Watch a short, interesting French Army documentary showing legionnaires from the 2nd Foreign Parachute Regiment (2e REP) during their deployment to French Guiana (France’s overseas department in South America) earlier this year.
2e REP: 2nd Company in Estonia in 2024
See some nice images of the 2nd Company, 2nd Foreign Parachute Regiment (2e REP) from Estonia, Northern Europe, where the legionnaires-paratroopers carried out tasks as part of France’s Mission Lynx.
2e REP: Exercise Libecciu 2024
In mid-May 2024, the French Foreign Legion’s 2nd Foreign Parachute Regiment (2e REP) organized a military exercise in the Haute-Corse department, Corsica. See the video.
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.
Foreign Legion: 2024 Camerone Day
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.
2e REP: 2024 Regimental colors’ decoration
At Calvi in Corsica on April 30, 2024, the regimental colors of the 2nd Foreign Parachute Regiment (2e REP), the only airborne unit of the French Foreign Legion, were decorated.
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.
Captain Pierre Bourgin (1924 – 1959)
On the 1st of March 1959, in the Souk Ahras region of northeastern Algeria, a French Foreign Legion paratrooper platoon was engaged by local insurgents. Advancing in the lead was a popular officer, Captain Pierre Bourgin. As soon as the first shots were fired, he was fatally wounded. In him, the Foreign Legion lost one of its rare poets. The following article was written in his memory.
2e REP: 2024 Mountain Course for 2e CIE
The officers, NCOs, and legionnaires with the 2nd Company, 2nd Foreign Parachute Regiment (2e REP) have just completed their month-long mountain training in France.
Andrew J. Mitchell: French Foreign Legion Insignia – 2nd Foreign Parachute Regiment
In early 2024, a new English-written book dedicated to the French Foreign Legion was released: the long-awaited Collecting French Foreign Legion Insignia, Volume III – Part 2, 2nd Foreign Parachute Regiment. The new book is another original work of our friend, Andrew J. Mitchell, an Irish amateur historian and a Foreign Legion insignia collector.
Read moreAndrew J. Mitchell: French Foreign Legion Insignia – 2nd Foreign Parachute Regiment
2023 Legion Christmas nativity scenes
For the French Foreign Legion, seen as a traditional pro-Catholic institution in France (unlike the rest of the French Army), Christmas Eve marks the second most important holiday. To celebrate it, legionnaires in all units of the Foreign Legion – regardless of their origin and religious – create nativity scenes (crèches) every year and compete to see which one is the nicest and most original. The scenes can be small, static ones, or performed live with hand-made scenery. This long-standing Legion tradition is unique within the French Army. If you are interested, see some of the nativity scenes created by legionnaires in December 2023.