The 1st Foreign Parachute Heavy Mortar Company () was an ephemeral foreign airborne heavy mortar company of the Foreign Legion which fought during the

First Indochina War The First Indochina War (generally known as the Indochina War in France, and as the Anti-French Resistance War in Vietnam) began in French Indochina from 19 December 1946 to 20 July 1954 between France and Việt Minh (Democratic Republic of Vi ...

at the corps of the

French Far East Expeditionary Corps The French Far East Expeditionary Corps (french: Corps Expéditionnaire Français en Extrême-Orient, CEFEO) was a colonial expeditionary force of the French Union Army that was initially formed in French Indochina in 1945 during the Pacific Wa ...

History

In August 1953, lieutenant Jacques Molinier serves in the 1st Vietnamese Parachute Battalion ( 1^er BPVN). Accordingly, he is tasked by the headquarters of

Hanoi Hanoi or Ha Noi ( or ; vi, Hà Nội ) is the capital and second-largest city of Vietnam. It covers an area of . It consists of 12 urban districts, one district-leveled town and 17 rural districts. Located within the Red River Delta, Hanoi is ...

to form a heavy mortar parachute combat company integrated in the

French Foreign Legion The French Foreign Legion (french: Légion étrangère) is a corps of the French Army which comprises several specialties: infantry, Armoured Cavalry Arm, cavalry, Military engineering, engineers, Airborne forces, airborne troops. It was created ...

and based in

Tonkin Tonkin, also spelled ''Tongkin'', ''Tonquin'' or ''Tongking'', is an exonym referring to the northern region of Vietnam. During the 17th and 18th centuries, this term referred to the domain ''Đàng Ngoài'' under Trịnh lords' control, includi ...

. Created on September 1, 1953, based on elements, mainly artillery specialist of the 1st Foreign Parachute Battalion ( 1^er B.E.P) and

2nd Foreign Parachute Battalion The 2nd Foreign Parachute Battalion (french: 2e Bataillon Étranger de Parachutistes, 2e B.E.P) was a parachute battalion of the Foreign Legion in the French Army initially composed of volunteers of the 4th Demi-Brigade of the Foreign Legion ...

( 2^e B.E.P); the created combat company is administratively attached to the 1st Foreign Parachute Battalion ( 1^er B.E.P). The rear base of the company is situated at Quynh Loï, South of Hanoï. The first operation launched by the 1st Foreign Parachute Heavy Mortar Company ( 1^re C.E.P.M.L) was to support of the 1st and 2nd Foreign Parachute Battalions. The company also made a combat jump alongside Chef de Battalion Marcel Bigeard's 6th Colonial Parachute Battalion. On November 21, 1953, Lieutenant Molinier jumped on Dien Bien Phu with the first wave of

Operation Castor Opération Castor was a French airborne operation in the First Indochina War. The operation established a fortified airhead in Điện Biên Province, in the north-west corner of Vietnam and was commanded by Brigadier General Jean Gilles. The ...

, at the border Landing Zone (L.Z) Natacha. at 1500, 67 enlisted and officers, as well as 8 Brandt 120mm mortars and 800 rounds of ammunition are dropped on the landing zone. At 1600, the company was in position to fire. This company is the first heavy 120mm mortar unit to be dropped in an airborne operation. The 1st Foreign Parachute Heavy Mortar Company had packed the mortars in alvéoles type compartments about 3 to 4 meters in diameter. Following the drop, the company received another drop of a supplementary 4 120mm mortars to make the total count of 12 120mm mortars available with 99 officers, warrant officers, non-commissioned officers and legionnaires. On March 12, 1954, Lieutenant Molinier was wounded during a recon operation conducted with the 1st Foreign Parachute Battalion 1^er BEP on “Béatrice”. Wounded by a dozen of pieces of shrapnel in the back and face, he is carried to the underground hospital of commandant-doctor Paul-Henri Grauwin, who had him evacuated by plane to Hanoi. For the officer, the

Battle of Dien Bien Phu The Battle of Dien Bien Phu (french: Bataille de Diên Biên Phu ; vi, Chiến dịch Điện Biên Phủ, ) was a climactic confrontation of the First Indochina War that took place between 13 March and 7 May 1954. It was fought between the Fr ...

is over. Molinier passes command of the company to Lieutenant Paul Turcy who is killed on March 14, 1954. Accordingly, Lieutenant

Erwan Bergot Erwan Bergot (27 January 19301 May 1993) was a French Army officer and author; he served in the French Army during the First Indochina War and Algerian War. Biography Born to a Breton family in Bordeaux, Erwan Bergot volunteered to serve in In ...

assumes interim command of the company until the parachute support of Lieutenant

Jean Singland Jean may refer to: People * Jean (female given name) * Jean (male given name) * Jean (surname) Fictional characters * Jean Grey, a Marvel Comics character * Jean Valjean, fictional character in novel ''Les Misérables'' and its adaptations * J ...

. On May 7, 1954, the final assault commenced and the

fired their mortars in all directions during the defence. On June 1, the 1st Foreign Parachute Heavy Mortar Company was dissolved. In its eight-month existence, the company fired more than 30,000 rounds and endured heavy losses: 24 killed, 43 wounded. At the liberation of the

prisoners A prisoner (also known as an inmate or detainee) is a person who is deprived of liberty against their will. This can be by confinement, captivity, or forcible restraint. The term applies particularly to serving a prison sentence in a prison. ...

from the Viet-minh camps, only 17 had survived. Following the dissolution of the company, Lieutenant Molinier assumed command of the Command and Support Company (C.C.S) of the 1st Foreign Parachute Battalion ( 1^er B.E.P).

Organization

Traditions

File:Brevet Parachutiste.jpg, French parachute brevet.

Insignias

The insignia of the Foreign Legion Paratroopers of France represents a closed "winged armed dextrochere", meaning a "right winged arm" armed with a sword pointing upwards. The Insignia makes reference to the Patron of Paratroopers. In fact, the Insignia represents "the right Arm of Saint Michael", the

Archangel Archangels () are the second lowest rank of angel in the hierarchy of angels. The word ''archangel'' itself is usually associated with the Abrahamic religions, but beings that are very similar to archangels are found in a number of other relig ...

which according to

Liturgy Liturgy is the customary public ritual of worship performed by a religious group. ''Liturgy'' can also be used to refer specifically to public worship by Christians. As a religious phenomenon, liturgy represents a communal response to and partic ...

is the "Armed Arm of God". This Insignia is the symbol of righteous combat and fidelity to superior missions. File:Insigne1erBEP.jpg, 1^er B.E.P Insignia File:Insigne 1°CEPML.jpg, 1^re C.E.P.M.L File:1° BPVN.jpg, 1st Vietnamese Parachute Battalion Insignia Image:Cie_para_3REI.JPG, File:2rep.jpg, 2^e B.E.P and 2^e R.E.P Insignia Colonel Arnaud de Foiard

Company Colors

Company Song

Decorations

Honours

Battle honours

Company Commander

* 1953 - 1954 : Lieutenant Molinier * 1954 - 1954 : Lieutenant Turcy * 1954 - 1954 : Lieutenant

* 1954 - 1954 : Lieutenant Singland

Notable Officers and Legionnaires

References

* Braby, Wayne & Windrow, Martin. ''French Foreign Legion Paratroops.'' London: Osprey Publishing, 1985. * Collectif, ''Histoire des parachutistes français'', Société de Production Littéraire, 1975. * Jean Brunon et Georges Manue, ''Le livre d’or de la Légion étrangère (1831-1955)'', éditions Charles Lavauzelle et Cie, 1958. * Pierre Montagnon, ''Les parachutistes de la Légion 1948-1962'', éditions Pygmalion, 2005, . {{DEFAULTSORT:Foreign Parachute Heavy Mortar Company, 1st Airborne units and formations of France Military units and formations established in 1953 Military units and formations disestablished in 1954 Parachute Heavy Mortar Company, 1st Foreign Company sized units