Frenchie II. [Conclusion]

This is coolbert:

"the most testing of all hazards on the battlefield - - attack by overwhelming numbers of the enemy."

Here is the story of the French battalion fighting in Korea during that conflict [1950-1953].

Under the command of Raoul Monclar. The man who took a voluntary demotion from Lieutenant General to Lieutenant Colonel just to command this battalion of French volunteers.

A French infantry unit that participated with great valor in warfare of the most desperate and terrible nature imaginable.

Factors contributing to the difficult conditions encountered in Korea to include:

* Freezing cold.

* Mountainous terrain.

* Overwhelming numbers of a highly skilled and determined enemy [Chinese Communist Forces [CCF]].

A French infantry battalion which fought, again, successfully, in the most dramatic combat actions of the Korean War.

* Two Tunnels.

* Chipyong-ni.

* Heartbreak Ridge.

"Crèvecoeur (Heartbreak Ridge) is a French combat documentary released in 1955 featuring the battle and using actual war footage. It was nominated for the Academy Award Best Documentary Award for 1955."

A French which won, most deservedly so, THREE U.S. PRESIDENTIAL UNIT CITATIONS. THE HIGHEST COLLECTIVE AWARD THAT CAN BE BESTOWED BY THE AMERICAN GOVERNMENT! NOT JUST GIVEN, BUT WON!!

These were a bunch of very brave Frenchmen. Experienced infantry who fought with great determination. Again, as I have said in a previous blog entry, MUST have felt an obligation owed to America. An obligation that had to be repaid. And redeem sullied French military honor in the process. This they more than did.

The French battalion fought as D Battalion of the U.S. 23rd Regimental Combat Team. Read about the entire battle of Chipyong-ni. The defense of a small Korean hamlet became a pivotal point in the entire Korean War. A defense the French battalion was a major contributor to.

"In military annals, the siege of Chipyong-ni is described as one of the most bitterly contested engagements of the Korean War."

[Anthony Herbert, a disaffected U.S. Army officer, retiring after the Vietnam War, reflected that the U.S. Army had NEVER fought as well as it fought in battles such as Chipyong-ni.]

And the French TOO for that matter!!

coolbert.