8849 The Paras by Frank Hilton (Ref. UK)

8849 : The Paras, by Frank Hilton

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The Paras, by Frank Hilton, 1983, 1st edition, 248 pages, lots of photos, the story of 480 Platoon who reported to the Parachute Regiment for selection in January 1982. The process, from selection to parachute training, was filmed by a TV crew and was broadcast on BBC.

Both this book and the television series it is based on were planned and started well before the conflict in the Falklands brought the 2nd and 3rd Battalions of the Parachute Regiment so dramatically to the world’s attention. In the summer of 1980 David Harrison, the executive producer, and I met on another project and discovered we had both served in the Airborne Forces during the 1950s. From this came the idea of making a series about the Paras. Our first intention had been to explore the history of airborne warfare as well as featuring the present-day airborne formations in the armies of Britain and other countries. However, by the autumn of 1981, when the Ministry of Defence authorised us to begin filming, we had more or less decided to concentrate on the training of recruits to the Parachute Regiment and relegate the historical and other aspects to a subsidiary role, and this was subsequently confirmed by Bill Jones, who produced the series. In writing the book, however, I have kept rather more closely to the original idea. By interweaving the story of 480 Platoon with a general history of airborne operations, I have tried to give the reader some understanding of the background to what is still a relatively modern form of warfare, and at the same time relate the life of a present-day Para to that of his predecessors.

PRICE: $10

Reference:UK