The 23rd Motorized Company (23e CP) of the 6th Battalion, 1er REI was activated on January 1, 1955 in Ain Sefra, an old Foreign Legion garrison located in northwestern Algeria, in the legendary South Oran, the once wild territory pacified mainly by legionnaires. The company, under Captain Nicolas Laboure, was composed of three platoons equipped with Scout Cars. Considered a “fictional” unit, since the 6th Battalion’s HQ staff did not yet exist, it was administratively assigned to the DCLE (Joint Depot) in Sidi Bel Abbès, the Legion’s headquarters at the time.
In mid-February, Captain Roger Magnas replaced Captain Laboure and took over the command of the 23e CP. In March, he received the company fanion from Lieutenant Colonel Arnault, then-commanding officer of the DCLE and a provisional commander of the 6th Battalion, 1er REI, which was still formed only on paper.
Also in March, the company received the fourragère in the colors of the Foreign Theater Operations’ War Cross ribbon (Croix de Guerre des T.O.E.) of the old 6th Battalion, 1er REI, which had earned this distinction in Morocco, during the Rif War (1925-1926). Although the youngest among the motorized companies, the 23e CP was the first among them to receive this distinction.
The fourragère was awarded to the company by Major Reppelin. He was a freshly appointed commander of the 6th Battalion, though the unit still had not been fully formed.
Composition of the 23rd Motorized Company in March 1955:
- Commander: Captain Magnas
- 1st Platoon: Lieutenant Le Peillet
- 2nd Platoon: Lieutenant Auclair
- 3rd Platoon: Lieutenant Lambert
During their stay in Ain Sefra, the 23e CP’s activity was mainly devoted to training since very few of its men had already served in a motorized unit.
In May, the Scout Cars were exchanged for Dodge trucks that were more suitable for future missions in semi-desert areas. Each platoon thus received five Dodge WC 6×6 trucks. A few half-tracks and GMC trucks also remained with the company.
On July 1, 1955, the Foreign Legion’s motherhouse was reorganized. The DCLE along with the 1er REI were deactivated; a new 1st Foreign Regiment (1er RE) was created to replace them. The three motorized companies of the 6th Battalion (which had never been fully reconstituted) became independent. Thus, the 23e CP was redesignated and became the 23rd Foreign Legion Motorized Company (23e CPLE).
That same month, Lieutenant Lambert was replaced by Lieutenant Tassy.
At the beginning of September, the company received five U.S. M8 Light armored cars (called AM-M8 in France). They formed an Armored Platoon (peloton), comprising a significant number of former 1er REC legionnaires distinguished by their light khaki berets adopted in Indochina. Thereafter, on September 8, the 23e CPLE moved to Negrine in eastern Algeria, to share this garrison with the 2e CSPL for several weeks.
Later in the same month, the company participated in Operation Timgad, a major joint operation that occurred at the Tunisian border, close to Djebel El Djorf. The 23e CPLE legionnaires operated alongside their comrades from the 21e CPLE and 22e CPLE, the 1re CSPL and 2e CSPL, and the 1er REP and 2e REI. An important gathering of rebel leaders from the Aurès and the Nementchas mountains was destroyed. This operation saw the CPLEs and the CSPLs united into a Foreign Legion Motorized Company Group under Lieutenant Colonel Brisbarre, an officer of the Colonial Army.
In October, the 2e CSPL left Negrine and the 23e CPLE handed the post over to its older sister unit, the 21st Motorized Company. The 23e CPLE had to move further northeast to Bir El Ater. One platoon would be detached to Soukies.
From then on, the company’s defense and installation work alternated with operations and patrols in the assigned sector – in the Nementchas or on the Tunisian border (alongside the 21e CPLE or the 1er REP), as well as with day and night ambushes, identity checks, and searches of Nomad camps and their caravans (convoys ranging from 10 to 150 camels).
On January 6, 1956, Lieutenant Tassy‘s platoon left Soukies and joined the rest of the company at Bir El Ater.
A few months later, the company lost its autonomy and would be integrated, along with the two sister companies, into the Foreign Legion Algerian Motorized Group (GPLEA), activated in February of the same year. The 23e CPLE became the 23rd Motorized Company, GPLEA.
On May 20, Captain Magnas handed over command of the 23e CPLE to Captain Julien Camelin.
On the 25th, during a reconnaissance mission at Djebel Onk (a mountain/massif west of Bir El Ater), the company came across a rebel group. That day, six fellaghas (rebels) were killed. On June 8th, there was another major skirmish for the company, this time to the southeast of the village; 35 rebels were killed and 10 taken prisoner.
In early September, the company left for Philippeville, then the garrison of the 2e REP, for a week’s leave. On their return to the post on the 21st, a fierce battle took place at Djebel Fououa, north of Bir El Ater; 26 rebels were killed.
In late October 1956, the GPLEA – a little-known and short-lived unit – was disbanded. Its elements passed to the recently reorganized 2nd Foreign Infantry Regiment. Still based at Bir El Ater, the 23rd Motorized Company, GPLEA was renamed as the 6th Motorized Company, 2e REI. The company’s overall result was 89 rebels killed and 67 weapons seized.
In March 1957, the 6e CP, 2e REI was replaced at Bir El Ater by the 3e CP, 4e REI. The company then left eastern Algeria for the west. It would join the 2e REI at its headquarters in Ain Sefra, which had in fact been the birthplace of the 23rd Motorized Company in January 1955.
In 2000, the newly created Base and Training Company (CBI) of the 2e REI adopted the former badge of the 23e CPLE. Transformed into the Administration and Support Company (CAS) in 2003, the company kept this badge until 2011, when the unit was disbanded.
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La version française de cet article:
23eme CPLE : 23e Compagnie Portée de Légion Etrangère
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Main information sources:
Képi blanc magazines
Foreign Legion annual bulletins (1950s)
Tibor Szecsko: Le grand livre des insignes de la Légion étrangère (S.I.H.L.E., 1991)
Fanion Vert et Rouge
Google.com
Wikipedia.org
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Related articles:
Foreign Legion Moroccan Motorized Group
1st Legion Saharan Motorized Company
2nd Legion Saharan Motorized Company
3rd Legion Saharan Motorized Company
4th Legion Saharan Motorized Company
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The page was updated on: December 04, 2021