Armoured Train of the Foreign Legion

Armoured Train of the Foreign Legion Train blindé de la Légion étrangère

Active	1948–1954
Country	France
Branch	French Army
Size	100
7 Flames Grenade & Golden Eastern Dragon & Rail	Train Blindé (fr) Armoured Train Aes Triplex Deo Juvante (La) Triple airain, Dieu aidant (fr) Triple Alloy, God Aiding
Engagements	First Indochina War

Military unit

The Armoured Train of the Foreign Legion (French: Train blindé de la Légion étrangère) was an Armoured train (French: trains blindés) detachment of the Foreign Legion formed in Tonkin. In 1948, the 2nd Foreign Regiment 2 RE, formed one, then two armoured trains to protect convoys from attack by the Vietminh, protect the Transindochinois Line (French: Line du Transindochinois) and support the Army along the rail line. During this military campaign, the Legion formed several armoured trains, which were mounted by the 1st Foreign Cavalry Regiment 1 REC and other Legion units.

The armoured legion train

The protection and escort of supply trains (French: l'escorte des trains de ravitaillement) subjected to ambushes, required the creation of armoured trains.

The armoured Legion train of Nha-Trang (La Rafale) was armed by a regimental company of the 2nd Foreign Regiment 2 RE as of 1948. The train was composed of armoured wagons, protected by imbedded metallic plates. The rooftops of the wagons were mounted by mobile turrets armed with heavy machine guns. The walls were reinforced by bricks and cement; with loopholes (French: meurtrières) allowing the men to repel enemy attacks. Two wagons were combat engineer specialized oriented, with no armour, they were in charge of transporting all the necessary material (including train rails) to parry a sabotage and/or reconstruct the railway when needed.

The armoured train of the Legion assured the protection of all the railway networks in South-Annam, the protection of civilian and military convoys as well the transport of operational units. In July 1954, La Rafale was assigned to the Vietnamese Army.

Convoy composition

2 Locomotives;
1 Command wagon;
8 Combat wagons;
1 Armoured infirmary wagon;
2 combat engineer Wagons, one at the front and one at the end of the Wagon convoy, for quick fixes when needed;
2 Pilot Wagons, at the head of the Wagon convoy, charged with detonating eventual mines.

The autonomy of the Armoured Legion Train was 72 hours and the armament (8 twinned machine guns, one mounted 40 mm cannon, one mounted 20 mm cannon, grenade launchers, and two 60 and 81 mm mortars) allowed this rail fortress to sustain a siege when needed. The crew was constituted of a hundred men.

The Armoured Legion Train accordingly resisted all ambushes, halted all sabotages and was the enduring Rolling Symbol during the chartered course duration of French Indochina.

Train insignia

Silver circled steel bandage railway; at the center on a green and red background is detached an Eastern Dragon and a golden grenade with 7 flames, encircled by a golden border with inscription: TRAIN BLINDE - AES TRIPLEX DEO JUVANTE, in both French and Latin. The steel railway indicated the vocation of the unit; the grenade with 7 flames and green and red colors are the symbols of the Legion; the insignia : "Triple Alloy, God is helping", actually means "Showing Great Courage, God is helping", is referring to the armouring of the train. The insignia was created in 1948.

References

In the French language, "Rafale" has numerous meanings and designations. In Meteorology, a "Rafale" (French: une Rafale) is a sudden temporary augmentation of the wind. If the wind is violent, it is referred to as "Bourasque". In a similar context and category, a "Rafale front" (French: Front de Rafale) designates a line series of organized violent winds coming out of a thunderstorm. Similarly, a "descending Rafale" (French: Rafale descendante) is an aerial current which descends intensely under thunderstorm, and whose surface crush produces violent, divergent and turbulent winds. In the Military context, the "Rafale" (French: la Rafale) is a sudden short, violent and rapid burst of fire, shot from one Firearm with automatic fire.

Alexis Neviaski, L’audace du rail : Les Trains Blindés du Sud-Annam ( The Rail Audacity: The Armored Trains of South-Annam), Revue historique des armées, no 234, 2004
Source Le Grand Livre des Insignes de la Légion Etrangère de Tybor SZECSKO. Ramuncho.

French Foreign Legion

Current
units

General Staff Headquarters	Foreign Legion Command
Command Administrative	1st Foreign Regiment 4th Foreign Regiment Foreign Legion Recruiting Group
Music band	French Foreign Legion Music Band
Infantry & parachute infantry	1st Foreign Regiment 4th Foreign Regiment 2nd Foreign Infantry Regiment 2nd Foreign Parachute Regiment 3rd Foreign Infantry Regiment 13th Demi-Brigade Foreign Legion Detachment in Mayotte
Cavalry	1st Foreign Cavalry Regiment
Engineers & parachute engineers	1st Foreign Engineer Regiment 2nd Foreign Engineer Regiment
Training	4th Foreign Regiment Jungle Training Center Combat Training Center at Arta Beach

Defunct
units

Administrative and training	Communal Depot of the Foreign Regiments
Parachute	Parachute Company of the 3rd Foreign Infantry Regiment 1st Foreign Parachute Regiment 1st Foreign Parachute Battalion 2nd Foreign Parachute Battalion 3rd Foreign Parachute Battalion Foreign Air Supply Company 3rd Foreign Parachute Regiment 1st Foreign Parachute Heavy Mortar Company
Infantry & marching regiments	Mounted companies Marching Regiment of the Foreign Legion 2nd Marching Regiment of the 1st Foreign Regiment 3rd Marching Regiment of the 1st Foreign Regiment 4th Marching Regiment of the 1st Foreign Regiment/Garibaldi Legion 1st Marching Regiment of the 2nd Foreign Regiment 2nd Marching Regiment of the 2nd Foreign Regiment Marching Regiment of the Foreign Legion Demi-Brigade of the Foreign Legion 5th Foreign Infantry Regiment 6th Foreign Infantry Regiment 11th Foreign Infantry Regiment 12th Foreign Infantry Regiment Marching Regiments of Foreign Volunteers 21st Marching Regiment of Foreign Volunteers 22nd Marching Regiment of Foreign Volunteers 23rd Marching Regiment of Foreign Volunteers
Saharan Legion units	Saharan Companies of the French Foreign Legion
Pioneers & engineers	6th Foreign Engineer Regiment
Cavalry	2nd Foreign Cavalry Regiment 97th Reconnaissance Group of the Infantry Division
Transport (armored trains & heavy weight)	Armored Train of the Foreign Legion Passage Company of the Foreign Legion (CPLE) 5th Heavy Weight Transport Company
Disciplinary companies	Disciplinary Company of the Foreign Regiments in the Far East
Brigades	31st Brigade

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