The French Far East Expeditionary Corps (French: Corps Expéditionnaire Français en Extrême-Orient, CEFEO) was a colonial expeditionary force of the French Union Army sent in French Indochina in 1945 during the Pacific War.
The CEFEO was created in 1945 as a replacement for the older Far East French Expeditionary Forces (Forces Expéditionnaires Françaises d'Extrême-Orient, FEFEO). Its purpose was to support Saigon-based General Gilbert Sabattier, divisional commander of colonial "Indochina French Forces" (Forces Françaises d'Indochine) and Free French Forces resistance small groups C.L.I. then fighting with the Japanese Southern Expeditionary Army Group during the Second French Indochina Campaign. After the 1944 Liberation of France and the fall of Nazi Germany in Europe the following year, the French authorities wanted to "free" the last Axis powers occupied territories in Southeast Asia, these included the newly established Empire of Vietnam, which was a Japanese colony. On June 7 1945, Leclerc was nominated commander of the CEFEO. On June 22, Leclerc transferred commanding of the 2nd Armored Division (2ème D.B.) -the famous unit who liberated Paris in August 1944- to Colonel Dio. Leclerc received command of the Far East French Forces (Forces Françaises en Extrême-Orient) on August 15.
In 1946, nationalist, then communist popular rebellion movement rose up against established colonial rule in the French Indochina federation then including the Kingdom of Laos, the Kingdom of Cambodia, Tonkin (North Vietnam), the Empire of Annam (Middle Vietnam) and Cochinchina (South Vietnam), all states being protectorates excluding the latter which was a colony with Saigon as its capital. In 1946, they would become associated states within the French Union and by 1949 Tonkin, Annam and the Republic of Cochin China would merge as the State of Vietnam. The communist Viet Minh led by Ho Chi Minh overwhelmed its rival nationalist movements and organized itself as a revolutionary army using guerrilla warfare, then in the 1950s—due to a massive Chinese support—using conventional warfare. The First Indochina War officially lasted from November 20 1946 until July 20 1954 and was settled by the Geneva Agreements.
The CEFEO was made of enlisted and volunteer troops from the French Union colonial territories in Maghreb, Africa, Madagascar, Overseas (future Dom-Tom) and South-East Asia with the notable exception of the French Foreign Legion gathering mostly European troops (French, Spaniards, Poles, etc.).
Most of the professional colonial airborne units (BPC) and the entire Chief of Staff were metropolitan French though.
In early November 1953, the French U.N. volunteers returning from the ended Korean War joined the French Union CEFEO and sailed from Incheon to Vietnam. They would be later involved in the battle of Mang Yang Pass of June and July 1954.
(North West Operation Group)
(Far East Ground Forces)
(North Vietnam Ground Forces)
(South Vietnam Ground Forces)
(Far East Naval Forces)
(Far East Naval Direction)
(Far East Airforces)