Christmas Eve marks the second most important holiday in the French Foreign Legion. Before the actual celebrations, each Foreign Legion regiment organizes Christmas challenges. The challenges help to maintain cohesion within the units and provide a bit of fun for their hard-working men. See several images taken in different Foreign Legion regiments during the Christmas challenges that took place in late 2024.
1er REG, 2e REG: 2024 Saint Barbara Day
In early December 2024, the combat engineers of the 1st Foreign Engineer Regiment (1er REG) and the 2nd Foreign Engineer Regiment (2e REG) of the French Foreign Legion once again commemorated their patron, Saint Barbara (Sainte Barbe in French).
1er REG: 3rd Company in Mayotte in 2024
Currently, in November 2024, legionnaires of the 1st Foreign Engineer Regiment (1er REG) are deployed to Mayotte in the Indian Ocean. See some images.
1er REC: 1st Squadron in Djibouti in 2024
In early November 2024, the 1st Squadron of the 1st Foreign Cavalry Regiment (1er REC), nicknamed as “Romans,” officially became the 3rd Squadron 5th Overseas Combined Arms Regiment (5e RIAOM). This French regiment is stationed in Djibouti, Horn of Africa. The Foreign Legion cavalrymen will serve there for at least three months.
2e REP, 1er REG: New Caledonia in 2024
Legionnaires from the French Foreign Legion continue to deploy abroad, also in late 2024. Recently, detachments from the 2nd Foreign Parachute Regiment (2e REP) and the 1st Foreign Engineer Regiment (1er REG) have deployed to New Caledonia in the Pacific, not far from Australia.
1er, 2e REGs: 40th and 25th Anniversaries
In late September and early October 2024, both engineers regiments of the French Foreign Legion, the 1st Foreign Engineer Regiment (1er REG) and the 2nd Foreign Engineer Regiment (2e REG), celebrated the anniversary of their creation. See the images.
Foreign Legion: 2024 SAED Presentation
Watch a nice presentation of a SAED commando-like platoon of the French Foreign Legion. A combat support platoon, it is still a relatively little-known unit among Foreign Legion enthusiasts. You’ll learn more about the platoon in this article.
1er REG, 13e DBLE: Protecting the Seine River during the 2024 Paris Olympic Games Opening Ceremony
Legionnaires from the 1st Foreign Engineer Regiment (1er REG) and the 13th Foreign Legion Demi-Brigade (13e DBLE) were tasked with the protection of the Seine River during the opening ceremony of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games. See some images.
40 years ago: Foreign Legion’s first engineering regiment was activated
40 years ago, in late June 1984, one of the largest companies of the then-French Army, CRTRLE, was disbanded. A road building unit comprising legionnaires, it was transformed the following day, July 1, into an engineer regiment, first Foreign Legion regiment to bear this designation. The new regiment quickly distinguished itself during deployments in Chad, Iraq, Cambodia, and the former Yugoslavia.
Read more40 years ago: Foreign Legion’s first engineering regiment was activated
Foreign Legion: 2024 Victory in Europe Day
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.
13e DBLE, 1er REG: Ivory Coast 2023-2024
In February 2024, men of the 13th Foreign Legion Demi-Brigade (13e DBLE) and the 1st Foreign Engineer Regiment (1er REG) returned from West Africa’s Ivory Coast. They were deployed there for four months.