Pierre Jeanpierre

Pierre Paul Jeanpierre (14 March 1912 – 29 May 1958) was a soldier in the French Army, a French Resistance fighter and senior officer of the French Foreign Legion.

He served in the French Army and fought during World War II, the First Indochina War, the Suez Crisis and the Algerian War, where he was killed in action.

Jeanpierre was born in 1912 at Belfort.

His father was an active duty career officer and captain in the 42nd Infantry Regiment (42e Régiment d'Infanterie), killed during World War I in 1916 at Marne without ever seeing his family since the outbreak of the war in August 1914.

Pierre was raised by the paternal sight of his mother and enlisted in the infantry at barely 18 years of age.

Apart from a short time spent in the French resistance and as a deportee during World War II, he served with the Foreign Legion from 1936 onwards.

Jeanpierre commanded the 1st Foreign Parachute Battalion, expanded into the 1st Foreign Parachute Regiment (1er REP) until his death during the Algerian War.

Pierre enlisted in the 131st Infantry Regiment as a soldier in 1930 and worked being seconded from the enlisted corps by passing by all the non-commissioned ranks, graduating second from the Infantry and Tank School of Saint-Maixent as a Second-Lieutenant on 1 October 1936.

Pierre's accomplished graduation ranking allowed him to choose the Foreign Legion's 1st Foreign Regiment, making a Legion Lieutenant on 1 October 1938.

Pierre endured the Phoney War "Drôle de Guerre" and was put at disposition.

During World War II, Pierre also served with distinction in the Syria–Lebanon Campaign 6th Foreign Infantry Regiment, deployed in 1939 to the French Levant and took part in Mediterranean operations in 1940 at the corps formation of the 6th Foreign Infantry Regiment, part of the Foreign Legion Group.

Following combats in the Syria–Lebanon Campaign which he did not partake in confronting other French contingents, Pierre refused to join the Free French Forces from the principle of sticking with his idea of a Tricolour Flag.

Pierre joined instead the French Resistance under the alias "Jardin" and integrated the ranks of the movement Ceux de la Libération; recruiting and arming over 60 volunteers; (those of the liberation).

He was also deeply marked by the defeat of 1940.

Pierre was arrested at Orléans on 19 January 1944 and was deported to as a prisoner interred in the Mauthausen-Gusen concentration camp after passing by the grouping camp of de Compiègne.

With forced labor, Pierre would be among only 2 survivors out 45 in his stalag when the camp was liberated by the Allies on 5 May 1945.

Liberated and healed, Pierre was nominated as a captain at the center of recruitment of the Legion in Kehl.

In July 1948, learning that in Algeria would be created a foreign parachute battalion, he volunteered, rejoined Sidi Bel Abbès then Philippeville where he was brevetted as a legion paratrooper.

3 month later, the battalion was in the high region of Indochina.

Pierre sailed to Indochina as second-in-command to Pierre Segrétain in the (1er BEP, I Formation) of the 1st Foreign Parachute Battalion (1er BEP) in 1948.

During the evacuation of RC 4, route de sang, he and the battalion jumped over That Khe in a traditional Foreign Legion battlefield while facing an enemy 20 times superior in numbers.

Jeanpierre, owing to his energy, his savoir-faire around the terrain and his qualities of a combatant chief, managed to repel waves of incessant hellish ambushes by inheriting over much of the leadership of the battalion after Segrétain was killed leading the battalion.

In October 1950, tasked with taking Dong Khé during the disaster of Cao Bang, the mission was to save column "Charton" which was unfolding.

He held the line until the end, dividing the survivors into small groups and took charge of 23 legionnaires, 3 sous-officiers, 2 officers to That Khé where a French garrison should still hold standing.

Reconstituted in a (1er BEP, III Formation) on 19 May 1954; Pierre took command of the 3rd reconstituted 1e BEP (III Formation) on 1 November 1954, the day on which the Algerian War commenced.

The 1er BEP (III Formation) left Indochina on 8 February 1955.

The 1er BEP totaled 5 citations at the orders of the armed forces and the fourragère of the colors of the Médaille militaire.

The 1er BEP became the 1st Foreign Parachute Regiment (1er REP) in Algeria on 1 September 1955.

After the 1st Foreign Parachute Battalion 1e BEP became the 1st Foreign Parachute Regiment 1e REP, Pierre was passed over for command on 6 February 1956, instead serving as second-in-command, this time to Colonel Albert Brothier which he assumed but was deeply disappointed.

The regiment was put on alert on 1 August 1956 after the preparation of the campaign in Egypt; Pierre embarked on 31 October, however, his views and reservations of this disembarking were well known.

A new mission was given to Pierre, which was to end in the insurgency in Algeria, a police mission which nobody wanted but one which was crucial.

Pierre retook command of the 1st Foreign Parachute Regiment in March 1957.

Pierre reassumed command as the regimental commander following the leave of Colonel Brothier at command headquarters of the 10th Parachute Division commanded by Brigadier General Jacques Massu.

From the hundreds of legionnaires that made up the 1st Foreign Parachute Battalion (1er BEP, I Formation), only 12 men remained combat capable.

Commandant Segrétain was killed during combat and Lieutenant Faulque was wounded by shrapnel.

Seriously wounded, Pierre was taken prisoner and liberated 4 years later; he would be part of the troop of the living-dead which the Viet Minh would give back to France.

the 1st Foreign Parachute Battalion (1e BEP, I Formation) with the 3rd Foreign Infantry Regiment were annihilated in Coxa.

Following this, Pierre rejoined the Legion in Mascara where he retook his passion, the instruction and forming of les jeunes legionnaires.

The 1er BEP was recreated (1er BEP, II Formation); however, the last combats in Indochina would take place without his leadership.

A Para legionnaire's legionnaire, Pierre returned to Indochina to command the (1er BEP, II Formation) of the reconstituted 1st Foreign Parachute Battalion (1er BEP, II Formation) after its second annihilation at the Battle of Dien Bien Phu.