The 1st Transportation and Headquarters Company (1re CTQG) was a military logistics mixed unit with the 1st Tonkinese Division, constituted in then French Indochina in 1951. An important part of its personnel were legionnaires. The main purpose of this company was to support the Division’s headquarters and provide transportation of troops and material by truck during the First Indochina War (1946-54). The 1re CTQG was dissolved in late 1954.
1st Transportation & Headquarters Company
1951:
– 1st Transportation & Headquarters Company
– 1re Compagnie de Transport et de Quartier Général (1re CTQG)
– 1re CTQG was established on February 16, 1951
– a former 3rd Transportation Company, 515th Transportation Group
– it became a military logistics support mixed unit
– composed of legionnaires and French Army regular elements
– 1re CTQG was organized in then French Indochina (Southeast Asia)
– it had to support French troops during the ongoing First Indochina War (1946-54)
– a conflict between the French and the Viet Minh
– Viet Minh was an independence movement of Ho Chi Minh
– 1re CTQG was stationed in Hanoi, Tonkin (then title for Northern Vietnam)
– the company consisted of five platoons:
- HQ Platoon
- Quartermaster Platoon
- Traffic Control Platoon
- 2x Transportation Platoon
– as a mixed unit, 1re CTQG comprised legionnaires + French supply train elements + French Colonial Troops elements
– the company was assigned to the 1st Provisional Tonkinese Division (1re DMT)
– 1re DMT was created also in 1951 and garrisoned in Hanoi
– 1re CTQG served as the division’s transportation and quartermaster unit
– its operational area was mainly the Tonkin Delta of Northern Vietnam
– the company provided transportation and supplying of operational units
– it transported troops, material, ammunition, food, mails etc throughout Tonkin
– the unit also provided maintenance services to the division’s HQ
1952 – 1953:
– in April 1953, Major Toussaint Colonna from 1re CTQG was killed
– he died at an outpost attacked by the Viet Minh
– in November 1953, 1re CTQG took part in Operation Lorraine
1954:
– First Indochina War ended
– in August 1954, the war in Indochina ended
– the same month, 1re CTQG left Tonkin
– the unit moved to Cochinchina (then title for Southern Vietnam)
– it was stationed at Baria, together with 2e CTQG
– Baria is a town located 60 miles (90 km) southeast of today’s Ho Chi Minh City
– 1re CTQG + 2e CTQG dissolution
– 1re CTQG + 2e CTQG were disbanded on November 15, 1954
– their legionnaires joined Legion units stationed in Indochina
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Main information sources:
More-majorum.de (Germans in French Indochina 1946-56)
Insignes Legion (Fr)
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See Foreign Legion’s other disbanded transportation units of Indochina:
2nd Transportation & Headquarters Company
2nd Foreign Legion Transportation Company
3rd Foreign Legion Transportation Company
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The page was updated on: October 26, 2017
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