In June 1944, the battalion took part in Operation Tonga, the invasion of Normandy on D-Day, and the 6th Airborne Division advance to the River Seine, before being withdrawn back to England.

Later, in March 1945, the battalion took part in the last airborne operation of the war: the River Rhine crossing in Germany.

As a result, the battalion was sent to British Malaya, Singapore and Java to help disarm the Japanese occupiers and restore law and order.

Impressed by the success of German airborne operations during the Battle of France, the then Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Winston Churchill, directed the War Office to investigate the possibility of creating a corps of 5,000 parachute troops.

[2] The standards set for British airborne troops were extremely high, and from the first group of 3,500 volunteers only 500 men were accepted to go forward to parachute training.

[14][16] Airborne soldiers were expected to fight against superior numbers of the enemy, armed with heavy weapons, including artillery and tanks.

Military exercises included capturing and holding airborne bridgeheads, road or rail bridges and coastal fortifications.

[22][23] Dug in around Ranville the battalion was subjected to artillery and mortar bombardments, and sporadic infantry assaults.

Around half of July was spent in the rear areas training as the divisional assault battalion or resting.

German activity was light and the Battalion was employed in carrying out patrols until 13 August when it was once again relieved and went into reserve.

The 13th Battalion followed up the leading elements on 18 August when it crossed the River Dives at Troarn and attacked Putot en Auge.

By 14:15 the whole battalion had entered the town, in the face of heavy resistance which included fire from anti-aircraft guns that were being used in a ground role.

Supported by a troop of Cromwell tanks from the 6th Airborne Armoured Reconnaissance Regiment, the town was secured up to the bridge.

On 2 January 1945, they were ordered to capture the villages of Bure and Grupont supported by the Sherman tanks of the Fife and Forfar Yeomanry.

The village was defended in force and the assault was met with sustained and heavy mortar and machine gun fire, supported by armoured vehicles.

[24] The battalion formed a number of strong points in their half of the village, carried out fighting patrols and fought off four German counterattacks.

The drop zone came under heavy fire from German troops stationed nearby, and was subjected to shellfire and mortaring which inflicted casualties in the battalion rendezvous areas.

[25] The brigade was then ordered to move due east and clear an area near Schnappenberg, as well as to engage German forces gathered to the west of the farmhouse where the 6th Airborne Division Headquarters was established.

After a short rest the brigade's advance began again on 8 April with orders to head for Neustadt and Bordenau to secure crossings over the River Leine.

The 13th Battalion continued the advance into Germany behind the 15th (Scottish) Infantry Division until 30 April when they were ordered to head towards Wismar on the Baltic Sea, arriving just before the lead units of the Red Army.

However, only the advance party of the 5th Parachute Brigade had reached India by the time that the war ended and, as a result, the battalion took no active part in the fighting against the Japanese.

[27] The 13th Battalion, still with 5th Parachute Brigade, were initially deployed to Batavia in Java, where they were placed under the command of the 23rd Indian Infantry Division.

[27] On 13 May 1946, while stationed at Muar Camp Malaya, 255 men refused to obey the commanding officer's orders and were later charged with mutiny.