Chris Boonzaier

The 2nd and 4th Companies were in Cambodia 1992-93... here is the 4th Company badge, 250 of them made, I assume this number is pretty high so probably not handed out... although I am not sure if they handed out random numbers.

OPEX badges are usually given out as a souvenir of deployments. Usually the design is approved, sometimes not. Here are the Desert Storm badges. On the left the official Operation Daguet badge. Every unit recieved this badge, with their unit stamped in the back and a number... so 2eREI number 0274. In the middle a commercial one sold at the 2REI PX, on the right the badge for the Protection Company of the Divisonal Headqurters, a composite unit with 2REI providing a Motorised section. There is the 2REI Horseshoe, the 6th Light armoured div badge, the 1 REC beret badge, this one numbered 104

The BILA (Bataillons d'Infanterie Légère d'Afrique) ... better known under the term "Bat' d'Af'" were the notorious French "African Light Infantary "pena"l Battalions ... too much to write up here, but a Wikipedia Page awaits... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battalions_of_Light_Infantry_of_Africa About the harshest service conditions I can imagine.... Here is a Silver 3rd BILA badge from the late 50s, early 60s... usually the silver are for officers....

Der Herr sandte mie keinen Engel - God did not send me angels Karel Lutz was born in 1926 so when he joined in 1965 he was already way over the average age. A businessman with a few white collar crimes he joined the legion at what for me must have been the worst possible time... in 1964 Indochine was over, Algeria abandoned.... Lutz landed up in a peacetime legion in Corsica. I can only imagine the legion between 1964 and the early 80s.... there were few operations, most of the time the men were in France or Corsica, except for the static regiments in Guyana, Tahiti and the detachment in Mayotte... Lutz landed up in Corsica with bored, disenchanted and Brutal cadre who were still digesting the loss of Indochina and Algeria, and it was the newbies who became the victim of that frustration. Added to that, at this period the legion had no adventure to offer and many of the recruits were not really as motivated as in other periods... added to that, Lutz does not think much of the men he serves with. The book is limited as he deserted after 2 years... it is still worth a read as his story and opinions are not that much different to how I think it would have been back then.

Finished this one some time ago Il Y A LA LEGION by Pierre Charton. Charton served in the Legion fron 1928 to 1954 and was commander at Cao bang during the Indochine war, involved is the disaster on the RC4. The book does not touch on that and concentrates on his time before that... it is not an autobiography or history, but consists on an interesting series of disjointed chapters covering all kinds of areas and people he knew.... If you had sat down in a bar with him for every evening for a couple of weeks and he shot out random interesting Legion stories... this would be it.... Apparently when published in the 70s the Legion was not to happy.... Charton shoots from the hip and was not afraid to slap the occasional holy cow on the behind....

Have been going through my boxes of books digging out the Legion related ones... there are fantastic ones and crap ones... so I thought I would reread them and post them here.... First one from 2004 Abenteuer Fremdenlegion - Der Kampf der Fremdenlegionäre in Vietnam und Algerien by Horst Schluckner Schluckner should have stuck to Beekeeping or Trainspotting or whatever his normal thing is.... terrible book, full of errors, made up stories and terrible writing.... as on my first attempt... I could not make it past the first 20 pages.... absolute garbage ... terrible book.... I hope for the Engelsdorfer Verlag that this was an error on their part and not standard.... avoid like the plague....

There is simply way to much info there... 1200 pages! just spent half an hour scrolling... and I do not even collect in that direction!!!

This is pretty good.... https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/626107/2017-03109.pdf

Some souveniers of his time in the 2CSPL and commanding the 1CSPL .... the CSPL or motorised Saharan Companies were old school, hundreds of miles through the Sahara kinda guys... The two Brass plates are factory made but with local artisans adding the badges by beating them out ny hand... both made in Ghadaia, which if you goole and click on Photos shows a very typical Sahara town. I do not have the exact info but it seems he was a Lt in the 2nd CSPL then took command of the 1 CSPL as Captain.... here is him on the right handing over the Company colors when the unit was renamed... and his souvenirs... possibly gifts when he left the respective units...

Again not Otto.... buuuutttt...

This came out of a group of an officer who was in Indochina, but was not a para... but he seems to have liked badges and had numerous he collected along the way.... actually really good quality from the front....

I have managed to add quite a bit to this group... including this.... a Table medal presented to Colonel Gilbert by General commanding the Legion during reunion of ex Regimental commanders in June 1996. I am not sure how many of these were handed out.

Albert Enderli 28.07.1903 28.08.1923- 5 Years Break in service 03.12.1931 – 10.06.42 15.12.21 – 28.08,1929 – DCRE – 1RE – 2RE – 1REI 14.03.32 – 1 RE 17.02.34 – 5 RE – Tonkin 15.10.37 – 1 RE 14.07.38 – Promoted Legionnaire 1st Class 01.10.39 – 6 RE 30.09.41 – Promoted Caporal 01.01.42 – 1 RE 15.08.42 – Regraded Legionnaire 2nd Class 01.07.43 – DCRE 05.07.43 - RMLE 03.12.43 – Released from Service Citation 07.08.1925 Showed much courage in the combat of Bibane 25.05.25. Ignoring all danger and using hand grenades, he attacked entrenched enemy positions from which he was under accurate fire. Wounded 08.08.1925 Wounded at l’amXXXXXX, stone splinters in the troat. Awards Croix de Guerre des TOE 07.08.1925 Medaille Militaire 07.10.1940 Medaille Colonial „Maroc“ Medaille Colonial “Maroc” – 27.07.1934 Carte de Combattant 20.10.1936 Med Commemorative du Levant “Levant 1941”

He served in the mid 20s, left, returned in the early 30s, and was released in 43... Morocco, Algeria, Tonkin, Syria more

A rare doc, the 6 REI in Syria was on the Vichy side, the bar "Levant 1941" was later forbidden... a very nice doc indeed!!

Apparently with a bit of experiance the hour on the mule could also be used to catnap

Hi, Apparently the 1 hour on one hour off gave a column a few kms more per hour than a pure marching column... the rest apparently did wonders... and added to that, all their kit, food, water etc was carried by the mules, so no heavy carrying. Obviously not as fast as a galloping cavalry troop... but better than the poor bastard marching with all his gear.

On its return from Algeria in 1968 the regiment was disbanded, but then reformed in 1972, a table medal was created for the regiments resurrection... The Bronze Medal was a going away gift for Colonel Gilbert who was Regimental commander from 1974-1976

Better pics......

The large and small 2 Legion Regiment Compagnie Badges...

Hi Berets... the dark one Algeria period, the lighter one probably in the 70s.... the badge on the lighter one was introduced in the early 90s... you can see the beret had the earlier badge but he probably put the new badge on later for veterans reunions as it is the badge of the regiment he commanded

A few more leather fobs....

I was very happy to get this grouping, not all of it, but the central parts... His Medals, badges for most of the units he was in, what I think was the flag for his Regt Commanders car, and some commemorative table medals, one when the regiment was reconstituted in 1972 and one as a going away present when he left the regiment in 1976.

Almost as ugly as modern Australian medals ?

Obviously not Regimental colors, but seemed the right place for it.... A card sent in 1906, showing the Legion officers killed in combat up until that date. Excludes the died of tropical disease etc.