1st Foreign Parachute Regiment

Jeanpierre's Regiment

Legion Lieutenant Colonel Pierre Paul Jeanpierre (1912-1958), Foreign Legion Para Legend, was considered the patron and symbol of the robust and elite 1st Foreign Parachute Regiment. The camp of the 1st Foreign Parachute Regiment was named after Jeanpierre in 1959.

Creation and different nomination designations

History since 1948

On 13 May 1948 a Groupement d’Instruction de Parachutistes was formed at Khamis, near Sidi Bel Abbès, Algeria for the purpose of raising two foreign parachute battalions. The 1st Foreign Parachute Battalion (1^er BEP, I Formation) (French: 1er Bataillon Étranger de Parachutistes, 1^er BEP) was created on 1 July 1948, under the command of Commandant Chef de bataillon Pierre Segrétain with adjoint battalion commander Pierre Jeanpierre while complementing the ranks with officers and legionnaires of the Parachute Company of the 3rd Foreign Infantry Regiment.

Indochina

The battalion boarded the transport ship “Pasteur” on the 24 October 1948 at Mers El-Kebir, and arrived in Indochina on 12 November that same year. During the entire period of conflict in Indochina, the unit primarily saw action in Tonkin (northern Vietnam).

As part of a consolidation of parachute-trained French formations the Compagnie Parachutiste du 3^e Régiment Etranger d'Infanterie was disbanded on 31 May 1949 and its men - 3 Legion officers, 14 Sous-officiers and 92 Legion corporals and legionnaires - were transferred to 1^er BEP (I Formation).

On 16 September 1950, the French post at Dong Khe was overrun, with only a small handful of survivors of the garrison making their way south to French lines at That Khe. In response, on September 17 and 18, the battalion jumped on That Khe in order to reinforce the combat command under Lieutenant-colonel Lepage, operating out of Lang Son whose mission was to rescue the garrison of Cao Bang which was evacuating the city along the Route Coloniale 4 (RC4). Following a consolidation of French forces at That Khe, the battalion lead the French forces north towards Dong Khe with plans to retake the town, hold it long enough to link up with French forces retreating from the north, and then evacuate south. Although the two French groups were able to link up, heavy Viet Minh interdiction on the roads and constant ambushes in the thick jungle forced the French off the roads in an attempt to bypass the town. In so doing, the entire battle group was forced into the Coc Xa gorge, where it was destroyed piecemeal. An attempt to reinforce the battle group occurred on the night of 8 October when approximately 570 additional reinforcements from 3^ème BCCP (French: Bataillon Colonial de Commandos Parachutistes) were dropped near That Khe in an attempt to draw the Viet Minh forces away from the gorge, but this operation became hopelessly bogged down and the reinforcements were cut to pieces in turn. The unit was almost entirely destroyed in the subsequent battle in October around Dong Khe, with only 130 men of the battalion remaining of the original 500 who jumped. In this engagement, the battalion distinguished itself in its willingness to go to great lengths to evacuate their wounded through forbidding terrain, including an incident in which the men rapelled down a 75-meter cliff at the Coc Xa gorge with the wounded strapped to their backs. Over the course of the battle and subsequent engagements between the 17 September and the 30 October, the unit lost 21 legion officers, 46 legion NCO's and warrant officers, and 420 legionnaires killed or wounded, including the battalion commander, Pierre Segretain leading and heading, killed in action the night of 7 October. Only isolated elements of the battalion were able to rejoin the French lines led by Pierre Jeanpierre, who would later command the regiment in Algeria. Having ceased to exist as a combat-worthy formation, the unit was disbanded on December 31, 1950.

The 1^er BEP reformed (II Formation) on the 1st of March, 1951 from the survivors of the 1^er BEP (I Formation) (which had up to that point been attached to the 2^ème BEP), as well as legionnaires from the 2^ème BEP and reinforcements newly arrived from North Africa. Thus the battalion consisted of 3 companies, including a headquarters formation, the 1st and 2nd companies, and a company composed of Indochinese volunteers.

On the 10 September 1951, the unit returned to combat during Operation Tulip, part of General de Lattre de Tassigny's effort to put the Viet Minh on the defensive around the Cho Ben pass, north of Hoa Binh. The operation was a tactical success with the battalion successfully assisting in the capture of Hoa Binh, but further counter-attacks by the Viet Minh in November convinced the French military command that they were overextended and as a result the area was evacuated, with the last units leaving Hoa Binh in February, 1952.

Having reached an apparent stalemate in early 1952 around the Red River Delta, the French command again decided to go on the offensive, giving the plan the code name Operation Lorraine. On 9 November 1952, the 1st BEP and other airborne formations were dropped into combat near Phu Doan, capturing a quantity of Viet Minh supplies and securing the area. However, the operation failed in drawing the Viet Minh into a large, set-battle (as the French commanders had hoped), and as such the operation was abandoned and the remaining French forces were withdrawn on 16 and 17 November. The battalion was one of the formations selected to hold the rearguard post at Na San, where it sustained a fierce assault from the Viet Minh between 23 November and 2 December 1952. The post was well-fortified and held in the face of overwhelming numbers, with the bloodied Viet Minh falling back after a week of fighting.

After falling back to the French defensive positions around the de Lattre line, the battalion was reorganized and reinforced, with a third company of legionnaires being added, bringing the total strength of the battalion to 4 combat companies: 3 Legion and 1 Indochinese. In addition, on 1 September 1953 the 1st Foreign Parachute Heavy Mortar Company was created and attached to the 1^er BEP (II Formation).

On 21 November 1953, the unit was dropped as part of the second wave of French troops into the area around Dien Bien Phu as part of Operation Castor, with the objective of securing a World War II-era landing strip and drawing the Viet Minh into another pitched battle against a well-defended position. The operation was completed without incident, with the battalion digging in around Dien Bien Phu in late November 1953. During the Battle of Dien Bien Phu, the battalion was divided into mobile fire-brigades, with the primary focus being the Huguette forts, specifically Huguette 5. The 1 CEPML was stationed at Dominique 2 until the 14th of March, 1954, at which point it was shifted to various locations in the fort. Despite furious resistance, the 1st BEP (II Formation) is destroyed for a second time on 7 May 1954 with the final fall of Dien Bien Phu camp. The unit (1^er BEP, II Formation) lost 316 legionnaires killed in action over the course of the siege, not including those who subsequently died in captivity in Indochina.

Algeria

Following the Geneva Conference, on February 1, 1955, the unit (1^er BEP, III Formation) embarked on the steamship “Pasteur” in Saigon and arrived at Mers el-Kebir on the 24th of the same month.

On September 1, 1955, the 1^er BEP (III Formation) was expanded to a regiment-level formation and re-designated 1st Foreign Parachute Regiment (French: 1er Régiment Étranger de Parachutistes, 1^er REP). From that point on, the unit was based out of Zeralda.

November 6, 1956, as part of the 10th Parachute Division, the regiment landed in Egypt at Port-Said and Port Fuad as part of the French military force participating in the Suez canal crisis. It was evacuated piecemeal between December 10 and 22, 1956, at which point the towns were handed over to United Nations control.

From 1957 onwards, the regiment (1^er REP) was sent back to Algeria, first in Algiers, then in the djebel(mountains), and finally at Guelma. Regimental commander colonel Buchond partnered with Jeanpierre's leading of operations.

Following the petrol route in the Sahara, combat operations engage the regiment non-stop in the region of Guelma. The magnificent results are paid and earned by the death of superior French regimental commander Chef de Corps Legion Lieutenant Colonel Pierre Paul Jeanpierre; the legendary Para Legionnaire leading; who fell to the ennemy on May 28, 1958; following along their commander also legion officers, legion sous-officiers and a couple of hundred legionnaires.

On the eve of the general putsch of April, 1961, the regiment (1^er REP) was commanded by Helie Denoix de Saint Marc, as Lt. Col. Guiraud was on leave.

With the agreement of the officers, Cdt. de Saint-Marc activated the regiment alongside the mutineers, and began the general's putsch on April 21 by marching on Algiers. Following the failure of the putsch, the regiment (1^er REP) was disbanded on April 30, 1961, under the orders of Pierre Messmer, the French Minister of Defense. Upon being notified that their regiment (1^er REP) was to be disbanded and that they were to be reassigned, Legionnaires burned the Chinese pavilion acquired following the Siege of Tuyên Quang in 1884. The relics from the Legion's history museum, including the wooden hand of Captain Jean Danjou, accompanied the Legion to France. Also removed from Sidi Bel Abbès were the symbolic Legion remains of General Paul-Frédéric Rollet ( The Father of the Legion ), Prince Count Aage of Rosenborg, and Legionnaire Heinz Zimmermann (the last fatal casualty in Algeria).

It was during this time that the Legion acquired its parade song "Non, je ne regrette rien" (No, I don't regret anything), a 1960 Edith Piaf song that their Sous-Officiers, Senior Corporals, Corproals and Legionnaires, leaving their barracks for re-deployment following the general's Algiers putsch of 1961, sang. The song has been a part of Legion heritage since then.

At that point, part of the regiment deserted and went over to the OAS. Those who did not join in the putsch were escorted back to France and detained at Fort de Nogent.

The 1st Foreign Parachute Regiment part of the 10th Parachute Division was dissolved in on April 30, 1961. Both the 10th Parachute Division and 25th Parachute Division were disbanded following the general's putsch. However, the 2nd Foreign Parachute Regiment, while part of the dissolved 25th Parachute Division, remained in existence as the only known foreign parachute regiment (REP) in France and the Legion.

Traditions

Except for the Legionnaires of the 1^er REP that conserve the Green Beret; the remainder of the French army metropolitan and marine paratroopers forming the 10th Parachute Division, the 25th Parachute Division and the 11th Parachute Brigade wear the Red Beret.

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 which according to Liturgy is the <<Armed Arm of God>>. This Insignia is the symbol of righteous combat and fidelity to superior missions.

Regimental and Battalion Songs

Chant de Marche : Contre les Viets featuring:

Decorations

Battle Honours

Battalion and Regimental Commanders

Note (* †): Legion officers killed heading their battalions and regiments

1^er BEP
1^er Bataillon Etranger de Parachutistes Tenure ( 1948 - 1955 ) - I,II,III Formations -

1^er REP
1st Foreign Parachute Regiment Tenure (1955-1961)

Notable Officers and legionnaires