France used numerous Shermans until the early 1950s. The French Army used Sherman tanks in the First Indochina War in the "Régiment blindé colonial d'Extrême-Orient" (RBCEO). It was also used by the French Forces in Germany and during the Algerian War. When more modern tanks were introduced into the French Army, the Shermans were partly taken over by the Gendarmerie who employed them in Paris during the putsch of 1961.