3eme RPC Algeria 1955

[cookie]

Hi all,

This is not Indochina, so I'm a little wary of posting here but there are not really any other places they can be seen. It does, however, depict a unit that contained many veterans of the Indo war and obviously the kit was mostly the same (yeah, thin, I know...).

Nearly all of the clothing and equipment is original. With the exception of two sets of repro Panzerfaust-made trousers and two bigeard caps, all of the clothing is original issue 47/53 & 47/54.

The 3eme Regiment Parachutiste Coloniale, Kabylie, Algeria, winter 1955-56.

[Legion Etrangere]

Cookie,

Didnt know M1's were in use, and saw some of the Indo stuff as well. Love the look and cut of the camou, as it gives it a cookie-cutter look, but very, very French in terms of the shoot itself. I can't imagine how much cash you went through to assemble all that! The shoots fantastic....and I like the choice - RPC - as opposed to REP.

[cookie]

Cheers Mick,

Everyone is obsessed with the Legion. It's all anyone ever talks about (especially Americans!!) when they do Indochina and Algeria. We've purposefully chosen something else to show that other units were around.

We intend, at some point, to squeeze in a French conscript infantry impression within the next couple of years and that will really show the true image of the Algerian war (battered bush hats with grubby green Mle 47 fatigues). But as I say, the calender is a little full right now...

The M1 rifle was used by the ALN quite a lot. It was also used by a number of French Conscript 'Sector' troops. Marc Flament's excellent photo study 'Appelles en Algerie' shows a French infantry unit armed with M1's and BAR's.

[Legion Etrangere]

I am going to set up an Algeria page here on the site. The wars were similar in many respects and many who reenact Indo, do Algeria (or in my case, are heading that way).

[Legion Etrangere]

Excuse my sincere stupidity, but since I know nothing about Algeria, Cookie, whats the standard uniform? Mle 47's and bush hats? What about weapons? I assume in the early part of the conflict the MAS36 would have been standard along with M1's and other stuff.

Ditto REI. We are obsessed with the Legion. Maybe what is needed is a Colonial Infantry unit; I have always wanted to see a Goum, Spahis or African unit take the field. The recruiting for such a unit would be very time consuming. "Homey you want me to do what? Sheeeeeeeeeeeeeet."

[cookie]

Yeah, the standard uniform for the infantry for most of the war was the plain green Mle 47 series of fatigues. With tan or OD bush hats and Mle 51 helmets. Shoes were either pataugas, ankle boots or buckle boots. Webbing was the Mle 46 leather gear for most of the war with TAP webbing coming in later on. Weapons were generally standard French models such as the MAT49, MAS series and the FM24/29 (later replaced by the AA52). US weapons were used by some sector troops in place of French ones.

I've come across some of your countrymen who insist that the Legion were the only soldiers to fight in indochina and were the majority of all troops who fought in Algeria. Oh yeah, and that they were all ex-SS Germans!!!

[hoover]

Impressive! As always.

[Legion Etrangere]

I've come across some of your countrymen who insist that the Legion were the only soldiers to fight in indochina and were the majority of all troops who fought in Algeria. Oh yeah, and that they were all ex-SS Germans!!! \

Cookie,

It's unfortunate but your right as rain. Most of these are ignorant WWII reenactors because I have run across these gentlemen as well. They are the usual, plump XBOX, Call of Duty players that have (a.) never served a day in the military and (b.) are ignorant of the French and shotgun reply with the usual cheeseeatingsurrendermonkey moniker when you challenge their assessment.

I've spoken with enough reenactors (and civilians) here in Texas to know that they beleive it was only former SS that fought the Vietminh, and you can't change their beleif system. Our extremely poor education system is to partially blame for this.

I am considering moving my impression from Legion to Colonial so that that story can be told, at least where I set up a display.

Mick

[hoover]

Same here in Germany. On our first big event (a multi-military event with Vietnam, modern Frorces etc) the most heard statement:

"Oh Indochina, yes. All Germans."

And "Dien Bien Phu, the last battle of the Waffen-SS"

or:

"You´re portraying Legion? All were SS. So you are portraying SS?"

I am afraid we never will be able to correct this myths...

[Legion Etrangere]

Hoover,

As Cookie stated, its one of those myths that has persisted for years. LOL---not suprised that it persists in Germany as well!

[cookie]

Guys,

People always fail to look at the basic facts. Apart from anything else, the sheer amount of time that passed between the end of WWII and the battle of Dien Bien Phu, a decade no less, would mean that pretty much anyone of combat age in WWII would have been either dead, retired, or of senior rank, by the time of the battle. True, the Germans were the single biggest group of volunteers in the legion post-war, but that is mostly because of the economic and social upheaval across Europe as much as anything else. One of the very few Germans who fought at Dien Bien Phu and who had fought in WWII was Sergeant-Chef Bleyer of the 13th DBLE and he had been an 18 year old in the GrossDeutschland Division in the final few years.

[Turner]

Feb 22, 2012 13:13:35 GMT -5 hoover said:

Same here in Germany. On our first big event (a multi-military event with Vietnam, modern Frorces etc) the most heard statement:

"Oh Indochina, yes. All Germans."

And "Dien Bien Phu, the last battle of the Waffen-SS"

or:

"You´re portraying Legion? All were SS. So you are portraying SS?"

I am afraid we never will be able to correct this myths...

At least all of them had to ask what period or nation we portrayed. No one recognised that we were portraying legion etrangere, but most of them were very interested in the topic.

[cookiedoke]

what group is this?

[lew]

Mark (cookie) and his pards are in the UK.