1st Canadian Parachute Battalion - Recruitment and Training

Recruitment and Training

Due to very high standards and an alarming dropout rate, the members of the Battalion were the elite of Canadian Soldiers. The screening process for possible candidates was extreme and further grading systems were put into place to ensure that the finest were kept.

A – Outstanding

B – Superior

C – Average

D – Inferior but acceptable

E – Rejected

Only men who fell under the "A" category were kept for airborne training. That was 20% of the original volunteers. The training was separated into 4 separate stages labelled “A”, “B”, “C”, and “D”.

“A” stage consisted of a series of gruelling exercises including Jiu-Jitsu and other hand to hand combat classes. Candidates were given the permission to quit at this point. The "A" stage was a way of weeding out men who were unfit to be a paratrooper.

“B” stage saw the highest percentage of dropouts. It consisted of a series of landing exercises and also included “the man breaker” which was a thirty-two foot high structure used to practice plane exit drills.

“C” stage was done using a 250 foot high tower to perform parachuting drills and important life saving techniques.

“D” stage was the final step of the training. Soldiers had to complete 5 successful jumps from an airborne plane to successfully pass and become a Canadian Paratrooper.