Para Regiment in Portuguese Colonial War

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The paratroopers apeard as an operational unit in 1955 it was called BCP (Batalhão Caçadores Para-quedistas \ Paratroopers Hunter Battalion) and they were part of the Portuguese Air Force.
They were the first portuguese special trained troops in modern era and were inspired in similar french, US and spanish units.

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In the begining of the war at Angola the first reinforcement was made by paratroopers that were airborne from Lisbon to Luanda. The main battalion (BCP) move to Angola the 1-company (1-CCP) that arrived at 16 March 1961, in April arrived the 2-company and in May the 3-company, the BCP had moved to Angola all their operational sub-units. At the begining of the war the only activity of them were in the north of Angola with long patrols within the jungle in the hope of finding the enemy.
During that time the Portuguese Air Force were organized in Air Regions, the 1-Air Region was responsable for the North Atlantic, the 2-Air Region for the South Atlantic and the 3-Air Region for the Indian Ocean, in April 1964 it was born the 21-BCP (21 because it was the 1-BCP of the 2-Air Region) their barracks were near Luanda, at Belas. The demand for paratroopers increased when the rebels open a new war front in the eastern part of Angola, and one company of 21-BCP becames to be stacioned at Léua or Ninda.
The Paratroopers combat groups were normaly form with 20 or 30 paras with teams of 5 that were heliborne to the operations zone. The big moves were made with the suport of Air Force Nordatlas aircraft.
During the all war at Angola it was made two airborne droops by 21-BCP in 1961, one in the region of Quipedro and the other over the mountain of Canda, oon this method was leave behind because it was inefective, the rebels run away before they could be cought, they reach the conclusion that the helicopter were a better aircraft for Paratroopers operations against rebels.
At the begining of the 70s by influence of Rodhesia it was build in North Angola the Counter-Infiltration Special Center, this center brought a new prespective to how to make war with the use of tracker units to find clues of rebels and then the Paratroopers using Alouette III and Sa-330 Puma helicopters would cut the rebels retreat.
The basic weapons of the Portuguese Paratrooper were US automatic rifle AR-10 Armalite and portuguese made G-3, more heavy weapons were the MG-42, HK-21 and rocket lancher Sneb with 37mm.
During the 13 years of war in Angola the 21-BCP had 5 officers, 9 sargents and 33 privates dead in a total of 47 paratroopers dead in Angola.

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The war in Guiné started in 1963, the 2-military airfield defence was responsability of the Air Police but they were soon reinforced with a pelatoon of 40 Paratroopers from the yet BCP at June 20, together they form the Imediat Defence Detachment of the 2-military airfield. Few time later they were reinforced with dog teams from the Para Regiment (RCP).
In January 1964 the regiment sent another platoon to Guiné, and by the end of the year they would grow to a full company size.
In 1965 the airfield was upgraded to Air Base with the growing of aircrafts in there and the same appended do the paratroopers there, in 1966 it was form the 12-BCP but only near the end of the year did they have the number of troops near of a real batallion, only in this year did the paras start using the small but very efective heliborne combat groups to the combat areas.
The barracks of 12-BCP were inside the 12-Air Base, as an operational batallion it apeard in 3 January of 1967, their first operation was in day 3 of the next month and it was cald "barracuda", it envolve several paratroopers combat groups, suport aircrafts, transport helicopters, 3 LCVP and one LCU.
In 1968 the paratroopers made an assault in Cafine with two companys, they had 5 woundeds against 28 rebels kild and 19 prisioners. The paratroopers and also other special forces like the Army Commandos and the Navy Special Marine Detachments started to stay more in the field to clean wider area because of the enemy pressure in distante units near the borders.
In 1969 the operation "Jove" with 2 companys strong make an ambush to a rebel group that operate rocket lancher of 122mm, it was between 16 and 18 november, after the battle ended they cought a cuban officer, Captain Pedro Rodrigues Peralta, he was part of a military advisers group to help rebels. This capture was very important politicaly because now Portugal coud say that they were fighting forces trained and equiped by comunist countrys.
In 1970 it was made a secret operation against the Republic of Guiné, the objectives were a coup against the government, free the portuguese POW, control of the local radio station, destroy the Migs in the airport, destroy the Torpedo boats in the docks, kill the president of the Republic and the principal figures of the rebel movement. The operation was caled "Mar Verde \ Green Sea" and the main forces were the 1-African Commando Company and the African Special Marine Detachment, along with a few officers, sargents and privates specialy put in this mission, 3 were paratroopers and their mission would be the destruction of the Migs at the capital airport, not all the objectives were possible during the operation, fighters had been moved to another place so they were not destroyed, the POW were rescued, the torpedo boats were sunk or burned, the assassinations failed but the Republic of Guiné army suffer more then 500 deads during the night that this raid long. The 12-BCP had 3 officers, 6 sargents and 47 privates dead, 56 paratroopers dead in Guiné-Bissau.

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In February 1961 it was made the Paratroopers Comand Advanced Detachment (DAC), 2 platoons strong (60 men) being them 2 officers, 6 sargents and 52 privates, the comanding officer of the DAC was a Paratrooper Major.
In 8 May 1961 it was created the 31-BCP in the city of Beira, only in paper because the only paratroopers force there was the DAC, in June 1962 arrived another platoon, by the end of the year the DAC with now 3 platoons were transfered to Nacala.
In 1964 arrived the fourth platoon making the DAC a full company size.
At 5 March 1964 organically the DAC becames the 31-BCP, it was in this year that the war begins in north and east of Mozambique.
The 3-Air Region comand was stationed at the province capital Lourenço Marque actual Maputo, the para company send a platoon to Nacala up north near the war zone that was replace from time to time.
In October 1965 the war in north mozambique becames very intense and one company of the 21-BCP in Angola was transfered to the 31-BCP and in Nacala the platoon would be replace by a full size company, in March 1966 the 31-BCP had now 3 full companys.
The independece of South Rodhesia leed the UK government to make a naval block to Mozambique harbors, with afraid of a military action against the city of Beira that was the harbor closest to Rodhesia, in April 1966 the 31-BCP with his 2 companys in Lourenço Marques would be transfered to Beira near the Air Base n-10 and it was reinforced with another two para companys from 21-BCP of Angola, when this 2 companys returned to Angola the Para Regiment sent another company to Mozambique being now the 31-BCP with 4 companys (one always in Nacala), during 1967 the 31-BCP would have 2 companys in Beira as a rapid reaction force and the other two in the north fighting the rebels.
Near the end of the year one of the companys would be extinguished to complete the numbers of paratroopers of the other 3 para companys, in January was form the 32-BCP in Nacala with one of the 3 companys from 31-BCP in Beira and other company from 21-BCP in Luanda.The opertions of 31- and 32 Para Batallions with 2 companys each were the same the only diference was their operations zone, being 31-BCP in Beira responsable for the East and 32-BCP in Nacala responsable for the North.
In 1969 between 6 and 9 June it was made the most important operation for the paratroopers in Mozambique, it was made by 2 companys (one of each batallion) code name "zeta" it was near the Limpopo region and closed to a swamp area, army forces would go by land from south to north to close the rebels escape and the 2 para companys would make a para drop over the swamps, the drop zone have been previously bombarded by Air Force aircrafts PV-2 and T-6 and the paratroopers carried in Nordatlas and C-47 Dakota, when the paras reach the ground they make a forced march to get out of the swamp in the direction of the Limpopo enemy base in the jungle, they were supported by a gunship helicopter and a Do-27 with the comand post, it was cought in the enemy base one 82mm mortair, 179 Simonov rifles, 59 Spragin automatic weapons, 64 hand granades, 20 traps, 1716 mortair granades, 200.000 bulets, mortair relace peaces, military clothes and documents.
After 1970 the heliborne operation starts to apear more frequently.
The biggest operation of all the war was an operation cald "Nó Gordio" and involved both paratroopers and army units, the assault on the main rebels bases it was used special forces (Paratroopers, Commandos ans Marines) suported by regular army units that would ocupy this bases to releave the special troops to chase the rebels.
The 31-BCP had 2 officers, 6 sargents and 31 privates dead, the 32-BCP had 2 sargents and 16 privates, 57 paratroopers kild in Mozambique.