French Foreign Legion information. An online project dedicated to the famous Foreign Legion.
As mentioned in the previous article, which dealt with the 2024 Bastille Day Parade in Paris, the legionnaires of the 1st Foreign Cavalry Regiment (1er REC) participated in this traditional event. However, they commemorated the French national holiday also abroad.
Read more1er REC: 2024 Bastille Day in Ivory Coast and Bosnia and Herzegovina
Every year, a large military parade is held in Paris to commemorate the 14th of July, France’s national holiday, known in English-speaking countries as Bastille Day. On that day, the French Foreign Legion also takes part in the parade in the capital. However, due to the upcoming 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, this year’s parade was downsized and did not take place on the famous Champs-Élysées. Read more and see images.
On May 8, 2024, the French Foreign Legion units commemorated the 79th anniversary of the end of World War II in Europe. The end of the war came after the signing of the definitive overall surrender of Nazi Germany to the Allies in Berlin. See some images from the 2024 Victory in Europe Day celebrations.
On April 30, 2024, the French Foreign Legion celebrated the 161st anniversary of the 1863 Battle of Camerone, an epic moment in its history. The celebrations were held across the regiments in France and abroad. See images.
The last weekend, April 20-21, 2024, 1st Foreign Cavalry Regiment (1er REC) legionnaires commemorated their patron, Saint George (Saint-Georges in French). See some images.
See nice images showing the anti-tank vehicles of the 2nd Squadron, 1st Foreign Cavalry Regiment (1er REC) when firing at Mailly Camp, in the Marne Department of northeastern France.
In November 2023, Brigadier-chief Manuel Da Costa left the French Foreign Legion, reaching the age limit of 62 years for an active soldier. With 44 years of service, this senior corporal was the longest-serving active member not only of the Legion, but also of the entire French Armed Forces.
This week, on November 27, began an important tactical combined arms maneuver BIA 23 that takes place in the Marne Department in northeastern France, north of Camp Mailly. Organized by the 6th Light Armored Brigade (6e BLB), it is to be the very first French exercise involving a combined arms brigade of the modern SCORPION generation ready for an operational deployment. Among the participating units are the Foreign Legion’s 1st Foreign Cavalry Regiment (1er REC), 2nd Foreign Infantry Regiment (2e REI), and the 1st Foreign Engineer Regiment (1er REG).
In most English-speaking countries, November 11 is known as Veterans Day or Remembrance Day, honoring military veterans and those who have died in the line of duty. In France, this day is still known as Armistice Day, in memory of the 1918 armistice signed between the Allies and Germany that ended World War I. Since 2012, all those who died for France have also been commemorated during Armistice Day. The French Foreign Legion participates annually in those ceremonies. See images.
In early October 2023, the 3rd Squadron of the 1st Foreign Cavalry Regiment (1er REC) arrived in Djibouti, Horn of Africa. The squadron would carry out its tasks there for the next four months.
See a short video showing the 4th Platoon, 5th Squadron of the 1st Foreign Cavalry Regiment (1er REC) during their military exercise in Southern France. During the exercise, the legionnaires familiarize with their equipment.