1st Foreign Parachute Heavy Mortar Company
Encyclopedia
The 1st Foreign Parachute Heavy Mortar Company (1re CEPML), or 1re Compagnie étrangère parachutiste de mortiers lourds, was an airborne heavy mortar company that briefly existed during the First Indochina War
from September 1953 to 31 May 1954.
on September 1, 1953 from elements of the 1st Foreign Parachute Battalion and the 2nd Foreign Parachute Battalion, mostly of artillery specialists. It was attached to the 1st Foreign Parachute Battalion
for administrative purposes. The 1re CEPML was created with the challenge to be operational within two months of its foundation. In this regard the 1re CEPML was successful and the company was able to participate in its first combat drop during Operation Castor
on November 20, 1953. The 1re CEPML also participated in the Battle of Dien Bien Phu
; the 1st CEPML made a combat jump alongside Chef de Battalion Marcel Bigeard's
6th Colonial Parachute Battalion
.
First Indochina War
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...
from September 1953 to 31 May 1954.
Overview
The 1st Foreign Parachute Regiment was established in HanoiHanoi
Hanoi , is the capital of Vietnam and the country's second largest city. Its population in 2009 was estimated at 2.6 million for urban districts, 6.5 million for the metropolitan jurisdiction. From 1010 until 1802, it was the most important political centre of Vietnam...
on September 1, 1953 from elements of the 1st Foreign Parachute Battalion and the 2nd Foreign Parachute Battalion, mostly of artillery specialists. It was attached to the 1st Foreign Parachute Battalion
1st Foreign Parachute Regiment
The 1st Foreign Parachute Regiment was an airborne unit of the Foreign Legion. 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....
for administrative purposes. The 1re CEPML was created with the challenge to be operational within two months of its foundation. In this regard the 1re CEPML was successful and the company was able to participate in its first combat drop during Operation Castor
Operation Castor
Opération Castor was a French airborne operation in the First Indochina War. The operation established a fortified airhead in Dien Bien Province, in the north-west corner of Vietnam. Commanded by Brigadier General Jean Gilles, Castor was the largest airborne operation since World War II...
on November 20, 1953. The 1re CEPML also participated in the Battle of Dien Bien Phu
Battle of Dien Bien Phu
The 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...
; the 1st CEPML made a combat jump alongside Chef de Battalion Marcel Bigeard's
Marcel Bigeard
Marcel "Bruno" Bigeard was a French military officer who fought in World War II, Indochina and Algeria. He was one of the commanders in the Battle of Dien Bien Phu and is thought by many to have been a dominating influence on French 'unconventional' warfare thinking from that time onwards...
6th Colonial Parachute Battalion
6th Marine Infantry Parachute Regiment
-Indochina:Formed as the 6th Colonial Commando Parachute Battalion in Quimper, Brittany on 16 May 1948 from elements of the 1st Colonial Commando Parachute Demi-brigade, disembarks in Saigon, French Indochina, in July 1949. The battalion distinguished itself in fighting throughout the First...
.