In early September 2019, a French Foreign Legion enlisted volunteer platoon of the 4th Foreign Regiment (4e RE) finished their initial four-week instruction and after having passed a long march, they were allowed to make a military oath and become legionnaires. This time, the ceremony took place in Sète in southern France.
13e DBLE: BACCARAT 2019 starts today
In northeastern France, in the regions of Champagne and Alsace, a large multinational ten-day exercise starts today: BACCARAT 2019. The exercise is aimed at adaptation to air assault and its perfection. It has been organized since 2017, by the 4th Air Assault Brigade (4e BAC). Apart from British, Spanish and French military helicopter units, the Foreign Legion’s 13th Half Brigade (13e DBLE) also participates in the exercise.
VIDEO: Mission Lynx in Estonia in 2019
See a French Army official video presenting the French contingent of Mission Lynx in Estonia in 2019. Two French Foreign Legion units made part of the contingent and spent four months in the Baltic state. The 3rd Company of the 2nd Foreign Infantry Regiment (2e REI) and a platoon of the 3rd Company, 1st Foreign Engineer Regiment (1er REG).
2e REI: El Moungar 2019
In early September 2019, the 2nd Foreign Infantry Regiment (2e REI) of the French Foreign Legion commemorated the 116th anniversary of the famous Battle of El Moungar. The battle occurred at El Moungar, in the Bechar region of western Algeria, on September 2, 1903. That day, a company of the then 2nd Foreign Regiment (2e RE) was attacked by more than 2,000 Berbers.
1er REC: 2nd Squadron train at Formiguères
In mid-August 2019, the legionnaires of the 2nd Squadron, 1st Foreign Cavalry Regiment (1er REC) moved to Formiguères, a commune in the Pyrenees mountain range of southern France, at the border with Spain, to spend two weeks there.
2e REG: Combat Engineers in Summer 2019
See several nice images of combat engineers from the 2nd Foreign Engineer Regiment (2e REG), the youngest regiment of the French Foreign Legion, during their training or an overseas military operation in July-August 2019.
2e REP: Sarajevo in Yugoslavia 1993
See a rare French Army documentary showing the Foreign Legion’s 2nd Foreign Parachute Regiment (2e REP) during their very first mission taking place in Europe. The sad FORPRONU (UNPROFOR) mission occurred in Sarajevo, the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina in then Yugoslavia, between December 1992 and July 1993. The second part of the interesting documentary is dedicated to the regiment – its history and its situation, training and military activities in the early 1990s.
3e REI: Third flight of Ariane 5 in 2019
On August 6, 2019, another commercial flight into orbit was launched from the space center based at Kourou, French Guiana (South America). As always, the important launch was protected by legionnaires from the Foreign Legion’s 3rd Foreign Infantry Regiment (3e REI).