"Fire in the empire." Foreign Legion after World War II

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"Fire in the empire." Foreign Legion after World War II

The Second World War ended, France enjoyed the world, and the Foreign Legion, along with other military units (including units of the Zouaves, Tirailleurs and Gumiers), fought in Vietnam, crushed the uprising in Madagascar, unsuccessfully tried to maintain Tunisia as part of the empire (military operations in 1952- 1954), Morocco (1953-1956) and Algeria (1954-1962). For the period from 1945 to 1954. about 70 thousand people passed through the legion, 10 thousand of them died.

Uprising in Madagascar


Madagascar became a French colony in 1896. Contingents from several thousand Malagasy fought in the French army during the First and Second World Wars. Ironically, it was WWII veterans who were in the front ranks of the fighters for independence of Madagascar: having met closely with the colonialists in that war, they rated their fighting qualities low, not counting either strong warriors or brave men, and did not have much respect for them.



By the way, we recall that in the "Free French Forces" only 16% of soldiers and officers were ethnic French, the rest were soldiers of the Foreign Legion and "colorful" soldiers of the Colonial Forces.

The incident with one of the former soldiers of World War II served as the cause of the uprising in 1946.

On March 24 of that year, at a market in one of the cities, a policeman insulted a local veteran, and in response to the indignation of those around him, he opened fire, killing two people. On June 26, during a farewell ceremony for the dead, a mass brawl of local residents with the police took place, and on the night of March 29-30 an open uprising began.

About 1200 Malagasy, armed mainly with spears and knives (for this reason they were often called “spearmen” even in official documents), attacked a military unit in Muramanga, killing sixteen soldiers and sergeants and four officers, including the head of the garrison. The assault on the military base in the city of Manakar was unsuccessful, but the rebels who captured the city recovered from the French settlers - among the dead there were many women and children.

In Diego Suarez, about 4 thousand "spearmen" tried to seize the arsenal of the French naval base, but, after suffering heavy losses, were forced to retreat.

In the city of Fianarantsoa, ​​the successes of the rebels were limited to the destruction of power lines.

Despite some failures, the uprising developed rapidly, and soon the rebels controlled 20% of the island, blocking some military units. But, since the rebels belonged to different tribes, they also clashed among themselves, and on the island a war of all against all began.


Malagasy rebel

The French then were surprised by the unprecedented fanaticism of the enemy fighters, who rushed to fortified positions and machine guns as if they considered themselves immortal and invulnerable. It turned out that it was so: local shamans distributed amulets to the rebels, which were supposed to make the bullets of Europeans no more dangerous than raindrops.

The French authorities responded with brutal repression, not sparing the "natives" and not particularly bothering with the organization of trials. There is a known case when captured rebels were thrown into their native village from an airplane without parachutes - to suppress the morale of their fellow countrymen. However, the guerrilla warfare did not abate, for communication with the blocked military formations it was necessary to use Aviation or makeshift armored trains.


Train with soldiers

It was at this time that the compounds of the Foreign Legion arrived in Madagascar.

General Garbe, who commanded the French troops on the island, used the “oil stain” tactic, building a network of roads and fortifications on the territory of the rebels that “sprawled” like a drop of oil, depriving the enemy of the freedom of maneuver and the possibility of obtaining reinforcements

The last base of the rebels with the speaking name “Tsiazombazakha” (“What is inaccessible to Europeans”) was taken in November 1948.

According to various estimates, in total, the Malagasy lost from 40 to 100 thousand people.


Legionnaires during a parade in Diego Suarez, Madagascar, December 1956

This victory of France only postponed the time for Madagascar to gain independence, which was proclaimed on June 26, 1960.

Suez crisis


According to the British-Egyptian Treaty of 1936, 10 thousand British soldiers were to guard the Suez Canal. After the end of World War II, the Egyptian authorities tried to revise the terms of this treaty and achieve the withdrawal of British troops. But in 1948, Egypt was defeated in the war with Israel, and Britain expressed doubt “about Egypt’s ability to defend the Suez Canal with its own forces.” The situation changed after the July revolution of 1952 and the declaration of Egypt as a republic (June 18, 1953). The new leaders of the country strongly demanded that Britain withdraw its military units from the Suez Canal. After long and difficult negotiations, an agreement was reached according to which the British were to leave Egypt by mid-1956. And, indeed, the last English units left this country on July 13 of that year. And on July 26, 1956, the Egyptian government of Gamal Abdel Nasser announced the nationalization of the Suez Canal.


Egyptians after the nationalization of the Suez Canal dismantle the statue of Ferdinand Lesseps, who led its construction

It was assumed that the proceeds from its operation would be used to finance the construction of the Aswan Dam, while the shareholders were promised compensation at the current value of the shares. British politicians considered this circumstance a very convenient reason for returning to Suez. In the shortest possible time, a coalition was created at the initiative of London, which, in addition to Great Britain, included Israel, dissatisfied with the results of the 1948 war, and France, which did not like Egypt's support for the Algeria National Liberation Front. They decided not to devote Americans to the plans of this campaign. The "Allies" hoped to crush Egypt in just a few days and believed that the international community simply did not have time to intervene.

Israel was to attack Egyptian forces in the Sinai Peninsula (Operation Telescope). Britain and France sent a squadron of over 130 warships and transport ships to the eastern shores of the Mediterranean, supported by a powerful air group of 461 aircraft (as well as 195 aircraft and 34 helicopters on aircraft carriers), 45 thousand British, 20 thousand French soldiers, and three tank regiment, two British and French (Operation Musketeer).


Soldiers of the Second Parachute Regiment of the Foreign Legion leave for Suez


Israeli soldiers welcome French aircraft, October 1954

Under the influence of such compelling arguments, Egypt was supposed to agree to the "international occupation" of the canal zone - to ensure the safety of international shipping, of course.

The Israeli army launched an offensive on October 29, 1956, in the evening of the next day Britain and France presented their ultimatum to Egypt, and in the evening of October 31, their aircraft attacked Egyptian airfields. Egypt in response blocked the canal, flooding dozens of ships in it.


Israeli medium tank M4A4-Sherman


Padded Egyptian tank. Sinai Peninsula, October 1954

On November 5, the British and French launched a landing operation to capture Port Said.


Suez Canal and Port Said, space photo


Port Said and Port Fuad


Scheme of the military operation of Great Britain, France and Israel

The first to land were the soldiers of the British parachute battalion, who captured the El Gamil airfield. After 15 minutes, Rasvu (the southern region of Port Fuad) was attacked by 600 paratroopers of the Second Parachute Regiment of the Foreign Legion.


Landing of the soldiers of the Second Parachute Regiment of the Legion


Soldiers of the Second Parachute Regiment of the Foreign Legion next to the British tank at Port Said

Among the paratroopers were the regiment commander Pierre Chateau-Jaubert and the commander of the 10th division, Jacques Massouet. These officers will play an important role in the Algerian war, and in the resistance movement who wished to give the government of Charles de Gaulle independence to this country. This will be discussed in future articles.


Colonel Chateau-Jobert with a cordless telephone at Port Said


General Jacques Massouux

On November 6, “colleagues” from the First joined the Second Regiment paratroopers - 522 people, led by the already famous Pierre-Paul Janpierre, which was described a little in the article Foreign Legion Against Vietnam and the Dienbienf Catastrophe.


Pierre Jeanpierre

Among his subordinates was captain Jean-Marie Le Pen, at that time he was the youngest member of the French parliament, but took long-term leave to continue serving in the legion.


Captain of the Foreign Legion Jean-Marie Le Pen, Port Said neighborhood, photograph of the Suez crisis

Le Pen entered the Legion in 1954 and even managed to fight a little in Vietnam, in 1972 he founded the National Front party, which since June 1, 2018 has been called the National Association.

With the help of paratroopers of the First Regiment, Port Fuad and its harbor were taken, three companies of commandos and a company of light tanks of the Second Armored Cavalry Regiment of the Legion were landed from land on ships.


1er REP legionnaires during the Suez Crisis, Egypt, November 1956


Paratroopers of the Second Parachute Regiment escort four Egyptian soldiers

And at this time, British troops continued to arrive in Port Said. Despite the landing of 25 thousand people, 76 tanks, 100 armored vehicles and more than 50 large-caliber guns, they got bogged down in street battles, and did not manage to capture the city until November 7, when the “terrible” thing happened: the USSR and the USA joined the UN with a joint demanding an end to aggression. The war ended, and not having had time to really begin, but the legionnaires lost 10 people killed and 33 wounded (losses of British troops - 16 and 96 people, respectively).

On December 22, the British and French left Port Said, into which UN peacekeepers (from Denmark and Colombia) were introduced. And in the spring of 1957, a group of international rescuers unlocked the Suez Canal.

France's loss of Tunisia


Habib Bourguiba, who founded the Neo Destour party in 1934, which played a major role in the events of those years, was a descendant of a noble Ottoman family who settled in the Tunisian city of Monastir in 1793. He received his law degree in France: first, he studied in the class for the underprivileged at a college in Carnot, then at the University of Paris.

It should be said that, like many nationalist politicians of modern Ukraine, Habib Bourguiba did not know the language of the “titular nation”: in his youth (in 1917) he was not able to get a state post in Tunisia because he could not pass the exam for knowledge of the Arabic language. And therefore, at first Bourguiba worked as a lawyer in France - he knew the language of this country very well. And least of all in the world did this “revolutionary” think about the “bright future” of ordinary compatriots: after Tunisia gained independence, the welfare of the nationalist elite, which gained access to the resources, sharply increased, the standard of living of ordinary people, on the contrary, dropped significantly. But let's not get ahead of ourselves.

Bourguib met the beginning of World War II in a French prison, from where he was released during the German occupation of this country - in 1942. In 1943, he even met with Mussolini, who hoped for cooperation with the nationalist circles of Tunisia, but showed rare insight, saying to his supporters that he was confident in the defeat of the Axis powers.

After the war he was in exile (until 1949). Returning to Tunisia, after the outbreak of unrest in 1952, he again ended up in prison. Then, after the mass arrest of members of the New Destour party in Tunisia, an armed uprising began, to suppress which French troops were thrown with a total number of 70 thousand people, including units of the Foreign Legion. The fighting against the rebels continued until July 31, 1954, when an agreement was reached on the autonomy of Tunisia. Bourguib was released almost a year after these events - on June 1, 1955. After the signing of the Franco-Tunisian protocol on the abolition of the French protectorate and the official declaration of independence (March 1956, 20) in March 1956, Bay Muhammad VIII declared himself king, and Bourguibu recklessly appointed Prime Minister. But on July 15, 1957, Bourguiba led a coup d'etat, ending with the proclamation of Tunisia as a republic.


Habib Bourguiba

A sharp aggravation of Tunisia’s relations with France occurred on February 27, 1961, when Bourguib, who was dizzy with success, demanded that Charles de Gaulle not use the naval base in Bizerte in the Algerian war.


Bizerte, 1961 photo

Work on expanding the runway in Bizerte, launched by the French on April 15, provoked an acute crisis and the outbreak of hostilities. On April 19, Bourguib, clearly unaware of the true balance of power, ordered the three Tunisian battalions to block the base in Bizerte. The French on the same day threw soldiers of the Second Parachute Regiment of the Foreign Legion there, on July 20, paratroopers of the Third Marine Regiment also added to them. With the support of aviation, the French drove Tunisians out of Bizerta on July 22, losing only 21 troops, while their opponents - 1300. The base in Bizerta, which lost military significance after the end of the Algerian war, the French left only in 1963.

Tunisia Bourguib was president for 30 years, until in 1987 he was removed from this post by the younger and greedy "associates."

Zin el-Abidine Ben Ali, who succeeded Bourguib, held the presidency for “only” 23 years, during which time the family clans of his two wives took over almost all sectors of the economy that bring at least some profit, and Ben Ali and his second wife Leila was called "Tunisian Ceausescu." By December 2010, they had successfully brought Tunisia to the second “jasmine” revolution.

Morocco independence


The "home" of the Fourth Infantry Regiment of the Foreign Legion was Morocco.


4e REI legionnaires ready for an operation in Morocco, mid-1950s

The aggravation of the situation in this country dates back to January 1951, when Sultan Muhammad V refused to sign a petition on his loyalty to the French authorities of the protectorate.


Muhammad V, photo taken in 1934

In response, the French authorities arrested five leaders of the Istiklal (Independence) nationalist party, banned meetings, and imposed censorship. The Sultan was in fact under house arrest, and on August 19, 1953 he was completely removed from power and sent first to Corsica, then to Madagascar.

The French “appointed” his uncle, Sidi Muhammad Ben Araf, as the new sultan, but he did not rule for long: in August 1955, unrest began in Rabat, resulting in barricade battles. Soon, an uprising swept the whole country. On September 30, Sidi Muhammad was forced to abdicate and go to Tangier, and on November 18, the former Sultan, Muhammad V., returned to Morocco.


The return of Mohammed V to Morocco, November 18, 1955

On March 2, 1956, the French protectorate treaty concluded in 1912 was canceled, and on April 7, the Spanish-Moroccan agreement was signed on Spain’s recognition of Morocco’s independence, according to which the Spaniards retained control of Ceuta, Melilla, Ifni, the islands of Alusemas, Chafarinas and the Velesde peninsula La Gomera. In 1957, Muhammad V changed the title of sultan to royal.

Left the Morocco and the fourth regiment of the Foreign Legion. Now it is located in the barracks of the Danjou of the French city of Castelnodari. Check out the 1980 photo:


Units of the fourth regiment of the Foreign Legion leave the barracks, the city of Castelnodari, France, 1980

The tragic events in Algeria in 1954-1962 fundamentally different from what happened in Tunisia and Morocco, because in this French department for more than 100 years there was a significant French diaspora and many local Arabs (called evolvés, “evolved”) did not support nationalists. The war in Algeria was not so much a national liberation character as a civil one.

In the next article we will talk about the war of 1954-1962, and also through the prism stories French Foreign Legion.
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43 comments
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  1. +18
    19 May 2020 15: 33
    As always, very detailed and scrupulously presented facts! Thanks to the author! I can assume that to collect information, not only in this, but in all articles of the cycle, it was necessary to "shovel" a mountain of literature. Nothing but great respect for the Author and his work, it does not cause! hi ... With the permission of the Author, I will allow myself a little clarification: the 2nd Parachute Regiment (2REP) did not take part in the Opération Mousquetaire. Of all I.L.'s units, only 1 Parachute Regiment (1 REP) and 2 Armored Cavalry Regiment were involved. (2 REC) Colonel Pierre Château Jober was the commander of the 2nd Colonial Parachute Regiment (2 RPC), which was organizationally, like the 1 REP, part of the 10th Parachute Division.
  2. -2
    19 May 2020 15: 51
    criminally. criminally destroyed these mercenaries.
  3. +1
    19 May 2020 16: 20
    Our compatriot living in Madagascar today.

    https://adderley.livejournal.com/

    1. +2
      19 May 2020 22: 25
      Quote: Arzt
      Our compatriot living in Madagascar today.

      But does Ilya have anything to do with the Foreign Legion? (except that one of his neighbors is a veteran of the Foreign Legion). hi
  4. 0
    19 May 2020 17: 34
    I do not agree with the opinion of the author about Bourguiba. He carried out many progressive reforms in Tunisia, and Tunisians remember him with respect.
  5. Alf
    +3
    19 May 2020 17: 58
    Thank you author! An unknown page in the history of colonial wars.
    Let me take a little rest.
    UN peacekeepers (from Denmark and Colombia).

    Peacekeepers from Colombia ... Is it funny to me alone? What can they do except trade in drugs?

    Something this four is not much like a soldier, some ragged bums.

    Build takes a bug?
  6. +4
    19 May 2020 18: 24
    The more I read about the legion, the nastier it becomes. I did not see much heroism. But the mass shootings of the population of the local colonies as many.
    1. VLR
      +9
      19 May 2020 19: 46
      This is the traditional policy of "Belle France" in its colonies. Perhaps you've heard of Graham Greene's The Quiet American? He wanted to write about the abominations of the French in Vietnam, he arrived there during the First Indochina War, and his acquaintance, an Englishman from the intelligence service, says: who will you surprise if you write about the French? The whole world knows that they are brainless, dumb racists. And Green changed his mind - he wrote about the Americans.
      But in Algeria it was a little different. Algeria is not a colony, but a department of France with a large French population and a significant number of Arabs who are Europeanized and loyal to France. Ahead is a very interesting article about the beginning of the Algerian war.
      1. Alf
        +3
        19 May 2020 20: 16
        Quote: VlR
        All over the world they know that they are brainless stupid racists.

        Well, who would talk about racism, but not the Britons ... As they say, whose cow would mumble ...
        1. VLR
          +5
          19 May 2020 20: 23
          The fact of the matter is that in Vietnam, for example, even the British were jarred by the behavior of the French. I wrote about this in the last article. The fact that the British General formally requested the French authorities to explain "his", what to call it Indian soldiers "nigger" yet it is not necessary - they are allies. And about British responses to the French as "opium-smoked degenerates."
          1. Alf
            +1
            19 May 2020 20: 38
            Quote: VlR
            The fact that the British General formally requested the French authorities to explain "his", what to call it Indian soldiers "nigger" yet it is not necessary - they are allies.

            There is such a bike, maybe it’s true, maybe not, that in Yugoslavia our commander gathered officers for a council of officers and told them comrades officers, a convincing request not to call pindosov pindosami, otherwise pindos are very offended.
          2. +2
            19 May 2020 23: 24
            Quote: VlR
            The fact of the matter is that in the same Vietnam, even the British were jarred by the behavior of the French.

            The British by that time were not the same as the Indians tied to the vents of guns. Shelf life has expired.
            1. Alf
              0
              20 May 2020 19: 19
              Quote: Junger
              The British by that time were not the same as the Indians tied to the vents of guns. Shelf life has expired.

              They were not tied to the guns, but the rotten nature remained.
    2. 0
      19 May 2020 19: 50
      So they were created just for this.
    3. The comment was deleted.
    4. +13
      19 May 2020 22: 37
      And what is "special heroism" in your understanding? The Legion did their job professionally, that's all. By itself, he could not win the whole war or save the colonial empire.
      Take any regiment of the Russian army, and about it, some especially "sensitive" will write that they were strangling, they say, Polish freedom, or there they took the Caucasian auls with bayonets, without suffering from humanism. War is war, and war on the wild outskirts always and everywhere had the same specifics.
      And about these "victims of colonialism": here is the same Madagascar, I quote: "The assault on the military base in the city of Manakara was unsuccessful, but the rebels who seized the city played back on the French settlers - there were many women and children among those killed." Well, the French sent several such figures to a "long jump" to their native village - they did the right thing.
      1. +4
        19 May 2020 23: 26
        Excellent comment smile
      2. Alf
        -1
        20 May 2020 19: 24
        Quote: Ryazanets87
        And about these "victims of colonialism": here is the same Madagascar, I quote: "The assault on the military base in the city of Manakara was unsuccessful, but the rebels who seized the city played back on the French settlers - there were many women and children among those killed." Well, the French sent several such figures to a "long jump" to their native village - they did the right thing.

        I do not argue with you, but there is a nuance about the immigrants, which means that it was for what, apparently, they did the right things. It's just that cruelty doesn't appear. And if you also remember how the indigenous population of Madagascar declined during the presence of the "enlighteners", then the question of the sharply negative attitude of the aborigines to the "come in large numbers" becomes clear ...
        There is such a formula-If the colonists follow the soldiers, then there is no place for the local ...
        1. +9
          20 May 2020 19: 58
          You know, when in the late 80s and early 90s the Russian population in all Caucasian and Asian republics began to rob, kill and rape en masse, then, from the point of view of local aborigines, there was also "why". "Strangers who have come in large numbers", "hares", no one will intercede, unite and cut back in response, but there is good: apartments, cars, etc. ... Cruelty is most often shown when they feel weak and are not afraid of retribution: human nature is such.
          And how they fed the national republics in the USSR, how they nurtured the intelligentsia, trained, built cities and infrastructure .. Did it help?
  7. +6
    19 May 2020 18: 46
    Valery, thanks! hi As always, everything is very interesting and well laid out.
    I would like to note that Operation Musketeer brought something new to the art of warfare, as the first helicopter landing was launched in the world.

    The board of the British aircraft carrier "Theseus" in the foreground is a Westland helicopter.

    "Centurion" 6th British Royal Tank Regiment slides down the ramp of the tank marines.

    And this is the British paratroopers on the captured SU-100.
    Unfortunately, nothing was found in the legion.
  8. +6
    19 May 2020 21: 05
    Good article and the whole cycle. I always had the impression that after the war, France remained the last bastion of old Europe with this burden of a white man, holding on to colonialism with all his last strength. Without all these disgusting modern reflections and leftist bends.
    There is a known case when captured rebels were thrown to their home village from an airplane without parachutes

    And the methods are still the same old, good, as under St. Louis laughing
    And what France has become now takes horror.
    1. +4
      19 May 2020 22: 06
      I always had the impression that after the war, France remained the last bastion of old Europe

      So the author’s materials seem to refute this. Most of the work was done by the Legion. The French fighters in commodity quantities ran out.
      1. +6
        19 May 2020 22: 19
        Quote: Engineer
        Most of the work was done by the Legion.

        I meant that the French still had a state will. On de Gaulle, she all went out. And in the legion, as I understand it, at that time, it was mainly the Negroes with the Arabs who served, but the Europeans. Well, Le Pen and Jeanpierre like the French and the fighters.
        1. +5
          19 May 2020 22: 28
          Yes, everything is subjective here. On the one hand you look, the will. On the other hand, phantom pains)
          And in the legion, as I understand it, at that time, it was mainly not Negroes with Arabs who served, but Europeans

          Yes, there and now, according to the reviews of servicemen, in shock (not rear) units, everything is quite "white"
          There is simply a feeling that the SS men who escaped the gallows after the war created that particular fighting spirit — suicide bombers or, on the contrary, the animal thirst for life — that charged everyone else, including the French.
          1. +4
            19 May 2020 22: 40
            Quote: Engineer
            On the one hand you look, the will. On the other hand, phantom pains)

            Most likely they are. But I still respect the post-war policy of France. They did not merge mediocre as the British, but until the last tried to keep the brand. Clutched at the outgoing greatness, banged with legs. And De Gaulle tried to slap for the cause. Perhaps they tried to prove to the world that a quick defeat in the Second World War is an accident)
            France can be said to be the last great state of Europe laughing A joke, probably, but in every joke, as they say ..
            1. +5
              19 May 2020 22: 47
              They did not merge mediocre as the British, but until the last tried to keep the brand. Clutched at the outgoing greatness, banged with legs.

              It seems right about the French, but on the other hand it looks like a farce. As if a deep old man is trying to stick out his chest in front of the students, and those above him just laugh.
              The British just did the wiser. The empire is built on the blood and bones of the titular nation. As soon as the titular nation breaks down, it is necessary to fold the shop. The British did just that, drinking beer and singing "Rule Britain the Seas". Even now they look much smaller clowns.
              The French tried on clothes that were not their size. These attempts all came sideways. And they too
              Europe abandoned greatness as a status symbol. And I was surprised to find that this is not bad at all.
              1. +3
                19 May 2020 23: 19
                Quote: Engineer
                It seems right about the French, but on the other hand it looks like a farce. As if a deep old man is trying to stick out his chest in front of the students, and those above him just laugh.

                Yes, I agree hi
                But the Franks, at least, tried and left beautifully - with shooting and terrorist attacks. And the others went limp directly to the almshouse.
                1. +1
                  19 May 2020 23: 29
                  Well, what is beautiful about this?
                  1. +1
                    19 May 2020 23: 35
                    Nothing. I don’t understand at all how the French could have lost this. They already began to see very bad ones.
                    But it’s better that way than in embrace with the French people in Paris and others.
                    1. +2
                      19 May 2020 23: 48
                      These gentlemen also lost with "this"

                      But it’s better that way than in embrace with the French people in Paris and others.

                      Now every European country has its own "Afro-French". And we as well. Why you so highlight modern Paris is not clear.
                      1. +1
                        20 May 2020 08: 53
                        Quote: Engineer
                        These gentlemen also lost with "this"

                        Americans? Not a connoisseur of the Vietnam War, but the Americans did not lose field battles. Especially with such a shameful score, as under Dienbienf. In general, I do not think that they lost the war - this is a purely political defeat. Could roll everything into dust if desired, but the ambition was gone.
                      2. +1
                        20 May 2020 09: 04
                        The Americans lost. Yes, and morally broken, the heyday of the hippies as a protest movement
                      3. Alf
                        0
                        20 May 2020 19: 29
                        Quote: Junger
                        In general, I do not think that they lost the war - this is a purely political defeat.

                        It's just that even the solders themselves did not understand why they "remained in the jungle."
                  2. 0
                    20 May 2020 13: 34
                    Beautiful in this image is the few little Vietnamese who lead this herd. It is worth noting that no one has invited these to Vietnam.
                    1. +3
                      20 May 2020 15: 16
                      Nobody invited Russians to Yakutia and Central Asia. "These" came to Vietnam for similar reasons.
                      An intelligent person judges all with one court, or does not judge with any.
                      1. 0
                        23 May 2020 00: 41
                        Are we going to give Siberia, Turkestan and Yakutia back? And to whom ... And another moment. I don't remember the big popular resistance in Yakutia. In Central Asia there was, but there was no such war as in Vietnam. That is, the reasons may be similar, but the "Russian invaders" are smarter than the Amers and Franks.
                      2. +1
                        23 May 2020 22: 13
                        Quote: VladGTN
                        Will we give back Siberia, Turkestan and Yakutia?

                        We will not. Why all of a sudden? I do not consider colonial war evil.
                        Quote: VladGTN
                        I do not remember the great popular resistance in Yakutia.

                        Yes, this is actually not important. The Chukchi had resistance, but this is not about that.
                        Quote: VladGTN
                        but the "Russian invaders" are smarter than the Amers and Franks

                        It’s just that our land communications are continuous with the same Siberia or the Caucasus. There maybe some governor would like to organize his United States of Siberia, but he remembered well that the tsar-priest would not slow down 50 thousand troops and send his skin alive. And the troops will not scatter those storms and the corsairs will not sink - they will come in any way. And there’s nowhere to hide.
                        Alaska is a good example of how overseas colonies do not live long. So the point is not entirely in the mind.
            2. +6
              20 May 2020 01: 17
              -There are only English ... France owned the colonies long enough for a generation of people who considered Vietnam or Algeria to be their Homeland ... and de Gaulle - a traitor, who left them to their own devices ... In the fates of Pie, noir and Russians living in the former republics have much in common .... but the SLA didn’t happen to us ...
              1. VLR
                +7
                20 May 2020 06: 36
                Quote:
                "a generation of people who considered Vietnam or Algeria as their homeland ... and de Gaulle as a traitor who left them to their own devices ... There is much in common in the fates of Pie-noir and the Russians who lived in the former republics."

                That's about it in the next article. When I wrote about TNF, I had a strong feeling that I was talking about Bandera.
          2. Alf
            0
            20 May 2020 19: 26
            Quote: Engineer
            Yes, there and now, according to the reviews of servicemen, in shock (not rear) units, everything is quite "white"
            There is simply a feeling that the SS men who escaped the gallows after the war created that particular fighting spirit — suicide bombers or, on the contrary, the animal thirst for life — that charged everyone else, including the French.

            Speaking of birds. Somehow infa came across that after the end of the civil war in Spain, a lot of inter-brigade troops went precisely to the Legion, and after 2MB there was a large influx of Germans.
            1. +1
              20 May 2020 19: 47
              I don’t know about inter-brigades
              And the German position in the Legion has always been very strong.
              300 ex-legionnaires served in Rommel’s famous 90th light infantry division
              After the war, the natives of Alsace and Lorraine rushed to the Legion. During the war in Indochina, they accounted for more than half the strength of the compound. Should they be considered German French or French Germans ?. Many did not speak French.
              Regarding the former SS men, it is very controversial. Some say it’s an open secret. Others- that after the war, police control in this area was quite strict and the search for characteristic tattoos was mandatory
  9. +1
    20 May 2020 14: 22
    There is a known case when captured rebels were thrown to their home village from an airplane without parachutes


    I heard about a similar incident in the Chechen war, when it was necessary to get the "stubborn radio operator" to talk, they threw a couple of "Czechs" out of the helicopter.
    Not to sentiment
    1. 0
      20 May 2020 18: 02
      Not to sentiment

      Well, the French sent several such figures to the "long jump" to their native village - they did the right thing.

      This seems to be the right logic, but I see it as a slippery path
      Both sides are absolutely convinced that their atrocities are not crimes, but an adequate response to the actions of the enemy - "he started first"
      I encountered this during military service. In the garrison where I served, the notorious 245 SMEs were based and in general there were many veterans of both Chechen wars. Even if only half of what I heard in a couple of years was true, then both the warring parties then differed little from the SS. Moreover, this was not broadcast by NTV journalists of the early 2000s and not by Novaya Gazeta correspondents, but by people in uniform in eyewitness status.
  10. +1
    20 May 2020 21: 29
    Thank you Valery! Great stuff!
    I had a doubt crept in, did you, for an hour, make a bet with Shpakovsky regarding the quantity and quality of illustrations?
  11. The comment was deleted.

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