French Foreign Legion information. An online project dedicated to the famous Foreign Legion.
In late 1952, an important confrontation between the French and the communist Viet Minh took place in then French Indochina, in a valley transformed into a well-fortified camp. A direct predecessor to the sad 1954 battle of Dien Bien Phu, the confrontation ended with a clear French victory, thanks to a significant role of the French Foreign Legion men.
Read more70 years ago: A successful battle in an entrenched valley in French Indochina
In late September 2020, a new book dedicated to the Foreign Legion and its history was released: Pictorial History of the French Foreign Legion in Indochina, 1927-1945. This pictorial book is another interesting work of Andrew J. Mitchell, an Irish author, amateur historian and a well-known Foreign Legion badge collector.
Read moreAndrew J. Mitchell: Pictorial History of the French Foreign Legion in Indochina, 1927-1945
Regiment of Tonkin. The only regiment of the French Foreign Legion established (two times) in Asia. Nicknamed after Tonkin, the then title for northern Vietnam during the French rule and the place were the unit was born, the 5th Foreign Regiment (5e RE) remains also the only regiment of the Foreign Legion stationed in French Polynesia. Its legionnaires were also the only Legion force fighting against the Japanese during WWII (1940 and 1945). Besides that, the 5e RE’s units fought in Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam and Algeria. In 1963, the regiment was reorganized and moved to French Polynesia to build and guard a new French nuclear testing site…
Since its dissolution in July 1, 2000, the 5th Foreign Regiment (5e Régiment étranger, 5e RE) has been the last disbanded regiment of the French Foreign Legion. Nicknamed “Regiment du Tonkin” or “Genie Legion”, the 5e RE has a long and truly remarkable history. I have tried to collect some data and photos and made its own page for those interested in.