11.09.2020.

Heroic 63rd and decorated 72nd Brigades were given back the status they deserve

By the decision of the President of the Republic of Serbia and the Supreme Commander of the Serbian Armed Forces, the elite units of the Serbian Armed Forces – the 63rd Parachute Brigade and the 72nd Special Operations Brigade were finally given back the status of a brigade this year, as well as decorations that the members of these units earned numerous times by devotedly defending their homeland and standing where no one else dared stand.

The 63rd Parachute Brigade dates back to the founding of the First Parachute Battalion, formed with the Allies’ help on 14th October 1944.

The advantages of paratrooper units and the training that they conduct led to the forming of the 63rd Parachute Brigade in Niš in 1967, which was significantly different from the previous paratrooper units, especially in its reconnaissance and airborne training. From an airborne unit, the 63rd Brigade developed into a special parachute brigade, and thanks to successful execution of a number of peacetime and war tasks, as well as the superb training of its members, this brigade took a prestigious place among the special units of the Serbian Armed Forces.

The 63rd Parachute Brigade was awarded the Order of the People’s Hero in 1999 for the displayed courage and heroic acts in the execution of combat tasks.

Due to organisational changes in 2006, the 63rd Parachute Brigade was practically disbanded and reorganised into the 63rd Parachute Battalion subordinate to the newly formed Special Brigade. The historic injustice of reducing the heroic brigade to a battalion-level unit and punishing it for its glorious past should never have happened.

Thanks to the current state and military leadership which was aware that Serbia needed strong, trained, equipped and highly mobile units in keeping with national security and defence strategies, the 63rd Parachute was reinstated - it became a brigade again and it was presented with a war flag in June this year by the Supreme Commander of the Serbian Armed Forces, Aleksandar Vučić, as a symbol of freedom, honour and Serbian dignity.

Continuous investment and improvement of the standard of living, equipping and training of the members of the 63rd Parachute Brigade, are the best way to show that work, commitment and sacrifices made in the defence of the fatherland are recognized, esteemed and respected.

This year, members of the 63rd Parachute Brigade also received new uniforms that play an important role in the execution of special tasks. Drawing on their experience, the end users themselves were involved for the first time in designing new scout, commando and paratrooper uniforms.

The new uniform, compared to the pervious M-10, provides better protection in extreme weather, because protection of the body against adverse weather is of the utmost importance for paratroopers and scouts, as well as the freedom of movement and the ability to react swiftly. New uniform sets consist of 26 items compatible with the rest of the battle equipment and weapons.

Also, due to the procurement of new parachutes and modern equipment, the training of the 63rd parachute brigade in cooperation with the Air Force and Air Defence units intensified. The recently performed drops from great altitudes (over 4,000 meters), as well as more than 30 kilometre-long parachute overflights are segments of that training.

This year, after almost 30 years, a water jump was performed, which is a great step forward in paratrooper training. The training in night jumps has also been intensified, and night overflights are also performed. Thanks to the purchase of Mi-17 transport helicopters, the transport and airborne capacities have been expanded.

Thanks to all the above, the teams of the 63rd Parachute Brigade are trained to carry out tasks of the utmost importance and are highly motivated to help their country and their people in the best possible way.