5th Vietnamese Parachute Battalion
Encyclopedia
The 5th Vietnamese Parachute Battalion (Fr:
5e bataillon de parachutistes vietnamiens) was a French
-Vietnamese
paratroop battalion
formed in Hanoi
, French Indochina
in 1953.
's policy to establish a Vietnamese Army. Its cadre was drawn from 3rd and 23rd Indochinese companies of the 3rd Colonial Commando Parachute Battalion (3 BCCP).
The battalion participated in Operation Pike (September - October 1953), Operation Castor
(November 1953) and the Battle of Dien Bien Phu
.
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
5e bataillon de parachutistes vietnamiens) was a French
French Army
The French Army, officially the Armée de Terre , is the land-based and largest component of the French Armed Forces.As of 2010, the army employs 123,100 regulars, 18,350 part-time reservists and 7,700 Legionnaires. All soldiers are professionals, following the suspension of conscription, voted in...
-Vietnamese
Vietnamese National Army
On March 8, 1949, after the Elysee accords, the State of Vietnam was recognized by France as an independent country ruled by Vietnamese Emperor Bảo Đại. The Vietnamese National Army or Vietnam National Army was the State of Vietnam's military force created shortly after that. It was commanded by...
paratroop battalion
Battalion
A battalion is a military unit of around 300–1,200 soldiers usually consisting of between two and seven companies and typically commanded by either a Lieutenant Colonel or a Colonel...
formed in Hanoi
Hanoi
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...
, French Indochina
French Indochina
French Indochina was part of the French colonial empire in southeast Asia. A federation of the three Vietnamese regions, Tonkin , Annam , and Cochinchina , as well as Cambodia, was formed in 1887....
in 1953.
Operational history
The 5th Vietnamese Parachute Battalion (5 BVPN) was one of five battalions of Vietnamese paratroopers raised by the French Army between 1951 and 1957 as part of General Jean de Lattre de TassignyJean de Lattre de Tassigny
Jean Joseph Marie Gabriel de Lattre de Tassigny, GCB, MC was a French military hero of World War II and commander in the First Indochina War.-Early life:...
's policy to establish a Vietnamese Army. Its cadre was drawn from 3rd and 23rd Indochinese companies of the 3rd Colonial Commando Parachute Battalion (3 BCCP).
The battalion participated in Operation Pike (September - October 1953), 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...
(November 1953) and 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...
.
Commanding officers
- Capitaine Jacques Bouvery (September 1953 - December 1953)
- Commandant André Botella (December 1953 - May 1954)
- Capitaine Tholy (June 1954 - July 1954)
- Capitaine Lesaux (July 1954)
Sources
- 5e bataillon de parachutistes vietnamiens
- Hell In A Very Small Place - Bernard Fall (1966)
See also
- 1st Vietnamese Parachute Battalion1st Vietnamese Parachute BattalionThe 1st Vietnamese Parachute Battalion was a French-Vietnamese paratroop battalion formed in Saigon, French Indochina in 1951.- Operational history :...
- 3rd Vietnamese Parachute Battalion3rd Vietnamese Parachute BattalionThe 3rd Vietnamese Parachute Battalion was a French-Vietnamese paratroop battalion formed in Hanoi, French Indochina in 1952.- Operational history :...
- 6th Vietnamese Parachute Battalion6th Vietnamese Parachute BattalionThe 6th Vietnamese Parachute Battalion was a French-Vietnamese paratroop battalion formed in French Indochina in 1954.- Operational history :...
- 7th Vietnamese Parachute Battalion7th Vietnamese Parachute BattalionThe 7th Vietnamese Parachute Battalion was a French-Vietnamese paratroop battalion formed in Hanoi, French Indochina in 1953....
- 1st Cambodian Parachute Regiment1st Cambodian Parachute RegimentThe 1st Cambodian Parachute Battalion was a French paratroop battalion formed in French Indochina in 1952....
- 1st Laotian Parachute Battalion1st Laotian Parachute BattalionThe 1st Laotian Parachute Battalion was a French paratroop battalion formed in Vientiane, French Indochina in 1951....