Battle Order
'A' Company, 9th Battalion, The Parachute Regiment.
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6th Airborne Order of Battle
Order of Battle
June 6th, 1944
Major General R.N. Gale OBE MC -- Division Commander
Division Headquarters
Parachute Brigades
3rd Parachute Brigade -- Brig. J. Hill DSO MC
-8th Parachute Battalion - (Royal Warwickshire)
-9th Parachute Battalion - (Essex Regiment)
-1 Canadian Parachute Battalion
5th Parachute Brigade -- Brig. N. Poett
-7th Parachute Battalion - (Somerset Lt. Inf.)
-12th Parachute Battalion - (Green Howards)
-13th Parachute Battalion - (S. Lancashire)
A Parachute Battalion's jumping strength was 550 all ranks. It consisted of a HQ Company, a Machine gun platoon, a mortar platoon, and 3 rifle companies. A rifle company numbered five officers and one hundred twenty other ranks. It was organized into a Company HQ and three platoons of 36 men each.
Airlanding Brigade
6th Airlanding Brigade -- Brigadier The Hon. H.K.M. Kindersley MC
-2nd Battalion Ox & Bucks Lt. Inf
-1st Battalion Royal Ulster Rifles
-12th Battalion Devonshire Regiment
In regular army divisions this would be a Tank Brigade. Due to the limitations of equipment for airborne troops this third brigade consisted of glider-borne troops. The battalions were larger than the parachute battalions, and the men carried more heavy weapons. In addition, more Anti-Tank and support units were attached to this brigade.
An Airlanding Battalion's strength was approximately 800 all ranks. It consisted of a HQ company ,which included a recce platoon and a pioneer platoon, 4 rifle companies, and a support (heavy weapons) company. Each rifle company had 6 officers and 150 other ranks. It consisted of a company HQ, 4 platoons of 36 men each, and a section of (2) 3 inch mortars.
Divisional Troops
-22nd Independent Parachute Company, (Pathfinders)
-6th Airborne Armoured Recconaissance Regiment
-53rd Airlanding Light Regiment, Royal Artillery
-2nd Forward Observation Unit (Airborne) RA
-3rd Airlanding Anti-tank Batteries, RA
-4th Airlanding Anti-tank Batteries, RA
-6th Airlanding Anti-Tank Batteries, Ra
-2nd Airlanding Light Anti-Aircraft Battery, RA
-6th Airborne Divisional Signals
-3rd Parachute Squadron, RE
-591st Parachute Squadron, RE
-249th Field Company, RE
-224th Parachute Field Ambulance, RAMC
-225th Parachute Field Ambulance, RAMC
-195th Airlanding Field Ambulance, RAMC
-6th Airborne Provost Company
-317th Field Security Section (Airborne) Intelligence Corps
-Glider Pilot Regiment
9th Battalion:
Organization and Muster
HQ Company
Officer Commanding - Lt. Col. Terence Otway
2 i/c Major Eddie Charlton
Adjutant - Captain Hal Hudson
Asst. Adjutant - Lieutenant Dennis Slade
L/C Wilson (Otway's Batman)
A Company
Officer Commanding - Major Alan Parry
Company Sergeant Major - CSM Jack Harries
Sgt. F Dorkins
Cpl Doug Tottle-medical orderly
Pte. Adsett (Maj. Parry's Batman)
Pte. J Baty
Pte. Gordon Newton
Pte. T Tugwell
Pte. Emil Corteil (KIA)
Paradog - "Glen" (KIA)
B Company
Officer Commanding - Captain Harold Bestley
2 i/c Lieutenant the Hon. Paul Greenway
Lt. Halliburton
Pte. RJ Abel
Pte. J Rafter
C Company
Officer Commanding - Major Ian Dyer
Cpl R Ferguson (Medical Orderly)
Pte. Joe Hughes (Mortar Platoon)
Pte. W. Johnson
Mortar Platoon
Officer Commanding - Lieutenant Peters
Sgt. Hennessy
Machine Gun Platoon
Sgt. P McGeever
Cpl Jim McGuiness
Pte. Fenson
Pte. William (Bill) Russell
Medical Officer - Captain "Doc" Watts
Battalion Padre - Rev. John Gwinett
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