The 15th Engineer Maintenance Company (15e CEG) was a Foreign Legion engineering unit constituted in Indochina in late 1947. The company’s main purpose was to support French troops during the First Indochina War (1946-54). The unit carried out many military engineering-related tasks. It was providing maintenance and repairing of heavy equipment & military vehicles, storage and distribution of engineering equipment, road building or pontoon bridge construction. The 15e CEG was inactivated in 1952 to form an engineer battalion.
– First Indochina War (1946-54)
– French Indochina reffers to French colonial territories in Southeast Asia
– today’s Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos
– in Indochina in the 1940’s, a conflict started between France and Ho Chi Minh
– Ho Chi Minh led the Viet Minh (League for the Independence of Vietnam)
– Viet Minh was an independence movement
– in September 1945, Ho Chi Minh declared independence from France for Vietnam
– clashes between French forces and the Viet Minh started
– in 1946, first Foreign Legion units landed in Indochina
42nd Engineer Depot Company
– 42nd Engineer Depot Company
– 42e Compagnie d’Entrepôt du Génie (42e CEG)
– 42e CEG was constituted in October 1945
– a Foreign Legion military engineering company
– one of the very first units designated to deploy to Indochina
– on paper since late August 1945
– part of the then 1st Combat Engineer Group
– 42e CEG was organized at Camp de Garrigues
– a military camp near Nimes, southern France
– organized there between August-November 1945
– consisting of legionnaires and French engineers
– between legionnaires, many German WWII prisoners
– the company’s theoretical strength was 197 men
– in early December 1945, 42e CEG left France for Indochina
– as the very first Legion unit after WWII
– these fact hasn’t ever been mentioned in Legion sources
– December 26, 1945, 42e CEG landed in Indochina
– it became the third French engineer unit having landed there
– the company was stationed in then Saigon
– today’s Ho Chi Minh City in Southern Vietnam (then Cochinchina)
– still not fully equipped
42e CEG: French Indochina in 1946
– January 6, 42e CEG was considered as fully operational unit
– a military engineering company constituted to serve in Indochina
– the unit should serve as an engineer depot
– to provide handling/administration of engineer materiel
– to provide maintenance and repairing of engineer materiel
– to equip and supply French engineer workshops in Indochina
– in March, 42e CEG helped to equip 16e CEG
– another Foreign Legion engineer unit
– having freshly landed in Indochina
– Operation Bentré
– March 6-8, French landings in Tonkin
– then title for Northern Vietnam
– left by the French since early 1945
– French troops landed at Hai Phong, Tonkin
– after a naval battle with Chinese artillery
– Tonkin was then occupied by Chinese troops
– they had to retreat
– since March 13, French units were fully stationed in Hai Phong
– including a detachment of the 42e CEG
– in Tonkin, 42e CEG men would support French engineers
– they carried out several tasks
– to provide storage of engineer materiel
– to provide distribution of engineer materiel
– to provide specialists to other engineer units
– locksmiths, carpenters, machinists, welders etc.
– March 18, French troops entered Hanoi
– the capital of French Indochina
– the French had to leave the city in March 1945
– Battle of Hanoi
– December 20-21
– the battle which started the First Indochina War
– it occurred in the capital of Indochina
– between French troops and the Viet Minh
– 42e CEG took part in the battle
– alongside 1st Bridge Equipment Company (1er CEP)
– another (almost unknown) Foreign Legion engineer unit
– future 38e CCB
42e CEG: French Indochina in 1947
– Liberation of Hanoi
– late December 1945 – March 1947
– 42e CEG + 1er CEP participated
– they repaired roads, bridges
– destroyed by the battle and Viet Minh attacks
– Cat Bi Air Base
– an important French air base
– located north of Hai Phong
– built by 42e CEG between February and March 1947
– 5,000 m2 were covered with asphalt
– the legionnaires used bulldozers Brockway
– in following years, the air base would expand
– today is known as Cat Bi International Airport
– early May, 42e CEG was stationed in Tourane
– a town in Annam (then title for Central Vietnam)
– in December 1947, the 42e CEG would be reorganized and redesignated
– it was reinforced by a number of legionnaires from the 16e CEG
– December 14, 1947, the 42e CEG was administratively dissolved
– its men would form a new unit
15th Engineer Maintenance Company
– 15th Engineer Maintenance Company
– 15e Compagnie d’Entretien du Génie (15e CEG)
– 15e CEG was established on December 15, 1947
– an engineer maintenance support mixed company
– an autonomous unit, ex-42e CEG
– the company was composed of 5 officers + 163 men
– legionnaires (a majority) + French sappers
– 15e CEG remained stationed in Tourane, Annam (Central Vietnam)
– it was commanded by a French engineer corps officer
– however, his deputy was a Legion officer
– 15e CEG was divided into three platoons:
- HQ Platoon
- Vehicle & Maintenance Platoon (Section de Parc et Ateliers)
- Transportation Platoon (Section de Transit)
– Heavy Equipment Platoon was assigned to the company
– a platoon of France’s FTNV (Northern Vietnam Ground Forces)
– December 30, 1947, 15e CEG moved to Tonkin
– Tonkin was then title for Northern Vietnam
– in January 1948, the 15e CEG was stationed in Hai Phong, Tonkin
– it would provide maintenance support for French troops
15e CEG: 1949 – 1952
1949:
– in 1949, Captain Wagon served as the company commander
– 15e CEG mostly served as a maintenance support unit
– the company was carrying out several tasks
– maintenance & operating of military vehicles
– maintenance & operating of heavy equipment vehicles
– repairing of military vehicles
– repairing of heavy equipment vehicles & machines
– storage and distribution of engineering equipment
– transportation of engineering equipment
– road & airfield building
– pontoon bridge construction
– drinking water system construction
– military patrols in Hai Phong and its nearest region
– 15e CEG was furnished with different equipment
– 16 heavy equipment vehicles (bulldozers, scrapers,…)
– 43 military vehicles (Jeeps, M3 Scout Cars, trucks,…)
– in 1949, 15e CEG participated in several military operations
– the operations took place in the Red River Delta of Tonkin
– the company captured about 100 Viet Minh prisoners
1950:
– Riverine Platoon
– in 1950, a new platoon was established
– 15e CEG was furnished with additional equipment
– several heavy-ponton ferries (each consisting of 2-3 rafts)
– 3 x M2 Bailey Bridge
– later, at least one LCM (Landing Craft Mechanized)
1951:
– in September 1951, the LCM left the company
– it was transferred to the new 39e CEFG
– in November 1951, Captain Gilquin took command
1952:
– 15e CEG’s dissolution
– in late 1952, the company would be reorganized
– it would become a battalion
– 15e CEG was dissolved on October 31, 1952
– its men formed the 22nd Engineer Battalion
———
Main information sources:
Pierre Dufour: Génie-Légion – de Sidi Bel Abbes au Kosovo (Lavauzelle, 2000)
More-majorum.de (Germans in French Indochina 1946-56)
Insignes Legion (Fr)
Fanion Vert et Rouge (Fr)
———
You can support this website at any time through our store. Thank you.
EU-based readers can visit our EU-based shop, to avoid import charges.
—
See Foreign Legion’s other disbanded engineering companies of Indochina:
1st Engineer HQ & Services Company
16th Engineer Maintenance Company
38th Dump Truck Company
40th Dump Truck Company
39th Riverine Craft Engineer Company
———
The page was updated on: October 29, 2018
← Back to French Foreign Legion Units