Timeline

Key figures

Origin and history

The museum-memorial of paratroopers, located in Lons in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques, was officially established in 1984. It originated in the hall of honour of the Airborne Troops School, inaugurated in 1964. This museum traces the history of French military paratroopers, from their creation in 1937 to their current commitments. It expanded between 1994 and 1997, becoming a place of memory and transmission.

The museum is organized into five thematic paintings, each illustrating a key period of airborne troops, from the pioneers of the First World War to contemporary external operations (Kolwezi, Lebanon, Bosnia, etc.). The exhibitions mix equipped mannequins, weapons, vehicles and photographic archives, accompanied by explanatory videograms. A central crypt honours the dissolved units and soldiers who died in combat, a space present since the creation of the hall of honour in 1964.

Managed with the support of the Society of Friends of the Museum of Parachutists (SAMParas), an association of volunteers founded in 2013 and recognized as of general interest since 2018, the museum is both a place for studying and disseminating the spirit of defense. It welcomes researchers, teachers and the general public, offering a working room and temporary exhibitions. His collections are enriched with works by artists such as Brayer or Le Zach的meur, and highlight current technical know-how, such as special forces or mine clearance.

The museum embodies the doctrine and identity of the French airborne troops, originally inspired by Soviet methods reported by Colonel Geille after the Kiev manoeuvres in 1935. It covers significant episodes, such as the creation of French SAS during the Second World War, commitments in Indochina and Algeria, or recent peacekeeping missions. Its role is to preserve the memory of contemporary conflicts while illustrating the evolution of equipment and tactics.

Finally, the museum aims to be a bridge between military personnel and the general public, presenting both a technical and a human history. Visitors discover the spirit of paratroopers, their training at the Airborne Troop School, and their adaptation to modern challenges, through immersive staging and accessible documents on site.

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