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Koufra Oasis, January 1941.

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Quick query, were any LE units fighting for the Free French at Koufra Oasis and Fort El-Tag (January 1941 under Colonel Phillipe Leclerc)? I know there were Senegalese Light Infantry and also Mahriste Camel Cavalry and also some 30 French Officers and 300 OR's, but we're any of these Legion Etrangere? I am building a scene from the battle for Army Rumour Service's Modelling Forum. We are doing a group build on the desert war 1941 - 1943.
 

dusaboss

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Quick query, were any LE units fighting for the Free French at Koufra Oasis and Fort El-Tag (January 1941 under Colonel Phillipe Leclerc)? I know there were Senegalese Light Infantry and also Mahriste Camel Cavalry and also some 30 French Officers and 300 OR's, but we're any of these Legion Etrangere? I am building a scene from the battle for Army Rumour Service's Modelling Forum. We are doing a group build on the desert war 1941 - 1943.
Something like this?

If they were fighting there that would be most likely 13e DBLE and there would be mounted on camels, so here is interesting video about legion uniforms at the time.
Their uniforms wouldn't be different from rest of free French army, but if you use them you can use white kepi because that wouldn't be historically incorrect.

 

Le petit caporal

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RMT (règiment de marche du Tchad is a colonial troop, (Troupe de Marine)
Mainly composed of Senagale Tirailleurs
Insigne_régimentaire_du_Régiment_de_Marche_du_Tchad..jpg
There was no legionnaires at Koufra
At Bir Hakeim in 42 the Legion was present (13 D.B.L.E.)
 

voltigeur

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Quick query, were any LE units fighting for the Free French at Koufra Oasis and Fort El-Tag (January 1941 under Colonel Phillipe Leclerc)? I know there were Senegalese Light Infantry and also Mahriste Camel Cavalry and also some 30 French Officers and 300 OR's, but we're any of these Legion Etrangere? I am building a scene from the battle for Army Rumour Service's Modelling Forum. We are doing a group build on the desert war 1941 - 1943.
Check with the owner of this website: http://foreignlegion.info/
 
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Just found this item in "Wikipedia" while reading up on Mehariste Camel Cavalry. ..
"With their local tribal links, plus their mobility and flexible tactics, the Compagnies Méharistes provided an effective means of policing the desert. A similar camel corps was subsequently raised to cover the southern Sahara, operating from French West Africa and falling within the separate Armée Coloniale. From the 1930s onwards, the Méharistes formed part of the Compagnies Sahariennes which also included motorised French and (from 1940) Foreign Legion units. Following the establishment of a French mandate over Syria in 1920, three méhariste companies were organised in that country as part of the French Army of the Levant."
I realise this does not prove LE presence, and after finding the order of battle for the combatants, there is no mention of the Legion.
 

Le petit caporal

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Méhari in arabe means dromodaire51O8pOgTAnL._AC_SX425_.jpg
I passed my army light license on this and the Renault 4 L and the U.S. Jeep
The army version is a 4 X 4
Air cooled and no radiator
Sells for a mint nowadays
 

Le petit caporal

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You can buy the kit in Cassis near Carpiangne (1 R.E.C. and Marseille
 

Joseph Cosgrove

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Just found this item in "Wikipedia" while reading up on Mehariste Camel Cavalry. ..
"With their local tribal links, plus their mobility and flexible tactics, the Compagnies Méharistes provided an effective means of policing the desert. A similar camel corps was subsequently raised to cover the southern Sahara, operating from French West Africa and falling within the separate Armée Coloniale. From the 1930s onwards, the Méharistes formed part of the Compagnies Sahariennes which also included motorised French and (from 1940) Foreign Legion units. Following the establishment of a French mandate over Syria in 1920, three méhariste companies were organised in that country as part of the French Army of the Levant."
I realise this does not prove LE presence, and after finding the order of battle for the combatants, there is no mention of the Legion.
If i were you I would concentrate my research on Leclerc, who also had a cousin serving in the 13, Pierre or Xavier, by the same name de Hautecloque, if my memory serves me correctly.
 

Le petit caporal

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Yeah, Leclerc was his nom de guerre (theres a story behind that but can't remember at the actu)
 
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Joseph Cosgrove

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Hi LPC, you may be getting confused with Montclerc (I'll have to check the spelling and the story and get back to you, in the afternoon). It's Congo Crises time !!!
 

Le petit caporal

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Nope
Leclerc 2 DB (Koufra, Paris, Strasbourg) Philippe Francois Marie de Hautecloque
Montclair 2 REI and the 13 DBLE (Raoul Magrin - Vernerey)
Leclerc at Koufra had a certain captain Massu (nez cassez) in his ranks
 

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Me too. It had the weirdest gear box (shift) ever.
Do you mean "umbrella" like design of the stick? I drove a regular Renault 4 with that type of stick, I have only good things to say about it. As all French cars very comfortable seats. Being a smoker, I loved how the ashtray was right under your palm/fist while hand on stick. These days their (Renault's) electricity is questionable to put it gently - high fire hazard in a crash (some models).
 
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I can confirm Colonel Phillipe Leclerc assumed command at Koufra after the previous commander, Lt-Col Jean Colonna d'Ornano, was killed in a fight with an Italian Saharian patrol.
 

Joseph Cosgrove

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I remember reading about general Monclar while I was in the museum for my last 11 months, I'm kicking myself now for not taking more interest and not making notes. So it's all down to memory and of course to be confirmed used by google.
There he (Monclar) joined General de Gaulle and was promoted to brigadier general. At the same time he was sentenced to death for this act of rebellion by a military court of the Vichy regime.
If I remember correctly he took the name from a village which was near to where he lived. He was actually born in Hungary, which is what first drew my attention to him. It was to protect his his family.
So who's ▶️the daddy ?
 

Joseph Cosgrove

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Do you mean "umbrella" like design of the stick? I drove a regular Renault 4 with that type of stick, I have only good things to say about it. As all French cars very comfortable seats. Being a smoker, I loved how the ashtray was right under your palm/fist while hand on stick. These days their (Renault's) electricity is questionable to put it gently - high fire hazard in a crash (some models).
Hi Peru, I'm not sure what you mean by umbrella design? that which I was referring to was that the gear lever seemed to come out of the dash board, rather than next to your leg, let me see if I can't find a photo on google
1610237575776.png

Did LPC not start a thread on military vehicles.
 
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