Groupement de Commandos Mixtes Aéroportés
Encyclopedia
The Groupement de Commandos Mixtes Aéroportés (Mixed Airborne Commando Group) commonly referred as just GCMA, was the "Action Service" of the SDECE French
counter-intelligence service
active during the Cold War. The GCMA's origins lay in the British - U.S - French joint Operation Jedburgh
in France in 1944.
s" (from the anticommunist and pro-French Tho
, Nung
and Mèo
minorities) as well as "returned" Viet Minh
POW and was commanded by a young French Non-commissioned officer
(units were named after them) with an assistant (adjoint), most of them were detached from GCMA units.
Since former Viet Minh regulars were part of the troops, occasional betrayal happened. A famous case is Commando Nord Viet-Nam N°24 "Vandenberghe" (aka des Tigres Noirs, lit. "the Black Tigers")'s leader, Adjudant-Chef Roger Vandenberghe (24, former 6e Régiment d'Infanterie Coloniale
aka 6e RIC), being murdered during his sleep by Sous-Lieutenant Nguien Tinh Khoi. Nguien, the former Commander of the Viet-Minh 308th Brigade 36th Regiment's Assault Unit, had been captured by the French during the 1951 Battle of the Day River
.
(Tonkin
) and Laos
during the First Indochina War
.
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
counter-intelligence service
Intelligence agency
An intelligence agency is a governmental agency that is devoted to information gathering for purposes of national security and defence. Means of information gathering may include espionage, communication interception, cryptanalysis, cooperation with other institutions, and evaluation of public...
active during the Cold War. The GCMA's origins lay in the British - U.S - French joint Operation 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...
in France in 1944.
Commando Nord Viet-Nam (1951-1954)
The North Vietnam Commandos (Commando Nord Viet-Nam) were units similar to the GCMA. They were created in 1951 and remained in service until 1954. Each commando was made of local volunteers called "partisanPartisan (military)
A partisan is a member of an irregular military force formed to oppose control of an area by a foreign power or by an army of occupation by some kind of insurgent activity...
s" (from the anticommunist and pro-French Tho
Tho people
The Thổ ethnic group inhabits the mountainous regions of northern Vietnam, mainly Nghệ An province southwest of Hanoi. They speak the Tho language, which is closely related to Vietnamese...
, Nung
Nung people
The Nùng are an ethnic minority in Vietnam. In China, the Nùng, together with the Tày, are classified as Zhuang people.-Description:The population of the Nùng is estimated to be more than 700,000...
and Mèo
Miao people
The Miao or ม้ง ; ) is an ethnic group recognized by the government of the People's Republic of China as one of the 55 official minority groups. Miao is a Chinese term and does not reflect the self-designations of the component nations of people, which include Hmong, Hmu, A Hmao, and Kho Xiong...
minorities) as well as "returned" Viet Minh
Viet Minh
Việt Minh was a national independence coalition formed at Pac Bo on May 19, 1941. The Việt Minh initially formed to seek independence for Vietnam from the French Empire. When the Japanese occupation began, the Việt Minh opposed Japan with support from the United States and the Republic of China...
POW and was commanded by a young French Non-commissioned officer
Non-commissioned officer
A non-commissioned officer , called a sub-officer in some countries, is a military officer who has not been given a commission...
(units were named after them) with an assistant (adjoint), most of them were detached from GCMA units.
Since former Viet Minh regulars were part of the troops, occasional betrayal happened. A famous case is Commando Nord Viet-Nam N°24 "Vandenberghe" (aka des Tigres Noirs, lit. "the Black Tigers")'s leader, Adjudant-Chef Roger Vandenberghe (24, former 6e Régiment d'Infanterie Coloniale
Troupes de marine
The or Infanterie de marine, formerly Troupes coloniales, are an arm of the French Army with a colonial heritage. The Troupes de marine have a dedicated overseas service role. Despite their title they have been a part of the Army since 1958...
aka 6e RIC), being murdered during his sleep by Sous-Lieutenant Nguien Tinh Khoi. Nguien, the former Commander of the Viet-Minh 308th Brigade 36th Regiment's Assault Unit, had been captured by the French during the 1951 Battle of the Day River
Battle of the Day River
The Battle of the Day River took place between late May and early June 1951, around the Day River Delta in the Gulf of Tonkin...
.
Groupement de Commandos Mixtes Aéroportés
The GCMA was active in VietnamVietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
(Tonkin
Tonkin
Tonkin , also spelled Tongkin, Tonquin or Tongking, is the northernmost part of Vietnam, south of China's Yunnan and Guangxi Provinces, east of northern Laos, and west of the Gulf of Tonkin. Locally, it is known as Bắc Kỳ, meaning "Northern Region"...
) and Laos
Laos
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...
during the First Indochina War
First Indochina War
The First Indochina War was fought in French Indochina from December 19, 1946, until August 1, 1954, between the French Union's French Far East...
.
Groupement Mixte d'Intervention
The GCMA name changed in the mid-1950s to be replaced with Groupement Mixte d'Intervention or GMI ("Mixed Intervention Group") as it was no more an airborne unit.Groupement Léger d'Intervention
During the Algerian War that broke out shortly after the end of the Indochina War, the SDECE created in 1955 a new unit inspired by the Vietnamese experience. The GMI became the Groupement Léger d'Intervention or GLI ("Light Intervention Group") involving loyalist Muslims fighting with the French against the FLN rebels.Operations
Special operations include:- Operation Toulouse (1953)
- Operation Condor (1954)Operation Condor (1954)Operation Condor a.k.a. Operation D was the name of the French intelligence agency SDECE's special service GCMA secret operation against the Viet Minh supply column...
(aka Operation D, "D" is for desperado)
Notable commanders
- Roger TrinquierRoger TrinquierRoger Trinquier was a French Army officer during World War II, the First Indochina War and the Algerian War, serving mainly in airborne and Special forces units...
- director - Paul AussaressesPaul AussaressesPaul Aussaresses is a retired French Army general, who fought during World War II, the First Indochina War and Algerian War...
- Jean SassiJean SassiJean Sassi was a French Army colonel and intelligence service officer, former "Jedburgh" of France and Far East. Commando chief of the SDECE's 11th Shock Parachutist Regiment...
(1953–1955) - General Vang PaoVang PaoVang Pao was a Lieutenant General in the Royal Lao Army. He was an ethnic Hmong and a leader of the Hmong American community in the United States.-Early life:...
GCMA-LaosLaosLaos 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...
, ("Meo Maquis") Indochina WarsIndochina WarsThe Indochina Wars were a series of wars fought in Southeast Asia from 1947 until 1979, between nationalist Vietnamese against French, American, and Chinese forces. The term "Indochina" originally referred to French Indochina, which included the current states of Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia. In...
leader of Hmong peopleHmong peopleThe Hmong , are an Asian ethnic group from the mountainous regions of China, Vietnam, Laos, and Thailand. Hmong are also one of the sub-groups of the Miao ethnicity in southern China...
, and later Royal Lao ArmyRoyal Lao ArmyThe Royal Lao Army was the armed forces of the Kingdom of Laos. Its predecessor was the National Laotian Army - NLA of the French Union, created in 1947 from 'maquis', or guerrilla units gathered by French commandos. It was created in 1954 after the French granted Laos complete autonomy...
Major GeneralMajor GeneralMajor general or major-general is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. A major general is a high-ranking officer, normally subordinate to the rank of lieutenant general and senior to the ranks of brigadier and brigadier general...
See also
- First Indochina WarFirst Indochina WarThe First Indochina War was fought in French Indochina from December 19, 1946, until August 1, 1954, between the French Union's French Far East...
- Operation JedburghOperation JedburghOperation Jedburgh was a clandestine operation during World War II, in which personnel of the British Special Operations Executive, the U.S...
- SDECE
- Vietnamese National ArmyVietnamese National ArmyOn March 8, 1949, after the Elysee accords, the State of Vietnam was recognized by France as an independent country ruled by Vietnamese Emperor Bảo Đại. The Vietnamese National Army or Vietnam National Army was the State of Vietnam's military force created shortly after that. It was commanded by...
- C.L.I.
Video archives
External links
- Archive photographies of Commando Nord Vietnam n°24 "Vandenberghe" aka "Black Tigers" (July 1951), French Ministry of Defense
- GCMA/GMI: A French Experience in Counterinsurgency during the French Indochina War, Philippe Pottier