The 156 Parachute Battalion's first combat experience was during Operation Slapstick in Italy. The operation was carried out by the 1st Airborne Divisions,
2nd and 4th Parachute Brigades. The battalion sailed from
Bizerta on 8 September 1943. The
landings at Taranto were unopposed, the Italians surrendering the night before. The 156 Battalion and the 10th Parachute Battalion together captured the town and airfield of
Gioia, and in November 1943 the battalion was withdrawn to England.
Arnhem September 1944. The 156 Parachute Battalion and the rest of the 4th Parachute Brigade landed to the west of Arnhem on the second day of the battle 18 September 1944. Their objective was to hold a position on the high ground north of Arnhem at
Koepel. With the 156 Parachute Battalion leading on the right followed by the 10th Battalion on the left. By dawn the following day the battalion was just north of the Utrecht to Arnhem railway line. When they came under attack from German
88 mm guns. Both battalions were ordered to start an assault on the position at 07:00. After repeated attacks the battalion got no further forward. The defenders from the
9th SS Panzer Division had been here for two days and were well dug in. The German position included infantry,
self propelled guns and
armoured cars. The battalion started to pull back over the rail line but in the confusion of the withdrawal no orders had been given about where they were to go once south of the rail line. Most of 'B' and 'Support' Companies headed towards
Wolfheze while the rest of the battalion headed towards Oosterbeek, the two parts of the battalion were never reunited. The units in Wolfheze and the remnants of the 10th Parachute Battalion now prepared to defend the village. Casualties had continued to mount including the
commanding officer Lieutenant-Colonel Richard des Voeux and the second in command who were both killed on 20 September. The German tactics were to bombard the British positions with tank and mortar fire. The remnants of the battalion were withdrawn into the perimeter formed by the division around Oosterbeek. By 21 September pressure from the German attacks had squeezed the perimeter to less than across. On 22 September the bulk of the
1st Polish Parachute Brigade were dropped south of the river. This drew off some of the Germans from around the divisional perimeter to confront the new threat. The defenders now had to cope with over 100 German artillery guns firing onto their positions. By 23 September the battalions position was subjected to constant mortar and artillery fire and incursions by tanks and infantry were becoming more and more frequent. Casualties forced a contraction of the perimeter but first the Germans had to be evicted from the houses behind them which they were to occupy. On 24 September the decision was made by
Lieutenant General Horrocks commander
XXX Corps to withdraw what was left of the division south of the Rhine. The remnants of the battalion were evacuated over the night of 25/26 September. During the battle of Arnhem the battalion's casualties were, 98 dead, 68 were evacuated and 313 became
prisoners of war. The casualties sustained were never replaced and the battalion was disbanded after the battle. ==Notes==