In his latest training video from early April 2026, Major Gérald, the popular senior non-commissioned officer of the French Foreign Legion and head of the Sports Office at the 1st Foreign Regiment (1er RE) in Aubagne, presents a comprehensive circuit training session designed to develop overall physical conditioning. The session is intended for soldiers and fitness enthusiasts who want to maintain a versatile and functional level of fitness using minimal equipment, adaptable to both military settings and home environments.
55 Years Ago: A Campaign Ended in Africa
55 years ago, in late 1970, the last men of the French Foreign Legion returned from Central Africa, where they had been deployed as part of Operation Limousin in Chad – the first French operation of this scale since the end of the Algerian War. For the Legion, playing the leading role, it confirmed its ability to conduct prolonged interventions far from its bases, under demanding conditions and with limited resources. This website is the first medium, in France and beyond, to offer a complete and detailed study of the Legion’s involvement in this campaign.
1er RE: 2026 Regimental Exercise
In January 2026, the 1st Foreign Regiment (1er RE) in Aubagne, the French Foreign Legion’s “motherhouse” in southern France, held a regimental field exercise. Now wearing the new BME uniform but still carrying the trusty old FAMAS rather than the newer HK 416 F rifle (one of the last French Army units to do so), the 1er RE legionnaires completed a regimental march from Aubagne to Marseille, making their way through downtown in full kit. Then they moved on to live-fire range training, which wrapped up with a shared evening around the campfire, despite heavy rain. See the video.
Foreign Legion: 2025 Christmas Challenges
In mid-December 2025, a series of Challenges de Noël (Christmas Challenges) took place in regiments of the French Foreign Legion, both in France and abroad. These anual events are friendly competitions between companies of the same regiment. They are not about winning alone, but about building fighting spirit, teamwork, and unit cohesion. For hard-working legionnaires, the challenges also bring a moment of fun and relaxation. They are usually organized shortly before Christmas.
Major Gérald: Fundamentals of Close-Quarter Combat with a weapon
In early December 2025, the French Foreign Legion released a new training video on its official YouTube channel featuring Major Gérald, the popular senior non-commissioned officer of the Legion. In this new video, Major Gérald introduces the fundamentals of close-quarter combat with a weapon: specifically, an assault rifle with a fixed bayonet.
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Foreign Legion: 2025 Change of Command took place in six regiments
During the summer of 2025, several regiments within the French Foreign Legion underwent significant leadership changes, reflecting the regular rotation of senior officers across this elite force. These appointments are part of the French Army’s standard two-year command rotation cycle and affect both mainland and overseas units.
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PHOTOS: Foreign Legion Saharan Battery from 1939 to 1942
The latest part in our series on interesting photographs presents an exceptionally rare collection depicting members of the first officially established Saharan unit of the French Foreign Legion, spanning from mid-1939 to the weeks following the Allied landings in North Africa in late 1942. These images include the only publicly known photographs of a Foreign Legion Saharan unit taken before the Second World War.
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2025 Bastille Day Military Parade
On July 14, 2025, the traditional military parade marking France’s national Bastille Day holiday was held along the iconic Champs-Élysées in Paris, an event that has been regularly organized in the French capital since 1880. Four detachments of the Foreign Legion participated.
Foreign Legion: 2025 Camerone Day
April 30, 2025, marked the 162nd anniversary of the Battle of Camerone, the defining event in the French Foreign Legion’s history, when 62 legionnaires under the command of Captain Jean Danjou faced a force of 2,000 Mexican troops. Refusing to surrender, they fought to the very end, with only three able-bodied legionnaires left standing. Commemorations of this anniversary were held across all Legion units and garrisons, both in France and abroad. The following post includes images from several of these ceremonies.
Colonel Raphaël Vienot (1804 – 1855)
Colonel Raphaël Vienot was a distinguished French officer who concluded his military career as a colonel in the French Foreign Legion during the Crimean War. One of the Legion’s most important figures in history, Vienot became renowned not only for his leadership abilities but also for the bravery and dedication he demonstrated in service to France, ultimately sacrificing his life during the night assault of May 1–2, 1855.
DOCUMENTS: 1948 Cartoon Chronicle of Basic Training
This is another contribution to our DOCUMENTS series. Discover an exceptional cartoon booklet that humorously portrays the journey of Foreign Legion recruits toward deployment in the First Indochina War in the late 1940s.
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