3/3 RTA
 
This squad is ready to embark on a patrol mission in the swamp area north of CR6 alongside the Day River. 3BM/3RTA operated in this area of de Lattre line in Tonkin outside of Ha Dong and on the RC6 in the end of 1952, before beeing sent to Cochinchina in July 1953.
Typical for this timeperiod is the mixture of uniform and personal equipment consisting of pre-WW2 French, WW2 US or British, and some post-WW2 French patterns.
During daytime temperature could rise to a pressingly hot level. Here a group from the 3/3RTA takes a well needed break by the edge of a cooling water source.
Alphonse Libressé and Asar Maurice Asselin stop by a stream to drink. Even if water supplies were low, drinking from water gatherings such as this one was not always smart to do. After homecoming to the base 4 men from the group became sick from drinking the water.
Caporal Azahm Charuff (in the middle) leans against his wandering staff. Staffs such as this were used to test unsteady ground in the marshes. Notice that everyone in the group is armed with German MP40 Sub Machine Guns, a weapon that was used by the French CEFEO, but was pretty uncommon amongst the Algerian troops.
Alphonse Libressé moves over a steam using a tipped over tree. Patrols often had to cross water and it was preferable to walk over them rather than pass through them.
Asar Maurice Asselin, photograph taken during a short break during the patrol. He has an old german “Carl Zeiss” binocular hanging around his neck and is armed with an American M1A1 Thompson Sub Machine Gun.
From left to right; Alphonse Libressè, Azam Charuff and Guérin Xavier. They are taking a break waiting for orders to move forwards into the swamp in search for any possible evidence of Viet Minh activity.
Sergent-chef Alexandre Rousseau (1893-07-22 to 1953-05-21) speaks to headquarters using Guérin Xavier’s radio. To the right stands Gaston Coudry. This photograph was taken about half an hour before Sergent-chef Rousseau was killed by a Viet Minh booby trap.