Artillery, a long-neglected component of Western armies, has once again stepped to the fore. On the contrary, the Foreign Legion artillery remains one of the least mapped topics. It might come as a surprise to many Foreign Legion enthusiasts that a 1920 law allowed the Legion to establish, along with a cavalry regiment (the future 1er REC), also a separate artillery regiment. Equally surprising might be the fact that, in 1941, the legionnaires may have served in as many as 11 artillery batteries at the same time. Learn more about it in the following article.

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L'article en français : Batteries d’artillerie de la Légion étrangère
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Introduction

Very few works deal with the Foreign Legion artillery batteries that existed before and during World War II, from 1932 to 1944. The first and so far most extensive was a four-part article published in the Legion’s official magazine, Képi Blanc, in 1978. However, despite the otherwise admirable and precise work of the (uncredited) author, the article contained several inaccuracies. These have been picked up on by other authors, including Adjudant Tibor Szecsko, a Legion historian, for his fantastic and exhaustive 1991 book on the insignia of the Foreign Legion units.

Another writer who decided to at least partially deal with the largely overlooked topic of the Legion’s interwar artillery was Raymond Guyader, creator and a long-time curator of the Uniform of Legionnaire Museum in Puyloubier. In 1994, he wrote an article for Képi Blanc on two interwar Foreign Legion batteries that served in Morocco; 11 years later, he expanded on his work for a commercial magazine, Gazette des Uniformes. However, this is the end of the list of known, authoritative sources on the subject.

Therefore, as an amateur historian interested in the Legion, I have decided to summarize all presently known facts. In this way, I hope to correct persistent inaccuracies and provide previously unknown information that I have gathered about the Foreign Legion artillery batteries over the last few years.

 

Foreign Legion Artillery prior to World War I

Let’s start in order. The first artillery unit within the Foreign Legion appeared in the 1830s after the latter had been handed over by the French king to Spain to participate in the First Carlist War (a local civil war) on the side of the Queen Regent, Maria Christina. In Spain, a Legion artillery battery under Captain Rousset was activated in May 1836. It consisted of six four-pounder field guns and took part in numerous battles. The battery was disbanded in late 1838 along with the entire original “Old Legion” (1831-1838).

Two other Foreign Legion artillery batteries appeared at the very end of the French campaign in Mexico, where the legionnaires distinguished themselves in the famous 1863 Battle of Camerone. The batteries were organized in November 1866 as part of French plans to create and maintain, in Mexico, an independent Foreign Legion division comprising infantry, cavalry, engineer corps, a supply train, and artillery. However, the two batteries were short-lived, and little is known about them. The plans were soon abandoned and they had to leave Mexico with the last French units in February 1867. Four months later, the two Legion batteries disappeared in North Africa’s Algeria (which was the Legion’s homeland from 1831 to 1962).

In 1894, Vicomte Louis de Montfort, a member of the lower house of the French Parliament, submitted a proposal that revived the idea of a Foreign Legion division. Following similar experiments in Spain in the 1830s and Mexico in the 1860s, de Montfort’s project envisaged increasing the Legion’s strength by creating special units, such as cavalry and artillery. The proposal was initially rejected, but the French Senat accepted a modified version in 1908.

After the end of World War I, France faced a large number of foreign volunteers willing to serve, as well as new geopolitical challenges. Therefore, in 1919, the Chamber of Deputies revised de Montfort’s proposal and finally accepted it. The Senat adopted the new law in July 1920. It allowed the traditionally infantry-based Foreign Legion to form not only a cavalry regiment but also an artillery regiment and a battalion of sappers. The application of this law led to the important reorganization of the interwar Legion: The 1st Foreign Cavalry Regiment (1er REC) was raised in 1921, to be followed by four sapper companies in the 1920s. Finally, eight artillery batteries were activated throughout the 1930s and 1940s.
 

 

Foreign Legion Artillery Platoon

The first artillery unit of the post-World War I period comprising legionnaires was the Foreign Legion 80 mm Mountain Gun Platoon (Section de 80 mm de montagne de Légion), also known by its simplified title of Legion Artillery Platoon (Section d’Artillerie de Légion). It was created in mid-1925 by a ministerial decision dated May 15. Lieutenant André Krijitsky, a former captain of the Russian Empire’s artillery, took command. Equipped with 1878 De Bange 80mm breech-loading mountain guns and consisting entirely of Foreign Legion personnel, the platoon was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 1st Foreign Infantry Regiment (1er REI; present-day 1er RE). It was stationed in Western Algeria’s Colomb-Béchar along with the battalion. However, the unit’s operational potential couldn’t be exploited in the Rif War (1925-1926) in neighboring Morocco, where part of the regiment operated at the time. Instead, the Artillery Platoon conducted reconnaissance missions around Colomb-Béchar, mainly in the Oued Guir, Talzaza, and Zoufsana Valley sectors. In mid-1929, Lieutenant Sohier became a new platoon leader.

Finally, in 1931, the Legion Artillery Platoon deployed to Morocco to participate in the ongoing French pacification of the country. As part of a task force under Lieutenant Colonel Trinquet, in 1932, it was involved in military operations in the High Atlas. The platoon distinguished itself during the capture of Anfergane and Tazarine, and at Ait Ali and the Tizi N’Saf pass. In July 1932, it was transferred to a task force under Colonel Lalure and fought at Tizraouline, Assif Issoufa, and Outerbat. In April 1933, it took part in the capture of the Djebel Tagountza with a column under Lieutenant Colonel Suffren. On July 22, 1933, during an operation near Imedghas, the unit’s fire saved a group of Spahi cavalry squadrons and drove the fiercely attacking enemy from its positions. The next month, the Artillery Platoon participated in the occupation of Kerdous and the Djebel Baddou mountain range, where the last Moroccan rebels had taken refuge. The platoon intervened four times during that operation and its guns fired their last salvos on the positions of the main rebel leader on the eve of his surrender. The unit returned to Colomb-Béchar in mid-September 1933.

Following the return from Morocco, it was obvious that there was no interest in further use of the Artillery Platoon. Its qualified personnel were detached to carry out non-artillery tasks and replaced, step by step, by men from the Machine Gun Company, 3rd Battalion (CM3/1REI). In his report from June 1934, Lieutenant Fiore, the platoon’s third and last leader, emphasized the inadequate level of instruction of his men, who proved incapable of conducting live-fire exercises. The Foreign Legion Artillery Platoon was disbanded on September 30, 1934, and its legionnaires were merged with the CM3.

 

 
 

Artillery Batteries in Morocco from 1932-1939

 

Creation of the batteries

In the early 1930s, the French planned to achieve the protracted pacification of Morocco and occupy the last rebel-held territories: the stubborn Tafilalt Oasis in the east, the crests in the High Atlas and Debel Sagho mountain ranges in the central and southeastern parts of the country, and the Saharan regions south of the Anti-Atlas range, close to the westernmost tip of Algeria.

Unable to obtain the necessary artillery reinforcements from France, the commander-in-chief of the French forces in Morocco decided to create, within the Foreign Legion, additional batteries that could support the planned campaigns.

Therefore, on May 15, 1932, two artillery batteries were activated within the Foreign Infantry Regiments stationed in Morocco: one in the 2e REI and the second in the 4e REI. As they were considered temporary units, formed to complete the pacification of the country, they were called de marche, or provisional. Both batteries were furnished with 1897 French 75 mm field guns (commonly known as the French 75), with four pieces going to each. As for the personnel, both were mixed units comprising legionnaires and regular artillery cadres, unlike the Artillery Platoon in Algeria.

Apart from the commander and his deputy, the batteries de marche consisted of two combat platoons, each led by a warrant officer (adjudant or adjudant-chef). The platoons were further divided into two crews commanded by a sergeant and operating one field piece each. A maintenance platoon, a signal platoon, and an HQ platoon (which included furriers, tailors, accountants, secretaries, and cooks) completed the composition of each battery.

As they did not have their own means of transport, the Legion batteries were often carried by 10-ton Saurer trucks of the civilian African Transport Company (CAT). Each truck was crewed by a driver and a mechanic. Occasionally, the transport was provided by Berliet trucks of a local automobile train regiment.

The legionnaires in both batteries wore ordinary uniform. However, as a distinction, the jacket’s collar patch had a scarlet (red) background in the color of the Artillery. The detached non-Legion artillerymen wore their own uniforms but replaced one of the jacket’s buttons with the Legion one. In addition, the Artillery officers with the 4e REI Battery wore the Legion grenade on the kepi and collar patch, with the number 4 inside its bomb.
 

 

Provisional Battery, 2e REI from 1932-1934

The Provisional Battery, 2e REI (Batterie de marche du 2e REI), was organized in El Hajeb in the Meknes region where the 2e REI’s HQ was stationed at the time. The battery was composed of about 60 NCOs and legionnaires supplemented by cadres from the Colonial Artillery Regiment in Morocco (RACM): a captain (battery commander), a lieutenant (his deputy), and several NCOs and brigadiers (corporals in the French artillery). For administrative purposes, the 2e REI Battery was assigned to the regiment’s Mounted Company (a mule-mounted unit).

Little is known about the 2e REI Battery. It received its baptism of fire on the steep slopes of the Assif Melloul canyon while the regiment fought at Tazigzaout (August-September 1932).

After a few weeks at Kerrando, the battery stepped up its actions in operations led by General Guiraud in the Djebel Sagho from January 1933. This mountain range, with almost insurmountable peaks reaching over 6,500 feet (2,000 m), constitutes the eastern part of the Anti-Atlas in southwestern Morocco. Its highest point is the Bou Gafer massif, which, at the time, served as the last refuge for the unyielding Berber tribes that had resisted French presence in the preceding decades.

Reinforced for a short period by a detached 155 mm heavy gun platoon, the battery supported the French troops (including several Legion units) during the Djebel Sagho campaign alongside the 4e REI Battery. Later, in the summer, both batteries moved to the north to participate in the conquest of the Djebel Baddou. This mountain in the High Atlas was occupied by diehard insurgent elements that had broken the encirclement at Bou Gafer. The 2e REI Battery advanced toward Imedghas and fired final shells at Agoudal, Tindoune, and the Tizi Ouanola pass.

In February 1934, the French moved to the far south of Morocco, south of the Anti-Atlas, where Colonel Trinquet launched the first fully motorized operation of the French Army with the participation of four Foreign Legion motorized units. The operation in this Saharan region focused on the last pockets of resistance. Both artillery batteries participated as support fire elements. In March 1934, the remarkable operation successfully concluded France’s 27 years of pacifying Morocco. The Foreign Legion had participated since the very beginning.

The 2e REI Battery, at the time comprising two officers, nine NCOs, 13 brigadiers, and 40 legionnaires under Lieutenant Pascaud (64 men in total), was ordered to leave its original garrison in El Hajeb and move to Ouarzazate, where it was installed at its sister unit’s camp on March 18.

 

 

Provisional Battery, 4e REI from 1932-1934

The Provisional Battery, 4e REI (Batterie de marche du 4e REI) was organized in Ouarzazate, a historic town south of the High Atlas. Like its sister unit, this battery was composed of about 60 NCOs and legionnaires. They were supplemented by cadres from the 64th African Artillery Regiment (64e RAA): Captain Battesti with his deputy, Lieutenant Bray, and a few senior NCOs. The 4e REI Battery was assigned to the regiment’s HQ Company.

During the first months of its existence, the 4e REI Battery under Captain Battesti kept busy with instruction and the construction of military installations for guns and artillery equipment. It left Ouarzazate on January 11, 1933, for operations in the Djebel Sagho under General Giraud.

The battery moved in front of the Bou Gafer massif and, until March 26, engaged in daily harassing fire to prevent the enemy from resupplying and reorganizing itself. During that period, the battery fired 5,461 shells, including 877 on February 28, the day of the famous Battle of Bou Gafer.

In mid-April 1933, the battery returned to Ouarzazate and resumed its activities, with instruction being the priority. In early June, it was alerted and transported by the CAT to the Djebel Baddou in the High Atlas. Along with their colleagues from the 2e REI, the 4e REI artillerymen eliminated the last rebels hidden there. A detached Schneider 105 mm gun platoon was assigned to the battery for these operations.

Until early July, the unit operated at the Zegzaouine pass. Then, it supported a French task force at Bouljam by firing 1,170 shells. At the same time, to the north, the Schneider 105 mm platoon’s fire blocked the enemy in the Imdghas valley. In mid-August, the battery reached Toughach as part of the Meknes Mobile Group. A week later, it witnessed the final surrender of the dissidents. Despite the difficult terrain, the reduction of the Djebel Baddou was successfully achieved.

In late August, the Schneider 105 mm platoon was dissolved. The battery was back in Ouarzazate in early October.

In early 1934, both Legion batteries took part in the motorized operation of the Anti-Atlas campaign. Still transported by the CAT company, they moved first to Taroudant in the southwest of the country and then to Akka on the edge of the Sahara Desert, bypassing the Anti-Atlas range. They arrived there on February 22 along with the Legion’s Motorized Company 1er REI (future 1re CSPL) and 6th Squadron 1er REC. From Akka, a motorized task force under Colonel Trinquet gradually seized and secured large southern areas. By late March, it occupied the strategically important Tindouf in present-day Algeria. Lieutenant Baraton’s 1st Platoon, Battery 4e REI participated in this operation. The pacification of Morocco was over.

In Tindouf, the 4e REI artillerymen were involved in building a military post. On April 4, 1934, they took part in a parade in front of the commander-in-chief of the French forces in Morocco. They returned to Ouarzazate a few days later.

 

 

Legion Batteries in Morocco from 1934-1939

Following the end of the pacification of Morocco, both batteries were stationed in Ouarzazate. They resumed their common activities, which alternated between artillery instruction, live-fire exercises, maneuvers, and construction work (e.g., building roads).

In July 1935, the batteries left their garrison and were regrouped in Marrakech within the 4e REI’s HQ. The regiment’s then-commanding officer, Colonel Conte, quickly forbade the wearing of the scarlet (red) collar patch of the Legion artillerymen. However, it is said that, instead, 2e REI artillerymen wore a scarlet lozenge (a diamond-shaped insignia) on the left arm, surmounted by a blue Legion grenade and two blue chevrons in the upper corner of the insignia.

A month later, on August 10, 1935, the two batteries formed the Legion Artillery Group (GAL) under Major Pierre Brisac from the 64th African Artillery Regiment.

In October of the same year, the 2e REI Battery left the regiment’s Mounted Company and was assigned to the HQ Company.

In early July 1938, an unprecedented tragedy happened. Captain Prague, who had been detached from the 64e RAA and taken over the 4e REI Battery, was found dead in his house. He had been murdered by his personal servant, ordonnance (“orderly”), a German legionnaire who had planned to desert the Legion and wanted the captain’s money and car. The poor officer was replaced by Captain Champeau.

Unfortunately, the next year, sad events also occurred in Europe, interrupting the two peaceful decades that the old continent had experienced following World War I. In September 1939, France and Britain declared war on Nazi Germany after the latter invaded Poland.
 

 

Motorized Batteries in Morocco from 1939-1943

The upcoming war found the Foreign Legion units in Africa in full reorganization. In late August 1939, the 2e REI Battery was administratively disbanded. Two weeks later, a new battery was constituted and assigned to the 4e REI (most likely, the 2e REI one being transferred there). The two 4e REI batteries were now permanent, organic units, losing their de marche attribute. They were redesignated as the 1st Motorized Battery (1re Batterie Portée, the 4e REI’s original one) and the 2nd Motorized Battery, with guns carried on their own Latil trucks. The word portée literally means vehicle-carried.

Both batteries moved on the Atlantic coast to counter-attack possible enemy landings. The 1st Motorized Battery was stationed in Port Lyautey (present-day Kenitra), a port city in northwestern Morocco. The 2nd Motorized Battery was posted in Agadir, a city in the southwest of the country.

To reinforce the coastal defense, the 3rd Motorized Battery was activated within the 4e REI in mid-June 1940 and garrisoned in Mogador (present-day Essaouira), a port city in western Morocco, east of Marrakech.

However, later in the same month, following the German victory in the six-week Battle of France, the French were forced to sign an armistice. This resulted in a partial German occupation of France and the establishment of a new French (Vichy) government that adopted a policy of collaboration. What followed was a large reorganization and reduction of the French Army, including the Legion, and the dissolution of the 4e REI in mid-November 1940. Therefore, all three batteries – still forming an artillery group – were assigned to the 2e REI. However, the 1st Motorized Battery left two weeks later for the 3e REI, another Legion regiment stationed in Morocco at the time.

Time passed relatively calmly in Morocco until 1942. In light of the fighting in North Africa’s Egypt and Libya between the British and Axis forces (Germans and Italians), the French expected an Allied invasion of their North African territories (Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia). This came to pass in early November 1942 when the United States carried out landings during Operation Torch, its first mass involvement in World War II.

The Legion artillery batteries took part in resisting the invasion. The 1st Motorized Battery 3e REI in Port Lyautey faced about 9,000 American amphibious troops from Rear Admiral Kelly’s Task Force 34-8 and is said to have suffered one killed and four wounded. It also provided support for French troops. As American naval historian Vincent O’Hara notes in his Torch: North African and the Allied Path to Victory, in Port Lyautey on D-Day (Nov. 8), “…supported by artillery, French and Moroccan battalions mounted successful counterattacks, capturing some 200 Americans and holding up the U.S. advance on the fortress.”

The 2nd Motorized Battery 2e REI in Safi (where it had been transferred from Agadir) encountered Task Force 34-10 under Rear Admiral Davidson (some 6,000 troops). A lieutenant of the battery was taken prisoner while trying to set up a better observatory point to correct fire.

As for the 3rd Motorized Battery, this unit didn’t see any landings in Mogador.

No further details about the Legion batteries’ activity in the three-day campaign are known. According to a 1944 U.S. Navy study, which had thoroughly mapped the American landings across North Africa, the only troops who put up stiff resistance in the “Moroccan expedition” were “the professional soldiers of the Foreign Legion.” Even so, we know that other French units also fought bravely.

Shortly after the successful U.S. landings, the French authorities in North Africa sided with the Allies and prepared for the Tunisia Campaign against the Axis. This began in early 1943. In the meantime, in late March, the 2e REI was disbanded. Its two batteries were assigned to the 3e REI HQ in Fez and formed, along with the 3e REI Battery, a new artillery group.

 

 

Foreign Legion Autonomous Artillery Group

NOTICE: The following information, which comes from the little-known group’s war diary, had not previously been published publicly, neither in France nor abroad. The FOREIGN LEGION INFO is honored to be the first medium to present these rare details that had been hidden for 80 years exactly.
 

Creation of the GAAL

Following the Allied landings and the political changes in French North Africa, the three Legion batteries were gathered in Oujda in northeastern Morocco at the border with Algeria. There, the two 2e REI batteries learned about their transfer to the 3e REI, one of the two most decorated French regiments at the time. This allowed the Legion artillerymen to wear the unit’s prestigious double fourragère.

On April 1, 1943, the Foreign Legion Autonomous Artillery Group (Groupe Autonome d’Artillerie de Légion, GAAL) was created in Oujda. Also formally known as the Autonomous Artillery Group 3e REI, it served as a command body and had no administrative role, like the previous artillery groups. For administrative and operational purposes, the GAAL was subordinate to the Oujda Subdivision commander and the 63e RAA colonel in Fez; the latter artillery regiment provided artillery personnel, including most of the Group officers.

The Artillery Group in Oujda was composed of an HQ and three 75 mm gun batteries, which were now designated as towed (tractées) instead of carried (portées). The Group was commanded by Major Duchen from the Artillery.
 

GAAL composition in early April 1943:

• Commander: Major Duchen
• 1st Battery: Captain Loisy
• 2nd Battery: Captain Blouin
• 3rd Battery: Captain Dubost

 

On paper, the GAAL batteries were to comprise two Artillery officers and one Legion officer, three Artillery and 12 Legion NCOs, and 85 legionnaires, including 45 gunners and 23 drivers. However, the actual figures were different. The 1st Battery under Captain Loisy, with Lieutenant Guillaume as his deputy, numbered 11 NCOs – including nine from the Legion – and 56 legionnaires. The 2nd Battery under Captain Blouin and Lieutenant Oberlin, his deputy, consisted of 11 NCOs (including eight from the Legion) and 69 legionnaires. The 3rd Battery under Captain Dubost, with Lieutenant Leturcq as his deputy, had 12 NCOs (including nine from the Legion) and 71 legionnaires.

The three batteries continued to be administered separately and were assigned to the 3e REI HQ in Fez. In fact, at the time, this HQ operated as a simple administrative depot. The 3e REI had been deployed to Tunisia since late 1942. It suffered significant losses during the fighting with the German Afrika Korps. Its replenishment by legionnaires from the already reduced 2e REI – the Legion’s longest-serving regiment – had led to the deactivation of the latter and the aforementioned transfer of its artillery batteries. However, the 3e REI didn’t survive much longer as an operational unit. It was deactivated in June 1943 following the end of the Tunisian Campaign. Only its HQ in Fez remained active, with the Artillery Group and five semi-independent mounted and motorized companies attached to it.

As for the Group’s means of transport, each battery was to be equipped with two cars (for officers), seven pickup trucks or light trucks, five trucks, five artillery tractors to tow the guns, an agriculture tractor with a trailer, a motorcycle, and three bicycles. Unfortunately, the document doesn’t provide information on the number and type of artillery pieces. However, considering the number of tractors, there could have been four or five guns per battery.

Group activities were limited to instruction and live-fire exercises. The exercises took place in the Djebel Mehriris training area about once a month, and the batteries fired a total of about 300 to 500 rounds each time.
 

 

GAAL in Oujda, 1943

In late April 1943, the GAAL was reinforced by seven NCOs, 12 corporals, and 110 legionnaires. In mid-May, the Foreign Legion’s Lieutenant Viader joined the Group’s HQ to become the Signal Officer, responsible for communication systems.

In the meantime, the campaign in Tunisia had succeeded; the last Axis resistance in Africa ended. Now, the Allies directed all their efforts toward liberating Europe. The French troops in North Africa were largely reorganized and gradually rearmed with modern American equipment. New types of units were formed, including paratroopers. These changes also affected the Legion in North Africa. By June, three of its oldest regiments had been disbanded to make room for a single operational infantry unit, the RMLE. Only the 1er REC (Cavalry) and the Artillery Group – jointly sharing the garrison town of Oujda – remained active. This gave their legionnaires hope that they could be incorporated into the new divisions and participate in the upcoming campaign on the old continent.

In early June, the first Foreign Legion officers were assigned to the batteries: Lieutenant Haymerle to the 2nd Battery and Lieutenant Tchernomazenko to the 1st. The latter officer was born in Russia and joined the Legion as a simple legionnaire in 1921. He retired 40 years later as a lieutenant colonel.

In late July, the GAAL was inspected by General Ronin, then-commander of the Artillery in Morocco.

In early October, about 25 legionnaires deserted over the course of two days, for unmentioned reasons. However, within the French Army in North Africa in 1943, it was not uncommon to see desertions from traditional formations, as the men sought to join the more attractive, newly established assault “shock” battalions or parachute units in Algeria – whose commanders knew well how to heal the desertion issue afterward.

In response, the French commander-in-chief in Morocco issued an order to move the GAAL from Oujda to Sefrou in central Morocco, some 180 miles (290 km) to the southwest. This was a logical step, as Sefrou was located only about 20 miles (30 km) southeast of Fez.

During its transfer to Sefrou on October 9, the 3rd Battery was surprised near Guercif by a flash flood of the Moulouya that overturned two of its artillery tractors. Meanwhile, Lieutenant Leturcq and Senior Corporal Cerne distinguished themselves by saving a Colonial Troops battalion commander and his native driver from certain drowning.

The 2nd Battery moved to Sefrou three days later, but it had to stop at Taza because three-quarters of its men were suffering from severe food poisoning.

On October 14, Sergeant Reithofer from the 3rd Battery died from a service-related disease.

The next day, the entire GAAL was regrouped in Sefrou, at Fort Prioux.

 

GAAL at Fort Prioux, Sefrou, 1943-1944

In the meantime, Captain Dubost left the 3rd Battery and was replaced by Lieutenant Leturcq. As a matter of interest, a certain Captain Dubost had commanded a battery of the Legion in the Levant in 1941 (described further in the text).

On November 1, following a service notice from the commander-in-chief of the French forces in Morocco, the batteries lost their autonomy from the GAAL. The latter itself became independent as of the same date and was attached to the 3e REI HQ in Fez for all administrative and accounting tasks related to “the quarterly liquidation and settlement of its accounts.” In other words, the Artillery Group would be disbanded in three months.

In mid-November, Sergeant Gerardot from the 3rd Battery was seriously injured during a reconnaissance patrol on a motorcycle and evacuated to the hospital in Fez with a fractured skull. He succumbed to his injuries in late December.

At the end of November, the GAAL resumed its monthly live-fire exercises, this time at the Sefrou training range. Now, the batteries fired a total of only about 200 to 300 rounds.

On December 2, Staff Sergeant Holzapfel from the Group HQ died while performing a service duty for the Military Engineering Chief Department in Fez.

In mid-December, Lieutenant Guillaume from the 1st Battery replaced Lieutenant Leturcq as commander of the 3rd. He is probably the same Lieutenant Guillaume who, with the 1st Motorized Battery, faced the landing U.S. troops in Port Lyautey in November 1942.

In February 1944, a detachment of 10 NCOs and 90 legionnaires left the Group to form a Gun Company of the 1st Motorized Infantry Division (1re DIM) and participate in the Italian Campaign.

The Foreign Legion Autonomous Artillery Group was disbanded in Sefrou on February 15, 1944. Artillery personnel joined the Artillery Organization Center No. 16 (COA 16) in Fez; legionnaires rejoined the 3e REI HQ in the same town. Equipment of all kinds was transferred to the 7th Colonial Artillery Regiment (7e RAC).

After almost 20 years of existence, the Legion artillery in North Africa finally disappeared, as did the project of an artillery regiment composed of legionnaires, and was never revived after World War II.

 

 
 

Foreign Legion Saharan Artillery Batteries

 

Origins: BSP/1REI from mid-1938

The Foreign Legion Saharan artillery is a little-studied topic. The reason is simple: there is almost no information about it in the archives. Perhaps this is why, for decades, the official sources of the Foreign Legion have repeated inaccuracies regarding the mapping of the origins of the Legion artillerymen in the Saharan regions of Algeria. The following text attempts to present a more comprehensive and accurate picture of their history compiled from the few scraps of information available on the subject today, in the mid-2020s.

The need to form artillery batteries in the Saharan regions of French North Africa’s Algeria arose in the late 1930s when the French government feared an outbreak of conflict with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy. There was a real concern that Italian troops stationed in Italian Libya would invade neighboring French Algeria.

It was therefore decided, in Paris, that the Algerian-Libyan border (the so-called East Sahara Front) would be reinforced with, among other things, two motorized artillery batteries. Both were created in mid-1938 and stationed in Ouargla, the headquarters of the Oasis Territory (Territoire des Oasis). This was a huge administrative unit covering the eastern half of the desert areas of Algeria, along which the border with Libya ran.

The first of these two units was a battery of the regular French artillery, the little-known Saharan Mixed Motorized Battery (Batterie saharienne portée mixte, BSPM), which was equipped with both field guns and anti-tank guns (hence, the designation “mixed”). Its men came mainly from the 67th Artillery Regiment (67e RA) in Constantine.

The Foreign Legion provided the second battery: the Saharan Motorized Battery (Batterie saharienne portée, BSP) of the 1er REI. Although the Legion’s official sources date its formation to (late) 1939, the BSP/1REI was actually organized in Ouargla as early as July 1, 1938. The battery was equipped with five 1897 French 75 mm field guns. Unfortunately, we know nothing about this unit in terms of commanders and men.

Its first public parade took place in Ouargla in early November 1938. Five trucks carried legionnaires and towed the cannons.

In the first half of 1939, the 1er REI Saharan Battery got its own badge, which appeared in the French newspaper Illustration in July 1939, in an article featuring the nicest French military insignia. At the time, the battery was commanded by Captain Georges Ardassenoff, one of the many Russian officers in the ranks of the post-World War I Legion who had escaped the Bolshevik revolution.

 

 

CATTO from 1939-1940

In early October 1939, by order of Ministerial Decision No. 8267 9/1 of June 26, the Oasis Territory Automobile Transport Company (Compagnie Automobile de Transport du Territoire des Oasis, CATTO) was constituted in Ouargla. It comprised Legion personnel.

Again, we know almost nothing about this unit. Some Legion sources describe it as a separate military formation, while others state that it was a predecessor to the Legion’s Saharan Motorized Battery. All sources note that it was commanded by the same Captain Ardassenoff. Of course, this contradictory information leads to confusion.

Based on my own research, I provide two hypotheses. The first is the BSP/1REI transformed into the CATTO in October 1939. That would mean it was no longer necessary for a Saharan battery of the Legion to defend the Algerian border against a possible Italian attack despite the fact that France and Britain had declared war on Germany a few weeks earlier. Therefore, this theory seems unlikely, although we cannot completely rule it out.

The second hypothesis assumes that CATTO was created for the very same reason that other CAT units served artillery batteries in Morocco. That is, the primary purpose was to formally separate the transport elements from the combat unit and to use the CAT trucks only to transport weapons and men – and perhaps not only those of the Legion Battery but also those of the French Mixed Battery stationed in the same territory. This theory seems more probable. It also doesn’t rule out the possibility that the CATTO was formally under the command of Captain Ardassenoff along with the BSP/1REI. (Such a case of double-command wasn’t rare within the Legion.)

The CATTO was to use vehicles of various types, including American Ford BB V8 and Soviet ZIS-5 trucks (the latter coming from the Spanish Civil War along with escaping Spanish Republicans). However, these vehicles were unsuited to the Sahara, particularly the Soviet ones, which were designed to tow artillery pieces in arctic regions. According to the testimonies, on the 600-km journey (375 miles) from Ouargla to Fort Flatters, an important fortress in the Algerian Sahara, the Soviet trucks consumed 600 liters of petrol (almost 160 gallons) and the same amount of water.

Following the unsuccessful Battle of France and the signing of an armistice with Germany in June 1940, the French Army was reorganized. This reorganization included units in the Sahara.

 

BSPL from 1940-1941

In Ouargla, on November 1, 1940, the independent Foreign Legion Saharan Motorized Battery (Batterie saharienne portée de Légion, BSPL) was activated, still under Captain Ardassenoff. According to known sources, the battery was formed with the personnel of the CATTO, which was disbanded on that date. We can also suppose that the BSPL was formed by merging the BSP/1REI and CATTO into a single unit.

The BSPL was stationed at a former hospital of Ouargla, which became (or had already been) the battery’s headquarters. The trucks inherited from the CATTO were transformed into gun carriers through the demolition of the sideboards and the addition of loading ramps and a gun-anchoring system. In addition, the battery was furnished with French Latil trucks.
 

 

1re BSPL and 2e BSPL from 1941-1943

A few months later, on March 15, 1941, the 2nd Foreign Legion Saharan Motorized Battery (2e BSPL) was created in Algeria’s Oasis Territory. While the few publicly known sources couldn’t provide further details concerning its origin, we can now reveal, after more than 80 years, that it was, in fact, the almost-forgotten Mixed Motorized Battery (BSPM). Transferred from Ouargla to Fort Flatters in 1939, it transformed there into a new Legion battery, the 2e BSPL, following a War Ministry decision issued in early March 1941.

This decision stated that the men of the new unit – including 30 truck drivers – had to be legionnaires. It also stated that the number of French non-Legion brigadiers and brigadier-chefs (corporals and senior corporals) in the battery should not exceed three-fifths of their total number, whereas the number of Legion NCOs should reach at least three-fifths of the total number of NCOs. The vast majority of the Foreign Legion personnel came from Foreign Worker Groups (GTE) assigned to Ouargla.

As for the officers (captain-commander and two lieutenants-platoon leaders), the existing ones were to remain in their positions. The officers were members of the Saharan units (Méharistes). Thus, Captain Castay continued as commander of the 2e BSPL, with Lieutenant Lautier as his deputy. Later, Lieutenant Chevillotte from the Legion joined the battery.

According to Lieutenant Lautier, the battery’s strength was around 150 men, quite a lot for a Legion artillery battery of that time.

The battery’s equipment remained the same. At the time, this was four 1897 75 mm field guns carried on Latil trucks (another source mentions Laffly trucks). The 25 mm anti-tank guns are no longer mentioned.

Upon the transformation of the BSPM into the 2e BSPL, the original BSPL in Ouargla became the 1re BSPL on April 1, 1941. For the record, the latter battery was made up entirely of legionnaires and Legion cadres.

In late 1942, following the successful U.S. landings in North Africa, the French authorities sided with the Allies and prepared for the Tunisia Campaign against the Axis. Detachments of both BSPL batteries would participate alongside two Legion motorized companies (CSPL and CMP/1REI). From February to April 1943, in liaison with other French troops, they operated along the Tunisian border and took part in several battles in Tunisia: at Métlaoui and in the occupation of the Djebel Asker and Bir Oum Ali. Following the defeat of the enemy forces in North Africa, the two BSPL detachments regrouped in Algeria’s Negrine and Biskra regions before returning to their respective garrisons.

The now-redundant Legion Saharan Batteries were disbanded on December 1, 1943, to free up men for upcoming Allied operations in Europe. As for Captain Ardassenoff, he remained in the Sahara and took command of the CSPL in 1944. He was killed by two Algerian anti-French nationalists in 1946.

 

 

Foreign Legion Levant Artillery Group

The last region where Legion artillery batteries were established was the Levant (Syria and Lebanon), which had been under French administration since the end of World War I. The decision to establish new batteries in this region was made at the end of 1940 as part of the reorganization of the French army at the time.

Thus, on January 1, 1941, the 6e REI – regiment of the Legion in the Levant – returned to full strength. Reorganized into four battalions, it was reinforced with an artillery group: the Foreign Legion Levant Artillery Group (Groupe d’Artillerie de Légion du Levant, GALL), under Major Ribérolles. Comprising three batteries of four 75 mm guns each, it was stationed in Homs, Syria. For operational purposes, the Group was assigned to the 2nd Levant Metropolitan Artillery Regiment (2e RAML) .

The GALL’s officers and some NCOs were metropolitan artillerymen, while the 6e REI supplied the NCOs, corporals, and legionnaires. Officers and enlisted men of the Group wore a scarlet (red) collar patch.

In early June 1941, the Syria–Lebanon campaign began with the invasion of the Levant by the British, the former allies of France. The 6e REI and the GALL took an active part in defending both countries. Captain Evrard’s 1st Battery distinguished itself at Jezzine, providing fire support for the regiment’s 1st Battalion, then at Nebeck and Raqqa. The 2nd Battery under Captain Petiteler fought bravely in the Damascus and Machghara sectors. Captain Dubost’s 3rd Battery distinguished itself in operations at Chtaura and then at Ghazieh and Damascus. Fighting ceased on July 12, and an armistice was signed two days later.

During the campaign, the GALL maintained a vaunted reputation among the Legion’s artillery. Its losses were heavy. Out of a strength of around 120 men, 33 were killed or wounded. Among them was Lieutenant André Lagrange from the 3rd Battery, who was killed on the night of July 10-11.

In August, the 6e Etranger, with its GALL, left the Levant. On August 25, the regiment arrived at Pau in the south of France. There, the Artillery Group was disbanded at Camp Idron on September 15, 1941.

 

 

3rd Group, 68th African Artillery Regiment in 1941

To conclude the subject of Legion artillery batteries in North Africa, we must not forget the three batteries stationed directly in Sidi Bel Abbès, the main headquarters of the Foreign Legion at the time, located in northwestern Algeria. These batteries formed the 3rd Group, 68th African Artillery Regiment (68e RAA). The history of this regiment, whose main base was west of Bel Abbès, in Tlemcen, began on April 16, 1941.

The most interesting and so far unpublished information is the fact that, from the beginning of the formation of these three batteries, their men probably consisted exclusively of legionnaires from the 1er REI. According to their colonel’s report, by early July 1941, about 180 of them were serving in the 3rd Group 68e RAA, which gives us 60 men for each battery. This figure was the usual average number of men in the Legion batteries that served in Morocco and the Levant between 1932 and 1944.

The same report also stated that it would take some time before these legionnaires could be gradually replaced by French artillerymen. Unfortunately, no further details are known.

 

 

Conclusion

The subject of the Foreign Legion artillery is one of the least mapped topics in the history of this exceptional military force. The development of the conduct of modern warfare show us what a pity that is. The artillery was, especially during World War II, a very important aspect of the Legion’s combat capability. Five Legion batteries defended French North Africa. Three Legion batteries with the 6e REI faced the British invasion in French Syria and Lebanon in June 1941. In West African Senegal from 1941 to 1943, the 4e DBLE had an artillery platoon armed with 25mm anti-tank guns. In addition, the then-separate 13e DBLE had its own artillery unit, which fought the Germans in Egypt and Libya in 1942. Lastly, a small artillery detachment of the 5e REI put up a valiant resistance to the attacking Japanese in French Indochina in 1945 before succumbing.

As we have seen, at one point (mid-1941), the legionnaires probably manned as many as 11 artillery batteries. Eight of these batteries belonged directly to the Legion. Thus, sufficient use was made of the 1920 law that allowed the Legion to establish not only a cavalry regiment but also a separate artillery regiment within its ranks. However, these batteries never formally constituted it.

After World War II, the Legion artillery batteries were replaced by companies or platoons equipped with heavy mortars (120 mm), which saw action in Indochina, Algeria, and, later, the former Yugoslavia. However, even these units disappeared in the late 1990s. They were replaced by small squads equipped with standard light 80 mm mortars.

In the 1980s, much overlooked, and, thus, almost unknown anti-aircraft platoons equipped with modern 20 mm guns appeared in Foreign Legion combat regiments. These rather groundbreaking units, too, quietly disappeared in the late 1990s.

It would be interesting to see whether, in the near future, recent changes on the modern battlefield inspire someone responsible to dust off the more than 100-year-old law and thereby boost the importance of the Foreign Legion. Will there be a discussion about the creation of a new artillery regiment in the current Legion in addition to the existing cavalry and engineer regiments? We’ll see. I have no doubt that, in a few years, the new Legion artillerymen would become the same leaders of the French Army in their field as their infantry, cavalry, and engineer comrades are today.

 

 
 

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Main information sources:
Képi blanc magazines (1978, 1994)
Gazette des Uniformes magazines (2005)
Légion Etrangère magazines (1941, 1942)
Revue militaire française (1936)
Revue des Deux Mondes (1950)
Jean Paul Mahuault: Légionnaires Sahariens (L’esprit du Livre, 2011)
Pierre Soulié: Paul-Frédéric Rollet : Père de la Légion étrangère (Editions Italiques, 2007)
Charles Moran: The Landings in North Africa, November 1942 (U.S. Government Printing Office, 1944)
Vincent O’Hara: Torch: North African and the Allied Path to Victory (U.S. Naval Institute Press, 2015)
A. Lohse, J. Middaugh: Operation Torch 1942 (Naval History and Heritage Command, 2019)
Bruck Family Genealogy
3ème Groupe de Transport (Fr)
Service historique de la Défense (Fr)
Wikipedia.org

 
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Learn more about the history of the Foreign Legion:
1st Foreign Legion Mortar Mixed Company
1st Heavy Mortar Foreign Parachute Company
Foreign Legion Repair Platoons
1863 Battle of Camerone
1903 Battle of El Moungar
1st Foreign Parachute Regiment
Foreign Regiments Joint Depot

 
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The page was updated on: June 22, 2024

 

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