instructor, a barber and a joiner
from the Royal Engineers.
There were four sub units of twenty men known as sections
. Each section comprised an officer (doctor) and a staff sergeant
(nursing orderly); under their command were three nursing orderlies, a clerk, a dutyman and thirteen stretcher bearers. A section was normally attached to a parachute battalion to supplement their own medical officer and medics.
The last component of the Field Ambulance was the Royal Army Service Corps
detachment, commanded by a captain
, with a company sergeant major
as second in command. They had fifty men under them: an electrician, a clerk, thirty-eight drivers, four motorcyclists and five vehicle mechanics. It was normal to have at least two RASC drivers with two jeeps
and a trailer attached to each section; the remaining men and vehicles stayed with the headquarters surgical teams.
All members of the Field Ambulance had to undergo a twelve-day parachute training course, which was carried out at No. 1 Parachute Training School, RAF Ringway
. Initial parachute jumps were undertaken from a converted barrage balloon
before progressing on to five jumps from an aircraft. Anyone failing to complete a descent was returned to his old unit. Those men who successfully completed the parachute course, were presented with their maroon beret
and parachute wings
.
Airborne operations were in their infancy in the Second World War and the British Army medical services had to design and develop a range of special medical airborne equipment. These included the Don pack
, the Sugar pack
, the folding airborne stretcher, the folding trestle table
, the folding suspension bar, the airborne operating table, the airborne inhaler and special containers for blood and plasma.
and Fustian
in Sicily, the 1st Airborne Division returned to North Africa. On 6 September the division was informed that they would be carrying out an amphibious landing at the Italian port of Taranto
three days later. The landings were carried out by the 2nd and 4th Parachute Brigades, with the understrength 1st Parachute and 1st Airlanding Brigades in reserve.
While approaching the port, the minelayer HMS Abdiel
, struck a mine and was blown up, killing 130 men and wounding the commanding officer Lieutenant-Colonel M. J. Kohane, two other medical officers and fifteen other ranks
of 127 PFA. All the unit's medical equipment, which had been carried on board, was also lost. Otherwise the landing was unopposed; 2nd Parachute Brigade secured Taranto while the 4th Brigade pushed inland. So it was not until 26 September that the re-equipped 127 PFA was able to open a Main Dressing Station (MDS) at Canossa
. Following the division's advance on 30 September 127 PFA had moved to Acquaviva
taking over a school and converting it into a 100 bed hospital. During this time the division's four field ambulances treated 1,728 casualties, with the surgeons conducting 194 operations.
On 20 November, the 1st Airborne Division returned to England, leaving the 2nd Parachute Brigade in Italy as an independent brigade. Now under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel P. Parkinson, 127 PFA also remained with the brigade. The brigade was ordered to the Sangro river area. Informed they would only be in the front line for around three weeks, only two sections and a surgical team with the headquarters moved forward. The brigade stayed in the line until May, and the 127 PFA sections took the opportunity to rotate between the front and rear areas. The brigade fought on the Adriatic coast until they were relieved at the end of March 1944. After a short rest they returned to the front in the Monte Cassino
sector, remaining there until the end of May 1944.
. The landing took place in the early hours of 15 August 1944; the commanding officer and three other ranks parachuted in with the brigade headquarters. No.3 Section and No.1 Surgical Team dropped together but landed well off the drop zone
(DZ) in the La Mote area. The airborne containers with their medical supplies were all lost or looted before they were located.
It was not until 07:30 that they reached the DZ, and had to set up an operating theatre to treat the wounded from the parachute drop. The team remained here until 19:30 when they moved to a better location at St Michel. An hour later the surgical team was operating again, this time dealing with a number of casualties from the following glider force that had just landed, including a number of Americans who had no medical support with them. Between 15 and 18 August the surgical team performed forty-two operations.
On the morning 18 August units of the American 36th Infantry Division advancing from the coast reached Le Muy. The brigade then moved to the Frejus
area on 20 August and Cannes was liberated on the 25 August. The brigade sailed from Cannes the next day arriving in Naples
on the 28 August.
with medical equipment would come in with the brigade's glider force.
The advance party from the 4th Parachute Battalion landed on 12 October on Megara
airfield 28 miles (45.1 km) from Athens. Adverse weather affected the drop and caused a number of casualties, and prevented the remainder of the brigade landing. Plans were formed for a surgical team to travel by glider the next day to support the 4th Battalion's medical officer on the airfield. By 14 October the weather had improved and the majority of the brigade less the glider force, was able to parachute onto the airfield. High winds caused a number of casualties; from the 1,900 men taking part three were killed and ninety-seven wounded. The 127 PFA detachment with the 6th (Royal Welch) Parachute Battalion
set up a dressing station to treat the wounded. The 4th and 6th Battalions set out for Athens taking their 127 PFA detachments with them, leaving only the commanding-officer and twenty-five men at the dressing station.
The brigade became responsible for policing Athens and keeping both sides in the fledgling Greek Civil War
apart. However, on 17 October 4 Battalion, with No.3 Section attached, was ordered to Thebes
to follow up the retreating German Army. On 18 October 127 PFA moved in to Athens from Megara, and took over the Evangelismos Hospital.
On 4 November 6 Battalion moved to Thebes, while the 5th (Scottish) Parachute Battalion
with brigade headquarters and 127 PFA moved to Salonika. It had been intended to withdraw the brigade but the situation deteriorated and they were sent back to Athens, where by 5 November 127 PFA had established a hospital in the Rouf barracks. The 2nd Parachute and 2nd Armoured Brigade moved into the city holding the Acropolis of Athens
and strategic junctions. In the sporadic fighting casualties were light but constant.
At the end of 1944, it had been planned for the 2nd Parachute Brigade to go to India, to join the 44th Indian Airborne Division. However their continued involvement in Greece put those plans on hold and they were eventually cancelled.
On 7 December war was officially declared on the ELAS forces. On 14 December 127 PFA moved to the university in the city centre and became the only unit capable of performing surgery. Between 14 October and 23 January 1945, when the fighting ended, 127 PFA treated 628 wounded and conducted 214 operations.
and the crossing of the River Po. From March until the end of the war, over thirty airborne operations were planned but all were later cancelled. With the war over the brigade returned to England in May 1945. They were based at Greenham Lodge in Newbury, Berkshire
, until 26 October when, along with the rest of 2nd Parachute Brigade, they sailed from Liverpool to join the 6th Airborne Division in Palestine.
On their arrival in Palestine they were deployed in the Gaza
district. By July 1946 the situation in the country had deteriorated to such an extent that the complete division was deployed to Tel Aviv
, with the field ambulance units taking over the running of the city's hospitals.
. When the Territorial Army was reformed on 1 April 1947, 127 PFA was renumbered 23rd (Parachute) Field Ambulance (23 PFA) because the number 127 was a reserve designation. Since then the British airborne force has been reduced to a single brigade group based on the 2nd Parachute Brigade, which was itself renumbered as the 16th. With them, 23 PFA has participated in a number of conflicts including the last battalion-sized parachute landing undertaken at Suez
in 1956, where a section and a surgical team of 23 PFA jumped with the 3rd Parachute Battalion.
Royal Army Medical Corps
The Royal Army Medical Corps is a specialist corps in the British Army which provides medical services to all British Army personnel and their families in war and in peace...
unit of the British airborne forces
Airborne forces
Airborne forces are military units, usually light infantry, set up to be moved by aircraft and 'dropped' into battle. Thus they can be placed behind enemy lines, and have an ability to deploy almost anywhere with little warning...
during the Second World War.
The 127th (Parachute) Field Ambulance (127 PFA) was originally a pre war Territorial Army unit converted to parachute duties, becoming the second parachute field ambulance
Field Ambulance
A Field Ambulance is the name used by the British Army and the armies of other Commonwealth nations to describe a mobile medical unit that treats wounded soldiers very close to the combat zone...
in the British Army. As such it was assigned to the 2nd Parachute Brigade at the time part of the 1st Airborne Division.
As part of the 1st Airborne Division it moved to North Africa in 1942, in preparation for the Allied invasion of Sicily
Allied invasion of Sicily
The Allied invasion of Sicily, codenamed Operation Husky, was a major World War II campaign, in which the Allies took Sicily from the Axis . It was a large scale amphibious and airborne operation, followed by six weeks of land combat. It launched the Italian Campaign.Husky began on the night of...
. A lack of suitable transport negated their use it that campaign, but they did take the lead in Operation Slapstick
Operation Slapstick
Operation Slapstick was the code name for a British landing from the sea at the Italian port of Taranto during the Second World War. The operation, one of three landings during the Allied invasion of Italy, was undertaken by the British 1st Airborne Division in September 1943.Planned at short...
, which was an amphibious landing at Taranto
Taranto
Taranto is a coastal city in Apulia, Southern Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Taranto and is an important commercial port as well as the main Italian naval base....
in Italy. Remaining in Italy with 2nd Parachute Brigade when the 1st Airborne Division returned to England, 127 PFA took part in the fighting of the Italian campaign
Italian Campaign (World War II)
The Italian Campaign of World War II was the name of Allied operations in and around Italy, from 1943 to the end of the war in Europe. Joint Allied Forces Headquarters AFHQ was operationally responsible for all Allied land forces in the Mediterranean theatre, and it planned and commanded the...
. Their first offensive parachute jump was in the Allied landing in the south of France, Operation Dragoon
Operation Dragoon
Operation Dragoon was the Allied invasion of southern France on August 15, 1944, during World War II. The invasion was initiated via a parachute drop by the 1st Airborne Task Force, followed by an amphibious assault by elements of the U.S. Seventh Army, followed a day later by a force made up...
. Later, it was planned for the brigade to be sent to the Far East to take part in operations against the Japanese Empire, however, they became involved in the Greek civil war
Greek Civil War
The Greek Civil War was fought from 1946 to 1949 between the Greek governmental army, backed by the United Kingdom and United States, and the Democratic Army of Greece , the military branch of the Greek Communist Party , backed by Bulgaria, Yugoslavia and Albania...
during Operation Manna
Operation Manna
Operations Manna and Chowhound took place from 29 April to the end of World War II in Europe on 8 May 1945. These two operations—Manna by the Royal Air Force and Chowhound by the U.S...
, and remained in Greece until 1945. Relieved by a larger force, 127 PFA returned to Italy where they remained until the end of the war.
With the war over 127 PFA returned to England and, still part of the 2nd Parachute Brigade, they were assigned to the 6th Airborne Division. Their next assignment was in the British mandate
Mandate
Mandate can refer to:*Mandate , an obligation handed down by an inter-governmental body*Mandate , an official or authoritative command; an order or injunction*Mandate , the power granted by an electorate...
of Palestine, following which 127 PFA became part of the British Army of the Rhine
British Army of the Rhine
There have been two formations named British Army of the Rhine . Both were originally occupation forces in Germany, one after the First World War, and the other after the Second World War.-1919–1929:...
. In 1947, when the Territorial Army was reformed, 127 PFA was re-designated as the 23rd (Parachute) Field Ambulance because the number 127 was a reserve designation.
Background
Impressed by the success of German airborne operations during the Battle of FranceBattle of France
In the Second World War, the Battle of France was the German invasion of France and the Low Countries, beginning on 10 May 1940, which ended the Phoney War. The battle consisted of two main operations. In the first, Fall Gelb , German armoured units pushed through the Ardennes, to cut off and...
, the British Prime Minister, Winston Churchill
Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, was a predominantly Conservative British politician and statesman known for his leadership of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the century and served as Prime Minister twice...
, directed the War Office
War Office
The War Office was a department of the British Government, responsible for the administration of the British Army between the 17th century and 1964, when its functions were transferred to the Ministry of Defence...
to investigate the possibility of creating a corps
Corps
A corps is either a large formation, or an administrative grouping of troops within an armed force with a common function such as Artillery or Signals representing an arm of service...
of 5,000 parachute troops. In September 1941 the 1st Parachute Brigade began forming, comprising three parachute infantry battalions. In keeping with British Army practice at the same time as the infantry battalions were being raised, airborne supporting arms were formed including Royal Army Medical Corps
Royal Army Medical Corps
The Royal Army Medical Corps is a specialist corps in the British Army which provides medical services to all British Army personnel and their families in war and in peace...
(RAMC) volunteers.
The war establishment of a Parachute Field Ambulance
Field Ambulance
A Field Ambulance is the name used by the British Army and the armies of other Commonwealth nations to describe a mobile medical unit that treats wounded soldiers very close to the combat zone...
was 177 all ranks, made up of thirteen doctors in two surgical teams and four sections. The doctors could deal with 330 cases in a twenty-four hour period. Each surgical team could handle 1.8 operations an hour. However this was not sustainable and if they were required to operate the following day, the team had to be relieved after twelve hours. It was envisaged that during airborne operations, it would not be possible to evacuate casualties until the ground forces had linked up with them. To accommodate this, the field ambulance had the ability to treat all types of wounds, and provide post operative care for up to fourteen days. They also had the transport required to evacuate casualties from the Regimental Aid Post (RAP) to the Main Dressing Station (MDS).
An airborne field ambulance was commanded by a lieutenant-colonel, with a major as the second in command
Second in Command
Second in Command is a 2006 action film directed by Simon Fellows, starring Jean-Claude Van Damme. It was released direct-to-video in the United States, Belgium, and Germany on May 2, 2006. It has been rated R by the MPAA for violence and some language. The film was made in Bucharest, Romania.-Plot...
and a regimental sergeant major
Regimental Sergeant Major
Regimental Sergeant Major is an appointment held by warrant officers class 1 in the British Army, the British Royal Marines and in the armies of many Commonwealth nations, including Australia and New Zealand; and by chief warrant officers in the Canadian Forces...
as the senior non commissioned rank. Headquarters staff included two specialist surgeons and a specialist anaesthetist, a pharmacist
Pharmacist
Pharmacists are allied health professionals who practice in pharmacy, the field of health sciences focusing on safe and effective medication use...
and an Army Dental Corps
Royal Army Dental Corps
The Royal Army Dental Corps is a specialist corps in the British Army that provides dental care services to British Army personnel and their families in war and in peace...
dentist. To assist in the operating theatre and with post operative care, there were six operating room assistants, a sergeant
Sergeant
Sergeant is a rank used in some form by most militaries, police forces, and other uniformed organizations around the world. Its origins are the Latin serviens, "one who serves", through the French term Sergent....
nursing orderly and six nursing orderlies. Other medical staff were a sergeant sanitary assistant, a masseur, a dental orderly and five stretcher bearers, one of whom was trained as a shoemaker. The rest of the headquarters consisted of a Quartermaster
Quartermaster
Quartermaster refers to two different military occupations depending on if the assigned unit is land based or naval.In land armies, especially US units, it is a term referring to either an individual soldier or a unit who specializes in distributing supplies and provisions to troops. The senior...
, clerks, cooks, storemen, an Army Physical Training Corps
Army Physical Training Corps
The Royal Army Physical Training Corps is the British Army corps responsible for physical fitness and physical education. Its members are all Royal Army Physical Training Corps Instructors ....
instructor, a barber and a joiner
Joiner
A joiner differs from a carpenter in that joiners cut and fit joints in wood that do not use nails. Joiners usually work in a workshop since the formation of various joints generally requires non-portable machinery. A carpenter normally works on site...
from the Royal Engineers.
There were four sub units of twenty men known as sections
Section (military unit)
A section is a small military unit in some armies. In many armies, it is a squad of seven to twelve soldiers. However in France and armies based on the French model, it is the sub-division of a company .-Australian Army:...
. Each section comprised an officer (doctor) and a staff sergeant
Staff Sergeant
Staff sergeant is a rank of non-commissioned officer used in several countries.The origin of the name is that they were part of the staff of a British army regiment and paid at that level rather than as a member of a battalion or company.-Australia:...
(nursing orderly); under their command were three nursing orderlies, a clerk, a dutyman and thirteen stretcher bearers. A section was normally attached to a parachute battalion to supplement their own medical officer and medics.
The last component of the Field Ambulance was the Royal Army Service Corps
Royal Army Service Corps
The Royal Army Service Corps was a corps of the British Army. It was responsible for land, coastal and lake transport; air despatch; supply of food, water, fuel, and general domestic stores such as clothing, furniture and stationery ; administration of...
detachment, commanded by a captain
Captain (British Army and Royal Marines)
Captain is a junior officer rank of the British Army and Royal Marines. It ranks above Lieutenant and below Major and has a NATO ranking code of OF-2. The rank is equivalent to a Lieutenant in the Royal Navy and to a Flight Lieutenant in the Royal Air Force...
, with a company sergeant major
Company Sergeant Major
A company sergeant major is the senior non-commissioned soldier of a company in the armies of many Commonwealth countries, responsible for standards and discipline. In combat, his prime responsibility is the supply of ammunition to the company...
as second in command. They had fifty men under them: an electrician, a clerk, thirty-eight drivers, four motorcyclists and five vehicle mechanics. It was normal to have at least two RASC drivers with two jeeps
Willys MB
The Willys MB US Army Jeep and the Ford GPW, were manufactured from 1941 to 1945. These small four-wheel drive utility vehicles are considered the iconic World War II Jeep, and inspired many similar light utility vehicles. Over the years, the World War II Jeep later evolved into the "CJ" civilian...
and a trailer attached to each section; the remaining men and vehicles stayed with the headquarters surgical teams.
All members of the Field Ambulance had to undergo a twelve-day parachute training course, which was carried out at No. 1 Parachute Training School, RAF Ringway
RAF Ringway
RAF Ringway, was a Royal Air Force station near Manchester, UK, in the parish of Ringway, then in Cheshire. It was operational from 1939 until 1957.-Prewar years:...
. Initial parachute jumps were undertaken from a converted barrage balloon
Barrage balloon
A barrage balloon is a large balloon tethered with metal cables, used to defend against low-level aircraft attack by damaging the aircraft on collision with the cables, or at least making the attacker's approach more difficult. Some versions carried small explosive charges that would be pulled up...
before progressing on to five jumps from an aircraft. Anyone failing to complete a descent was returned to his old unit. Those men who successfully completed the parachute course, were presented with their maroon beret
Maroon beret
The maroon beret is a military beret and has been an international symbol of elite airborne forces since it was chosen for British airborne forces in World War II. This distinctive head dress was officially introduced in 1942, at the direction of General Frederick Browning, commander of the British...
and parachute wings
Parachutist Badge
The Parachutist Badge or Parachutist Brevet is a military badge awarded by the Armed Forces of most countries in the world to soldiers who receive the proper parachute training and accomplish the required number of jumps. It is difficult to assess which country was the first to introduce such award...
.
Airborne operations were in their infancy in the Second World War and the British Army medical services had to design and develop a range of special medical airborne equipment. These included the Don pack
Don pack
A Don pack or Dressing pack, was designed for the airborne forces of the British Army during the Second World War .The Don pack was a standardised haversack sized webbing carrier, composed of anaesthetics, drugs, serum, dressings, tins of tea, milk and sugar powder, cubes of meat extract,...
, the Sugar pack
Sugar pack
A Sugar pack or Surgical pack, was designed for the airborne forces of the British Army during the Second World War .The Sugar pack was a standardised haversack sized webbing carrier, composed of anaesthetics, drugs, bandages, gauze, swabs and plaster of Paris. It was designed to contain sufficient...
, the folding airborne stretcher, the folding trestle table
Trestle table
A trestle table is an item of furniture comprising two or three trestle supports linked by a longitudinal cross-member over which a board or tabletop is placed. It is the earliest form of table, after the basic pedestal-style table known to be used in ancient times, and was a common structure in...
, the folding suspension bar, the airborne operating table, the airborne inhaler and special containers for blood and plasma.
127th (Parachute) Field Ambulance
On 17 July 1942 the 127th (Parachute) Field Ambulance (127 PFA) was formed from a pre-war Territorial Army unit. It was the second RAMC parachute unit raised, and on formation the Field Ambulance was assigned to the 2nd Parachute Brigade in the 1st Airborne Division.Italy
After Operations LadbrokeOperation Ladbroke
Operation Ladbroke was a glider landing of British airborne forces near Syracuse, Sicily, that began on 9 July 1943 as part of the Allied invasion of Sicily. The first Allied mission using large numbers of the aircraft, the operation was carried out from Tunisia by the 1st Airlanding...
and Fustian
Operation Fustian
Operation Fustian was a British airborne forces mission during the Allied invasion of Sicily in the Second World War. The operation was carried out by the 1st Parachute Brigade, part of the 1st Airborne Division. Their objective was the Primosole Bridge across the Simeto River. The intention was...
in Sicily, the 1st Airborne Division returned to North Africa. On 6 September the division was informed that they would be carrying out an amphibious landing at the Italian port of Taranto
Taranto
Taranto is a coastal city in Apulia, Southern Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Taranto and is an important commercial port as well as the main Italian naval base....
three days later. The landings were carried out by the 2nd and 4th Parachute Brigades, with the understrength 1st Parachute and 1st Airlanding Brigades in reserve.
While approaching the port, the minelayer HMS Abdiel
HMS Abdiel (M39)
HMS Abdiel was an that served with the Royal Navy during World War II. She served with the Mediterranean Fleet , Eastern Fleet , Home Fleet , and the Mediterranean Fleet . Abdiel was sunk by mines in Taranto harbour in 1943...
, struck a mine and was blown up, killing 130 men and wounding the commanding officer Lieutenant-Colonel M. J. Kohane, two other medical officers and fifteen other ranks
Other Ranks
Other Ranks in the British Army, Royal Marines and Royal Air Force are those personnel who are not commissioned officers. In the Royal Navy, these personnel are called ratings...
of 127 PFA. All the unit's medical equipment, which had been carried on board, was also lost. Otherwise the landing was unopposed; 2nd Parachute Brigade secured Taranto while the 4th Brigade pushed inland. So it was not until 26 September that the re-equipped 127 PFA was able to open a Main Dressing Station (MDS) at Canossa
Canossa
Canossa is a comune and castle town in Emilia-Romagna, famous as the site where Holy Roman Emperor Henry IV did penance in 1077, standing three days bare-headed in the snow, in order to reverse his excommunication by Pope Gregory VII...
. Following the division's advance on 30 September 127 PFA had moved to Acquaviva
Acquaviva delle Fonti
Acquaviva delle Fonti is a town and comune in the province of Bari, Apulia, southern Italy.-Buildings:Acquaviva Cathedral is located here, since 1986 a co-cathedral in the Diocese of Altamura-Gravina-Acquaviva delle Fonti.-Famous people from Acquaviva delle Fonti:*Roberto Colaninno,...
taking over a school and converting it into a 100 bed hospital. During this time the division's four field ambulances treated 1,728 casualties, with the surgeons conducting 194 operations.
On 20 November, the 1st Airborne Division returned to England, leaving the 2nd Parachute Brigade in Italy as an independent brigade. Now under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel P. Parkinson, 127 PFA also remained with the brigade. The brigade was ordered to the Sangro river area. Informed they would only be in the front line for around three weeks, only two sections and a surgical team with the headquarters moved forward. The brigade stayed in the line until May, and the 127 PFA sections took the opportunity to rotate between the front and rear areas. The brigade fought on the Adriatic coast until they were relieved at the end of March 1944. After a short rest they returned to the front in the Monte Cassino
Battle of Monte Cassino
The Battle of Monte Cassino was a costly series of four battles during World War II, fought by the Allies against Germans and Italians with the intention of breaking through the Winter Line and seizing Rome.In the beginning of 1944, the western half of the Winter Line was being anchored by Germans...
sector, remaining there until the end of May 1944.
South of France
The 2nd Parachute Brigade next came under command of the 1st Airborne Task Force for an airborne landing in the south of France in the area of FrejusFréjus
Fréjus is a commune in the Var department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France.It neighbours Saint-Raphaël, effectively forming one town...
. The landing took place in the early hours of 15 August 1944; the commanding officer and three other ranks parachuted in with the brigade headquarters. No.3 Section and No.1 Surgical Team dropped together but landed well off the drop zone
Drop zone
A drop zone is a place where parachutists or parachuted supplies land. It can be an area targeted for landing by paratroopers, or a base from which recreational parachutists and skydivers take off in aircraft and land under parachutes...
(DZ) in the La Mote area. The airborne containers with their medical supplies were all lost or looted before they were located.
It was not until 07:30 that they reached the DZ, and had to set up an operating theatre to treat the wounded from the parachute drop. The team remained here until 19:30 when they moved to a better location at St Michel. An hour later the surgical team was operating again, this time dealing with a number of casualties from the following glider force that had just landed, including a number of Americans who had no medical support with them. Between 15 and 18 August the surgical team performed forty-two operations.
On the morning 18 August units of the American 36th Infantry Division advancing from the coast reached Le Muy. The brigade then moved to the Frejus
Fréjus
Fréjus is a commune in the Var department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France.It neighbours Saint-Raphaël, effectively forming one town...
area on 20 August and Cannes was liberated on the 25 August. The brigade sailed from Cannes the next day arriving in Naples
Naples
Naples is a city in Southern Italy, situated on the country's west coast by the Gulf of Naples. Lying between two notable volcanic regions, Mount Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, it is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples...
on the 28 August.
Greece
The 2nd Parachute Brigade was warned for an operation in Greece, to replace the retreating German Army and ensure law and order was maintained until a government could be formed. The 127 PFA plan was for a small detachment of one officer and nine other ranks to be attached to each of the parachute battalions. A section and a surgical team would accompany brigade headquarters in the first lift and a section would come in with the second lift. Two jeepsWillys MB
The Willys MB US Army Jeep and the Ford GPW, were manufactured from 1941 to 1945. These small four-wheel drive utility vehicles are considered the iconic World War II Jeep, and inspired many similar light utility vehicles. Over the years, the World War II Jeep later evolved into the "CJ" civilian...
with medical equipment would come in with the brigade's glider force.
The advance party from the 4th Parachute Battalion landed on 12 October on Megara
Megara
Megara is an ancient city in Attica, Greece. It lies in the northern section of the Isthmus of Corinth opposite the island of Salamis, which belonged to Megara in archaic times, before being taken by Athens. Megara was one of the four districts of Attica, embodied in the four mythic sons of King...
airfield 28 miles (45.1 km) from Athens. Adverse weather affected the drop and caused a number of casualties, and prevented the remainder of the brigade landing. Plans were formed for a surgical team to travel by glider the next day to support the 4th Battalion's medical officer on the airfield. By 14 October the weather had improved and the majority of the brigade less the glider force, was able to parachute onto the airfield. High winds caused a number of casualties; from the 1,900 men taking part three were killed and ninety-seven wounded. The 127 PFA detachment with the 6th (Royal Welch) Parachute Battalion
6th (Royal Welch) Parachute Battalion
The 6th Parachute Battalion was an airborne infantry battalion of the Parachute Regiment raised by the British Army during the Second World War....
set up a dressing station to treat the wounded. The 4th and 6th Battalions set out for Athens taking their 127 PFA detachments with them, leaving only the commanding-officer and twenty-five men at the dressing station.
The brigade became responsible for policing Athens and keeping both sides in the fledgling Greek Civil War
Greek Civil War
The Greek Civil War was fought from 1946 to 1949 between the Greek governmental army, backed by the United Kingdom and United States, and the Democratic Army of Greece , the military branch of the Greek Communist Party , backed by Bulgaria, Yugoslavia and Albania...
apart. However, on 17 October 4 Battalion, with No.3 Section attached, was ordered to Thebes
Thebes, Greece
Thebes is a city in Greece, situated to the north of the Cithaeron range, which divides Boeotia from Attica, and on the southern edge of the Boeotian plain. It played an important role in Greek myth, as the site of the stories of Cadmus, Oedipus, Dionysus and others...
to follow up the retreating German Army. On 18 October 127 PFA moved in to Athens from Megara, and took over the Evangelismos Hospital.
On 4 November 6 Battalion moved to Thebes, while the 5th (Scottish) Parachute Battalion
5th (Scottish) Parachute Battalion
The 5th Parachute Battalion was an airborne infantry battalion of the Parachute Regiment, raised by the British Army in 1942.The four proceeding British parachute battalions had been raised by volunteers from all ranks of the army...
with brigade headquarters and 127 PFA moved to Salonika. It had been intended to withdraw the brigade but the situation deteriorated and they were sent back to Athens, where by 5 November 127 PFA had established a hospital in the Rouf barracks. The 2nd Parachute and 2nd Armoured Brigade moved into the city holding the Acropolis of Athens
Acropolis of Athens
The Acropolis of Athens or Citadel of Athens is the best known acropolis in the world. Although there are many other acropoleis in Greece, the significance of the Acropolis of Athens is such that it is commonly known as The Acropolis without qualification...
and strategic junctions. In the sporadic fighting casualties were light but constant.
At the end of 1944, it had been planned for the 2nd Parachute Brigade to go to India, to join the 44th Indian Airborne Division. However their continued involvement in Greece put those plans on hold and they were eventually cancelled.
On 7 December war was officially declared on the ELAS forces. On 14 December 127 PFA moved to the university in the city centre and became the only unit capable of performing surgery. Between 14 October and 23 January 1945, when the fighting ended, 127 PFA treated 628 wounded and conducted 214 operations.
Palestine
In February 1945, the brigade was relieved and returned to Italy from Greece. They were prepared for further operations in the spring offensiveSpring 1945 offensive in Italy
The Spring 1945 offensive in Italy, codenamed Operation Grapeshot, was the Allied attack by Fifth United States Army and British 8th Army into the Lombardy Plain which started on 6 April 1945 and ended on 2 May with the surrender of German forces in Italy....
and the crossing of the River Po. From March until the end of the war, over thirty airborne operations were planned but all were later cancelled. With the war over the brigade returned to England in May 1945. They were based at Greenham Lodge in Newbury, Berkshire
Newbury, Berkshire
Newbury is a civil parish and the principal town in the west of the county of Berkshire in England. It is situated on the River Kennet and the Kennet and Avon Canal, and has a town centre containing many 17th century buildings. Newbury is best known for its racecourse and the adjoining former USAF...
, until 26 October when, along with the rest of 2nd Parachute Brigade, they sailed from Liverpool to join the 6th Airborne Division in Palestine.
On their arrival in Palestine they were deployed in the Gaza
Gaza
Gaza , also referred to as Gaza City, is a Palestinian city in the Gaza Strip, with a population of about 450,000, making it the largest city in the Palestinian territories.Inhabited since at least the 15th century BC,...
district. By July 1946 the situation in the country had deteriorated to such an extent that the complete division was deployed to Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv , officially Tel Aviv-Yafo , is the second most populous city in Israel, with a population of 404,400 on a land area of . The city is located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline in west-central Israel. It is the largest and most populous city in the metropolitan area of Gush Dan, with...
, with the field ambulance units taking over the running of the city's hospitals.
Legacy
In January 1947, 2nd Parachute Brigade returned to England, and was stationed in AldershotAldershot
Aldershot is a town in the English county of Hampshire, located on heathland about southwest of London. The town is administered by Rushmoor Borough Council...
. When the Territorial Army was reformed on 1 April 1947, 127 PFA was renumbered 23rd (Parachute) Field Ambulance (23 PFA) because the number 127 was a reserve designation. Since then the British airborne force has been reduced to a single brigade group based on the 2nd Parachute Brigade, which was itself renumbered as the 16th. With them, 23 PFA has participated in a number of conflicts including the last battalion-sized parachute landing undertaken at Suez
Operation Musketeer (1956)
Operation Musketeer was the Anglo-French-Israeli plan for the invasion of Egypt to capture the Suez Canal during the Suez Crisis. Israel had the additional objective to open the Straits of Tiran.-The operation:...
in 1956, where a section and a surgical team of 23 PFA jumped with the 3rd Parachute Battalion.