Tag Archives: mat-49

Non, je ne regrette rien

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70 years ago this month.

January 1954 – French Indochina. Legionnaires of the recently reformed 1st Foreign Parachute Battalion (1er Bataillon Etranger de Parachutistes) crouching, stationary, during a patrol west of a little hamlet in the heart-shaped Mường Thanh Valley called Diên Biên Phu, long before it was infamous.

Daniel Camus/ECPAD/Defense Ref. : NVN 54-9 R43

Note the floppy chapeau de brousse bush hats, TAP 47 “lizard” camo, and hallmark MAT-49 SMGs: the French Indochina experience at its peak.

Formed at Khamisis, Algeria on 1 July 1948, 1er BEP shipped out to Indochina just four months later and would remain in the embattled colony during its entire existence. It was reportedly full of hard cases with prior combat jumps, including several former SOE/OSS types, Sky Soldiers, Paras, Paracadutisti, and Fallschirmjäger who has served under a half dozen flags in the Big Show.

They would make a series of spectacular airborne raids and jumps that have been all but lost to history including dropping 580 men into Haiphong on 18 March 1949, landing two companies at Phu Doan and another at Tuyen Quang during Operation Pomone I in April 1949 to destroy Viet Minh depots, 412 men at Phu Lo Xoc at the end of that month, a full battalion-sized raid on Phu Doan on 7 May 1949, captured Tinh Luyen in an 18 August 1949 airdrop, dropped a company to reinforce Hoa Binh in November 1949, raided Quang Nguyen on 20 April 1950, was involved in the brigade-sized mass drop (along with 2d BEP and 3d BPC) on Phu Doan during Operation Marion on 11 September 1950, and dropped in the tragic rescue at That Khe in October where an entire company was annihilated and its others decimated, leading the battalion to be disbanded on December 31, 1950.

Reformed, they lept into Cho Ben in November 1951 in Operation Tulipe.

Bled out, they had to be reformed extensively over the next two years.

They were only at full strength and para-qualified in November 1953 when they were pinned to Operation Castor– seizing the Mường Thanh Valley and fortifying Diên Biên Phu near the border of present-day Laos, essentially Giap’s backyard.

On D-Day on Castor, 20 November 1953, 2,650 men of GAP; 2/1 RCP, 1 & 6 BPChoc parachuted into the valley, meeting up with 25 pathfinders of GCMA who had landed the night prior. On D+1, 1,400 men of our 1er BEP, along with 2 GAP, and 8 BPChoc parachuted in. D+2 saw 485 Vietnamese paras of 5 BPVN leap in followed by a mortar company and light artillery battalion.

Castor was carried out with five squadrons of WWII-era C-47 Dakotas and one of recently supplied (CIA manned) C-119 Flying Boxcars. In all, just over 5,000 men would be parachuted into the valley in four days– the largest combat airdrop for any country since the Varsity jumps over the Rhine in March 1945.

It would be 1er BEP’s final jump.

Dien Bien Phu, René Pleven, Minister National Defense, presents decoration to fanion 1st BEP Feb 1954. Three months later the unit would no longer exist and the pennant was destroyed rather than be captured

 

Captain Cabiro, commander of the 4th company of 1st BEP (Bataillon Etranger de Parachutistes) is smoking a Gauloises cigarette. Note the Luger P08 he picked up in 1944 and the American handie-talkie radio

Indochina 1954, Officers newly reformed 1er BEP. TAP 47 lizard camo, Mauser bayonet, US M1 helmets, and handie-talkie

Indochina War, Dien Bien Phu, January 1954. A lieutenant of French 1er BEP recon unit.

With every member of the battalion either killed, wounded, or captured at Diên Biên Phu during the later 54-day siege of the outpost in 1954, 1er BEP would be reconstituted in name only on 18 May 1954– two weeks after the battle.

Following a shift to Algeria during the French withdrawal from Indochina it would be redesignated the 1st Foreign Parachute Regiment (1er Régiment Etranger de Parachutistes, 1er REP) in September 1955, a unit that earned further glory in the Suez and fighting in North Africa only for that unit to be dissolved for good for its part in the 1961 Algiers putsch against De Gaulle.

The regiment’s parade song was “Non, je ne regrette rien” (“No, I regret nothing”), by Edith Piaf.

Why not?

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“There are socialists, communists, cubists, capitalists, Vichyists, fascists, meharistists, nudists, syndicalists, existentialists, lampisists, Marxists, monarchists, Gaullists, Bonapartists, violinists, pushers..etc.

If you’ve not made your mind up yet if you’re a man, why not become a parachutist?” –French military recruiting poster, 1950.

The French were actually one of the first countries to field paratroopers, after a group of officers studied with the Soviets in the 1930s, with the 601e G.I.A, forming in 1937. Continuing their service with the British during WWII as part of the SAS, the 1st Parachute Chasseur Battalion (1er BCP n°1) was formed in 1943.

During the Indochinese War, Paris organized almost a dozen Vietnamese, Laotian and Cambodian airborne battalions.

M1 Carbine/MAT-49-armed French/Viet paratroopers Indochina 1953. Also note the mix of camo to include former U.S. Marine Pacific-theater “duck hunter” HBTs. (Source: ecpad.fr) http://www.ecpad.fr/

These augmented an even larger force of Colonial Marine and French Foreign Legion units that raced all over Southeast Asia as a fire brigade to try and put out Viet Minh flareups.

French paratrooper, Indochina. You can notice his MAS 36 CR39 folding carbine and muddy reserve chute. He is collecting his main chute, note the camouflage pattern canopy. 

Some were rushed to Dien Bein Phu with their combat jump being the first time they hit the silk.

(Paracas del 2º BEP en Dien Bien Phu, 1954) French Foreign legion paratroopers during Operation Camargue, Quang Tri, Indochina, July 1953. (Source: ecpad.fr) http://www.ecpad.fr/

They kept up the trend in Algeria with the 14th and 19th Algerian Parachute (Parachutistes Algériens) battalions.

French Army Recruitment poster, the Algerian war, showing a Colonial Airborne paratrooper (Parachutistes Coloniaux). The poster reads, “my fortune is my glory, my trade is combat.” Note the MAT-49 SMG.

French Tunisia, Para légionnaires of the 1er REP left, and 10th Parachute, with Czech-made Mausers, a shotgun, and an M1 Garand with its buttstock covered in sacking

With the force shrinking after 1961– where the two airborne divisions (10e D.P and 25e D.P) along with the Legion’s 1e REP were all disbanded when they took part in the revolt against De Gaulle– today the Republic still has the 11th Parachute Brigade (11e BP), the French Foreign Legion’s 2nd Parachute Regiment (2ème REP), as well as the 2nd Marine Parachute Regiment (2e RPIMa) to call on.

Although they now use German-made rifles, because, why not?

Damascus Detritus via the Trans-Siberian Railway

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To commemorate their involvement in the Syrian Civil War, the Russian military has sent a special train on a victory lap of sorts filled with interesting battlefield bring-backs.

The 14-car train is heavy with improvised fighting vehicles fielded by ISIS and various forces opposed to the Russian-backed Syrian strongman Bashar al-Assad as well as a curious loot of small arms.

Apparently, one Jeep Grand Cherokee was missed during Cash 4 Clunkers

Among the guns captured are FN FAL rifles and FN FALO squad automatic weapons, French MAT-49 submachine guns, UZIs, early M16s and even a few German StG 44 “Sturmgewehr” rifles that date back to WWII.

More in my column at Guns.com

That My Khe beach aesthetic, tho

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Here we see an excellent photo of a Vietnamese Ranger of the ARVN clad in sandals, shades and an nón lá “rice hat” over his U.S.-supplied duck hunter/frog lizard camo uniform (which was popular at the time among irregular units around Indochina). Armed with a similarly surplus M1911 .45 in his belt as well as what looks to be a French MAS 38 SMG over his shoulder, he sports binos and a commercial transistor radio for the latest in Saigon-based AM stations.

Note the more traditionally-equipped ARVN infantry behind him, armed with M1 Garands.

Speaking of which, this beauty came from a recent blog post over at the “WWII After WWII” blog examining M1 Garand use in Vietnam.

More of that here.

The brief affair with HBT camo and the U.S. Army, or, the Duck Hunters of D-Day

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In the first part of 1943, the Army began flirting with a two-piece (jacket and pants) herringbone twill (HBT) camouflage uniform. Now, one thing to note is that this differed from the Marine HBT “duck hunter” or “frog skin” camo that was introduced around the time of the invasion of Tarawa, as the Devil Dog kit was based on their P41 design while the Army’s was a slightly different variant based on Big Green’s M1942 fatigue uniform.

Jacket, Herringbone Twill, Camouflage, via U.S. Military Forum http://www.usmilitariaforum.com/forums/index.php?/topic/179880-the-abcs-of-collecting-wwii-army-issued-hbt-clothing/

Jacket, Herringbone Twill, Camouflage, via U.S. Military Forum

Trousers, HBT, Camouflage, via U.S. Military Forum http://www.usmilitariaforum.com/forums/index.php?/topic/179880-the-abcs-of-collecting-wwii-army-issued-hbt-clothing/

Trousers, HBT, Camouflage, via U.S. Military Forum

These two-piece camouflage uniforms were fielded by units of the 2nd Armored Division, including the 41st Armored Infantry Regiment and 17th Armored Engineer Battalion, for D-Day. They appear in photos between June to September 1944.

Private Joseph De Freitos of Yonkers (New York) of the 41st Armored Infantry Regiment, 2nd US Armored Division, heats his rations on a stove, taken at Pont-Brocard in late July 1944. There is nothing particularly strange about the way he is wearing his e-tool; this was fairly common when the M1928 haversack was not being used.

Private Joseph De Freitos of Yonkers (New York) of the 41st Armored Infantry Regiment, 2nd US Armored Division, heats his rations on a stove, taken at Pont-Brocard in late July 1944. There is nothing particularly strange about the way he is wearing his e-tool; this was fairly common when the M1928 haversack was not being used.

Records and photos indicate that at least some units of the 2nd Infantry Division and 30th Infantry Division received them also.

U.S. soldiers in HBT camouflage uniforms in a Half-track M2, Pont Brocard July 28, 1944, 41st Armored Inf. Regiment, 2d Armored Division http://www.flickr.com/photos/mlq/817019996/in/pool-529233@N22/

U.S. soldiers in HBT camouflage uniforms in a Half-track M2, Pont Brocard July 28, 1944, 41st Armored Inf. Regiment, 2d Armored Division. Cherbourg Library via Flickr.

hbt camo normady HBT Normandy camo-1 2nd armored HBT camo medic pants

Camouflaged US Soldiers of the 41st Armored Infantry Battalion working with the 82nd Reconnaissance Battalion (2nd Armored Division) study a captured German map during Operation Cobra in Normandy, France, in July 1944. Note the added foregrip to the M1 Thompson on the right and the German pistol holster on the scout to the left, the latter surely a “battlefield pickup.”

Battle of Saint-Lô, July 1944, 41st AIR, 2AD. LIFE Frank Scherschel Photographer

These surviving examples from the Normandy Tank Museum show a diorama of 2nd Armored Div troops in your typical battlefield mix-match:

camo 2nd armor normandy

The first dummy has the regular GI shirt, camouflage pants, M1 Garand ammo holder belt, M36 web, M1 Garand reproduction, M28 bag, M1 helmet, gaiters very similar to the medic above. The second dummy has much the same but adds a T shovel worn in the same way as the C-rat connoisseur Pvt. De Freitos above, and gas mask cover. The third has the full HBT suit, original camouflage pants, and jacket, M36 webbing with FM-BAR belt and charger holder. He also seems to have ditched his gaiters because he is that kinda guy.

Saint-Georges-d’Elle Normandy France, July 1944, 2nd Infantry Division, note the camo on the one Soldier to the right. LIFE Archives photo by Frank Scherschel

Saint-Georges-d’Elle, Normandy, France, July 1944, 2nd Infantry Division, note the camo jacket on the one Soldier, the M3 Grease gun in his lap, and the censored unit patch. LIFE Archives photo by Frank Scherschel

The thing is, with so many Waffen SS guys and German Fallschirmjäger wearing camo smocks, the idea of GIs in camo proved unpopular, and they were soon withdrawn from the ETO.

However, the material, especially that of discarded parachutes, was recycled by the locals.

“Homemade dress” made out of a parachute used on D-DAY. It was worn by Renée Catherine, a little girl of Sainte-Mère-Eglise

Speaking of which, there is at least some evidence that German paras found U.S. camo very useful in Normandy.

A German cavalry officer (note the spurs and breeches) during the battle for Normandy wearing a crude cover fashioned from U.S. parachute silk duck hunter camo peers through a hedgerow. Also, note his Beretta 38 SMG

Fallschirmjäger at Normandy wearing a cloth cover made from U.S. duck hunter camouflaged cloth, secured to the helmet with a chicken-wire keeper

Meanwhile, in warmer climes

Some U.S. Army units were issued some of the two-piece HBTs in the Pacific late in the war.

U.S. Army Alamo Scouts, two in HBT uniforms. William E. Nellist (middle) pictured with unidentified trainees from the 4th Class. Cape Kassoe, Hollandia, DNG. August 1944. Via Alamo Scouts website. http://www.alamoscouts.com/photo_archives/420_439.htm

U.S. Army Alamo Scouts, two in HBT uniforms. William E. Nellist (middle) pictured with unidentified trainees from the 4th Class. Cape Kassoe, Hollandia, DNG. August 1944. Dig the folding stock para model M1A1 Carbines, very useful in jungle fighting. Via Alamo Scouts website.

Official caption: “Nissan Atoll, Green Islands, South Pacific, 31 January 1944: Inside enemy territory, a recon party lands, senses keyed up for sounds of the Japanese troops known to be present. A perilous fact-finding mission is underway.” The SMLEs and Mills bombs on the men in the center of the landing craft point to Commonwealth troops, probably Australian, in Marine frogskin camo. The non-camo’d fellows at the ramp are likely USCG. A Marine is at the rear, his M1 Carbine at the ready

That theater also saw the use of a one-piece uniform jumpsuit. They were reversible with regular mustard green on the inside.

27th Infantry Division trains in Hawaii before embarking on the amphibious operation to seize Makin in the Gilbert Islands, Fall 1943. Soldier in one piece camouflage uniform is to the right.

27th Infantry Division trains in Hawaii before embarking on the amphibious operation to seize Makin in the Gilbert Islands, Fall 1943. A soldier in one piece camouflage uniform is to the right.

Issued briefly, this zippered onesie was found by the Joe in the field to suck balls and was withdrawn.

Many of the Army’s surplus HBT went on to be donated to French forces such as was seen operating in French Indochina, and the Dutch trying to pacify their East Indies archipelago.

HBT clad French Paratroops in Indochina circa 1953 ready their Mat 49 sub machine guns for a assault on Viet Minh guerrillas

HBT-clad French Paratroops in Indochina circa 1953 ready their MAT-49 submachine guns for an assault on Viet Minh guerrillas

Dutch KNIL infantry with British SMLE Enfields figting Indonesian sepretists in 1948-- dig the ex-Army HBT

Dutch KNIL infantry with British SMLE Enfields fighting Indonesian separatists in 1948– dig the ex-Army HBT

Dutch Lt. Gen. Pieter Lodewijk Gerard Doorman (center-right, just inside the frame) speaks to a duck hunter camo’d crew member of a recycled Japanese Type 89 I-Go medium tank during a visit to 1e Bataljon, 9e Regiment Infanterie (1-9 RI “Friesland”) in Cimahi, Dutch East Indies, September 1946. Formed in the Netherlands in Sept.1945 just after the liberation from German occupation, 1-9 R.I. was sent to the UK in late 1945 for training and basic Malay language lessons, then landed in Batavia on Java as part of V-Brigade in Feb. 1946, where they no doubt picked up the above Japanese armor. Fighting through the Indonesian wars, they were shipped back to Europe (likely sans tanks) and disbanded in August 1948.

The Bay of Pigs gang, Brigade 2506, utilized a significant amount of surplus WWII U.S. gear, including M1941 Johnson rifles and camouflage patterns commonly used by duck hunters.

Army SF guy rebooted the pattern briefly in the early 1960s, complete with a camo beret, and issued the same to CIDG units in the hills.

us army special forces vietnam 1966 note camo beret bar gun and m3 grease gun m-3

U.S. Army Special Forces, Vietnam, Sept. 1966. Note camo beret, BAR, and M3 Grease gun. D-Day in the A-Shau

Here is a look at how effective the “Beo Gam” was in Indochina:

And of course, as with anything, both surplus and recreations were popular with hunters in the 1950s and 60s as seen in this 1952 sportsman’s catalog image:

Dig the pith helmet, srsly?

Dig the pith helmet, srsly?

They are popular with reenactors who likely wear it more frequently than the Army ever did.

Interestingly enough, Colombia, Turkey, Iran, and Red China adopted duck hunter-like schemes for a time in the 1970s and early 1980s, effectively sealing the fate of the pattern in military service.

Colombia frog duck hunter camo called “Tigrillo” circa 1980s. Note the Galil

Turkish soldiers stand ready during the war in Cyprus, the 1970s with locally made HK G3s and Aegean camouflage pattern, based on American frogskin

Iranian soldiers photographed during the Iran-Iraq War, in the 1980s. The man in front has a locally made version of American P42 camouflage, which was made in the 1970s for the Shah and continued to serve in the war against Saddam

This rakish Chicom soldier during the Sino-Vietnamese War (1979) is wearing Type 81 duck hunter camouflage, with a Type 56 AKMS over his shoulder and a painted combat helmet hanging from the muzzle

The MAT-49: The best gun France ever made?

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The words “great French weapons” are not often seen in the same sentence. Haunted by the adoption of several dated and troubled designs such as the disastrous Chauchat light machine gun, the pipsqueak M1892 revolver and the ‘also-ran’ MAS-49/56 battle rifle, the French military is not renowned for their modern small arms. The MAT-49 subgun, however, is something of the exception to the rule.

After World War 2 the French military, devastated and largely disarmed by the German occupation of 1940-44, had to be remade from scratch. One of the most widely spread weapons of the previous war was the submachine gun and France needed them badly. The French national arms concern Manufacture Nationale d’Armes de Tulle, better known as MAT, started working on the design. Adopted in 1949, the designation became the MAT-49 for obvious reasons.

And it wasn’t half-bad. (the rest at my column at Guns.com)

mat 49 in profile