The
13th Foreign Legion Demi-Brigade is an
infantryInfantrymen are soldiers who are specifically trained for the role of fighting on foot to engage the enemy face to face and have historically borne the brunt of the casualties of combat in wars. As the oldest branch of the Combat Arms they are the backbone of armies...
demi-brigadeThe Demi-brigade was a military formation first used by the French Army during the French Revolutionary Wars. The Demi-brigade amalgamated the various infantry organizations of the French Revolutionary infantry into a single unit...
in the
French Foreign LegionThe French Foreign Legion is a unique unit in the French Army, established in 1831. The legion was specifically created for foreign nationals wishing to serve in the French Armed Forces, but commanded by French officers. However, it is also open to French citizens, who amount to 24% of recruits...
. It is the only permanent demi-brigade in the
French ArmyThe French Army, officially the Armée de Terre , is the land-based component of the French Armed Forces and its largest. As of 2008, the army employs 133,947 regular soldiers and 24 000+ civilians...
.
History
The 13 DBLE was raised in February 1940 at
Sidi Bel AbbesSidi Bel Abbès is a capital of the Sidi Bel Abbès wilaya , Algeria. It is named after a Muslim holy man who is buried there. It is the commercial center of an important area of vineyards, market gardens, orchards, and grain fields. It is surrounded by a wall with four gates and there is a...
in
AlgeriaAlgeria , officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria, is a country located in North Africa. It is the largest country on the Mediterranean sea, the second largest on the African continent and the eleventh-largest country in the world in terms of land area.It is bordered by Tunisia in...
, with its
cadreCadre is the backbone of an organization, usually a political or military organization. The expression can be in the singular or the plural...
drawn from
1e REIThe 1st Foreign Regiment is the senior regiment in the French Foreign Legion. Today the regiment is mainly administrative, and provides staff for the Command of the Foreign Legion....
. The 13 DBLE fought during
World War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including all great powers, organized into two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
for the
Free French ForcesThe Free French Forces were French fighters in World War II who decided to continue fighting against Axis forces after the surrender of France and subsequent German occupation.-Definition:...
including service at the
Battle of NarvikThe Norwegian Campaign was the name used by the Allies United Kingdom and France for their first direct land confrontation with the military forces of Nazi Germany in World War II. The conflict occurred in Norway between 9 April and 10 June 1940, making Norway the nation - aside from the Soviet...
and the
Battle of Bir HakeimBir Hakeim is a remote oasis in the Libyan desert, and the former site of a Turkish fort. During the Battle of Gazala the First Free French Division of General Marie Pierre Koenig defended the site from 26 May to 11 June 1942 against attacking German and Italian forces directed by General Erwin...
. The unit fought in the French Indochina War and suffered heavy losses at the
Battle of Dien Bien PhuThe Battle of Dien Bien Phu was the climactic confrontation of the First Indochina War between the French Union's French Far East Expeditionary Corps and Viet Minh communist revolutionaries. The battle occurred between March and May 1954 and culminated in a comprehensive French defeat that...
.
Narvik 1940
In January 1940, the British and French high commands had decided to dispatch an expedition to
FinlandFinland , officially the Republic of Finland
, is a Nordic country and democracy situated in the Fennoscandian region of northern Europe. It borders Sweden on the west, Russia on the east, and Norway on the north, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland...
, to support Finnish independence against the
Soviet UnionThe Union of Soviet Socialist Republics was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. The name is a translation of the , tr. Soyuz Sovetskikh Sotsialisticheskikh Respublik, abbreviated СССР, SSSR. The common short name is Soviet Union, from , Sovetskiy Soyuz...
in the
Winter WarThe Winter War was a military conflict between the Soviet Union and Finland. It began with a Soviet offensive on 30 November 1939, three months after the German invasion of Poland and the start of World War II, and ended on 13 March 1940 with the Moscow Peace Treaty...
. The French decided to allocate a demi-brigade of legionnaires to the expedition - and 13 DBLE was born.
In March 1940, the 13 DBLE comprised 55 officers, 210
non-commissioned officerNon-commissioned officer , abbreviated to NCO or Non-com , is a term in many armed forces indicating leadership ranks less senior than commissioned officers...
s (
sous-officiers), and 1,984 legionnaires. The average age of the legionnaires was between 26 and 28 years old, and most counted 4 to 5 years service. Many of its veteran
NCONon-commissioned officer , abbreviated to NCO or Non-com , is a term in many armed forces indicating leadership ranks less senior than commissioned officers...
s had served in the Legion for 10 or more years. Its commander was
Raoul Magrin-VernereyRaoul Charles Magrin-Vernerey , also known as Ralph Monclar, was a French Army and French Foreign Legion general who fought in World War I, World War II and commanded the French Battalion in the Korean War.-World War I:...
, a hero of
World War IWorld War I , also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All Wars, was a global military conflict which involved most of the world's great powers, assembled in two opposing alliances: the Triple Entente and the Triple Alliance...
, wounded 17 times in battle, who had served with the Legion since 1924.
Finland reached an armistice agreement with the Soviet Union on 12 March, and the British and French high commands decided to dispatch their expedition instead to
NorwayNorway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a country in Northern Europe occupying the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, as well as Jan Mayen and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard under the Spitsbergen Treaty...
- to deny the Germans access to the Norwegian ports. The 13e DBLE was transported to the Norwegian coast in the
troopshipA troopship is a ship used to carry soldiers, either in peacetime or wartime...
Monarch of Britain, before transferring to
Royal NavyThe Royal Navy of the United Kingdom is the oldest of HM Armed Forces . From the beginning of the 18th century until well into the 20th century, it was the most powerful navy in the world, playing a key part in establishing the British Empire as the dominant world power from 1815 until the early...
motor torpedo boats and
whalersA whaleboat is a type of open boat that is relatively narrow and pointed at both ends, enabling it to move either forwards or backwards equally well. It was originally developed for whaling, and later became popular for work along beaches, since it does not need to be turned around for beaching or...
on the morning of 13 May for the landing beaches at
BjerkvikBjerkvik is a village in the municipality of Narvik, Norway. Its population is 1,220. Bjerkvik is located at the head of Herjangsfjorden, an arm of Ofotfjord in the northeastern corner of Nordland county. There is less than 20 km to the border with Troms...
,
8 miles (13 km) below Narvik. Once ashore, the 13 DBLE's companies deployed and moved to seize the high ground to the north and south of the town. The legionnaires overran the German camp at Elvegårdsmoen and forced the German rearguard out of Bjerkvik.
On 28 May, the 13e DBLE moved on
Narvikis a town and municipality in Nordland county, Norway. Narvik is located on the shores of the Narvik Fjord . The municipality is part of the Ofoten traditional region of North Norway, inside the arctic circle...
. The legionnaires crossed Rombaksfjorden and landed squarely in the middle of the German positions. German air attacks forced the supporting British ships to withdraw, leaving the 13e DBLE ashore without fire support. The legionnaires engaged in the difficult task of clearing-out German machine gun nests located in railway tunnels and concealed terrain. Lieutenant-Colonel Magrin-Vernerey commanded from the front, patrolling his front-lines to point out German positions to his troops with his walking stick.
During the next 10 days, the Allied troops pushed the Germans to within
10 miles (20 km) of the Swedish frontier. Then, with the collapse of the French and British armies in France it was decided to cancel the Narvik operation
and withdrawOperation Alphabet was an evacuation, authorized on May 24, 1940, of Allied troops from the harbour of Narvik in northern Norway marking the success of Nazi Germany's Operation Weserübung of April 9 and the end of the Allied campaign in Norway during World War II...
. The 13 DBLE evacutated Narvik on 7 June and was withdrawn to England. The unit had lost 7 officers, 5 NCOs, and 55 legionnaires during the campaign.
Free French Forces
In June 1940, the 13e DBLE moved to a camp at Trentham Park near
Stoke-on-TrentStoke-on-Trent is a city in Staffordshire, England, which forms a linear conurbation almost 12 miles long, with an area of . Together with the Borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme and Kidsgrove, Stoke forms the The Potteries Urban Area...
in
EnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the North Sea to the east, with the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
where the legionnaires joined other French troops who had been evacuated from
DunkirkThe Battle of Dunkirk was a battle in the Second World War between the Allies and Germany. A part of the Battle of France on the Western Front, the Battle of Dunkirk was the defence and evacuation of British and allied forces in Europe from 24 May to 4 June 1940.After the Phoney War, the Battle of...
. The 13e DBLE comprised 1,619 of the 4,500 French soldiers present in England.
In France, Prime Minister
Paul ReynaudPaul Reynaud was a French politician and lawyer prominent in the interwar period, noted for his stances on economic liberalism and militant opposition to Germany...
resigned on 16 June and
Marshal PétainHenri Philippe Benoni Omer Joseph Pétain , generally known as Philippe Pétain or Marshal Pétain , was a French general who reached the distinction of Marshal of France, and was later Chief of State of Vichy France , from 1940 to 1944...
took control of the French government. Pétain announced his intention to capitulate to the Germans and sign an
armisticeAn armistice is a situation in a war where the warring parties agree to stop fighting. It is not necessarily the end of a war, but may be just a cessation of hostilities while an attempt is made to negotiate a lasting peace...
. On 18 June,
General Charles de GaulleCharles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle was a French general and statesman who led the Free French Forces during World War II...
, under-secretary of defence in the Reynaud government, broadcast an appeal to the French people to continue resistance.
On 1 July, the French troops at Trentham Park were given the choice of
repatriationRepatriation The process of returning a person back to one's place of origin or citizenship. This includes the process of returning refugees or soldiers to their place of origin following a war...
to
Vichy-controlledVichy France, or the Vichy regime are the common terms used to describe the government of France from July 1940 to August 1944. This government, which succeeded the Third Republic, officially called itself the French State , in contrast with the previous designation, "French Republic." Marshal...
North Africa, or joining the
Free French ForcesThe Free French Forces were French fighters in World War II who decided to continue fighting against Axis forces after the surrender of France and subsequent German occupation.-Definition:...
under De Gaulle. The decision split the 13e DBLE between pro-Vichy and pro-De Gaulle
cliqueA clique is an exclusive group of people who share interests, views, purposes, patterns of behavior, or ethnicity. A clique as a reference group can be either normative or comparative...
s. The split was particularly felt amongst the officer corps, with 31 of the regiment's 59 officers choosing repatriation. Amongst the legionnaires, which included many
refugeeUnder the United Nations Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees, a refugee is a person who owing to a well-founded fear of being persecuted on account of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group, or political opinion, is outside the country of their nationality,...
s from Nazi and Fascist countries, around 900 volunteered to continue the fight.
The 13th included a number of junior officers who would later rise to
generalA general officer is an officer of high military rank. The term or equivalent is used by nearly every country in the world. General can be used as a generic term for all grades of general officer, or it can specifically refer to a single rank that is simply called general.-All general officer...
rank, such as Captain
Pierre KoenigPierre Koenig was an American architect.Born in San Francisco, received his B.Arch. in 1952 from the University of Southern California, apprenticed under Raphael Soriano among others, and in private practice beginning in 1952, Koenig practiced mainly on the west coast and was most notable for the...
, Captain
Jacques Pâris de BollardièreJacques Pâris de Bollardière was a French Army general, famous for his non-violent positions during the 60s.- Youth :...
, and Lieutenant
Bernard Saint-HillierBernard Saint-Hillier was a French general.Saint-Hillier graduated from Saint-Cyr in 1933 and was affected to the 11th Chasseurs alpins Battalion. In 1938, he joined the French Foreign Legion with the rank of captain...
. Other officers, such as Captain
Dimitri AmilakvariPrince Dimitri Zedguinidze-Amilakhvari, more commonly known as Dimitri Amilakhvari was a French military officer and Lieutenant Colonel of the French Foreign Legion, of Georgian origin who played an influential role in the French Resistance against Nazi occupation in World War II, and became an...
and Captain
Gabriel Brunet de SairignéGabriel Brunet de Sairigné was an French Army officer of the French Foreign Legion. He was born on in Paris, and was killed in the line of duty close to Lagnia Bien Hoa .-Education:...
would also achieve fame on the battlefield. Second Lieutenant
Pierre MessmerPierre Joseph Auguste Messmer was a French Gaullist politician. He served as Minister of Armies under Charles de Gaulle from 1960 to 1969 — the longest serving since Étienne François, duc de Choiseul under Louis XV — and then as Prime Minister under Georges Pompidou from 1972 to 1974...
would later serve as De Gaulle's defence minister.
On 30 August the "Free French" 13th Demi-Brigade sailed from
LiverpoolLiverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
for operations against Vichy forces that would include the abortive
Battle of DakarThe Battle of Dakar, also known as Operation Menace, was an unsuccessful attempt in September 1940 by the Allies to capture the strategic port of Dakar in French West Africa , which was under Vichy French control, and to install the Free French under General Charles de Gaulle...
and the
stormingThe Battle of Gabon or the Battle of Libreville was part of the West African Campaign of World War II fought in November 1940. The battle resulted in the Free French forces under General Charles de Gaulle taking Libreville, Gabon, and taking all of French Equatorial Africa from Vichy French...
of
LibrevilleLibreville is the capital and largest city of Gabon. The city is a port on the Komo River, near the Gulf of Guinea, and a trade center for a timber region.- History :...
.
Bir Hakeim 1942
The 13 DBLE was reorganized in two
battalionA battalion is a military unit of around 1000-1500 soldiers usually consisting of between two and seven companies and typically commanded by a Lieutenant Colonel...
s following its participation in the successful
AlliedThe Allies of World War II were the countries that opposed the Axis powers during the Second World War . The involvement of the Allies in World War II was either natural and inevitable they were invaded or under the direct threat of invasion by the Axis or compelled by concerns that the Axis powers...
invasion of
SyriaSyria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south and Israel to the southwest....
(
Operation ExporterThe Syria-Lebanon campaign, also known as Operation Exporter, was the Allied invasion of Vichy French-controlled Syria and Lebanon, in June-July 1941, during the Second World War....
). A disputed number of
LegionnairesLegionnaires may refer to:*Spanish Legion*French Foreign Legion*Legionnaires' Movement in Romania, see: Iron Guard*Legionnaires' disease*Legion of Christ*Charlemagne's Legionnaires*Legion of Super-Heroes*Legionnaire...
from the
pro-VichyVichy France, or the Vichy regime are the common terms used to describe the government of France from July 1940 to August 1944. This government, which succeeded the Third Republic, officially called itself the French State , in contrast with the previous designation, "French Republic." Marshal...
6th Foreign Infantry Regiment volunteered for service with the Free French 13e DBLE – the remainder of the pro-Vichy Legionnaires were repatriated to France in August 1941.
In 1942, the two battalions of 13e DBLE – designated 2nd battalion (II/13e DBLE) and 3rd battalion (III/13e DBLE) - were assigned to the 1st Free French Brigade commanded by
General KoenigMarie Pierre Kœnig CB DSP was a French general. He commanded a Free French Brigade at the Battle of Bir Hakeim in North Africa in 1942....
and joined the
brigadeA brigade is a military unit that is typically composed of two to five regiments or battalions, depending on the era and nationality of a given army. Usually, a brigade is a sub-component of a division, a larger unit consisting of two or more brigades; however, some brigades are classified as a...
at Bir Hakeim in
LibyaLibya , officially the Great Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya , is a country located in North Africa...
, approximately
90 miles (140 km) south of
TobrukTobruk or Tubruq is a town, seaport, and peninsula in northeastern Libya, near the border with Egypt, in North Africa. It is the capital of Al Butnan District...
. The French position sat astride the
Afrika KorpsThe German Afrika Korps was the German expeditionary force in Libya and Tunisia during the North African Campaign of World War II...
' line of advance and represented a fortified
"pocket"In military terms, a salient is a battlefield feature that projects into enemy territory. Therefore, the salient is surrounded by the enemy on three sides, making the troops occupying the salient vulnerable. The enemy's line facing a salient is referred to as a re-entrant...
of resistance that had to be eliminated by
General Erwin RommelErwin Johannes Eugen Rommel , was perhaps the most famous German Field Marshal of World War II....
.
The
Battle of Bir HakeimBir Hakeim is a remote oasis in the Libyan desert, and the former site of a Turkish fort. During the Battle of Gazala the First Free French Division of General Marie Pierre Koenig defended the site from 26 May to 11 June 1942 against attacking German and Italian forces directed by General Erwin...
commenced on 26 May 1942. The 2/13e DBLE held positions along the east facade of the French line. The 3/13e DBLE formed mobile reserve groups to reinforce French positions at any threatened point. In bitter irony, the Legionnaires of 13e DBLE faced Afrika Korps troops that included the German 361st "Afrika" Infantry Regiment which contained former fellow-Legionnaires of German extraction who had been repriated from Vichy Legion units in North Africa.
Hoa Binh 1952
The 13 DBLE participated in the
Battle of Hoa BinhThe Battle of Hoa Binh was fought during the First Indochina War. It occurred from 10 November 1951 to 25 February 1952, when French Union forces attempted to lure the Viet Minh out in the open and fight on French terms.-Prelude:...
from 14 November 1951 to 24 February 1952. Hoa Binh (the name means "peace" in
VietnameseVietnamese , formerly known under French colonization as Annamese , is the national and official language of Vietnam...
) was the capital of the
MuongMuong may refer to:*Muong people, third largest of Vietnam’s 53 minority groups**Muong language, spoken by the Mường people of Vietnam*No Muong, king of the southern Laotian Kingdom of Champasak in 1811...
ethnic minority. By road, Hoa Binh lay a mere 67 kilometers of map distance from Hanoi via Colonial Route 6 (Fr:
Route Coloniale 6). The
Viet MinhThe Việt Minh was a national liberation movement founded in South China on May 19, 1941 . The Việt Minh initially formed to seek independence for Vietnam from France and later to oppose the Japanese occupation.-World War II:During World War II, Japan occupied French Indochina...
had controlled Hoa Binh since October 1950 and used the district as a logistics staging area for operations in north central Vietnam. The French commander in Indochina, General
Jean de Lattre de TassignyJean Joseph Marie Gabriel de Lattre de Tassigny was a French military hero of World War II and commander in the Indochina War.-Early life:...
, ordered the retaking of Hoa Binh in late 1951.
The 2nd Battalion of 13e DBLE fought in a key engagement at Xon-Pheó from 8 January - 9 January 1952. The legionnaires held a vital hill at Xon-Pheó astride Colonial Route 6, and they fortified their positions with trenches, bunkers,
barbed wireBarbed wire, also known as barb wire , is a type of fencing wire constructed with sharp edges or points arranged at intervals along the strand. It is used to construct inexpensive fences and is used atop walls surrounding secured property...
, and minefields. On the night of 8 January, troops from the Viet Minh 88th Infantry Regiment inflitrated through the minefields and attacked the 2/13e DBLE positions. The Viet Minh forces overran the 5th Company position and destroyed bunkers with
TNTTrinitrotoluene , or more specifically, 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene, is a chemical compound with the formula C
6H
23CH
3. This yellow-coloured solid is a reagent in chemistry but is best known as a useful explosive material with convenient handling properties...
satchel charges and
bangalore torpedoA Bangalore torpedo is an explosive charge placed on the end of a long, extendible tube. It is used by combat engineers to clear obstacles that would otherwise require them to approach directly, possibly under fire...
es. With many of their officers and NCOs killed or wounded, and half of their position overrun, the legionnaires counterattacked with fixed bayonets and
hand grenadeA hand grenade is an anti-personnel weapon that explodes a short time after release. The French military term grenade probably comes from the shape of the pomegranate fruit, which is also called grenade in French....
s.
The legionnaires later counted 700 Viet Minh dead around the position at Xon-Pheó.
Dien Bien Phu 1953-1954
1st battalion (1/13e DBLE) and 3rd battalion (3/13e DBLE) fought at the
Battle of Dien Bien PhuThe Battle of Dien Bien Phu was the climactic confrontation of the First Indochina War between the French Union's French Far East Expeditionary Corps and Viet Minh communist revolutionaries. The battle occurred between March and May 1954 and culminated in a comprehensive French defeat that...
during the French Indochina War. At the commencement of the campaign, the demi-brigade was commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel
Jules GaucherJules Gaucher was a French Army officer noted for his command of Foreign Legion troops in Indochina. He was killed at the Battle of Dien Bien Phu in 1954.- Early life :...
. During the early stages of the battle, 1/13e DBLE occupied positions at the “Claudine” fortifications and 3/13 DBLE occupied positions at the “Beatrice” fortifications.
Lieutenant-Colonel Gaucher was killed on 13 March when his command post suffered a direct hit from
Viet MinhThe Việt Minh was a national liberation movement founded in South China on May 19, 1941 . The Việt Minh initially formed to seek independence for Vietnam from France and later to oppose the Japanese occupation.-World War II:During World War II, Japan occupied French Indochina...
artillery. Suffering from serious wounds – the loss of both arms, severe injuries to both legs, and an open chest wound – he died at the hospital. Gaucher was replaced as 13e DBLE commander on 23 March by Lieutenant-Colonel Lemeunier who was helicoptered into the fortress. Until the end of the battle, Lemeunier would be the senior Foreign Legion officer present at Dien Bien Phu.
The unit suffered heavy casualties during fighting in March and April. On 14 April the Dien Bien Phu garrison reported that 1/13e DBLE was reduced to 354 effectives and 3/13e DBLE was reduced to 80 effectives.
On 30 April, the Legionnaires at Dien Bien Phu celebrated the anniversary of the Legion’s historic
Battle of CameroneThe Battle of Camarón occurred on 30 April 1863, between the French Foreign Legion and the Mexican army. In this battle the French Foreign Legion made its legend...
. The celebration took place at the 13 DBLE command post where Lieutenant-Colonel Lemeunier read the traditional Camerone proclamation over a radio hook-up that could be heard throughout Dien Bien Phu.
The 13e DBLE was the only French unit present at Dien Bien Phu that saved one of its battle flags from destruction or capture. The
guidon of 4th Company, 1/13e DBLE was initially captured by the Viet Minh during the assault on “Beatrice” on 13 March. On 19 May, while the Viet Minh were celebrating
Ho Chi MinhHồ Chí Minh , born Nguyễn Sinh Cung and also known as Nguyễn Ái Quốc was a Vietnamese Communist revolutionary and statesman who was prime minister and president of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam .Hồ led the Viet Minh independence movement from 1941 onward, establishing...
’s birthday, Sergeant Beres, a Hungarian Legionnaire serving with
1 REPThe 1st Foreign Parachute Regiment was a Foreign Legion airborne unit of the French Army. It fought in the First Indochina War, Suez Crisis and Algerian War, but was disbanded after taking part in a putsch against the French government in 1961.-Battalion:...
, crawled into a Viet Minh command post and rescued the flag. The seriously wounded Beres was evacuated by helicopter from Dien Bien Phu on 24 May with the guidon hidden under his clothes.
During its 9-year service in Indochina (1946-1955), the 13e DBLE suffered 2,721 killed in action (2334 légionaries, 307 warrant officers, 80 officers). This included two commanding officers - Lieutenant-Colonel de Sairigne and Lieutenant-Colonel Gaucher.
Algeria 1955-1962
The 13e DBLE was reconstituted in May 1954 using the 2nd battalion (2/13e DBLE) as a cadre. In June 1955, the unit left Indochina and redeployed to French
North AfricaNorth Africa or Northern Africa is the northernmost region of the African continent, linked by the Sahara to Sub-Saharan Africa.Geopolitically, the UN definition of Northern Africa includes the following seven countries or territories; Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, Sudan, Tunisia,Mauritania, and...
. During the Algerian War, the 13 DBLE served in
AlgiersAlgiers is the capital and largest city of Algeria, and the second largest city in the Maghreb . According to the 1998 census, the population of the city proper was 1,519,570 and that of the urban agglomeration was 2,135,630...
,
ConstantineConstantine is the capital of Constantine Province in north-eastern Algeria. Slightly inland, it is about 80 kilometers from the Mediterranean coast....
, and the
Aurès MountainsThe Aurès , or Aurea, refers to an Amazigh language-speaking region in East Algeria, as well as an extension of the Atlas mountain range that lies to the east of the Saharan Atlas in eastern Algeria and northwestern Tunisia...
. In 1958, the unit was assigned to duty as
"un régiment d'intervention"Quick Reaction Force or is a military unit, about a size of 14 people . They are to have equipment ready, to respond to any type of emergency, typically within ten minutes or less. Cavalry Army units are frequently postured as quick reaction forces, with a main mission of security and...
for operations throughout Algeria.
Commanding officers
- Lieutenant Colonel
Lieutenant colonel is a rank of commissioned officer in the armies and most marine forces and air forces of the world, typically ranking above a major and below a colonel. The rank of lieutenant colonel is often shortened to simply "colonel" in conversation and in unofficial correspondence...
Raoul Magrin-VernereyRaoul Charles Magrin-Vernerey , also known as Ralph Monclar, was a French Army and French Foreign Legion general who fought in World War I, World War II and commanded the French Battalion in the Korean War.-World War I:...
(1940)
- Lieutenant Colonel Alfred Cazoud (1940-1941)
- Lieutenant Colonel Dimitri Amilakhvari
Prince Dimitri Zedguinidze-Amilakhvari, more commonly known as Dimitri Amilakhvari was a French military officer and Lieutenant Colonel of the French Foreign Legion, of Georgian origin who played an influential role in the French Resistance against Nazi occupation in World War II, and became an...
(1941-1942)
- Major Gabriel Bablon (1942-1944)
- Major Paul Arnault (1944-1945)
- Lieutenant Colonel Bernard Saint-Hillier
Bernard Saint-Hillier was a French general.Saint-Hillier graduated from Saint-Cyr in 1933 and was affected to the 11th Chasseurs alpins Battalion. In 1938, he joined the French Foreign Legion with the rank of captain...
(1945)
- Lieutenant Colonel Gabriel Bablon (1946)
- Lieutenant Colonel Gabriel Brunet de Sairigné
Gabriel Brunet de Sairigné was an French Army officer of the French Foreign Legion. He was born on in Paris, and was killed in the line of duty close to Lagnia Bien Hoa .-Education:...
(1946-1948)
- Lieutenant Colonel Paul Arnaud (1948-1949)
- Lieutenant Colonel René Morel (1949-1951)
- Lieutenant Colonel Pierre Clément (1951-1953
- Lieutenant Colonel Guigard (1952-1953)
- Lieutenant Colonel Jules Gaucher
Jules Gaucher was a French Army officer noted for his command of Foreign Legion troops in Indochina. He was killed at the Battle of Dien Bien Phu in 1954.- Early life :...
(1953-1954)
- Lieutenant Colonel Lemeunier (1954)
- Lieutenant Colonel Rossi (1954-1956)
- Lieutenant Colonel Marguet (1956-1957)
- Lieutenant Colonel Sanges (1957-1958)
- Lieutenant Colonel Roux (1958-1961)
- Lieutenant Colonel Vaillant (1961)
- Lieutenant Colonel Dupuy de Querezieux (1961-1962)
|
Lieutenant Colonel Lacôte (1962-1965)
Lieutenant Colonel Geoffrey (1965-1968)
Lieutenant Colonel Foureau (1968-1970)
Lieutenant Colonel Buonfils (1970-1972)
Lieutenant Colonel Pêtre (1972-1974)
Lieutenant Colonel Lardry (1974-1976)
Lieutenant Colonel Jean-Claude Coullon
Lieutenant Colonel Gillet (1978-1980)
Lieutenant Colonel Loridon (1980-1982)
Lieutenant Colonel Vialle (1982-1984)
Lieutenant Colonel Rideau (1984-1986)
Lieutenant Colonel Champeau (1986-1988)
Lieutenant Colonel Le Flem (1988-1990)
Colonel Ibanez (1990-1992)
Colonel J.P. Perez (1992-1994)
Lieutenant Colonel Emmanuel Beth (1996-1998)
Lieutenant Colonel Debleds (1998-2000)
Colonel Jean Maurin (2000-2002)
Lieutenant Colonel Henri Billaudel (2002-2006)
Colonel Marchand (2006- ) |
Officers and legionnaires
- Jacques Pâris de Bollardière
Jacques Pâris de Bollardière was a French Army general, famous for his non-violent positions during the 60s.- Youth :...
- John F. "Jack" Hasey
- Marie Pierre Kœnig
- André Lalande
André Lalande was an officer in the Chasseurs Alpins and in the French Foreign Legion.He was a Breton who studied at the French military academy, the École Spéciale Militaire de Saint-Cyr from 1931 to 1933 and was posted 2nd Lieutenant at Metz.In 1937 he requested a transfer to the 6th Bataillon...
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Pierre MessmerPierre Joseph Auguste Messmer was a French Gaullist politician. He served as Minister of Armies under Charles de Gaulle from 1960 to 1969 — the longest serving since Étienne François, duc de Choiseul under Louis XV — and then as Prime Minister under Georges Pompidou from 1972 to 1974...
Radomir PavitchevitchRadomir Pavitchevitch is a French legionnaire, veteran of World War II.He enlisted for five years the December 9 1931, and was assigned to the 2nd Foreign Legion Regiment at Oujda, Algeria. He reached Beyrouth in June 1937, where he joins the 6th Foreign Legion Regiment at its creation, on October...
Frédéric RossifFrédéric Rossif was a French film and television director who specialized primarily on documentaries, frequently using archive footage. Rossif's common themes included wildlife, 20th century history and contemporary artists...
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Current organization & deployment
From 1962 to the present, the 13 DBLE
duty stationA military base is a facility directly owned and operated by or one of its branches that shelters military equipment and personnel, and facilitates training and operations.- Etymology :...
has been
DjiboutiDjibouti , officially the Republic of Djibouti, is a country in the Horn of Africa. It is bordered by Eritrea in the north, Ethiopia in the west and south, and Somalia in the southeast. The remainder of the border is formed by the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. On the other side of the Red Sea, on...
in the
Horn of AfricaThe Horn of Africa is a peninsula in East Africa that juts for hundreds of kilometers into the Arabian Sea, and lies along the southern side of the Gulf of Aden. It is the easternmost projection of the African continent...
. The unit is a
battlegroupA battlegroup , or task force in modern military theory, is the basic building block of an army's fighting force. A battlegroup is formed around an infantry battalion or armoured regiment, which is usually commanded by a Lieutenant Colonel...
and comprises 800 men, of whom 320 are permanent party.
- Compagnie de Commandement et de Soutien (CCS) - command
C2I stands for command, control, and intelligence.C4I stands for command, control, communications, computers, and intelligence....
and supportMilitary logistics is the art and science of planning and carrying out the movement and maintenance of military forces. In its most comprehensive sense, it is those aspects or military operations that deal with:...
companyA company is a military unit, typically consisting of 75-200 soldiers. Most companies are formed of three to five platoons although the exact number may vary by country, unit type, and structure...
, permanent party.
- Compagnie de Maintenance (CM) - maintenance
Maintenance, repair and operations is fixing any sort of mechanical or electrical device should it become out of order or broken as well as performing the routine actions which keep the device in working order or prevent trouble from arising...
company, permanent party.
- Escadron de Reconnaissance (ER) - reconnaissance
Reconnaissance is a military and medical term denoting exploration conducted to gain information. Militarily, its shorthand Canadian and British form is recce , its American usage form is recon...
squadronA squadron is a small unit or formation of cavalry, armour, aircraft , or warships.-Army and Marines:A cavalry squadron , typically consists of four troops.-United States:...
equipped with ERC-90 light tankA tank is a tracked, armoured fighting vehicle designed for front-line combat which combines operational mobility and tactical offensive and defensive capabilities...
and P4The P4 is an unarmoured off-road vehicle used by the military of France. It was manufactured by Peugeot but is now manufactured by Panhard. It is to be replaced with the PVP by Panhard.- Description :...
4x4 tactical vehicles, permanent party.
- Compagnie d'Infanterie - a roulement
Roulement is a term used by the British Army to signify major combat units that are deployed on short tours of duty, normally for 6-months duration....
infantryInfantrymen are soldiers who are specifically trained for the role of fighting on foot to engage the enemy face to face and have historically borne the brunt of the casualties of combat in wars. As the oldest branch of the Combat Arms they are the backbone of armies...
company drawn from either 2 REIThe 2nd Foreign Infantry Regiment is an infantry regiment of the French Foreign Legion.-Battle Honours:*Sevastopol 1855*Kabilie 1857*Magenta 1859*Camerone 1863*Extreme Orient 1884-1885*Dahomey 1892*Madagascar 1898-1905*Maroc 1907-1913-1921-1934...
or 2 REPThe 2nd Foreign Parachute Regiment is an Airborne regiment in the French Foreign Legion. It is a part of the 11e Brigade Parachutiste and the spearhead of the French Rapid reaction force...
, equipped with VABThe Véhicule de l'Avant Blindé or VAB is an armoured personnel carrier designed by the Euro Mobilité Division of GIAT Industries of France. It entered service in 1976 and around 5000 were produced. They are NBC-proof, have excellent off-road capabilities, and can be configured in numerous versions...
armoured personnel carriers and VLRA 4X4 tactical vehicles.
- Compagnie de Génie - a roulement engineer
A military engineer is primarily responsible for the design and construction of offensive, defensive, and logistical structures for warfare. Other duties include the layout, placement, maintenance and dismantling of defensive minefields and the clearing of enemy minefields and the construction...
company drawn from either 1 REGThe 1st Foreign Engineer Regiment is a Military engineer regiment in the French Foreign Legion. It is a part of the 6th Light Armoured Brigade. The regiment is station in Laudun.-World War II:...
or 2 REGThe 2nd Foreign Engineer Regiment is one of two Combat engineering regiment in the French Foreign Legion. The regiment is the combat engineering component of 27th Mountain Infantry Brigade.-History:...
.
Current operations
In addition to its security responsibilities in Djibouti, the 13 DBLE has participated in military operations that include
Operation ORYXThe Somali Civil War is an ongoing civil war taking place in Somalia, that began in 1991. The conflict has caused destabilisation and instability throughout the country, with the current phase of the conflict seeing the Somali government losing substantial control of the state to the rebel...
and
Operation UNOSOM IIThe Somali Civil War is an ongoing civil war taking place in Somalia, that began in 1991. The conflict has caused destabilisation and instability throughout the country, with the current phase of the conflict seeing the Somali government losing substantial control of the state to the rebel...
in
SomaliaSomalia , officially the Republic of Somalia and formerly known as the Somali Democratic Republic, is a country located in the Horn of Africa...
(1992-1993) Operation ISKOUTIR (1993-1995),
Operation TURQUOISEThe Rwandan Civil War was a conflict within the Central African nation of Rwanda between the government of President Juvénal Habyarimana and the rebel Rwandan Patriotic Front...
in
RwandaThe Republic of Rwanda is a small landlocked country in the Great Lakes region of east-central Africa, bordered by Uganda, Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Tanzania. Home to approaching 10 million people, Rwanda supports the densest population in continental Africa, most of whom...
(1994), and Operation UNICORN in the Ivory Coast (2002)
Battle Honours
- Camerone 1863
The Battle of Camarón occurred on 30 April 1863, between the French Foreign Legion and the Mexican army. In this battle the French Foreign Legion made its legend...
- Bjervik-Narvik 1940
The Norwegian Campaign was the name used by the Allies United Kingdom and France for their first direct land confrontation with the military forces of Nazi Germany in World War II. The conflict occurred in Norway between 9 April and 10 June 1940, making Norway the nation - aside from the Soviet...
- Keren-Massouah 1941
The East African Campaign refers to the battles fought in East Africa during World War II. The battles of this campaign were fought between the forces of the British Empire, the British Commonwealth of Nations, and several allies on one side, and the forces of the Italian Empire on the other...
- Bir-Hakeim 1942
Bir Hakeim is a remote oasis in the Libyan desert, and the former site of a Turkish fort. During the Battle of Gazala the First Free French Division of General Marie Pierre Koenig defended the site from 26 May to 11 June 1942 against attacking German and Italian forces directed by General Erwin...
- El Alamein 1942
The Second Battle of El Alamein marked a major turning point in the Western Desert Campaign of World War II. The battle lasted from 23 October to 5 November 1942. The First Battle of El Alamein had stalled the Axis advance...
- Rome 1944
The Italian Campaign of World War II was the name of Allied operations in and around Italy, from 1943 to the end of the war. Joint Allied Forces Headquarters AFHQ was operationally responsible for all Allied land forces in the Mediterranean theatre, and it planned and commanded the invasion of...
- Colmar 1945
Located in Alsace in eastern France, the Colmar Pocket Located in Alsace in eastern France, the Colmar Pocket Located in Alsace in eastern France, the Colmar Pocket was the site of a three-week operation during the Second World War, between 20 January and 9 February, 1945, where the French...
- Authion 1945
- Indochine 1946-1954
The First Indochina War was fought in French Indochina from December 19, 1946, until August 1, 1954, between the French Union’s French Far East Expeditionary...
External links