The Sixty-third Paratroop Brigade is intended for special reconnoitering and diversionary operations in an enemy's operative-strategic depth. When the competence of the 63rd Paratroop Brigade members is analysed, the point to underscore is the safety coefficient of parachutist training, a parameter which, in spite of several tens of thousands of dives made in the last 15 years, is by far better than the comparable safety indices for parachute units of the world's most powerful armies. This speaks for the supreme training standards and competence of the parachutists and a high degree of safety in training, which confirms that an iron work discipline, excellent abilities of officers - parachute instructors, highest-quality psycho-physical and expert coaching of the men, thorough checkups and perfect condition of parachute accessories, outstanding morale of each individual and exemplary military collectives, precede the highest peacetime professional risk.

In addition to being a highest-rank combat unit of this type in the Army of Serbia and Monte Negro, the 63rd Paratroop Brigade is a unique "military school of parachuting". The paras are training experts on land also; they have an excellent knowledge of the mountain and its whims, of the plains, rivers and lakes, inhabited areas, communications and facilities of particular importance, in short, all the situations they may find themselves in both in peace and potential war. Sorties behind enemy front lines - reconnoitering and diversions - are their trademark.
In all postwar crises, the 63rd Paratroop Brigade has always been the first, with the highest degree of combat readiness. In the course of armed conflicts in the territory of the former SFR Yugoslavia, the Brigade carried out all the assignments honourably, protecting all airports it had been detached to. During the 1999 NATO war on Yugoslavia, the members of the 63rd Brigade fought bravely with the KLA terrorists in Kosovo and Metohija, but also with diversionary detachments attempting raids from Albania on the territory of Yugoslavia. The 63rd Brigade paras particularly excelled themselves in the defence of the Yugoslav-Albanian border posts, where a number of our unit members were killed or wounded.
The Brigade carries out an average of about 6000 parachute dives and trains three generations of troops annually. It participates in tactical corps- and army-level live-ammunition drills. The 63rd Paratroop Brigade members have the best infantry materiel and weapons in the Army of Serbia and Monte Negro. They are armed with the Yugoslav-made 7.62-mm and 6.56-mm caliber submachine guns, 5.56-mm South African automatic rifles, 7.62-mm, 7.9-mm and 12.7-mm caliber snipers, 7.62-mm machine guns and various types of pistols and revolvers of their own choice. Of the heavier weapons, the 63rd Paratroop Brigade has at its disposal Yugoslav-made grenade-launchers, bazookas, hand rocket-launchers also of domestic make, the "Bumblebee" armour-piercing rocket system, and the 60-mm and 82-mm light mortars.The Yugoslav parachutists are basically an infantry unit, but can, in case of need, use jeeps carried from place to place by the Mi-8 helicopters or the An-26 aircraft. When necessary, they can also use 76-mm B-1 hill canons, also transportable by air. Otherwise, the 63rd Paratroop Brigade uses standard, Yugoslav-made military parachutes, but its strike units also have the "wing"- type parachutes used for silent gliding and approach to target. Quite a number of unit members are excellent civilian sports parachutists.

The unit distinguishes itself by a high degree of loyalty of its former and present members.

History

Brigade was formed in Sabac, on February 5, 1953. In March, 1954, 63rd brigade was dislocated in Novi Sad. By the order of the General staff of the Yugoslav People's Army, in the end of 1959, 63 parachute brigade was broken up into three autonomous parachute battalions: 159th parachute battalion stationed in Skoplje, 127th parachute battalion - Batajnica and 148th parachute battalion - Cerklje.

1964 in Nis, 159th and 127th parachute battalion formed parachute training center. On December 5, 1967 63rd parachute brigade was re-established out of parachute training center, and 148th brigade. Since then, 63rd brigade was stationed in Nis.

46 soldiers of the 63rd brigade were killed during the parachute jumps, or while performing other tasks.

Creed of the 63rd brigade is:

За отаџбину, за друга, за пушку, за војничку и ратничку част падобранци 63. падобранске бригаде - РАДЕ !!!

For country, for brother in arms, for rifle, for soldier's and warrior's honor, soldiers of the 63rd parachute brigade - ARE WORKING !!!

External links

Vets site