Who is better the marines or the paras?

they are just different !!!

As Pete Scholey (ex Para Reg; 20 year SAS veteran; former SAS Squadron Sergeant Major) has noted:

"If the Parachute Regiment is the finest airborne infantry in the world - and it is - the Royal Marines are the best amphibious soldiers. This was the first time I'd really come across them, and I have to say I was impressed. They were smart, fit, keen and skilled, just like us."

- Pete Scholey, "The Joker", 1999/ 2000 paperback edition, page 34 (ISBN 0 233 99866 7)

High praise indeed from a former Para!

Truth is, each is outstanding, and they're actually very similar to one another in terms of general mentality, outlook, attitude etc

• although, of course, few of either will readily admit it, and

each pretends to despise the other!

Both the Parachute Regt and Royal Marines set and maintain extremely high standards; training is very hard, and they tend to produce notably self-reliant, determined and aggressive fighting men who consistently demonstrate initiative and flexibility in combat. Their records speak for themselves - there simply are no better light infantry on this good earth. There are plenty of units and formations elsewhere which might periodically match them for all round professionalism and capability, but none has consistently demonstrated the uniformity of military Excellence and reliability in action (across the whole spectrum of warfighting and related military operations) of the British Royal Marines and Parachute Regt..They really are exceptional.

There are, however, a few noticeable differences between the two

• not massively significant, and largely reflecting their different

histories and primary roles. As part of the Naval Service, the Royal Marines do tend to be hygiene obsessed; it's not that Paras are dirty (although RMs will have you believe otherwise!), but rather that they tend to be pragmatic and functional in approach to such matters, whereas Marines have to adhere to Royal Navy standards, and Jack Tar does not like muddy boots on clean decks and gets very upset if sweaty "Bootnecks" clutter up the galley!

Paras tend to be the more overtly aggressive in manner (reflecting their primary role as "shock troops"), and the majority of Para Reg soldiers come from big city/ urban backgrounds. Many Marines are "country boys" (especially from SW England; Northern "border counties", and the Scottish Highlands and Islands), and it's probably true to say that the average Royal Marine has more formal education (eg much more likely to have a fist full of reasonable GCSEs) than the average Para Reg soldier. Although the majority of officers in both are these days university graduates, it's also probably more likely that a Para Reg officer will have a "working class" background, and you're certainly more likely to hear Para Reg officers with regional accents than is the case with RM officers. These are generalisations, and there are numerous exceptions either way, of course, but broadly I have found this to be the case.

Bottom line, in both, if you make the grade as potential officer/ soldier/ marine, no-one cares where you're from - performance and competence are all that matter. Royal Marines pride themselves on being "thinking soldiers" (although, of course, they're always MARINES!), and cultivate a calm, reasonable manner; Paras regard themselves as "disciplined meatheads", and often cultivate a menacing manner, especially towards outsiders. Para Reg soldiers are notoriously "stroppy", and as every Para Reg officer knows, can be hard to manage - they do not tolerate "bull*!?t", and will be quick to tell any officer exactly what they think. Marines are no less tolerant of nonsense, but generally will be more polite and subtle when voicing their opinions.