Pierre Leemans (1897-1980) was a Belgian composer and educator whose compositions won several prizes during his lifetime. The Marche des Parachutistes Belges (French for March of the Belgian Parachutists, although it is often translated as Paratroopers instead) was his most famous composition. He wrote it near the end of World War II, allegedly in just one night, after meeting with a group of real Belgian paratroopers. It was first published in 1945 (notably, Belgium did not have an official battalion of paratroopers until 1946, so Leemans likely encountered members of the 5th Special Air Service). It made its way to the United States thanks to Charles Wiley, who created an arrangement of it in 1975 for American bands. The program notes for that edition claim that “Dr. Wiley talked personally to Pierre Leemans for exact markings and tempos; thus this arrangement adheres to the composers original intent for the piece.” It takes the form of a patrol, giving the impression of a passing parade band by beginning and ending softly. Here it is, as played by the Concord Band:
Years later, Colonel John Bourgeois looked further into the march and discovered that Wiley had omitted several strains of the original music. Bourgeois thus created his own edition, published in 2000, which restores that material. Listen to him conduct it:
There are also editions by James Swearingen:
And a flex version by Michael Brown: