0:00:02 > 0:00:04The British Army. To an outsider,
0:00:04 > 0:00:07it looks like one single fighting force.
0:00:07 > 0:00:13In reality, it's divided into more than 40 independent regiments,
0:00:13 > 0:00:16each with its own culture and traditions.
0:00:17 > 0:00:20And if you want to understand the British Army,
0:00:20 > 0:00:22these regiments are the best place to start.
0:00:26 > 0:00:29In this programme, we meet the regiment
0:00:29 > 0:00:33who spearheaded the liberation of Europe in World War II.
0:00:33 > 0:00:36The colonel shouts, "Get in, get in!"
0:00:36 > 0:00:39And that was when the lid blew off the kettle.
0:00:42 > 0:00:45They're trained to jump into combat.
0:00:46 > 0:00:50We class ourselves as the elite of the British Army Infantry.
0:00:50 > 0:00:54I chose it because it was THE toughest thing that you could do.
0:00:56 > 0:01:01Their mascot, a Shetland pony called Pegasus.
0:01:01 > 0:01:03He can be unpredictable, cheeky, tries to get his own way
0:01:03 > 0:01:07and do stuff, which most people would expect from a paratrooper.
0:01:09 > 0:01:14They pride themselves on being the army's fittest regiment.
0:01:15 > 0:01:19Remember! This is not about how hard you can punch,
0:01:19 > 0:01:22it's about how hard you can take a hit.
0:01:22 > 0:01:24What's the bayonet for?
0:01:24 > 0:01:26- ALL:- Kill! Kill! Kill!
0:01:28 > 0:01:33This is the British Army's Airborne Infantry. The Parachute Regiment.
0:01:50 > 0:01:53A jump, that's very difficult. You're strapped with
0:01:53 > 0:01:55over 120lbs worth of equipment,
0:01:55 > 0:01:57not including your parachute or reserve,
0:01:57 > 0:02:00so you're looking at over 200lbs.
0:02:03 > 0:02:04The door will open,
0:02:04 > 0:02:07you'll all be stood there, the wind will be 120 knots,
0:02:07 > 0:02:09and you have to step out into the unknown.
0:02:10 > 0:02:12Once that door opens
0:02:12 > 0:02:15and you feel the blast of the air, then you know it's game on.
0:02:15 > 0:02:18That red light comes on, then the green light, then we're off.
0:02:18 > 0:02:20Every man out the door.
0:02:26 > 0:02:28Before you do the jump, the nerves kind of build up,
0:02:28 > 0:02:32but once you're at that door and you jump out of the plane, then...
0:02:32 > 0:02:35It's a view which you won't see in your car, anyway.
0:02:37 > 0:02:39Once you're in, you're in, there's no going back.
0:02:39 > 0:02:43It is expected that you'll be fighting initially against the odds,
0:02:43 > 0:02:46you're expecting to encounter the unknown.
0:02:46 > 0:02:48A parachute has no reverse gear.
0:02:55 > 0:02:57The Parachute Regiment.
0:02:57 > 0:03:01- 1,600 soldiers...- Can you ensure your brother moves left a bit?
0:03:01 > 0:03:06..And 128 officers, divided into three regular battalions...
0:03:06 > 0:03:08Stand by for rapid!
0:03:08 > 0:03:11..And a fourth made up of territorial army reserves.
0:03:11 > 0:03:131 PARA is based in Wales
0:03:13 > 0:03:17and works with Special Forces on secret operations.
0:03:19 > 0:03:212 and 3 PARA are based in Colchester.
0:03:23 > 0:03:26The regiment has built its reputation on
0:03:26 > 0:03:29rapid deployment with minimal support and equipment.
0:03:29 > 0:03:32They've recently returned from Afghanistan.
0:03:35 > 0:03:38Their motto - ready for anything.
0:03:39 > 0:03:42- Corridor! - 16!- 20!- 21!
0:03:42 > 0:03:45The Regiment prides itself on selecting
0:03:45 > 0:03:47some of the army's brightest recruits.
0:03:47 > 0:03:49At Catterick Garrison in Yorkshire,
0:03:49 > 0:03:52they must pass one of the army's toughest selection courses.
0:03:52 > 0:03:56P Company. Short for Pegasus.
0:03:59 > 0:04:01Less than half will succeed.
0:04:01 > 0:04:03BLEEP
0:04:03 > 0:04:04Get up! Get out!
0:04:04 > 0:04:08P Company is the crucible which forms that self belief
0:04:08 > 0:04:12that failure is not an option and a firm refusal to give up, ever.
0:04:15 > 0:04:18Our nickname for other regiments is "crap hats".
0:04:18 > 0:04:21It's been passed on from generation to generation.
0:04:21 > 0:04:24At the end of the day, we know we've hand picked our soldiers,
0:04:24 > 0:04:28reared them to be the best soldiers in the whole military, to be honest.
0:04:33 > 0:04:35The Trainasium.
0:04:35 > 0:04:39A 60ft high aerial assault course,
0:04:39 > 0:04:41designed to test their head for heights.
0:04:41 > 0:04:43It's been part of their training
0:04:43 > 0:04:46since the Paras were formed nearly 70 years ago.
0:04:57 > 0:05:01In World War II, Hitler's 20,000-strong force of paratroopers
0:05:01 > 0:05:05were at the forefront of the Nazi invasion of Europe.
0:05:07 > 0:05:10Churchill was impressed.
0:05:10 > 0:05:13In June 1940, he ordered the creation
0:05:13 > 0:05:16of a British unit of 5,000 paratroopers.
0:05:16 > 0:05:19He hoped they would one day spearhead Europe's liberation.
0:05:22 > 0:05:27Major Tony Hibbert was one of the first recruits.
0:05:28 > 0:05:33When we started, we were totally without discipline.
0:05:33 > 0:05:38Life was enormous fun, but we were an absolute shower.
0:05:43 > 0:05:46For training, they were given 1,000 parachutes
0:05:46 > 0:05:49and six old Whitley bombers.
0:05:49 > 0:05:53The Whitleys were converted by simply cutting a hole in the floor.
0:05:55 > 0:05:59You had to jump through a tunnel
0:05:59 > 0:06:01six foot deep
0:06:01 > 0:06:07and if you pushed yourself a little bit too far to the front,
0:06:07 > 0:06:12you caught your nose on the end of the tunnel
0:06:12 > 0:06:14and you broke your nose.
0:06:14 > 0:06:18I saw one person very nearly with it cut off
0:06:18 > 0:06:20and that was called ringing the bell.
0:06:21 > 0:06:25The unit was named 11th Special Air Service Battalion.
0:06:26 > 0:06:29Commanding officer, Lieutenant Colonel Eric Down,
0:06:29 > 0:06:31set high standards.
0:06:31 > 0:06:34By God, at the end of the six months,
0:06:34 > 0:06:37the battalion was absolutely unbeatable.
0:06:37 > 0:06:42And it was entirely discipline and fitness,
0:06:42 > 0:06:48and he ran them absolutely... into the ground.
0:06:50 > 0:06:52OK, All arms course, listen in.
0:06:52 > 0:06:54Event three of test week, the log race.
0:06:54 > 0:06:57This simulates the movement forward of ammunition.
0:06:57 > 0:07:01When heavy stores and ammunition are pushed off the back of a plane,
0:07:01 > 0:07:03we then have to go and retrieve them as quick as we can.
0:07:03 > 0:07:07The race is two miles. I need to see maximum determination,
0:07:07 > 0:07:11aggression and motivation throughout. Work hard.
0:07:11 > 0:07:13Go, go, go!
0:07:27 > 0:07:29On the log race, you need to keep going.
0:07:29 > 0:07:32The logs start with between seven to nine men,
0:07:32 > 0:07:35and hopefully the logs will finish with a similar number.
0:07:39 > 0:07:40BLEEP
0:07:41 > 0:07:45The moment you let go the log, you're out of that particular event,
0:07:45 > 0:07:47you're off the race and you won't score any points.
0:07:50 > 0:07:54It's seen as a key team event. If people can't perform on the log race,
0:07:54 > 0:07:56can we trust them on the battlefield?
0:07:57 > 0:07:58BLEEP
0:08:03 > 0:08:06Your arm wants to drop off, your body's telling you to stop,
0:08:06 > 0:08:09you simply have to tell your mind to shut up, keep going forward.
0:08:09 > 0:08:12All the way! Incoming!
0:08:12 > 0:08:15And walk!
0:08:15 > 0:08:16Shut up!
0:08:17 > 0:08:18Shut up!
0:08:25 > 0:08:28In February 1942, 116 men set off
0:08:28 > 0:08:31on the Paras' first large-scale mission -
0:08:31 > 0:08:36a night time raid behind enemy lines in Bruneval, on the French coast.
0:08:37 > 0:08:43Their objective - to capture a sophisticated new German radar.
0:08:43 > 0:08:47They parachuted in darkness and quickly captured it.
0:08:47 > 0:08:50But getting out proved more difficult.
0:08:53 > 0:08:55They had to fight their way down to the beach
0:08:55 > 0:08:59to rendezvous with the Royal Navy. By the time the boats came,
0:08:59 > 0:09:01two were dead, six were wounded
0:09:01 > 0:09:03and six missing.
0:09:05 > 0:09:08This film was shot by the Paras after the war.
0:09:08 > 0:09:11It's a re-creation of their first battle honour.
0:09:17 > 0:09:18We were all immensely proud
0:09:18 > 0:09:23that they'd had this very considerable success.
0:09:23 > 0:09:29That really was the first real moment
0:09:29 > 0:09:31that we could be proud to be Paras.
0:09:34 > 0:09:38The success of this mission established the Paras' reputation
0:09:38 > 0:09:40for courage and determination.
0:09:44 > 0:09:47Thousands of new volunteers came forward
0:09:47 > 0:09:52and, in August 1942, the Battalion became the Parachute Regiment.
0:09:56 > 0:10:00Listen in! As I pass you, you will come together toe to toe,
0:10:00 > 0:10:03nose to nose, eyeball to eyeball. Do you understand?
0:10:03 > 0:10:05- ALL:- Yes, Sir!
0:10:05 > 0:10:10Recruits are being psyched up for one of P Company's toughest tests,
0:10:10 > 0:10:14a form of boxing unique to the Paras. They call it milling.
0:10:14 > 0:10:18Remember, this is not about how hard you can punch,
0:10:18 > 0:10:20it's about how hard you can take a hit,
0:10:20 > 0:10:22and continue to move forward.
0:10:22 > 0:10:25That man in front of you is the enemy.
0:10:25 > 0:10:28One minute for your life, you will stand toe to toe
0:10:28 > 0:10:31and engage in hand to hand combat. Stand by!
0:10:33 > 0:10:36- What's the bayonet for? ALL:- Kill!
0:10:36 > 0:10:38- What's the bayonet for? ALL:- Kill!
0:10:38 > 0:10:43- What's the bayonet for? ALL:- Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill!
0:10:43 > 0:10:46The recruits are instructed not to defend themselves.
0:10:46 > 0:10:50They win points only for the determination, courage
0:10:50 > 0:10:51and aggression of their attack.
0:10:51 > 0:10:54Pin your ears back, then all arms.
0:10:54 > 0:10:56OK? Boxer's stance,
0:10:56 > 0:10:59target area, OK? The face, that is where we're punching.
0:10:59 > 0:11:02- Do you understand me? - ALL: Yes, sir!
0:11:02 > 0:11:06One minute of controlled aggression and determination.
0:11:06 > 0:11:08Centre!
0:11:08 > 0:11:09Faster.
0:11:09 > 0:11:10Gloves up. Mill!
0:11:29 > 0:11:32Milling is very much a test of individual courage,
0:11:32 > 0:11:34simulating the situation where someone is required
0:11:34 > 0:11:37to look out of an aircraft door at night
0:11:37 > 0:11:40and throw themselves on order into the unknown.
0:11:41 > 0:11:43You have to suppress your natural fears
0:11:43 > 0:11:46and have the confidence in your own ability,
0:11:46 > 0:11:50the determination and frankly the courage to do what's required of you.
0:11:56 > 0:11:58Stop!
0:11:58 > 0:11:59- Shirt's the winner. - CHEERING
0:11:59 > 0:12:04If someone can't have their head up and look where the enemy is, they're no use to us in battle
0:12:04 > 0:12:09so it's the same in the milling room. Courage in the face of adversity and looking the enemy in the eye.
0:12:11 > 0:12:12BELL RINGS
0:12:16 > 0:12:19- Well fought, you two. Draw! - CHEERING
0:12:20 > 0:12:23If the recruits pass P Company,
0:12:23 > 0:12:26they'll earn the right to wear the regiment's maroon beret.
0:12:27 > 0:12:32Right, what we're going to do now is I'll teach you how to shape your beret, should you be successful.
0:12:32 > 0:12:36Before the final day, they learn how to shape their berets,
0:12:36 > 0:12:39though some will never get the chance to wear them.
0:12:39 > 0:12:41What I want you to do is, when I say,
0:12:41 > 0:12:43dip the beret into the hot water, which is this side
0:12:43 > 0:12:46and the cold water, then back into the hot water.
0:12:49 > 0:12:52The maroon beret was introduced in November 1942
0:12:52 > 0:12:55by Major General Sir Frederick Arthur Montague Browning,
0:12:55 > 0:12:57known as Boy.
0:12:57 > 0:13:01He wanted to create a special sense of regimental pride.
0:13:01 > 0:13:04Now pull the excess over to the right hand side.
0:13:04 > 0:13:07The beret's maroon colour was chosen by Browning's wife,
0:13:07 > 0:13:09the novelist Daphne Du Maurier.
0:13:09 > 0:13:13Good. And take out your cap badge.
0:13:13 > 0:13:17She picked it from one of the colours he used for his race horses.
0:13:17 > 0:13:20Place it so that the centre of the cap badge
0:13:20 > 0:13:24is in between the centre and the left corner of his left eye.
0:13:27 > 0:13:30The maroon beret is everything we strive to achieve,
0:13:30 > 0:13:32it's become part of the airborne club, as it were.
0:13:32 > 0:13:34It's a dream I've had for a long time now
0:13:34 > 0:13:37and it's a proud thing to belong to.
0:13:42 > 0:13:47In 1944, the Paras spearheaded the liberation of occupied Europe.
0:13:47 > 0:13:49D-Day.
0:13:50 > 0:13:54They were part of a newly created division, the 6th Airborne.
0:13:54 > 0:13:58Its name was designed to fool the Germans.
0:13:58 > 0:14:02Rather than six divisions, in fact, there were only two.
0:14:03 > 0:14:07The British would drop more than 7,000 men from the skies.
0:14:10 > 0:14:14The men sling their explosives and weapons around them,
0:14:14 > 0:14:17get into their parachutes and their planes.
0:14:17 > 0:14:19With their equipment and camouflaged faces,
0:14:19 > 0:14:22look like strange creatures from another world.
0:14:22 > 0:14:26The Paratroopers were to land behind enemy lines in Normandy.
0:14:26 > 0:14:29Their role was to attack and hold bridges
0:14:29 > 0:14:31and artillery positions, to prevent the Germans
0:14:31 > 0:14:34from attacking Allied forces as they landed on the beaches.
0:14:36 > 0:14:39This is Private Banowicz of the 3rd Battalion, Parachute Regiment.
0:14:39 > 0:14:44Today he's wearing what a paratrooper would have worn during World War II.
0:14:44 > 0:14:46Round his neck is a Celanese scarf.
0:14:46 > 0:14:50When the re-supply come in, they would link these together
0:14:50 > 0:14:53to form some kind of flag to attract the aircraft
0:14:53 > 0:14:57so they could drop the supplies on to you down below on the ground.
0:14:57 > 0:15:03Back in World War II, there was no reserve parachute if the canopy failed to open.
0:15:04 > 0:15:08..Because it's a bit of a heave, to get it to fit.
0:15:08 > 0:15:11Going into action, he had to carry his equipment.
0:15:11 > 0:15:14He'd pack all the equipment itself into a leg bag.
0:15:14 > 0:15:16It's fitted on the right leg,
0:15:16 > 0:15:18then this system here would close round his leg,
0:15:18 > 0:15:22you've got hand grenades, mines, Gammon bombs, extra ammunition,
0:15:22 > 0:15:25everything for the task in hand.
0:15:25 > 0:15:29Weighing sometimes up to 80-100lbs of equipment, in this bag.
0:15:29 > 0:15:32The rifle, placed over the paratrooper's head.
0:15:32 > 0:15:36When he jumped, he'd bring the weapon round, and hold the weapon system close to his chest.
0:15:36 > 0:15:40It's very hot, very uncomfortable, very tight round the waist,
0:15:40 > 0:15:44not comfortable kit at all, to be honest with you.
0:15:50 > 0:15:53We're now inside the fuselage of a Dakota aircraft,
0:15:53 > 0:15:58an iconic aircraft, used by the airborne forces during World War II up until the mid-50s.
0:15:58 > 0:16:03How many paratroopers with kit would you be able to fit onto a Dakota?
0:16:03 > 0:16:05A configuration could take 28 men all-up.
0:16:05 > 0:16:08Normally slightly less than that, but 28 maximum.
0:16:08 > 0:16:13How long would it take for the 28 blokes to get out of the plane?
0:16:13 > 0:16:14I'd say 20 seconds and less.
0:16:16 > 0:16:2028 blokes fully kitted, you're going to feel pretty sick.
0:16:20 > 0:16:23And, er, now there's planes catching fire,
0:16:23 > 0:16:26you'd be looking out the window seeing planes going down,
0:16:26 > 0:16:31you got to keep your head strong, be a paratrooper and jump out the door.
0:16:33 > 0:16:38In the small hours of 6th June, the Parachute Regiment took off.
0:16:43 > 0:16:4719-year-old Jock Moodie was on his first mission.
0:16:47 > 0:16:51Going over, once it had crossed the French coast, and you get ready
0:16:51 > 0:16:53to stand up and hook up,
0:16:53 > 0:16:56and you think, "How did I get here? What am I doing here?
0:16:56 > 0:16:58"What have I got myself into?"
0:16:58 > 0:17:03It's then that, the sooner you can get out, the better, you know?
0:17:03 > 0:17:07NEWSREEL: 'One minute, 30 seconds, red light, green light, and out!
0:17:07 > 0:17:10'Get out! Get out! Out into the air over France.'
0:17:13 > 0:17:16One of the Paras' objectives was to capture and destroy
0:17:16 > 0:17:20a heavily-defended German battery near the village of Merville.
0:17:20 > 0:17:23The mission was meticulously planned
0:17:23 > 0:17:27by 29 year-old Lieutenant Colonel Terence Otway.
0:17:27 > 0:17:29For a month, he trained 750 men
0:17:29 > 0:17:33to cross a minefield and knock out the battery's guns.
0:17:40 > 0:17:44At 12.50am, his paratroopers dropped.
0:17:44 > 0:17:46But they were widely scattered.
0:17:46 > 0:17:50Only 150 men made it to the rendezvous point.
0:17:50 > 0:17:52Otway ordered the mission to continue.
0:17:52 > 0:17:56Sergeant Len Daniels remembers the attack.
0:17:57 > 0:17:58The colonel,
0:17:58 > 0:18:03close up to the wire, shouts "Get in, get in!"
0:18:03 > 0:18:08And, er, that was when the lid blew off the kettle.
0:18:08 > 0:18:10MACHINE GUN FIRE
0:18:11 > 0:18:15The Boche started to open up, plenty of muck flying about,
0:18:15 > 0:18:20tracer, incendiary, mortar bombs, you name it, that was thrown at us.
0:18:20 > 0:18:23It was chaos, chaos.
0:18:23 > 0:18:26We were fighting, it was hand to hand, you know?
0:18:27 > 0:18:31Nearly half the Paras were killed or injured but, against the odds,
0:18:31 > 0:18:34they captured the battery and disabled the German guns.
0:18:37 > 0:18:38It's unbelievable.
0:18:38 > 0:18:44How the hell we come through. It was a bit of a frightener.
0:18:44 > 0:18:47I dare say I killed one.
0:18:47 > 0:18:50And that's about all I can remember.
0:18:50 > 0:18:52Yeah, I did kill one, I know that.
0:18:54 > 0:18:57But it didn't, I'd no...
0:18:57 > 0:19:01I had no regrets about that. I was doing a job I'd been trained for.
0:19:03 > 0:19:06Despite the huge casualties, they took the objective,
0:19:06 > 0:19:09they adapted and they drove on, against ridiculous odds,
0:19:09 > 0:19:11and its that sort of inspiration,
0:19:11 > 0:19:16of overcoming adversity in extreme ways which, to us,
0:19:16 > 0:19:18epitomises everything about the regiment, really,
0:19:18 > 0:19:20and everything about airborne forces.
0:19:20 > 0:19:23LAST POST PLAYS
0:19:27 > 0:19:30D-Day came at a price.
0:19:33 > 0:19:37Of the 7,000 men who dropped into Normandy,
0:19:37 > 0:19:421,623 were wounded, over 1,000 killed or missing.
0:19:49 > 0:19:52When I come back here I'm very, very proud,
0:19:52 > 0:19:56and I come back and pay my respects to a lot of young men,
0:19:56 > 0:19:59like myself, who weren't lucky enough to come back.
0:20:06 > 0:20:07At the Remembrance service parades,
0:20:07 > 0:20:12the regiment will be represented by their mascot, Pegasus.
0:20:14 > 0:20:18Shetlands, for their size, are the strongest of all horse breeds,
0:20:18 > 0:20:19sort of short, stocky,
0:20:19 > 0:20:22which most people would expect from a paratrooper.
0:20:22 > 0:20:26He can be unpredictable, he's cheeky, tries to get his own way,
0:20:26 > 0:20:30and do stuff, which you could also say a lot of the blokes do as well.
0:20:30 > 0:20:32So they go hand in hand, really.
0:20:34 > 0:20:36This is his ceremonial dress.
0:20:36 > 0:20:38Basically it's got all the battle honours all over it.
0:20:38 > 0:20:43Quite weighty, but this then defines him as Pegasus when he's on parade.
0:20:43 > 0:20:47When he puts his regalia on, it's as if he knows he's got a job to do.
0:20:47 > 0:20:48His temperament changes.
0:20:48 > 0:20:54He stops being, I was going to say an arsehole, but you can't, can you?
0:20:54 > 0:20:57He then sort of tends to behave,
0:20:57 > 0:20:59except if he runs away from you, like he did last year.
0:20:59 > 0:21:01But nine times out of ten he's OK.
0:21:03 > 0:21:05BAGPIPES PLAY
0:21:14 > 0:21:17In the months after D-Day,
0:21:17 > 0:21:19the Paras continued the fight to liberate Europe.
0:21:21 > 0:21:24Field Marshal Montgomery came up with a plan
0:21:24 > 0:21:26to end the war by Christmas.
0:21:28 > 0:21:3430,000 Allied troops would be deployed to capture seven bridges behind enemy lines in Holland.
0:21:34 > 0:21:38This would pave the way for Allied tanks to roll into Germany.
0:21:40 > 0:21:45On 17th September, 10,000 British soldiers from 1st Airborne took off.
0:21:45 > 0:21:49Their mission, to take and hold a road bridge on the Rhine at Arnhem.
0:21:53 > 0:21:56The Paras would later re-enact the events of that day
0:21:56 > 0:21:58in the film, Theirs Is The Glory,
0:21:58 > 0:22:01a mixture of drama and documentary.
0:22:03 > 0:22:06EXPLOSIONS
0:22:06 > 0:22:10It shows how the Paras captured the north end of the bridge.
0:22:10 > 0:22:12They then found themselves surrounded
0:22:12 > 0:22:16by two heavily-armoured German Panzer divisions.
0:22:19 > 0:22:20'Everybody expected it to be a doddle,
0:22:20 > 0:22:24'but those people who had been in action before knew different.'
0:22:24 > 0:22:26When the Germans' backs were up against the wall,
0:22:26 > 0:22:31they are pretty resilient.
0:22:31 > 0:22:33'Everyone thought the Germans were on the run,'
0:22:33 > 0:22:37but they can turn on a sixpence.
0:22:38 > 0:22:40And they did.
0:22:44 > 0:22:46People were being cut down left, right and centre.
0:22:46 > 0:22:49There was bodies lying all over the place.
0:22:49 > 0:22:54The First Battalion had run out, virtually run out, of ammunition,
0:22:54 > 0:22:55the grenades were gone.
0:22:55 > 0:22:57There's just no defence against
0:22:57 > 0:23:01a tank firing at point-blank range through the windows of a house.
0:23:04 > 0:23:09The Paras had orders to hold the bridge for 48 hours until ground troops arrived.
0:23:09 > 0:23:13But the ground troops never reached this bridge.
0:23:13 > 0:23:17It has gone down in history as the legendary "Bridge Too Far".
0:23:19 > 0:23:23The Paras managed to hold out for three days and four nights.
0:23:23 > 0:23:27Then the ammunition ran out and they were overwhelmed by the Germans.
0:23:28 > 0:23:32As we got smaller and smaller, we left people
0:23:32 > 0:23:37who must be dead and dying, in the bits we had to get out of.
0:23:39 > 0:23:41'Yes, it was not...'
0:23:41 > 0:23:44Not the happiest day of my life.
0:23:46 > 0:23:49No, no, it was bad.
0:23:54 > 0:24:01Of the 10,000 men who went to Arnhem, only 2,163 made it back.
0:24:01 > 0:24:05The battle of Arnhem's the typical Parachute Regiment ethos.
0:24:05 > 0:24:07It embodies everything we hold dear.
0:24:07 > 0:24:09The guys fought together till the last man.
0:24:09 > 0:24:12They were surrounded, outnumbered, outgunned.
0:24:12 > 0:24:15And still at the end of the day, they managed to hold out for days.
0:24:15 > 0:24:18Arnhem is extremely significant to the Parachute Regiment.
0:24:18 > 0:24:21They were jumping in to the relative unknown with enemy positions
0:24:21 > 0:24:26and kept taking the fight forward to the enemy with aggression, motivation and determination -
0:24:26 > 0:24:28the qualities we aspire to have today.
0:24:28 > 0:24:32Going to ask you some questions now about regimental history.
0:24:32 > 0:24:37Learning regimental history is an essential part of being a modern paratrooper.
0:24:37 > 0:24:39What was the operational name for Arnhem?
0:24:39 > 0:24:41Market Garden, Sir.
0:24:41 > 0:24:45Yes. What was the name of the conflict in the Falkland Islands?
0:24:45 > 0:24:47- Operation Corporate, Sir.- Exactly.
0:24:47 > 0:24:50The history does motivate you on tour,
0:24:50 > 0:24:52because we've got a reputation to live up to.
0:24:52 > 0:24:55The things and people that have gone before us
0:24:55 > 0:24:57and what they accomplished against the odds.
0:24:57 > 0:24:59And it does get them geed up and ready.
0:24:59 > 0:25:01OK listen in.
0:25:01 > 0:25:03Stand at ease!
0:25:04 > 0:25:07Once he shouts out your P Company number, you have to shout out "Sir."
0:25:07 > 0:25:10He'll then tell you if you've passed or failed.
0:25:11 > 0:25:15In Catterick, it's the final day of P Company.
0:25:17 > 0:25:22If you passed, stay where you are, if you fail,
0:25:22 > 0:25:26turn to the right, salute and march off to the rear
0:25:26 > 0:25:29where Corporal Minchell will wait for you there.
0:25:29 > 0:25:34- Number 2.- Sir!- Pass.- Sir!
0:25:34 > 0:25:37- Number 3.- Sir!- Pass.- Sir.
0:25:39 > 0:25:42- Number 14.- Sir!- Pass.- Sir!
0:25:42 > 0:25:46- Number 16.- Sir!- Fail.
0:25:50 > 0:25:53105 started. 59 passed.
0:25:55 > 0:25:58- Congratulations.- Thank you, Sir.
0:25:58 > 0:26:01- Mr Ratcliff. Congratulations. - Thank you, Sir.
0:26:01 > 0:26:04- Welcome to the Parachute Regiment. - Thank you very much.
0:26:05 > 0:26:07- Well done.- Thank you.
0:26:07 > 0:26:12When I put the beret on it was total relief, pride.
0:26:12 > 0:26:15You can feel adrenalin pumping through your body.
0:26:15 > 0:26:17It's something you've wanted for a long time.
0:26:20 > 0:26:22Now I honestly feel the best I've ever felt.
0:26:22 > 0:26:25It's the proudest moment of my life,
0:26:25 > 0:26:27come off the beret parade and received the maroon beret.
0:26:27 > 0:26:30Now we are actually part of the Parachute Regiment
0:26:30 > 0:26:32and we can wear the maroon beret with pride.
0:26:32 > 0:26:35Left, right, left, right...
0:26:42 > 0:26:46Since World War II, the Paras have been one of the most active
0:26:46 > 0:26:48regiments in the British Army.
0:26:48 > 0:26:53From Suez, to the Falkland Islands.
0:26:53 > 0:26:57From Kosovo to Sierra Leone.
0:26:57 > 0:27:02They've been deployed in nearly every British military conflict.
0:27:21 > 0:27:24At Merville Barracks in Colchester the men are receiving
0:27:24 > 0:27:28campaign medals for their latest battle honour - Afghanistan.
0:27:28 > 0:27:29Here to congratulate them,
0:27:29 > 0:27:35the Regiment's colonel in chief, His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales.
0:27:38 > 0:27:42The regiment's Veterans are also present at the parade.
0:27:42 > 0:27:45We come here to support the lads from the regiment,
0:27:45 > 0:27:50cos we've all been through what they've been through before.
0:27:50 > 0:27:54You're never an ex-Para, you're always a Para.
0:27:54 > 0:27:56And when I joined the Paras it changed my life,
0:27:56 > 0:27:58it made me realise I was somebody.
0:27:59 > 0:28:02I'd become a member of the elite and I owe a tremendous
0:28:02 > 0:28:07debt of gratitude to this beret and this cap badge.
0:28:08 > 0:28:12In 1950, just ten years after they were formed,
0:28:12 > 0:28:14Field Marshal Montgomery
0:28:14 > 0:28:18celebrated the Parachute Regiment's special place in the British Army.
0:28:19 > 0:28:22"What manner of men are these who wear the maroon red beret?"
0:28:22 > 0:28:25"They are firstly all volunteers,
0:28:25 > 0:28:28"and are then toughened by hard physical training".
0:28:30 > 0:28:31"They have jumped from the air.
0:28:31 > 0:28:34"And by doing so have conquered fear".
0:28:34 > 0:28:36"They have shown themselves to be as tenacious
0:28:36 > 0:28:40"and determined in defence as they are courageous in attack".
0:28:41 > 0:28:46"They are, in fact, men apart... Every man an Emperor".
0:28:46 > 0:28:48Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd
0:28:48 > 0:28:50E-mail subtitling@bbc.co.uk