1Le Bataillon français de l’ONU (BF/ONU) en Corée 1950-1953

[Étienne]

Not sure this is the correct section to post this in, but what the heck. It's an interesting ECPAD article on the French troops ("Corée") that served along side U.S. troops in the Korean War. (Alas, it is in French, so it is hard for me to understand everything.)


www.ecpad.fr/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/coree.pdf

[lew]

Here's the Wiki page on the battalion: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_Battalion_(Korean_War)

That's pretty rotten luck: start out in the jungles of SE Asia, get transferred to Korea, which is hot in the summer mind-numbingly cold in the winter, and then back to Indo to get mostly annihilated at An Khe as part of the GM 100 debacle.

[craigtx]

That is some hard luck!

[lew]

I don't mind the cold, but I have my limits. I'd rather sweat out the jungles of SE Asia than endure a Korean winter.

[craigtx]

Agreed!!

[dienbienphu]

(I understand this is an old thread, however I feel like it pertains to the topic discussed below. I can repost this somewhere else if necessary.)

Hello everyone,

    I’m trying to figure out specific details about what kit is accurate to the ill fated Groupe Mobile 100, in what configuration did the Battalion de Marche of the 43rd Colonial, the 1st and 2nd Battalions of the Regiment de Coree, the 520th TDKQ Vietnamese Light Battalion (later), the 2nd group of the 10th Colonial Artillery, and the armor of the 5th Royale Pologne fight their last galant battle in. Did the troops use the four pocketed or the two pocketed (lightweight) TTA 47 uniforms, did they use American or French equipment (or a mix of both), what weapons were they equipped with, etc..

    I own the Men at Arms book on Indochina war by Osprey Publishing which vaguely discusses the dress of the Korea regiment and the battle dress of the tankers of the Royal Poland. The drawing for the Korea regiment is captioned “Soldat, Regiment de Coree; south Vietnam, December 1953. The French UN battalion in Korea distinguished itself under command of US 2nd Infantry Division. Transferred to Vietnam in November 1953, it was increased to two battalions by local recruitment, providing - with the battle hardened mixed-race BM/43e RIC - the motorised infantry of Groupe Mobile 100. Photos show that US clothing supplied in Korea was replaced by French issue, though this off-duty soldier wears a US T-shirt under his two-pocket M1947 fatigues; but the battalions black beret and badge , yellow and black ‘Coree’ shoulder title, and 2nd Div. patch were all retained. This former para wears the Un and French campaign ribbons for Korea.” The drawing for the Royal Poland is captioned, “Sous-lieutenant, 5e Regiment de Cuirassiers ‘Royale Pologne’; south Vietnam, 1950-1954. Arriving in February 1946, this regiments dispersed squadrons fought all over southern Indochina; III/5e RC’S Stuart tanks and half tracks fought with GM 100 in the Central Highlands during the brigades long ordeal in the spring of 1954. This young lieutenant wears the AFV crews’ habitual hot weather dress: khaki drill shirt, shorts and beret (usually badged, but here with one of several known 5e RC variations), pataugas and minimal equipment. A US Army belt supports pistol clip pouches and a holstered Walther P.38, a popular item of World War II booty. He displays the regiment’s enamelled breast.”

    These two passages, the chapter about the unit in Street Without Joy, and a lacking (to say the least) wikipedia page on the GM are the only things I have to go off of in terms of research.

    Please reply with any information about the group (about footwear, weapons, uniforms, whatever you can find) and if in any way possible, leave where I might be able to find this information.

Note: I already possess a set of TTA 47/52’s and all the american equipment that was used in Indochina including an M1 helmet.

    Thanks for your help, I really do appreciate any feedback I receive, this forum is the only reason I am able to learn so much about this obscure conflict that many people my age have never heard about. Thanks!

[lew]

I feel confident that you would be good to go with the Mle. 47 TTA set, M1 helmet, and US web gear. I'm sure they took their US-supplied M43 boots with them as they left Korea, so those would likely be mixed with French-made footwear, primarily Pataugas. For primary small arms, aside from the M1 Carbine, I would expect everything to be French. Pistols could be an M1911 or a P38 (French or German-produced).

I've only seen a couple of photographs of anything pertaining to GM100, but, when the remnants of the Bataillon de Corée posted to Algeria (156th RI?), they were outfitted purely in the TTA fashion; nothing exceptional to note.