Editing Paratrooper (section)

===France===
[[File:French sas north africa 1943.jpg|left|thumb|Members of the [[1st Marine Infantry Parachute Regiment]] during the Second World War ([[Free French]] SAS)]]

Constant "Marin" Duclos was the first [[French people|French]] soldier to execute a parachute jump on November 17, 1915. He performed 23 test and exhibition parachute drops without problems to publicise the system and overcome the prejudice [[aviator]]s had for such life-saving equipment.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ejection-history.org.uk/project/live_tests.htm |title=Live Tests |publisher=Ejection-history.org.uk |access-date=2014-02-25 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150106001851/http://www.ejection-history.org.uk/PROJECT/live_tests.htm |archive-date=2015-01-06 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

In 1935, Captain Geille of the [[French Air Force]] created the Avignon-Pujaut Paratroopers Schools after he trained in [[Moscow]] at the Soviet Airborne Academy. From this, the French military created two combat units called ''Groupes d’Infanterie de l’Air''.

Following the [[Battle of France]], General [[Charles de Gaulle]] formed the 1re Compagnie d’Infanterie de l’Air in September 1940 from members of the [[Free French forces]] who had escaped to [[UK|Britain]]. It was transformed into the Compagnie de Chasseurs Parachutistes in October 1941. By June 1942, these units were fighting in Crete and [[Cyrenaica]] alongside the British [[Special Air Service|1st SAS Regiment]]. As part of the [[Special Air Service Troops|SAS Brigade]], two independent French SAS units were also created in addition to the other French Airborne units. They operated until 1945.

[[File:1er CEPML.jpg|thumb|Members of the [[1st Foreign Parachute Heavy Mortar Company]] in Indochina]]
In May 1943, the ''1er Régiment de Chasseurs Parachutistes'' was created from the 601e Groupe d'Infanterie de l'Air in [[Morocco]] and the 3e and 4e Bataillons d'Infanterie de l'Air (BIA) in [[England]] in the [[Special Air Service]]. The 2e and 3e Régiments de Chasseurs Parachutistes followed in July 1944.
During the [[Operation Overlord|Invasion of Normandy]], French Airborne forces fought in [[Brittany]], ([[Operation Dingson]], [[Operation Samwest]]). The first Allied soldier to land in France was Free French SAS Captain Pierre Marienne who jumped into Brittany ([[Plumelec]], [[Morbihan]]) on June 5 with 17 [[Free French]] paratroopers. The first Allied soldier killed in the liberation of France was Free French SAS Corporal Emile Bouétard of the ''4e Bataillon d’Infanterie de l’Air'', also in Brittany in Plumelec: June 6, 0 h 40. Captain Pierre Marienne was killed on July 12 in Plumelec. French SAS paratroopers also fought in the [[Loire Valley]] in September 1944, in [[Belgium]] on January, and in [[Netherlands]] in April 1945. The 1er Régiment Parachutiste de Choc carried out operations in [[Operation Dragoon|Provence]].

[[File:VBL RHP Afghanistan.JPG|thumb|[[Véhicule Blindé Léger|VBL]] (armoured light vehicle) of the [[1st Parachute Hussar Regiment]] in Afghanistan]]

After [[World War II]], the post-war French military of the [[Fourth Republic (France)|Fourth Republic]] created several new airborne units. Among them were the ''Bataillon de Parachutistes Coloniaux'' (BPC) based in [[Arrondissement of Vannes|Vannes-Meucon]], the Metropolitan Paratroopers, and the Colonial Paratroopers and ''Bataillons Étrangers de Parachutistes'' ([[French Foreign Legion]]), which coexisted until 1954. During the [[First Indochina War]], a Bataillon Parachutiste Viet Nam was created (BPVN) in southeast Asia. In total, 150 different airborne operations took place in Indochina between 1945 and 1954. These included five major combat missions against the [[Viet Minh]] strongholds and areas of concentration.

When the French [[Operation Passage to Freedom|left Vietnam]] in 1954, all airborne battalions were upgraded to regiments over the next two years. Only the French Air Force's Commandos de l'Air (Air Force) were excluded. In 1956, the 2e Régiment de Parachutiste Coloniaux took part in the [[Suez Crisis]].

Next, the [[French Army]] regrouped all its Army Airborne regiments into two parachute divisions in 1956. The 10th parachute division (''10e Division Parachutiste'', 10e DP) came under the command of General [[Jacques Massu]] and General Henri Sauvagnac took over the 25th Parachute Division (''25e Division Parachutiste'', 25e DP). Again the Commandos de l'Air were kept under command of the Air Force.

By the late 1950s, in [[Algeria]], the [[National Liberation Front (Algeria)|FLN]] had launched its [[Algerian War|War of Independence]]. French paratroopers were used as counter insurgency units by the French Army. This was the first time in airborne operations troops used helicopters for [[air assault]] and [[fire support]].

But in the aftermath of the [[Algiers putsch]], the 10e and 25e Parachute divisions were disbanded and their regiments merged into the Light Intervention Division (''Division Légère d'Intervention''). This division became the 11th Parachute Division (''11e Division Parachutiste'', 11e DP) in 1971.

In the aftermath of the [[Cold War]], the French Army reorganised and the 11e DP become the 11th Parachute Brigade in 1999.