1st Foreign Parachute Heavy Mortar Company

1st Foreign Parachute Heavy Mortar Company
Company Insignia
Active	September 1953 - August 1954
Country	France
Allegiance	French Foreign Legion
Branch	French Army
Type	Airborne forces
Role	Indirect Fire Infantry
Size	71 men
Garrison/HQ	Quynh Loi, Hanoi, French Indochina
Equipment	Eight 120mm mortars
Engagements	Operation Castor Battle of Dien Bien Phu
Disbanded	August 1954

1 Overview
2 See also

The 1st Foreign Parachute Heavy Mortar Company (1re CEPML), or 1re Compagnie étrangère parachutiste de mortiers lourds, was an airborne heavy mortar company that briefly existed during the First Indochina War from September 1953 to 31 May 1954.

Overview

The 1st Foreign Parachute Regiment was established in Hanoi on September 1, 1953 from elements of the 1st Foreign Parachute Battalion and the 2nd Foreign Parachute Battalion, mostly of artillery specialists. It was attached to the 1st Foreign Parachute Battalion for administrative purposes. The 1re CEPML was created with the challenge to be operational within two months of its foundation. In this regard the 1re CEPML was successful and the company was able to participate in its first combat drop during Operation Castor on November 20, 1953. The 1re CEPML also participated in the Battle of Dien Bien Phu; the 1st CEPML made a combat jump alongside Chef de Battalion Marcel Bigeard's 6th Colonial Parachute Battalion.

Administrative	1st Foreign Regiment — Foreign Legion Command — Foreign Legion Recruiting Group

Infantry	2nd Foreign Infantry Regiment — 2nd Foreign Parachute Regiment — 3rd Foreign Infantry Regiment — 13th Foreign Legion Demi-Brigade — Foreign Legion Detachment in Mayotte

Cavalry	1st Foreign Cavalry Regiment

Engineering	1st Foreign Engineer Regiment — 2nd Foreign Engineer Regiment

Training	4th Foreign Regiment — Jungle Training Center — Combat Training Center at Arta Beach

Defunct Foreign Legion Units

Administrative and Training	Communal Depot of the Foreign Regiments

Airborne	1st Foreign Parachute Regiment — 3rd Foreign Parachute Regiment — 1st Foreign Parachute Heavy Mortar Company

Infantry	5th Foreign Infantry Regiment — 6th Foreign Infantry Regiment — 11th Foreign Infantry Regiment — 12th Foreign Infantry Regiment — 21st Marching Regiment of Foreign Volunteers — 22nd Marching Regiment of Foreign Volunteers — 23rd Marching Regiment of Foreign Volunteers

Cavalry	2nd Foreign Cavalry Regiment — 97th Reconnaissance Group of the Infantry Division

Miscellaneous	Armored Train of the Foreign Legion — Disciplinary Company of the Foreign Regiments in the Far East

1st Foreign Parachute Heavy Mortar Company

Contents

Overview

See also