French Battalion in the Korean War

French Battalion of the UNO during the Korean War
Bataillon français de l'ONU
Active	1950–1953
Country	France  Republic of Korea
Allegiance	United Nations
Branch	Army
Type	Infantry
Size	3,421 over the course of the war
Part of	US 2nd Infantry Division
Engagements	First and Second Battle of Wonju Battle of the Twin Tunnels Battle of Chipyong-ni Battle of Heartbreak Ridge
Decorations	Croix de guerre des théâtres d'opérations extérieures with 4 Palms, 3 US Presidential Unit Citation, 2 ROK Presidential Unit Citations
Commanders
Commander	Raoul Magrin-Vernerey

The French Battalion of the United Nations Organisation (French: Bataillon français de l'ONU, BF-ONU) was a battalion of volunteers made up of active and reserve French military personnel sent to the Korean Peninsula as part of the UN force fighting in the Korean War.

Lieutenant General Raoul Magrin-Vernerey, better known under his nom de guerre, Monclar, Inspector of the French Foreign Legion and a hero of World War II, supported Chief of Staff of the French Army General Clément Blanc's decision to form a volunteer force and agreed to command the new unit, accepting a demotion back to the rank of lieutenant-colonel. The French Battalion arrived in Pusan, South Korea on November 29, 1950 and was placed under the operational control of the 23rd U.S. Infantry Regiment, 2nd U.S. Infantry Division. Despite initial fears about French forces being "on the rout", the battalion carried out several successful early actions and earned the respect of General Matthew Ridgway, commander of the U.S. Eighth Army.

From January 7–12, 1951, the French Battalion participated in the First and Second Battle of Wonju where it stopped the North Korean advance. It was followed by the Battle of the Twin Tunnels (February 1–2, 1951) and of Chipyong-ni (February 3–16, 1951). These battles, during which the battalion resisted the attacks of four Chinese divisions for three days, allowed the 8th Army to score a victorious counter-offensive. Three weeks later, the battalion was engaged in combat for Hill 1037 (about 50 miles east of Seoul) and lost 40 dead and 200 wounded while attacking and capturing the hill.