Red Devils (Parachute Regiment)
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The Red Devils are the British Parachute Regiment's display team. As with the rest of the regiment, they wear a distinctive maroon beret. All volunteers, the Red Devils are regular serving paratroopers drawn from the three Battalions of the Parachute Regiment.
The team was formed on 1st January 1964 by Major-General Glyn Gilbert, who was then Regimental Colonel of The Parachute Regiment, and in 1979 was officially declared the British Army's parachute display team. The team actually comprises 2 display teams of 10 men, each with a cameraman who records each performance.
The distinctive maroon beret of the Parachute Regiment was first worn by the men of the Regiment when it went into action in North Africa in November 1942. The officers and men of the 1st Parachute Brigade, wearing this beret, were nicknamed the "Red Devils" by their German adversaries, in admiration of their fighting qualities. The Germans had good reason to dread its appearance on the field of battle. The present day "Red Devil" is a highly skilled, professional career soldier.
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