French Battalion NCO grouping 23rd IR / 2nd ID

[JeremyJ]

..

Excellent research/ group!!

[Heer Feikert]

Fench Battalion 23rd RCT

FrenchVolunteer, Viva la France!

I could not agree with you more about the Fighting Spirit of the 2nd Division and the 23rd's 4 Battalions. {Knowing the French Battalion was on my flank, I knew that Hell would be on Earth before the French Battalion would surrender or give way} Quote from Sgt Charles S. Feikert, 2nd Battalion, Co.E Co.H

I have been away for awhile but I am glad I came back to browse the Forum. The maps that are shown or any of the material shown I have never seen. With my continued quest for the French Award my Uncle was to receive, for action with the French Battalion, he was givin the Croix de Guerre but the name was spelled incorrectly on the order and was never corrected nor seen again. Chas's statement to my father.

I continue to go through the daily General Orders of both Countries to try and find the Order or mention of his name. Looking at what you have found gives me renewed interest.

Thank You

[FrenchVolunteer]

Hi,

many thanks guys for all your nice words !

The video showing General Matthew Ridgway awarding the Silver Star to Lieutenant Lebeurier (3rd company) and Lieutenant Lainel (1st company) was recently released online by the French Archives INA :

https://www.ina.fr/video/AFE85003916...lar-video.html

(wetransfer link in case your country can't access the video :

https://we.tl/t-CJv86hdMRr

The first wounded soldier (on the right of Ridgway) is Lebeurier, the second one (on the left of Ridgway) is Lainel (wounded in a similar bayonet charge 2 km apart from Lebeurier 3rd company).

The bayonet charge of Lebeurier section was witnessed by Margaret Higgins (Herald Tribune) and Omer Biggart (Saturday Evening Post), war correspondents located in the French battalion headquarters, 800 meters in the back of the 3rd company attack.

It is Margaret Higgins who gave the surname of "Jean Laffite" (famous French corsair from Brittany) in the various articles published at the time.

Here are below :

- the frontpage of the “(Pacific) Stars And Stripes” edition (January 14, 1951, Volume 7, Number 14) about the counter attack by Lebeurier section (Lebeurier is pictured with his red scarf on his head on the right picture) and the main article about the bayonet charge;

- a better picture of "Jean Laffite" (Gildas Lebeurier) with his corsair's red scarf on his head (courtesy of the Erwan Bergot book "Bataillon de Corée");

- the front page of the “L’Illustration” from February 3, 1951 (N°277) showing Ridgway in between the two French wounded officers;

- three other pictures showing the French volunteers of the UN battalion, pictures taken from the same “L’Illustration” magazine.

After this highly mediatized bayonet charge, Ridgway promoted the "spirit of the bayonet" [sic] amongst the UN forces, quoting that "bayonets were not invented to only open C-ration cans".

Matthew Ridgway had the right man in the right place !

See You

Vince