Corps Léger d'Intervention
Encyclopedia
The Corps Léger d'Intervention (CLI) (French
for "light intervention corps") was a Pacific War
interarm corps of the Far East French Expeditionary Forces commanded by Général de corps d'armée
Roger Blaizot
and using guerrilla warfare against the Imperial Japanese Army
who occupied French Indochina
since 1941. It was created by General Charles de Gaulle
in 1943 and modeled after the British Chindits
Special Forces
who fought in the Burma Campaign
.
, Kabylie
(French Algeria
) with 500 volunteer commandos under Lieutenant-Colonel Paul Huard. Its purpose was to reinforce the resistance in Japanese occupied French Indochina. Local resistance was led by General Mordant (a.k.a. Narcisse) who came from mainland France in 1941.
on November 10, 1943 to introduce the CLI to British Special Operations Executive
(SOE) Force 136
's Colin Hercules Mackenzie
. The first CLI trainees were sent to Poona (100 km from Bombay) for jungle warfare instruction under the British.
(195 locals and 47 Europeans).
Following victory day in Europe, 60 SOE Jedburgh
members of the French intelligence agency DGER were transferred to Force 136's "French Indochina Country Section" (Section Indochine Française).
1930-32 Joseph Joffre
promotion, was in charge of CLI recruitment and training as Chief of staff
in French Algeria. He later returned to French Indochina leading Commando Léger N°1 ("light commando n.1") in operations.
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
for "light intervention corps") was a Pacific War
Pacific War
The Pacific War, also sometimes called the Asia-Pacific War refers broadly to the parts of World War II that took place in the Pacific Ocean, its islands, and in East Asia, then called the Far East...
interarm corps of the Far East French Expeditionary Forces commanded by Général de corps d'armée
Général de corps d'armée
A Général de corps d'armée is a senior rank in the French Army.The rank is the equivalent of a Lieutenant General in other countries and is junior to the rank of Général d'armée and senior to Général de division...
Roger Blaizot
Roger Blaizot
Roger Charles André Henri Blaizot was a French military leader, who commanded French forces during the World War II and the First Indochina War. Blaizot served in Indochina through the last two years of the World War II, having been sent to command the Far East French Expeditionary Forces by...
and using guerrilla warfare against the Imperial Japanese Army
Imperial Japanese Army
-Foundation:During the Meiji Restoration, the military forces loyal to the Emperor were samurai drawn primarily from the loyalist feudal domains of Satsuma and Chōshū...
who occupied French Indochina
French Indochina
French Indochina was part of the French colonial empire in southeast Asia. A federation of the three Vietnamese regions, Tonkin , Annam , and Cochinchina , as well as Cambodia, was formed in 1887....
since 1941. It was created by General Charles de Gaulle
Charles de Gaulle
Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle was a French general and statesman who led the Free French Forces during World War II. He later founded the French Fifth Republic in 1958 and served as its first President from 1959 to 1969....
in 1943 and modeled after the British Chindits
Chindits
The Chindits were a British India "Special Force" that served in Burma and India in 1943 and 1944 during the Burma Campaign in World War II. They were formed into long range penetration groups trained to operate deep behind Japanese lines...
Special Forces
Special forces
Special forces, or special operations forces are terms used to describe elite military tactical teams trained to perform high-risk dangerous missions that conventional units cannot perform...
who fought in the Burma Campaign
Burma Campaign
The Burma Campaign in the South-East Asian Theatre of World War II was fought primarily between British Commonwealth, Chinese and United States forces against the forces of the Empire of Japan, Thailand, and the Indian National Army. British Commonwealth land forces were drawn primarily from...
.
Creation
The CLI was created on November 4, 1943 in JijelJijel
Jijel is the capital of Jijel Province in northeastern Algeria. It is flanked by the Mediterranean Sea in the region of Corniche Jijelienne, and has an estimated population of 148,000 inhabitants .Jijel is the administrative and trade centre for a region specializing in cork processing, leather...
, Kabylie
Kabylie
Kabylie or Kabylia , is a region in the north of Algeria.It is part of the Tell Atlas and is located at the edge of the Mediterranean Sea. Kabylia covers several provinces of Algeria: the whole of Tizi Ouzou and Bejaia , most of Bouira and parts of the wilayas of Bordj Bou Arreridj, Jijel,...
(French Algeria
French Algeria
French Algeria lasted from 1830 to 1962, under a variety of governmental systems. From 1848 until independence, the whole Mediterranean region of Algeria was administered as an integral part of France, much like Corsica and Réunion are to this day. The vast arid interior of Algeria, like the rest...
) with 500 volunteer commandos under Lieutenant-Colonel Paul Huard. Its purpose was to reinforce the resistance in Japanese occupied French Indochina. Local resistance was led by General Mordant (a.k.a. Narcisse) who came from mainland France in 1941.
SOE introduction
While the commandos trained in Jijel, Commandant de Crevècoeur arrived at Meerut, North West IndiaIndia
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
on November 10, 1943 to introduce the CLI to British Special Operations Executive
Special Operations Executive
The Special Operations Executive was a World War II organisation of the United Kingdom. It was officially formed by Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Minister of Economic Warfare Hugh Dalton on 22 July 1940, to conduct guerrilla warfare against the Axis powers and to instruct and aid local...
(SOE) Force 136
Force 136
Force 136 was the general cover name for a branch of the British World War II organization, the Special Operations Executive . The organisation was established to encourage and supply resistance movements in enemy-occupied territory, and occasionally mount clandestine sabotage operations...
's Colin Hercules Mackenzie
Colin Hercules Mackenzie
Colin Hercules Mackenzie, CMG , scholar, soldier, industrialist and aesthete, was a Special Operations Executive spymaster who led Force 136 throughout the period of its existence during the Second World War.-Origins:...
. The first CLI trainees were sent to Poona (100 km from Bombay) for jungle warfare instruction under the British.
Composition
On March 15, 1944 the French Indochina guerrillas numbered 1,349 (993 locals and 356 Europeans) including 242 in LaosLaos
Laos Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ Sathalanalat Paxathipatai Paxaxon Lao, officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic, is a landlocked country in Southeast Asia, bordered by Burma and China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the south and Thailand to the west...
(195 locals and 47 Europeans).
Following victory day in Europe, 60 SOE Jedburgh
Operation Jedburgh
Operation Jedburgh was a clandestine operation during World War II, in which personnel of the British Special Operations Executive, the U.S...
members of the French intelligence agency DGER were transferred to Force 136's "French Indochina Country Section" (Section Indochine Française).
Training
Lieutenant-Colonel Albert Lacroix, Saint-CyrÉcole Spéciale Militaire de Saint-Cyr
The École Spéciale Militaire de Saint-Cyr is the foremost French military academy. Its official name is . It is often referred to as Saint-Cyr . Its motto is "Ils s'instruisent pour vaincre": literally "They study to vanquish" or "Training for victory"...
1930-32 Joseph Joffre
Joseph Joffre
Joseph Jacques Césaire Joffre OM was a French general during World War I. He is most known for regrouping the retreating allied armies to defeat the Germans at the strategically decisive First Battle of the Marne in 1914. His popularity led to his nickname Papa Joffre.-Biography:Joffre was born in...
promotion, was in charge of CLI recruitment and training as Chief of staff
Chief of Staff
The title, chief of staff, identifies the leader of a complex organization, institution, or body of persons and it also may identify a Principal Staff Officer , who is the coordinator of the supporting staff or a primary aide to an important individual, such as a president.In general, a chief of...
in French Algeria. He later returned to French Indochina leading Commando Léger N°1 ("light commando n.1") in operations.
See also
- Operation JedburghOperation JedburghOperation Jedburgh was a clandestine operation during World War II, in which personnel of the British Special Operations Executive, the U.S...
- GCMAGroupement de Commandos Mixtes AéroportésThe Groupement de Commandos Mixtes Aéroportés commonly referred as just GCMA, was the "Action Service" of the SDECE French counter-intelligence service active during the Cold War...
- Force 136Force 136Force 136 was the general cover name for a branch of the British World War II organization, the Special Operations Executive . The organisation was established to encourage and supply resistance movements in enemy-occupied territory, and occasionally mount clandestine sabotage operations...