INDOCHINA ERA FRENCH FORGIEN LEGION KAPI 1st REGIMENT W/ DEVICE SEE PICS

Description

PLEASE FOLLOW OUR E BAY STORE
SEE ALL PICS
SALE
SEE OUR STORE
PLEASE READ WHOLE ADD
French Foreign Legion
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to navigation
Jump to search
This article is about a French military unit. For the Frank Sinatra song, see
French Foreign Legion (song)
. For other uses, see
French Foreign Legion (disambiguation)
.
"Legionnaire" redirects here. For other uses, see
Legionnaire (disambiguation)
.
Coordinates
:
43.2925°N 5.5534°E
French Foreign Legion
Légion étrangère
The Foreign Legion's
grenade emblem
and colours
Active
10 March 1831 – present
Country
France
Branch
French Army
Type
Foreign legion
Role
Airborne infantry, light infantry, armoured infantry, armoured Cavalry, combat engineers, airborne engineers, regimental foreign military police
Size
C. 8,900 men in 11 regiments and one sub-unit (as of January 2018)
[1]
Garrison/HQ
Metropolitan France
:
Foreign Legion Command
1st Foreign Regiment
2nd Foreign Infantry Regiment
3rd Foreign Infantry Regiment
4th Foreign Regiment
2nd Foreign Parachute Regiment
1st Foreign Cavalry Regiment
1st Foreign Engineer Regiment
2nd Foreign Engineer Regiment
Foreign Legion Pionniers
Foreign Legion Recruiting Group
13th Demi-Brigade of the Foreign Legion
Haute-Corse
:
French Guiana
:
Mayotte
:
Foreign Legion Detachment in Mayotte
Nickname(s)
The Legion (English)
La Légion
(French)
Motto(s)
Legio Patria Nostra
(The Legion is our Homeland)
[2]
Honneur et Fidélité
(Honour and Fidelity)
[2]
Branch colours
Colour of Beret
Red and Green
Green
[3]
[4]
March
Le Boudin
[5]
Anniversaries
Camerone Day
(30 April)
Engagements
French conquest of Algeria
First Carlist War
Crimean War
Second Italian War of Independence
French intervention in Mexico
French campaign against Korea
Franco-Prussian War
Sino-French War
Second Franco-Dahomean War
Second Madagascar expedition
Mandingo Wars
World War I
Levant Campaign
Rif War
World War II
Syria–Lebanon Campaign
First Indochina War
Algerian War
Shaba II
Lebanese Civil War 1975–1990
United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (1978–present)
[6]
Multinational Force in Lebanon 1982–1984
Gulf War
Global War on Terrorism (2001–present)
War in Afghanistan (1978–present)
Operation Enduring Freedom
War in Afghanistan
First Ivorian Civil War
Second Ivorian Civil War
Northern Mali conflict
Central African Republic conflict (2012–present)
Website
www
.legion-etrangere
.com
(official website)
www
.legion-recrute
.com
(official recruitment website)
Commanders
Commandant
Brigadier General
Alain Lardet
[7]
Ceremonial chief
Wooden hand of Captain
Jean Danjou
carried by a selected officer or legionnaire from
Foreign Legion Pionniers
[3]
Notable
commanders
General
Paul-Frédéric Rollet
Insignia
Identification
symbol
Legion flash
Abbreviation
FFL (English)
L.É. (French)
The
French Foreign Legion
(
FFL
;
French
:
Légion étrangère
,
French pronunciation: ​
[leʒjɔ̃ etʁɑ̃ʒɛʁ]
,
L.É.
) is a military service branch of the
French Army
established in 1831. Legionnaires are highly trained infantry soldiers and the Legion is unique in that it is open to foreign
recruits
willing to serve in the
French Armed Forces
. When it was founded, the French Foreign Legion was not unique; other
foreign formations
existed at the time in France.
[8]
The Foreign Legion is today known as a unit whose training focuses on traditional military skills and on its strong
esprit de corps
, as its men come from different countries with different cultures. Consequently, training is often described as not only physically challenging, but also very stressful psychologically. French citizenship may be applied for after three years' service.
[9]
The Legion is the only part of the French military that does not swear allegiance to France, but to the Foreign Legion itself.
[10]
Any soldier who gets wounded during a battle for France can immediately apply to be a French citizen under a provision known as "
Français par le sang versé
" ("French by spilled blood").
[9]
As of 2018, members come from 140 different countries.
Since 1831, the Legion has consisted of hundreds of thousands in active service at its peak, and suffered the aggregated loss of nearly 40,000 men
[11]
in
France
,
Algeria
,
Morocco
,
Tunisia
,
Madagascar
,
West Africa
,
Mexico
,
Italy
, the
Crimea
,
Spain
,
Indo-China
,
Norway
,
Syria
,
Chad
,
Zaïre
,
Lebanon
,
Central Africa
,
Gabon
,
Kuwait
,
Rwanda
,
Djibouti
, former
Yugoslavia
,
Somalia
, the
Republic of Congo
,
Ivory Coast
,
Afghanistan
,
Mali
, as well as others. The French Foreign Legion was primarily used to help protect and expand the
French colonial empire
during the 19th century. The Foreign Legion was initially stationed only in
Algeria
, where it took part in the
pacification
and development of the colony. Subsequently, the Foreign Legion was deployed in a number of conflicts, including the
First Carlist War
in 1835, the
Crimean War
in 1854, the
Second Italian War of Independence
in 1859, the
French intervention in Mexico
in 1863, the
Franco-Prussian War
in 1870, the
Tonkin Campaign
and
Sino-French War
in 1883, supporting growth of the
French colonial empire
in
Sub-Saharan Africa
, the
Second Franco-Dahomean War
in 1892, the
Second Madagascar expedition
in 1895 and the
Mandingo Wars
in 1894. In
World War I
, the Foreign Legion fought in many critical battles on the
Western Front
. It played a smaller role in World War II than in World War I, though having a part in the
Norwegian
,
Syrian
and
North African
campaigns. During the
First Indochina War
(1946–1954), the Foreign Legion saw its numbers swell. The Legion lost a large number of men in the catastrophic
Battle of Dien Bien Phu
against forces of the
Viet Minh
.
Subsequent military campaigns included those during the
Suez Crisis
, the
Battle of Algiers
and various offensives in Algeria launched by
General Maurice Challe
including Operation Oranie and
Operation Jumelles
. During the
Algerian War of Independence
(1954–1962), the Foreign Legion came close to being disbanded after some officers, men, and the highly decorated
1st Foreign Parachute Regiment
(1
er
REP) took part in the
Generals' putsch
. In the 1960s and 1970s, Legion regiments had additional roles in sending units as a
rapid deployment force
to preserve French interests – in its former African colonies and in other nations as well; it also returned to its roots of being a unit always ready to be sent to conflict zones around the world. Some notable operations include: the
Chadian–Libyan conflict
in 1969–1972 (the first time that the Legion was sent in operations after the Algerian War), 1978–1979, and 1983–1987;
Kolwezi
in what is now the
Democratic Republic of the Congo
in May 1978. In 1981, the
1st Foreign Regiment
and Foreign Legion regiments took part in the
Multinational Force in Lebanon
. In 1990, Foreign Legion regiments were sent to the
Persian Gulf
and participated in
Opération Daguet
, part of
Division Daguet
. Following the
Gulf War
in the 1990s, the Foreign Legion helped with the evacuation of French citizens and foreigners in
Rwanda
, Gabon and
Zaire
. The Foreign Legion was also deployed in
Cambodia
,
Somalia
,
Sarajevo
, Bosnia and Herzegovina. In the mid- to late 1990s, the Foreign Legion was deployed in the
Central African Republic
,
Congo-Brazzaville
and in
Kosovo
. The French Foreign Legion also took part in operations in Rwanda in 1990–1994; and the
Ivory Coast
in 2002 to the present. In the 2000s, the Foreign Legion was deployed in
Operation Enduring Freedom
in Afghanistan,
Operation Licorne
in Ivory Coast, the
EUFOR Tchad/RCA
in Chad, and
Operation Serval
in the
Northern Mali conflict
.
[12]
Other countries have tried to emulate the French Foreign Legion model.....
Alsace-Lorraine
[
edit
]
Main article:
Alsace-Lorraine
Following World War II, many French-speaking German former soldiers joined the Foreign Legion to pursue a military career, an option no longer possible in Germany including French German soldiers of
Malgré-nous
. It would have been considered problematic if the men from
Alsace-Lorraine
did not speak French. These French-speaking former German soldiers made up as much as 60 percent of the Legion during the war in Indochina. Contrary to popular belief however, French policy was to exclude former members of the
Waffen-SS
, and candidates for induction were refused if they exhibited the tell-tale blood type tattoo, or even a scar that might be masking it.
[38]
The high percentage of Germans was contrary to normal policy concerning a single dominant nationality, and in more recent times Germans have made up a much smaller percentage of the Foreign Legion's composition.
[39]
First Indochina War 1946–1954
[
edit
]
Main articles:
Jacques Lefort
,
Pierre Darmuzai
,
Paul Arnaud de Foïard
, and
Bernard Goupil
Parachute company
of the
3rd Foreign Infantry Regiment
.
During the
First Indochina War
(1946–54) the Foreign Legion saw its numbers swell due to the incorporation of World War II veterans. Although the Foreign Legion distinguished itself in a territory where it had served since the 1880s, it also suffered a heavy toll during this war. Constantly being deployed in operations, units of the Legion suffered particularly heavy losses in the climactic
Battle of Dien Bien Phu
, before the fortified valley finally fell on 7 May 1954. No fewer than 72,833 served in Indochina during the eight-year war. The Legion suffered the loss of 10,283 of its own men in combat: 309 officers, 1082 sous-officiers and 9092 legionnaires .
While only one of several Legion units involved in Indochina, the
1st Foreign Parachute Battalion
(1
er
BEP) particularly distinguished itself, while being annihilated twice. It was renamed the
1st Foreign Parachute Regiment
(1
er
REP) after its third reformation.
[40]
The 1
er
BEP sailed to Indochina on 12 November and was then engaged in combat operations in Tonkin.
[40]
On 17 November 1950 the battalion parachuted into That Khé and suffered heavy losses at Coc Xa. Reconstituted on 1 March 1951, the battalion participated in combat operations at Cho Ben, on the Black River and in Annam.
[40]
On 21 November 1953 the reconstituted 1
er
BEP was parachuted into Dien Bien Phu.
[40]
In this battle, the unit lost 575
killed
and
missing
.
[40]
Reconstituted for the third time on 19 May 1954, the battalion left Indochina on 8 February 1955.
[40]
The 1
er
BEP received five citations and the
fourragère
of the colors of the
Médaille militaire
[40]
for its service in Indochina. The 1
er
BEP became the
1st Foreign Parachute Regiment
(1
er
REP) in
Algeria
on 1 September 1955.
Dien Bien Phu fell on 7 May 1954 at 17:30.
[41]
The couple of
hectares
that were the battlefield today are corn fields surrounding a
stele
which commemorates the sacrifices of those who died there. While the garrison of Dien Bien Phu included French regular, North African, and locally recruited (Indochinese) units, the battle has become associated particularly with the paratroops of the Foreign Legion.
During the Indochina War, the Legion operated several
armoured trains
which were an enduring
Rolling Symbol
during the chartered course duration of
French Indochina
. The Legion also operated various
Passage Companies
relative to the continental conflicts at hand.
Algerian War 1954–1962
[
edit
]
Foreign Legion paratroops
[
edit
]
Main articles:
French Air and Space Force
,
List of French paratrooper units
,
10th Parachute Division (France)
, and
25th Parachute Division (France)
1st Foreign Parachute Regiment formed and commanded by
Legion
Lieutenant Colonel
Pierre Paul Jeanpierre
(1912–1958).
[42]
The legion was heavily engaged in fighting against the
National Liberation Front
and the
Armée de Libération Nationale (ALN)
. The main activity during the period 1954–1962 was as part of the operations of the
10th Parachute Division
and
25th Parachute Division
. The
1st Foreign Parachute Regiment
, 1
er
REP, was under the command of the
10th Parachute Division (France)
, 10
ème
DP, and the
2nd Foreign Parachute Regiment
, 2
ème
REP, was under the command of the
25th Parachute Division (France)
, 25
ème
DP. While both the 1st Foreign Parachute Regiment (1
er
REP), and the 2nd Foreign Parachute Regiment (2
ème
REP), were part of the operations of
French parachute divisions
(10
ème
DP and 25
ème
DP established in 1956), the Legion's
1st Foreign Parachute Regiment
(1
er
REP), and the Legion's
2nd Foreign Parachute Regiment
(2
ème
REP), are older than the French divisions. The 1
er
REP was the former thrice-reconstituted
1st Foreign Parachute Battalion
(
1
er
BEP
) and the 2
ème
REP was the former
2nd Foreign Parachute Battalion
(
2
ème
BEP
). Both battalions were renamed and their Legionnaires transferred from
Indochina
on 1 August 1954 to
Algeria
by 1 November 1954. Both traced their origins to the
Parachute Company of the 3rd Foreign Infantry Regiment
commanded by Legion Lieutenant
Jacques Morin
attached to the
III/1
er
R.C.P
.
[43]
With the start of the
War in Algeria
on 1 November 1954, the two foreign participating parachute battalions back from
Indochina
, the
1st Foreign Parachute Battalion
(1
er
BEP, III Formation) and the
2nd Foreign Parachute Battalion
(2
ème
BEP), were not part of any French
parachute divisions
yet and were not designated as regiments until September and 1 December 1955 respectively.
Good Conduct Certificate, Lt Col Paul Paschal (1919-1994), 1er REP, 15 August 1960
Main operations during the
Algerian War
included the Battle of Algiers and the Bataille of the Frontiers, fought by 60,000 soldiers including
French
and
Foreign Legion paratroopers
. For paratroopers of the Legion, the 1st Foreign Parachute Regiment (1
er
REP) and
2nd Foreign Parachute Regiment
(2
ème
REP), were the only known foreign active parachute regiments, exclusively commanded by
Pierre Paul Jeanpierre
for the 1
er
REP
[42]
and the
paratrooper commanders
of the
2
ème
REP
.
[44]
The remainder of
French paratrooper units
of the
French Armed Forces
were commanded by
Jacques Massu
,
Buchond
,
Marcel Bigeard
,
Paul Aussaresses
. Other
Legion
offensives in the mountains in 1959 included operations
Jumelles
,
Cigales
, and
Ariège
in the Aures and the last in Kabylie.
[42]
The image of the Legion as a professional and non-political force was tarnished when the elite
1st Foreign Parachute Regiment
1
er
REP
, which was also part of the
10th Parachute Division
played a leading role in the generals' putsch of 1961
[42]
and was subsequently disbanded.
Generals' putsch and reduction of Foreign Legion
[
edit
]
Main articles:
Jean Olié
,
Paul Gardy
, and
Hélie de Saint Marc
Marche ou Crève
and
More Majorum
for Legion
Officers
,
Sous-Officiers
and
Legionnaires
of the
CEPs
,
BEPs
and
REPs
of the
Legion
.
[45]
Tenue of a Legionnaire of the
Saharan Mounted Companies of the Foreign Legion
(CSPLE). Often blue or red and worn by all the soldiers of the
Army of Africa
; the Legion however, officially adopted the
Ceinture Bleue
(blue sash) in 1882.
Coming out of a difficult Indochinese conflict, the French Foreign Legion, reinforced cohesion by extending the duration of basic training. Efforts exerted were successful during this transit; however, entering into December 1960 and the generals' putsch, a crisis hit the legion putting its faith at the corps of the Army.
[46]
For having rallied to the
generals' putsch
of April 1961, the
1st Foreign Parachute Regiment
of the
10th Parachute Division
was dissolved on 30 April 1961 at
Zeralda
.
In 1961, at the issue of the putsch, the
1st Mounted Saharan Squadron of the Foreign Legion
[47]
(
French
:
1
er
Escadron Saharien Porté de la Légion Etrangère, 1
er
ESPLE
) received the missions to assure
surveillance
and
policing
.
The independence of Algeria from the
French
in 1962 was traumatising since it ended with the enforced abandonment of the barracks command center at
Sidi Bel Abbès
established in 1842. Upon being notified that the elite regiment was to be disbanded and that they were to be reassigned, legionnaires of the 1
er
REP burned the Chinese pavilion acquired following the
Siege of Tuyên Quang
in 1884. The relics from the Legion's history museum, including the wooden hand of Captain
Jean Danjou
, subsequently accompanied the Legion to France. Also removed from Sidi Bel Abbès were the symbolic Legion remains of
General
Paul-Frédéric Rollet
(
The Father of the Legion
),
Legion officer
Prince
Count Aage of Rosenborg
, and Legionnaire Heinz Zimmermann (last fatal casualty in Algeria).
Legion Officer
Lieutenant-colonel
Prince
Count Aage of Rosenborg
(1887–1940).
The Legion acquired its parade song "
Non, je ne regrette rien
" ("No, I regret nothing"), a 1960
Édith Piaf
song sung by Sous-Officiers and legionnaires as they left their barracks for re-deployment following the
Algiers putsch of 1961
. The song has remained a part of Legion heritage since.
The
1st Foreign Parachute Regiment
1
er
REP was disbanded on 30 April 1961.
[42]
However, the
2nd Foreign Parachute Regiment
2
ème
REP prevailed in existence, while most of the personnel of the
Saharan Companies
were integrated into the
1st Foreign Infantry Regiment
,
2nd Foreign Infantry Regiment
and
4th Foreign Infantry Regiment
respectively.
Generals' putsch and reduction of Foreign Legion
[
edit
]
Main articles:
Jean Olié
,
Paul Gardy
, and
Hélie de Saint Marc
Marche ou Crève
and
More Majorum
for Legion
Officers
,
Sous-Officiers
and
Legionnaires
of the
CEPs
,
BEPs
and
REPs
of the
Legion
.
[45]
Tenue of a Legionnaire of the
Saharan Mounted Companies of the Foreign Legion
(CSPLE). Often blue or red and worn by all the soldiers of the
Army of Africa
; the Legion however, officially adopted the
Ceinture Bleue
(blue sash) in 1882.
Coming out of a difficult Indochinese conflict, the French Foreign Legion, reinforced cohesion by extending the duration of basic training. Efforts exerted were successful during this transit; however, entering into December 1960 and the generals' putsch, a crisis hit the legion putting its faith at the corps of the Army.
[46]
For having rallied to the
generals' putsch
of April 1961, the
1st Foreign Parachute Regiment
of the
10th Parachute Division
was dissolved on 30 April 1961 at
Zeralda
.
In 1961, at the issue of the putsch, the
1st Mounted Saharan Squadron of the Foreign Legion
[47]
(
French
:
1
er
Escadron Saharien Porté de la Légion Etrangère, 1
er
ESPLE
) received the missions to assure
surveillance
and
policing
.
The independence of Algeria from the
French
in 1962 was traumatising since it ended with the enforced abandonment of the barracks command center at
Sidi Bel Abbès
established in 1842. Upon being notified that the elite regiment was to be disbanded and that they were to be reassigned, legionnaires of the 1
er
REP burned the Chinese pavilion acquired following the
Siege of Tuyên Quang
in 1884. The relics from the Legion's history museum, including the wooden hand of Captain
Jean Danjou
, subsequently accompanied the Legion to France. Also removed from Sidi Bel Abbès were the symbolic Legion remains of
General
Paul-Frédéric Rollet
(
The Father of the Legion
),
Legion officer
Prince
Count Aage of Rosenborg
, and Legionnaire Heinz Zimmermann (last fatal casualty in Algeria).
Legion Officer
Lieutenant-colonel
Prince
Count Aage of Rosenborg
(1887–1940).
The Legion acquired its parade song "
Non, je ne regrette rien
" ("No, I regret nothing"), a 1960
Édith Piaf
song sung by Sous-Officiers and legionnaires as they left their barracks for re-deployment following the
Algiers putsch of 1961
. The song has remained a part of Legion heritage since.
The
1st Foreign Parachute Regiment
1
er
REP was disbanded on 30 April 1961.
[42]
However, the
2nd Foreign Parachute Regiment
2
ème
REP prevailed in existence, while most of the personnel of the
Saharan Companies
were integrated into the
1st Foreign Infantry Regiment
,
2nd Foreign Infantry Regiment
and
4th Foreign Infantry Regiment
respectively.
Post-colonial Africa
[
edit
]
The
13th Demi-Brigade of the Foreign Legion
parading through Roman ruins in
Lambaesis
, Algeria (circa 1958).
By the mid-1960s the Legion had lost its traditional and spiritual home in
French Algeria
and elite units had been dissolved.
[40]
President de Gaulle considered disbanding it altogether but, being reminded of the
Marching Regiments
, and that the
13th Demi-Brigade
was one of the first units to declare for him in 1940 and taking also into consideration the effective service of various
Saharan units
and performances of other Legions units, he chose instead to downsize the Legion from 40,000 to 8,000 men and relocate it to metropolitan France.
[48]
Legion units continued to be assigned to overseas service, although not in North Africa (see below).
1962–present
[
edit
]
In the early 1960s, and besides ongoing global rapid deployments, the Legion also stationed forces on various continents while operating different function units.
From 1965 to 1967, the Legion operated several companies, including the
5th Heavy Weight Transport Company (CTGP)
, mainly in charge of evacuating the Sahara. The area of responsibility of some of these units extended from the confines of the in-between of the
Sahara
to the Mediterranean. Ongoing interventions and rapid deployments two years later and the following years included in part:
1969–1971 : interventions in
Chad
1978–present :
Peacekeeping
operations around the
Mediterranean
, including the
United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon
during the
Global War on Terror
1978–1978 :
Battle of Kolwezi
(
Zaïre
)
1981–1984 :
Peacekeeping
operations in
Lebanon
at the corps of the
United Nations Multinational Force
during the
Lebanese Civil War
along with the
31
ème
Brigade
which included the
1st Foreign Regiment
1
er
RE.
Operation Épaulard I
was spearheaded by
Lieutenant-colonel
Bernard Janvier
. The Multinational Force also included the
British Armed Forces
1st The Queen's Dragoon Guards
, U.S. American contingents of
United States Marine Corps
and the
United States Navy
, the
French Navy
and 28 exclusive
French Armed Forces
regiments including
French paratroopers regiments
,
companies
,
units
of the
11th Parachute Brigade
along with the
2nd Foreign Parachute Regiment
2
e
REP. The multinational force also included the
Irish Armed Forces
and units of the French
National Gendarmerie
,
Italian
paratroopers from the
Folgore Brigade
, and
infantry
units from the
Bersaglieri
regiments and
Marines
of the
San Marco Battalion
.
1st Foreign Regiment
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to navigation
Jump to search
1st Foreign regiment
1
e
Régiment étranger
Regimental badge of 1er RE
Active
1841–present
Country
France
Allegiance
French Foreign Legion
Branch
French Army
Role
Music of the Legion
IILE
Museum of the Legion
Part of
Foreign Legion Command
Garrison/HQ
Aubagne
Motto(s)
Honneur et Fidélité
Colors
Green & Red
March
Nous sommes tous des volontaires (
We are all volunteers
)
Anniversaries
Camerone Day
(April 30) and
Christmas
Engagements
Crimean War
Siege of Sevastopol 1854
Second Italian War of Independence
Battle of Magenta
French intervention in Mexico
Battle of Camarón
World War I
Levant Campaign
World War II
Algerian War
Multinational Force in Lebanon
Gulf War
Global War on Terror (2001–present)
Commanders
Current
commander
Lieutenant-colonel Dujon
Notable
commanders
François Achille Bazaine
Raphaël Vienot
Pierre Joseph Jeanningros
Paul-Frédéric Rollet
Insignia
Insignia of the 1st Foreign Regiment
Abbreviation
1
er
RE
Each year, the
French Foreign Legion
commemorates and celebrates
Camarón
in its headquarters in
Aubagne
and
Bastille Day military parade
in
Paris
; featuring the
Pionniers
leading and opening the way
while marching to the sound of the
Music
.
The
1st Foreign Regiment
(
French
:
1
er
Régiment étranger, 1
er
RE
) and the
2nd Foreign
are the original and most senior founding regiments of the
French Foreign Legion
.
The regiment is also responsible for running special institutions of the Legion. These include the magazine
Képi Blanc
, the Legion's Athletics Team (ATHLEG), the Legion Military Band, the Legion Museum and numerous other Legion initiatives.
The
1st Foreign Regiment
1
er
RE in its various command functions, is an elite
command
regiment. The 1
er
RE
[1]
and all regiments of the French Foreign Legion, differentiate, that their Legion
Majors
, Legion
Adjudant Chefs
and Legion
Adjudants
, form both a French and non-French (Foreign) elite composition.