Pathfinders (PF), from 16 Air Assault Brigade, and the Fallschirmspezialzege (FSZ) of Luftlandebrigade 1, joined forces for Exercise Deep Infil, a parachuting masterclass in Portugal, according to a press release from the British Army.

The two units specialise in high altitude parachuting to discreetly insert behind enemy lines and set the conditions for further operations - a role defined by the Pathfinders’ motto ‘first in’. The key role of both PF and FSZ is to find and mark drop zones and landing zones where the main body of troops can be parachuted or landed by helicopter or aircraft.

Nine days of training at Aeródromo Militar de Tancos, near Lisbon, saw the British and German troops parachute together, jumping from a Luftwaffe A400M transport aircraft flying at 12,000ft. Planning and carrying out the jumps built an understanding of each other’s tactics and techniques for day and night parachute operations.

A PF troop commander said: “It’s been a fantastic opportunity to work with Fallschirmspezialzege, who have almost identical roles and capabilities to Pathfinders. What we both do is reliant on our specialist airborne insertion skills, of which parachuting is one, and what better way to start our relationship is there than practising how we would deploy on an operation?

“Working with soldiers from a different army is always valuable because looking at the slight differences in equipment and procedures is a chance to consider and refine what we do. By training together, we are building our understanding of how we each work to be better prepared for any future operations together.”

An FSZ officer said: “Soon after the Defence Ministers decided that the German-British military cooperation should come closer together, our Pathfinder comrades from Britain and the German Fallschirmspezialzuege do parachute training together. There is no better possibility to bond than doing jumps together. We are really looking forward to deepening our relationship, firstly by hosting the Pathfinders in Germany to visit our assessment and selection course.”