Iain Mac

I know there are some military bods on here, and I know that whatever side of the fence you are on will probably dictate your answer but...

A girl I work with is married to a Para and she really believes that Royal Marines really want to be good enough to join the Paras.

I kind of think that both units are the best in their respective service and don't think that someone serving in either one would rate the other higher than their own unit.

Surely someone in both teams would only ever aspire to join the SAS rather than the "competition"?

KSA-Cossie

iTrader: (4)

SAS top dogs imo.

Big G

I know an ex marine and a lad who now trains Para's and does pre SAS training (the training to get to the grade to apply for the SAS if you get my drift)
They bost harp on about who is better but I think there is a great deal of mutual respect knowing they are the DB's in their respective fields.

They both recently did the Toughguy challenge in Wolverhampton the other week,
I asked 1 of em "Did you win"
"Did I fuck, it took me 20 minutes to cross the start line"
G - "Where did **** end up"
"If he had any brains the pub at lunchtime"

pollocks

from what i can gather the marines are the top dogs

KnoxyGtt

Both are just as good as each other although the royal marines training is regarded is a little tougher but the end test for a para is called P company and the test alone is harder then any of the marines training up untill that point

Its very uncommen for a marine to join the sas, the almost always will opt for the sbs

Both units hate each other lmao with a passion

And both units are pretty much thought to be the the best non special forceses regiments in the world, the british army on a hole is regarded as the best army in the world that lack man power and up untill not that long ago good weapones

Although the Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders of the royal reg of scotland seem to think they are the best Conventional regiment in the british army and probably the world

Psycho Warren

iTrader: (5)

Marines are better all round unit.

The marines do the hard training for a reason... the paras do it because they are sadists!!

Plus many booties go on to get basic parachute wings which makes them more trained than paras as they then work in all environments and can be deployed from land sea and air!!

kosman

my ex missus dad was a ex marine,the sheer size of him was imtindating,i worked with a lad who's brother got kicked out of the marines,he was a fooking nutter.

andyt

iTrader: (1)

if you do the training for the Marines and pass you get the famous marine dagger then you only need to do your jumps to get your wings, which the Para`s train on there course for, after doing there P-company. 2 very different but hard courses.

Both great, highly tuned and very motavaited (sp) infantry units which specialise in different roles and i take my hat off to any one who is in or wants to join either!

erjones

I know a few Paras and Marines, non of them i would piss off but would def say the Marines are the better ones, plus im sure more go to the SBS then the SAS

RC4

SBS i heard about them when my mate,did 9 years in army wanted something to do at the weekend so joined royal marines version of t.a,he said they where training in the mersey in liverpool in november fook that

Big G

I used to call a bloke who was in the TA Mr SAS, Saturdays and Sundays

dovboy

my wifes dad was in the marines up untill 3 yrs ago.

he started up a pest control buisness in cyprus..i'm sure its cos he still felt the urge to kill

Shings

My Brother is a marine - he's been in 2 years following 16months basic training as he broke his ankle during it.

He went to the Recruitment office on the Ramp in Brum and said he wanted to be in the best and they said Marines then....

Following which they laughed at him - gave him a little card and told him to fuck off and
come back in 18months when he had life experience ( he was 23 )and could do the stuff on the card.

He then went on a 3 day selection in which they picked 12 from 68 to go on the Basic training.

He would come home for a weekend from basic training not know what year or day it was and looking like he hadn't slept for 8 weeks.

Recruits are expelled as they carry out the training if they dont meet the grade at certain points - this happens every tuesday as they have several troops training at a time- after week 8 or 9 the Army will take them with no further training and actually stand outside the barracks in Exeter to recruit them as they leave - this is due to Marine training being vastly more difficult and accelerated compared to 'Army Pussies'.

(You would not suggest to my bro he is in the army- you would likely to hit the floor quickly)

Before my brother became a Marine he was hard as nails, alcoholic, agressive, abusive and incredibly short tempered.

He is now... harder than nails and highly trained with it and has beer for blood he is 10x as agressive and talks in a language no one else understands and completely physcotic... he is however slightly more controlled.

Knowing what he went through and how proud I am of him (despite him being a complete CUNT) I am extremely biased towards Marines being the best and hardest.

Alan_D

The Royal Marines are thought of as a bit of a step up(although not really comparable anyway), but obviously that's a generalisation and both make great soldiers. Getting into the RM or Paras is not just about being fit: people already in the forces will tell you this. Whatever your fitness level, you'll be pushed well past it in training and only the people that can push through that will get anywhere. Only a small percentage of the population could do either.

Then on from that are the Special Forces. It really does take a hell of a lot to get there, bordering on impossible. There will be countless times where they are given a task in selection that seems impossible, only to be given another one on completion that seems even more unachievable. In this way the selection process really does only leave those with the strongest will to get things done. Only a very small percentage of RMs and Paras can get there(just using the above as an example, as you can apply from all sorts of roles within the armed forces).

The macho bullshit that's banded about regarding the SAS now seems to conveniently give cover to the SBS, who carry out countless operations without any of them ever being heard about. They are not persued by the media to the same degree.

These guys do it for some reason only known to themselves. Don't forget that Special Forces never get to parade about the streets; they never get to shout about their medals or show off. That in itself says something about these guys.

Conor Harrington

im soon to join the paras
so a little biased there are alot more paras then marines because of the roles that undertake so are very hard to compare both do very important roles. in my case they both have the same respect and it comes down to general banter and peopels minds

Shings

As the advert says 99.99% need not apply, having followed my brother through the process and watching him pass out and seeing it all I truly believe that this is the case.

mechanic28

iTrader: (5)

marines have the longest basic training of any professional armed forces regiment in the world!30 weeks i seem to remember??compared to the paras 26 weeks

The marines can do everything the paras can do,but the marines will also carry out beach landings etc,which are the hardest most dangerous of them all!

Same goes for the sbs compared to the sas!sbs is alot more secretive!dont think they even have a regimental badge?

snoopaloopa

iTrader: (3)

Yeah they have, its like a vertical roman short sword over a couple of blue waves, sorry but thats the best I can do until i find a link to one

Alan_D

Twellsie

iTrader: (1)

my dad was a marine,

para para, in the sky, living proof that shit can fly

sbd16v

sbs is where its at

bigchez

My manager at work is an ex-para and is an all around cunt with proper short-man syndrome if that helps.

Pushrod

iTrader: (17)

Who won the race into Port Stanley in '82?

muz

Para training is 28 weeks and is regarded as the hardest selection process behind special forces and snipers. You could argue that marines is as hard/harder but the training itself is so different you can't really compare it. There's alot of competition between the two but I've gone out on plenty of piss ups with Paras and Marines together and it's mostley banter. Paras generally go to SAS marines to SBS but it's much of a muchness. I'm due to start Para training in June.

Markb_s1

tell it to my little brother... he was in the TA and ended up in Iraq attached to 2 para for 2 years!

came back a changed man.

Ali C

I was a bootneck and would have to say I had a great time the trg was hard very hard the marines cover al aspects of attack from mountai trg to artic trg and weapons so I wouldhave to say it the M A R I N E S for me

tabetha

The paras don't exist they are 16 air assault brigade based in colchester.
Someone I know did 28 years first qualifying 8 years in 3 para, he was senior NCO, training is about the same, reality is not as they are very different jobs, both can do each others roles but not to thier best as they haven't dedicated to that role.
Paras consistently outshoot Marines, but then their role needs them to be that much better, my known person was skill at arms instructor, amongst other things, paras are VERY often attached to the SAS on missions,
Paras also do beach landings, as do of course SAS, only 1 in 160 succeed to be at Herefordshire Barracks, sas receive standard army pay according to rank etc, all sas/paras can piss marine/sbs training, but not other way around you'd be amazed at some famous people in/been in the SAS whose training is surprisingly technical in certain roles, SAS also have weapons of choice policy, not officially of course.
SAS are seriously dedicated people, one told my mate to fuck off or get blown up, a little time ago, my mate is a captain who got spoken to by a corporal, they then conducted live fire exercises on salisbury plain even though the area had been booked for a massive tank exercise, a few days later a mission was carried out somewhere.

Iain Mac

So do Paras ever leave to join the Marines, or vice versa?

Her main argument was that guys in the Marines would love to join the Paras, and I just don't believe that would be the case - I think that, quite apart from any technical skill or mental/physical strength, etc, their loyalty to their own unit/service would stop that thought ever happening.

Shings

Shame my bro is either off with the pirates or somet like that otherwise I'd text him and ask his opinion.

He'd prob reply well I didn't become a fuckin para did I you cunt.

Which is good enough for me.

muz

The Paras is split into 4 battalians. 1 Para are THE Special Forces Support Group officially, although I think Marines do assist also. 2 and 3 ar the regular units and 4 are the reserves. Also IIRC only 2 and 3 Para are based in Colchester. Not 1 para.

I was out just before x mas with my cousin and a few mates (1 Para lads) and they are with some Marines and the general consensus was if your a good swimmer join the marines if your just mad as fuck join the Paras.

Rsmat

iTrader: (2)

well thats changed in the last 18months because it was 2 para that was "JSF" when i left.

Alan_D

That's the biggest load of shite I've ever read. You're obviously not very well informed. All SAS/Paras can piss SBS training? The initial selection process for UK Special Forces is the same for both. Then, the few people who make it through and are joining the SAS are given their berets and join a squadron, whereas potential SBS candidates undergo further selection.

If anything, becoming operational as part of the SBS could be classed as slightly more difficult, although I'm sure there's no point trying to work that out, as both are the best the UK has to offer.

Psycho Warren

iTrader: (5)

They recieve standard pay AND Specialist Service Pay.
see alanD's comment
Of course officially. SF have weapons budgets slightly differently allocated to regular forces and are allocated calibres they can be equiped with and choose which weapons they want within budgetry constraints. The list of calibres is as diverse as thier roles and hence in practice they can have any weapon on the market.

Nash

iTrader: (3)

Fucking me there's some shite being spouted on here, and some of it by people who should actually have a clue what there on about!

Why does one have to be better than the other? People will allways say oh the Marines are better or Para's are better etc etc.

I have my feelings on the subject and you could go on for Hrs about it. There's more to who's better at there specific job! You should look at who can work best with other units, forces and there ability to improve by taking stuff on board and changing to get better. If your to big headed and belive everything you do is perfect how can you improve?

There both superb at there job, i just have my opinion on who's the better all round tbh.

Oh and for the Record no one pisses SF selection!

Iain Mac

I should have known this would become about which is better than the other, but I just wanted to find out if anyone ever moved from one to the other, or aspired to make the move, not which one everyone thought was best!

I'm certainly not about to start an argument with either - they are all trained killers FFS!

Rsmat

iTrader: (2)

when i did my P company we had 3 liverpool lads that had jacked the marines in to come join the para`s.

fish99

I have loads of Ex paras and Marines where I work. The banter that goes on between them is excellent..its non stop piss taking.

Only two things fall from the sky..Birdshit and Paras etc.

Mutual respect to all of them really.. I havent done either of the courses but I definatly take my hat of to those who have.

Does anyone know where this rivalary stems from? Obviously there was the race to Stanley during the Falklands.

danneth

muz

It's 1 PARA now. I was under the impression it has always been 1 Para.
It's made up of 1 Para and F Company Marines and is based in Cardiff, not Colechester like 2-3 Para, which you'll know Matt, just others might not.

From what Paras and Marines have personally me it's not a hatred of each other. Just they are trained to be the best of the best and when fully trained in their respectuive feilds they are, just when they come togther theres competition.

Also they have the Anual Para vs.Marines rugby match....which the Paras currently hold the title for

Big G

From what I see from being with my mates its just job banter gone wrong in the wrong peoples heads,
Like when they call a frontline fighter pilot friend a ponce, but they all want a go at his job


Any of you lads based at Colchester?