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mandrill

mandrill

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Happy Camerone Day, to all TERB-ites who have served in the French Foreign Legion!

The Battle of Camarón (French: Bataille de Camerone) which occurred over ten hours[1]:21 on 30 April 1863 between the French Foreign Legion and the Mexican army, is regarded as a defining moment in the Foreign Legion's history. A small infantry patrol, led by Captain Jean Danjou and Lieutenants Clément Maudet and Jean Vilain, numbering just 65 men[1]:5 was attacked and besieged by a force that may have eventually reached 3,000 Mexican infantry and cavalry, and was forced to make a defensive stand at the nearby Hacienda Camarón, in Camarón de Tejeda, Veracruz, Mexico. The conduct of the Legion, who refused to surrender, led to a certain mystique — and the battle of Camarón became synonymous with b**********y and a fight-to-the-death attitude.[2]

Milán sent Capt. Ramon Laine to negotiate a surrender,[1]:67 who explained to Danjou, "you will be needlessly slaughtered."[1]:70 Danjou replied that he "had plenty of ammunition and shall continue to fight." [1]:70 Whereupon, at about 11:00, the Mexicans charged the gateways on the west end of the hacienda, and the breach on the south.[1]:71 Though the attack was held off, Danjou was hit in the chest and soon died.[1]:75 Lieutenant Vilain assumed command.[1]:76 Casualties mounted on both sides, but amongst the Legionnaires, "water and food, the two most required necessities, were not to be found. Thirst, heat exhaustion, and sunstroke had replaced them."[1]:77 Their mules had run off after the first encounter with the Mexican cavalry, and then Col. Milán's Center Brigade infantry, 1200-1400 men, arrived at the hacienda.[1]:56,78 When Capt. Laine offered the legionnaires a second chance to surrender, Sergeant Vincent Morzycki responded in the spirit of ************ Cambronne, with "Merde".[1]:79 After four hours of fighting, thirty-two Legionnaires remained fighting.[1]:81 By 14:00, only twenty could still fight.[1]:83 At 14:30, Lt. Vilain was struck dead and Lieutenant Maudet took command.[1]:84

By 17:00, the roof of the ranch house had been burned away, the Legionnaires were down to twelve men, and Col. Milan ordered his men out of the hacienda, and offered the Legionnaires a third chance to surrender.[1]:85–86 In the next onslaught, Corporals Everiste Burg, Karl Magnin and Heinrich Pinzinger, plus fusiliers Leon Gorski and Hippolyte Kunnasseg were captured.[1]:86–87 By 17:30, only Lt. Maudet's men remained in the stable.[1]:87

By 18:00, with ammunition exhausted, the last of Danjou's men, numbering only five, including Lt. Maudet, desperately mounted a bayonet charge.[1]:90 Two men fell outright, while the rest were surrounded.[1]:91 One of them, Victor Catteau, had leapt in front of Maudet in an effort to protect him, and died in the Mexican barrage.[1]:91 Major Campos ordered the Legionnaires to surrender, to which Corporal Phillipe Maine answered, "We will surrender if you leave us our weapons and our equipment. You also have to promise to take care of our wounded lieutenant."[1]:91

When Campos brought the trio to Milán, he asked, "Is this all of them? Is this all of the men who are left?" Then, in amazement, he exclaimed, "These are not men! They are demons!"[1]:92–93

When the Legion moved to France, Capitaine Danjou's wooden hand was taken to Aubagne, where it remains in the Legion Museum of Memory.[1]:98 The hand is the most cherished artifact in Legion history[1]:51 and the prestige and honor granted to a Legionnaire to carry it on parade in its protective case is among the greatest bestowed on a Legionnaire.

30 April is celebrated as "Camerone Day", an important day for the Legionnaires, when the wooden prosthetic hand of Capitaine Danjou is brought out for display. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Camarón

 
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Phil C. McNasty

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Happy Flying Spaghetti Monster day. Today is the birthday of our Supreme, one and only God

 
SchlongConery

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SkyRider

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Amazing parade! Turnout was 85,000 - 90,000. Pretty good considering the weather. All donations going to Sick Kids.
 
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Phil C. McNasty

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SchlongConery

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oagre said:
Happy Camerone Day, to all TERB-ites who have served in the French Foreign Legion!
Click to expand...

Thank you Sir.

I almost joined the French Foreign Legion after a disagreement with my mother about bedtimes.
 
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frankcastle said:
My money would be on an army that wears helmets
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We're Sikhs, we don't need no damn helmet.

"Sikh soldiers refused to wear helmets during World War I and World War II."

Have you heard the legend of the blue eye Sikh? Whenever freedom loving men and women gather around the campfire they still speak of his valour in battle and his loyalty to his oath to protect the unjustly oppressed.
 
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