The 10th Parachute Division ( French: 10^e Division Parachutiste, 10^e D.P) was a

formation Formation may refer to: Linguistics * Back-formation, the process of creating a new lexeme by removing or affixes * Word formation, the creation of a new word by adding affixes Mathematics and science * Cave formation or speleothem, a secondar ...

of the

French Army The French Army, officially known as the Land Army (french: Armée de Terre, ), is the land-based and largest component of the French Armed Forces. It is responsible to the Government of France, along with the other components of the Armed For ...

, part of the French Airborne Units. It consisted predominantly of infantry troops, and specialized in airborne combat and air assault. Established in 1956, it fought primarily in the

Suez Crisis The Suez Crisis, or the Second Arab–Israeli war, also called the Tripartite Aggression ( ar, العدوان الثلاثي, Al-ʿUdwān aṯ-Ṯulāṯiyy) in the Arab world and the Sinai War in Israel,Also known as the Suez War or 1956 Wa ...

and the

Algerian War The Algerian War, also known as the Algerian Revolution or the Algerian War of Independence,( ar, الثورة الجزائرية '; '' ber, Tagrawla Tadzayrit''; french: Guerre d'Algérie or ') and sometimes in Algeria as the War of 1 November ...

. It was dissolved immediately after the

Algiers putsch of 1961 The Algiers putsch (french: Putsch d'Alger or ), also known as the Generals' putsch (''Putsch des généraux''), was a failed coup d'état intended to force French President Charles de Gaulle not to abandon French Algeria, along with the reside ...

Composition

On July 1, 1956, the 10e D.P. is created with the following units: *Support: **60th Headquarters company (60^e CGQ) **60th Transmission company of (60^e CT) **Platoon of Army Light Aviation (ALAT) **Transport group n°507 (GT 507) ** 60th Airborne Engineers Company ( 60^e CGAP) **60th Divisional Maintenance company (60^e CRD) **405th Medical company (405^e CM) **60th Military logistics section (60^e SRI) *Airborne infantry: **

1st Foreign Parachute Regiment The 1st Foreign Parachute Regiment (french: 1er Régiment Etranger de Parachutistes, 1er REP) was an airborne regiment of the Foreign Legion in the French Army which dated its origins to 1948. The regiment fought in the First Indochina War as th ...

( 1^er REP) **

1st Parachute Chasseur Regiment The 1st Parachute Chasseur Regiment (french: 1er Régiment de Chasseurs Parachutistes, 1er R.C.P) is the oldest and among the most decorated airborne regiments of the French Army. Established in the French Army in 1943 and formerly part of the Fr ...

( 1^er RCP), replaced by the

9th Parachute Chasseur Regiment The 9th Parachute Chasseur Regiment (french: 9e Régiment de Chasseurs Parachutistes, 9e RCP) was an airborne unit of the French Army that was part of the French Airborne Units and all three histories of the 10th Parachute Division, 25th Para ...

( 9^e RCP) in April 1960 ** 2nd Colonial Infantry Parachute Regiment ( 2^e RPC) ** 3rd Colonial Infantry Parachute Regiment ( 3^e RPC) **

13th Parachute Dragoon Regiment The 13e Régiment de Dragons Parachutistes ( en, 13th Parachute Dragoon Regiment) or 13e RDP is a special reconnaissance regiment of the French Army. It is a unit of the French Army Special Forces Command, the latter itself being under the Spec ...

( 13^e RDP) (from July 1957) ** 6th Colonial Infantry Parachute Regiment ( 6^e RPC) (from July 1957) *Airborne artillery ** 20th Parachute Artillery Group ( 20^e GAP) Note: On the 1 December 1958, the "Colonial infantry" was renamed "

Marine infantry Marines, or naval infantry, are typically a military force trained to operate in littoral zones in support of naval operations. Historically, tasks undertaken by marines have included helping maintain discipline and order aboard the ship (refle ...

History

Operation Musketeer

Barely created, the 10e D.P. took part in the

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediter ...

, in an operation named "Operation Musketeer". The 10^e D.P was reinforced for this purpose with: * One squadron of the

2nd Foreign Cavalry Regiment The 2nd Foreign Cavalry Regiment () was a cavalry regiment of the Foreign Legion in the French Army. the regiment was dissolved twice in 1946 and 1962; the regimental colors have been entrusted by the Foreign Legion Detachment in Mayotte since 19 ...

( 2^e R.E.C) comprising 148 men and 17

AMX-13 The AMX-13 is a French light tank produced from 1952 to 1987. It served with the French Army, as the Char 13t-75 Modèle 51, and was exported to more than 26 other nations. Named after its initial weight of 13 tonnes, and featuring a tough and r ...

. * 10 LVT Alligator with 40 men * A platoon of 6

Delahaye Delahaye was a family-owned automobile manufacturing company, founded by Émile Delahaye in 1894 in Tours, France. Manufacturing was moved to Paris following incorporation with two unrelated brothers-in-law as equal partners in 1898. The compa ...

jeeps with SS.10 anti-tank missiles * The 453rd anti-aircraft artillery group (453e GAAL): 803 men On 5 November 1956, elements of the 10e D.P. were dropped on

Port Fuad Port Fuad or Port Fouad ( ar, بورفؤاد ', ) is a city in Port Said Governorate, Egypt. Port Fuad is located in northeastern Egypt at the northwesternmost tip of the Sinai Peninsula on the Asian side of the Suez Canal, across from the city ...

and

Port Said Port Said ( ar, بورسعيد, Būrsaʿīd, ; grc, Πηλούσιον, Pēlousion) is a city that lies in northeast Egypt extending about along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea, north of the Suez Canal. With an approximate population of 6 ...

, completed the next morning by amphibious assaults on both towns. Although the battle was a military success, allied troops had to withdraw due to pressure from the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

Battle of Algiers

In Algiers, the National Liberation Front (FLN) was carrying out a wave of terrorist attacks an urban guerilla which made many casualties, mostly Muslim civilians. In January 1957,

Robert Lacoste Robert Lacoste (5 July 1898 – 8 March 1989) was a French politician. He was a socialist MP of the Dordogne from 1945 to 1958, and from 1962 to 1967. He then served as senator from 1971 to 1980. Biography Robert Lacoste was born at Azerat ...

, Minister Resident in Algeria, reacted by giving full powers to General Massu over the Algiers area. Massu sent the 10^e D.P. to search out, arrest and question FLN members. The battle of Algiers proved to be a clear success for the French military, with most prominent FLN leaders killed or arrested and terrorist attacks effectively stopped.Bernard Droz, Evelyne Lever, Histoire de la guerre d'Algérie, Points Histoire, éd.du Seuil, 1982 p. 129-130 However, the use of

torture Torture is the deliberate infliction of severe pain or suffering on a person for reasons such as punishment, extracting a confession, interrogation for information, or intimidating third parties. Some definitions are restricted to acts c ...

against some FLN members led to an increasing opposition to war in France and internationally.

Battle of the Frontiers

In 1956, the newly independent

Republic of Tunisia ) , image_map = Tunisia location (orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = Location of Tunisia in northern Africa , image_map2 = , capital = Tunis , largest_city = capital , ...

was helping the FLN by smuggling weapons and men through its territory. The electrified fence known as the

Morice Line The Morice Line was a defensive line that went into effect in September 1957 during the Algerian War. It was constructed by the French to prevent the rebel guerrillas of the Algerian National Liberation Front from entering Algeria, then a French c ...

was built up to prevent Algerian FLN guerrillas from entering the French colony of Algeria from Tunisia. The 10^e D.P. was assigned to the surveillance of a portion of the electrified border, in order to intercept rebel bands that have managed to cross it. The Morice Line had a significant impact of the reduction of guerrillas activities by forces that originated from Tunisia. However, general Massu, the commanding officer of the 10^e D.P. was relieved of his command as he criticized president

Charles de Gaulle Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle (; ; (commonly abbreviated as CDG) 22 November 18909 November 1970) was a French army officer and statesman who led Free France against Nazi Germany in World War II and chaired the Provisional Government ...

's actions.

Algiers Putsch

Despite the military successes, French

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...

Michel Debré Michel Jean-Pierre Debré (; 15 January 1912 – 2 August 1996) was the first Prime Minister of the French Fifth Republic. He is considered the "father" of the current Constitution of France. He served under President Charles de Gaulle from 1959 ...

's government started secret negotiations with the anti-colonialist FLN in order to grant independence to Algeria. French settlers and soldiers were stunned by this decision and a putsch was organized in Algiers. With the exception of the 3^e RPIMa, the rest of the 10^e D.P. supported the coup. When the putsch failed the 25^e D.P. along with the 10^e D.P. were dissolved and the 1^er R.E.P was the only regiment disbanded.

Traditions

Except for the

Legionnaires The French Foreign Legion (french: Légion étrangère) is a corps of the French Army which comprises several specialties: infantry, cavalry, engineers, airborne troops. It was created in 1831 to allow foreign nationals into the French Army. It ...

of the 1^e REP who wear the

Green Beret The green beret was the official headdress of the British Commandos of the Second World War. It is still worn by members of the Royal Marines after passing the Commando Course, and personnel from other units of the Royal Navy, Army and RAF wh ...

, the remainder of the French army metropolitan and marine paratroopers forming the

11th Parachute Brigade The 11th Parachute Brigade (french: 11e Brigade Parachutiste, 11e BP) is a unit of the French Army, predominantly infantry, part of the French Airborne Units and specialized in air combat and air assault. The brigade's primary vocation is to proj ...

wear the Red Beret. Image:Parachutiste métropolitain légion-béret.jpg, Circled Winged Armed Dextrochere of French Army Metropolitan Paratroopers File:Brevet Parachutiste.jpg, French and Foreign Legion Parachute Brevet. File:Parachutistes coloniaux-béret.jpg, Anchored Winged Armed Dextrochere of French Army Marine Infantry Paratroopers Image:Parachutiste métropolitain légion-béret.jpg, Circled Winged Armed Dextrochere of French Foreign Legion Paratroopers The Archangel Saint Michael, patron of the French paratroopers is celebrated on September 29. The ''prière du Para'' (Prayer of the Paratrooper) was written by

André Zirnheld André Louis Arthur Zirnheld (March 7, 1913 – July 27, 1942) was a French paratrooper, a member of the Free French Air Force, and a member of the French Squadron, Special Air Service during World War II. He is famous for being the first French ...

in 1938.

Insignias

Just like the paratrooper Brevet of the French Army; the Insignia of French Paratroopers was created in 1946. The French Army Insignia of metropolitan Paratroopers 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. The French Army Insignia of Marine Infantry Paratroopers is backgrounded by a Marine Anchor. Image:Insigne du 1° REP.jpg, Insignia of the

File:Insigne du 9° RCP.jpg, Insignia of the

File:Insigne du 1°RCP.jpg, Insignia of

Image:Insigne régimentaire du 3e RPIMA.JPG, Insignia of

3rd Marine Infantry Parachute Regiment The 3rd Marine Infantry Parachute Regiment (french: 3e Régiment de Parachutistes d'Infanterie de Marine, 3e RPIMa) is an airborne infantry regiment of the French Army. It is heir to the 3rd Colonial Commando Parachute Battalion created in 1948 an ...

File:Insigne du 13e RDP.jpg, Insignia of

Image:Insigne régimentaire du 6e RPIMa.jpg, Insignia of

6th Marine Infantry Parachute Regiment The 6th Marine Infantry Parachute Regiment (french: 6e Régiment de Parachutistes d'Infanterie de Marine, 6e RPIMa ) is an airborne infantry unit of the French Army. Creation and different nominations since 1951 * May 16, 1948: creation at ...

References

External links

History of the 1st Parachute Chasseur Regiment, 9th Parachute Chasseur Regiment, 14th Parachute Chasseur Regiment and 18th Parachute Chasseur Regiment
{{French Foreign Legion navbox Airborne divisions of France Military units and formations established in 1956 Military units and formations disestablished in 1961 1956 establishments in France 1961 disestablishments in France