Airborne Assault

	To go direct to the "Airborne Assault" website ... click here

Airborne Assault Work has started on Airborne Assault, the new Museum of The Parachute Regiment and Airborne Forces, on its new site at the Imperial War Museum (IWM) Duxford. It will also house the ParaData digital archive, as announced in the Sunday Telegraph headline “Paras’ history to be told digitally”. Airborne Assault is a new and unique military attraction, bringing alive the history and modern reality of The Parachute Regiment and Airborne Forces, from the Second World War to the Falklands, Kosovo, the Gulf and Afghanistan. Much of the 68-year history is captured on film and veterans from the D-Day landings and Arnhem are actively involved. Much as Airborne Assault chronicles a proud history since inception by Churchill in 1940, it is also about the present day, and those who are currently in the field “making history” with 16 Air Assault Brigade. The decision to relocate from Aldershot to Duxford was made after an exhaustive review of 17 UK sites. The vision was to go beyond the conventional regimental military museum: not only as fitting tribute to our heritage and an inspiration to those currently serving; but also to meet the varied demands of a wider public at a venue that receives 450,000 visitors annually. Progress on both museum and archive projects is on schedule for opening in late autumn. Our first contractor went on site on 25th February 2008 to start building works to the archive. This centre will include the curator’s office, reading room and library as well as improved archive storage. It will give researchers, historians and authors access to original historic documents in ideal working conditions. The museum collections will be displayed in a dedicated facility within IWM’s AirSpace building. This premier gallery at Duxford houses the historic aviation collection in climate-controlled conditions. The museum will have three walk-through zones, with projection screens and monitors for films, and seating to watch them.
	Additional plans and fundraising are underway to create the final phase of Airborne Assault. The goal is to build a unique stand-alone History of Military Parachuting centre with an Activity Zone, which we expect to construct in 2010. This will be built around The Regiment’s military parachute training programmes and equipment. It will be open to the general public of all ages and abilities, as well as providing teambuilding and motivational training for corporations, professional and amateur sports teams and teamwork programmes aimed at older teenagers and young adults.


	Zone A Will feature today’s Paras, weapons, helicopters and uniforms, their evolution to the present day, and contemporary film of recent and current engagements. A multi-media display will review the history of the parachute, from early sketches by Da Vinci to modern military use, and visitors can experience the weight of a packed ‘chute and other equipment.
	Zone B Covers history since 1940, with seminal actions from World War II, and subsequent operations including Suez, Northern Ireland, Falklands and Kosovo. The World War II displays focus on four original briefing models - Bruneval, Pegasus Bridge, the Normandy Landing and Rhine Crossing.
	Zone C Which will include the roll of honour, will focus on those who have served. Showcases will house medals, citations, pennants, insignia and uniforms of notable figures. In this quieter zone, dedicated In Memoriam, the ParaData touch-screen consoles will also provide the opportunity for visitors to research key figures from Airborne Forces history as well as their own family members.
We are seeking just over £2m for this last key element of the project and every penny is vital to reaching our goal. If you pay income tax, then your donation will qualify for Gift Aid which will increase the value of your gift to us at no extra cost to you. Cheques payable to Airborne Forces Museum can be sent to: Airborne Assault Appeal Office 8 Langside Avenue London SW15 5QT Contact:- Stephen Cooper Stephen.cooper@airborneassault-duxford.com To go direct to the "Airborne Assault" website ... click here Easily accessible, just south of Cambridge at Junction 10 on the M11, the Imperial War Museum Duxford currently attracts over 420,000 visitors a year and is Europe’s premier aviation museum, displaying some 200 aircraft and one of the finest collections of tanks, military vehicles and artillery.
	This short film shows the sort of men who make Airborne Forces what they are – an elite fighting force living up to the motto of The Parachute Regiment – Ready For Anything. Please click here Please note that this file is 6.7Mb so it is best viewed with a broadband connection.

At the personal insistence of Winston Churchill, British Airborne Forces were formed after their capabilities had been demonstrated by the Germans in 1940. Early operations were carried out by volunteers from all regiments and corps. The 1st Parachute Brigade was formed in early September 1941, followed by 1st Airborne Division in October of that year, whilst 6th Airborne Division was formed on 23rd April 1943. Airborne Forces were deployed frequently, in North Africa, Sicily, Italy and most notably, during the invasion of Normandy on D-Day. 1st Airborne Division was to suffer defeat during the ill-fated combined air and ground assault on Arnhem, Operation MARKET GARDEN, whilst 6th Airborne Division was to achieve success in March 1945 during the crossing of the Rhine.