The French Paratrooper Beret

Perhaps you won’t be arriving by air every time you wear your red paratrooper beret, but perhaps with an air of Faye Dunaway… However, keep in mind that this beret is a symbol of courage and nobility as it is associated to the elite of the French army. It is without any doubt the most common military headgear whose colours vary depending on the military unit you are serving.

The beret’s crown is flat and circular in smooth and felted wool. The inside is decorated with a leather headband that ensures stability. The berets are knitted in their round shape and not assembled - the only cut out pieces are the insignias that the military wear on the right side of the berets. 

It was the British Airforce that implemented the use of the colour amaranth during World War II at the initiative of Boy Browning, Chief of the Air Staff and former student of Eton and the Royal Military Academy.

In 1944, the French paratroopers left their black berets on the side and also started using the amaranth version. Namely, the men of the 2nd Parachute Chasseur Regiment (RCP) wore this beret on November 11, 1944, when they received the Croix de la Libération from the hands of Général Charles de Gaulle. Only the 2nd RCP retained the right to wear the amaranth beret, extended to the SAS demi-brigade (not colonial at that time) in 1946-1947.

In 1951, Jean de Lattre, French military commander, extended the right to use the amaranth beret to all parachutist units serving in Indochina and in 1957, to all metropolitan paratroopers, who previously used to wear a blue beret. Ever since then, the amaranth beret has been worn by all paratrooper units of the Ground Army with exception of the 2^nd Foreign Parachute Regiment, who still wear the green beret of the French Foreign Legion.