MOZAMBIQUE Paratrooper Special Group parachute wing, old

One horizontal pin on the reverse.

The Paratrooper Special Groups or GEP (Grupos Especiais Paraquedistas in Portuguese) were small military units of platoon size, set up from 1968 to 1974 by the Portuguese Armed Forces in Mozambique, to conduct airborne operations. By 1974 there were 12 GEP operating in Mozambique. Although they were trained and operated under the command of the Portuguese Air Force, the GEP were not integrated into the Armed Forces and were considered paramilitary forces. The GEP were made up of local volunteers, supported by senior Portuguese military personnel. The GEP received a similar training to paratroopers and were created and used only in Mozambique.