French Foreign Legion Information

62 years ago: A Foreign Legion overseas battalion in Madagascar was born

May 20, 2019 · Posted in blem, history

See a fresh, fully reworked article dealing with the history of an overseas battalion of the Foreign Legion being established in Madagascar, an island in the Indian Ocean, in mid-May 1957. Although little-known today, it was an exceptional and interesting unit which would give birth to two brend-new regiments, the 3e REI in Madagascar and the 13e DBLE in Djibouti in the 1960s. By the way, the battalion was the only Foreign Legion operational unit to not take part in the Algerian War (1954-1962) at the time.

41 years ago: Operation in Kolwezi started

May 17, 2019 · Posted in 2rep, kolwezi

In Corsica on May 17, 1978, legionnaires of the French Foreign Legion’s 2nd Foreign Parachute Regiment (2e REP) were put on alert. Two days later, they jumped over Kolwezi, a city located in then Zaire, Central Africa. They would rescue over 2,000 Europeans captured and held by local rebels. Thanks to the success of the operation and the then international media coverage, the regiment became popular across the world…

VIDEO: 2019 Camerone Day in Aubagne + Fourragère for 1st Foreign Regiment

May 16, 2019 · Posted in 1re, camerone

See a very nice video created and published by the 1er RE to return to the most important annual event of the French Foreign Legion, Camerone Day (April 30), marking the anniversary of the famous Battle of Camerone.

13e DBLE: 4th Company in Indian Ocean

May 11, 2019 · Posted in 13dble, camerone

Legionnaires of the 13th Foreign Legion Half Brigade (13e DBLE) are currently being deployed for four months to Réunion, an island and an overseas department of France in the Indian Ocean, east of Madagascar. They formed a rotational infantry company of the 2nd Marine Infantry Parachute Regiment (2e RPIMa) there, to maintain order in the region.

3e REI: Cross Camerone 2019

May 7, 2019 · Posted in 3rei, camerone

In French Guiana in late April 2019, the Foreign Legion’s 3rd Foreign Infantry Regiment (3e REI) organized an annual event called Cross Camerone. This 10 km (6 miles) long cross-country run is organized as part of the Camerone Day celebration, to commemorate the famous Battle of Camerone.

Foreign Legion: 2019 Camerone Day

May 2, 2019 · Posted in 13dble, 1re, 1rec, 1reg, 2reg, 2rei, 2rep, 3rei, camerone, grle

On April 30, 2019, the French Foreign Legion commemorated the 156th anniversary of the Battle of Camerone, the legendary and most important event in its history. Camerone Day is the most important day of the year for all current or former legionnaires of the Foreign Legion. See 2019 Camerone Day videos and images from several Legion regiments.

156 years ago: A legendary battle in Mexico

April 29, 2019 · Posted in camerone, history

156 years ago, in late April 1863, a legendary battle occurred in Mexico between a small company of legionnaires and almost 2,000 Mexicans. An action during the Second French intervention in Mexico that helped the French to capture Mexico City, the capital. The eight-hour battle is portrayed today as a pure example of bravery and determination of fighting to the finish. It became an inseparable part of the cult of the French Foreign Legion. See the fully reworked article dedicated to the battle and supplemented with many images.

VIDEO: An Aussie in the Foreign Legion

April 26, 2019 · Posted in 2rep

In April 2019, Australia’s national broadcaster ABC released a nice short documentary about an Australian serving with the French Foreign Legion. Having left his home three years ago, he passed the selection and basic training, and has served in Corsica with the well-known 2nd Foreign Parachute Regiment (2e REP) since then.