Paratrooper Battalion 263 (Germany)
The German Bundeswehr‘s Paratrooper Battalion 263 (Fallschirmjägerbataillon 263) is one of the three combat battalions of the German Army’s Airborne Brigade 26, which is a part of the Special Operations Division. Paratrooper Battalion 263 is fully airmobile and can act both as air assault infantry or be dropped by parachute into the area of operations.
On 1 April, 1982 the battalion was activated as the third combat battalion of Airborne Brigade 26. Since 1985,Paratrooper Battalion 263 have been based in Zweibrücken as location of its battalion headquarters. The unit temporarily belonged to the multiliteral AMF(L) Brigade. It has taken part in overseas operations since 1993 when large parts of the battalion deployed to Somalia. Since then, Paratrooper Battalion 263 has taken part in numerous operations all over the globe and spent much time in northern Afghanistan, as part of the Kunduz Province Campaign, battling the resurgent Taliban insurgency.
In 2006, the battalion attracted attention when some of its infantrymen were involved in the desecration of an Afghan cemetery. Nonetheless, with four of the nation’s highest awards for gallantry – among other – having been awarded to its members, Paratrooper Battalion 263 is the most decorated unit of the modern German Army. In 2008, the battalion’s 2nd company suffered casualties to the amount of one quarter of its manpower.
