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French Foreign Legion 13th Demi Brigade pocket badge, type 1
13e Demi-Brigade de Legion Etrangere Type 1 insigne.
13th Foreign Legion Half Brigade badge.
The 13 DBLE was created in February 1940 to fight in Finland. The 1st Battalion was created at Fez using elements from the 2, 3 & 4th Regiments, the II Battalion was created at Sidi-Bel-Abbes using elements from the DCRE and 1st REI. The Brigade was commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Raoul Magrin-Vernerey (AKA Ralph Monclar). On the 4th of March the Brigade left Oran for Marseille. The action for Finland was then canceled due to the Soviet-Finnish armistice and the Brigade was then based at Camp Larzac when at the end of March it was named 13e Demi-Brigade de Marche de Legion Etrangere. The Brigade was composed of 55 Officers, 210 NCOs and 1984 legionnaires when orders came through that it was to join the French expeditionary force for Scandinavia, the Brigade left Brest for Norway arriving on the 5th May, the mission of the Brigade was the capture of Narvik and the legionnaires conducted the first amphibious operation of WWII in British Landing craft, Torpedo boats and whalers, the Brigade fought from 28th May until the 2nd June, due to the collapse of the British and French forces in France the orders came to withdraw from Narvik and the Brigade headed for England.
The badge was designed by Lieutenant Des Roberts and was made by Arthus Bertrand Paris Depose with Poincon on the pastille.
*Care should be taken with locally made badges especially the Indochina locally made types as this badge was not worn at any time during the Indochina campaign, however a version similar with a 15 instead of 13 was made and worn by the 15th Company
Badge courtesy of Jean-Yves Thiery
Thanks to Andi Mitchell for the information