French Foreign Legion information. An online project dedicated to the famous Foreign Legion.
From May 4 to 20, 2026, the 2nd Foreign Infantry Regiment (2e REI), stationed in Nîmes in southern France, conducted three weeks of intensive field training at Camp des Garrigues, a large military training area located near the regiment’s garrison town.
Read more2e REI: 2026 Training Alongside NATO Allies at Camp des Garrigues
50 years ago, on May 24, 1976, a helicopter transporting Foreign Legion elements crashed during a military exercise in the Horn of Africa. Six legionnaires died immediately; another two died from their injuries later. At the time, this was the deadliest day for the Legion since the end of the Algerian War in 1962. Although largely forgotten today, even in France, this sad event and its victims should be remembered.
From May 11 to 20, 2026, Exercise Libecciu 2026 took place across several regions of western and central France, primarily in Nouvelle-Aquitaine and Centre-Val de Loire. The exrcise was conducted by the 2nd Foreign Parachute Regiment (2e REP), an elite airborne regiment of the Foreign Legion. Based at Calvi, Corsica, it serves as one of the French Army’s rapid-response units.
On May 8, 2026, French Foreign Legion units commemorated the 81st anniversary of the end of the Second World War in Europe, marking the definitive overall surrender of Nazi Germany to the Allied forces in 1945. As every year, legionnaires took part in ceremonies held both in France and overseas to honor the veterans and fallen soldiers of the conflict.
On April 30, 2026, the French Foreign Legion observed the 163rd anniversary of the Battle of Camerone, the legendary action that forged the Legion’s identity and esprit de corps. On that day in Mexico in 1863, a company of 62 legionnaires led by Captain Jean Danjou stood against some 2,000 Mexican soldiers. The legionnaires refused to surrender and fought until only three of them remained standing. As every year, the anniversary was commemorated across all Legion units and garrisons, in France and abroad. Below are images from several of these ceremonies.
In March 2026, Exercise Cold Response 26 is underway across northern Norway and northern Finland. French forces are among the allied troops taking part in the Arctic training event, including infantry and cavalry units of the French Foreign Legion.
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.
While Foreign Legion troops across France took part in Armistice Day ceremonies on November 11, members of the 1st Company of the 2nd Foreign Infantry Regiment (2e REI) marked the occasion a bit farther east — in Poland.
On November 11, 2025, detachments of the French Foreign Legion participated in ceremonies marking Armistice Day, honoring the memory of military veterans and those who died in the line of duty.
In early October 2025, two Foreign Legion regiments – the 2nd Foreign Infantry Regiment (2e REI) and the 2nd Foreign Engineer Regiment (2e REG) – took part in the multinational military exercise Dog Fighter 2025, hosted by France’s 132nd Canine Infantry Regiment (132e RIC), the only unit of its kind in France and the largest military working dog regiment in Europe.
On Tuesday, September 2, 2025, the 2nd Foreign Infantry Regiment (2e REI) officially commemorated the 122nd anniversary of the 1903 Battle of El Moungar and paid tribute to the 36 men of the regiment who had fallen during it.