The 317th Platoon

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The 317th Platoon is a 1965 war film originally released in France under the title La 317e Section. The film was directed by Pierre Schoendoerffer (Diên Biên Phú) and was based on his own novel of the same name. The story is set during the latter stages of the French-Indochina War, revolving around a group of French soldiers and their Laotian allies who trek through the jungle to the safety of a French outpost as the Viet Minh pursue them. The film was shot in Cambodia with the assistance of the Royal Cambodian Army.

The following weapons were used in the film The 317th Platoon:

Submachine Guns

MAT-49

The MAT-49 is used by the platoon's leaders and senior NCOs at various points in the film, including L'adjundant (Warrant Officer) Wilsdorf (Bruno Cremer), Sous-Lieutenant (2nd Lieutenant) Torrens (Jacques Perrin), Sergeant Roudier (Pierre Fabre) and Sergeant-supplétif Ba Kut (Boramy Tioulong), who also was the film's military advisor.

MAT-49 Submachine Gun - 9x19mm

Rifles

M1917 Enfield

The M1917 Enfield rifle is carried by most of the Laotian soldiers. The Viet Minh forces encountered by the platoon throughout the film also appear to be armed with Enfields.

M1917 Enfield .30-06

M1 Carbine

Sous-Lieutenant Torrens uses the M1 Carbine as his main weapon. Wilsdorf and Ba Kut also use the M1 Carbine during different scenes.

M1 Carbine - .30 Carbine

MAS-36 Rifle

The MAS-36 rifle is the main weapon of Corporal Perrin (Manuel Zarzo), the platoon's radio operator. MAS-36 rifles are also used by some of the Laotian troops.

MAS-36 - 7.5x54mm French

MAS-49 Rifle

A few Laotians are armed with MAS-49 rifles, which are mainly used to launch rifle grenades. A MAS-49 with an APX L806 scope is also seen in several scenes, most notably when a Viet Minh column is ambushed by the soldiers and during a raid on a captured village.

MAS-49 - 7.5x54mm French. The first model of the MAS-49, adopted in 1949 and used by French forces in the Indochina, Algerian and Suez conflicts.

Machine Guns

Browning Automatic Rifle M1918A2

The M1918A2 BAR is a commonly-seen weapon in the film, although the characters refer to it as a FM. Laotian troops use it to suppress enemy forces, while Wilsdorf uses one to cover the retreat of the platoon as it tries to evacuate its wounded.

Browning Automatic Rifle M1918A2 - .30-06

Grenades

Mills Bomb

What appears to be a Mills Bomb is often seen attached to Wilsdorf's uniform.

Mills Bomb High-Explosive Fragmentation hand grenade.

22mm Rifle Grenade

Laotian troops use MAS-49 rifles to fire 22mm rifle grenades of unknown type.