From July 10 to August 18, 2023, an exhibition dedicated to Foreign Legion paratroopers will be held in Calvi, Corsica, organized by the 2nd Foreign Parachute Regiment (2e REP).
2e REP: 2023 Operational jump in Niger
On May 15, 2023, a detachment of the famous 2nd Foreign Parachute Regiment (2e REP), the only airborne unit of the French Foreign Legion, conducted a night operational jump in Niger, a landlocked country in West Africa and a former French colony. The operation was carried out alongside Nigerien troops and aimed at seizing a military base of the Saharan jihadists.
45th Anniversary of the Battle of Kolwezi
45 years ago, on May 17, 1978, legionnaires of the French Foreign Legion’s 2nd Foreign Parachute Regiment (2e REP) in Corsica were alerted and the next day, they took off in direction of then Zaire in Central Africa. There, on May 19, they jumped over Kolwezi, a mining center in the south of the country. The legionnaires would rescue over 2,000 Europeans captured and held by local rebels…
Foreign Legion: 2023 Victory in Europe Day
On May 8, 2023, the French Foreign Legion units commemorated the 78th anniversary of the end of World War II in Europe, which came after the definitive overall surrender of Nazi Germany to the Allies, signed in Berlin. During the final battles in Europe in May 1945, three Legion units participated: the RMLE (3e REI now), 1er REC, and the 13e DBLE. See some images from the 2023 Victory in Europe Day celebrations.
Foreign Legion: 2023 Camerone Day
The 30th of April 2023 marked the 160th anniversary of the 1863 Battle of Camerone, an epic moment in the history of the French Foreign Legion in which its 65 men faced some 2,000 Mexican adversaries. The famous battle is portrayed as a pure example of bravery and the determination to fight to the finish, and gave the Legion its character and esprit de corps. Therefore, Camerone Day became the most important holiday for all current or former members of this exceptional military unit. See 2023 Camerone Day pictures from several Legion regiments.
10 years ago: Staff Sergeant Harold Vormezeele was killed in Mali
Ten years ago, during a battle with local rebels in Mali, West Africa, Staff Sergeant Harold Vormezeele was killed. He was a member of the commando group with the 2nd Foreign Parachute Regiment (2e REP).
Read more10 years ago: Staff Sergeant Harold Vormezeele was killed in Mali
2e REP: 2023 Exercise Caillaud
In January 2023, a class of the Saint-Cyr Special Military School (ESM), France’s most prestigious military academy, partook in an exercise in Corsica. There, the future officers trained alongside legionnaires of the 2nd Foreign Parachute Regiment (2e REP), also a prestigious unit within the French Army.
2e REP: Exercise Touraco 2022
In late 2022, a joint military exercise took place in Ivory Coast, a country on the southern coast of West Africa that maintains close ties with France. Legionnaires from the 2nd Foreign Parachute Regiment (2e REP) participated.
70 years ago: A successful battle in an entrenched valley in French Indochina
In late 1952, an important confrontation between the French and the communist Viet Minh took place in then French Indochina, in a valley transformed into a well-fortified camp. A direct predecessor to the sad 1954 battle of Dien Bien Phu, the confrontation ended with a clear French victory, thanks to a significant role of the French Foreign Legion men.
Read more70 years ago: A successful battle in an entrenched valley in French Indochina
Foreign Legion: 2022 Armistice Day
In France, the 11th of November marks Armistice Day. That day – known as Remembrance Day (or Veterans Day) in mostly English-speaking countries – the entire nation in France and abroad commemorates the end of hostilities of World War I. Thus, yesterday, on November 11, even the French Foreign Legion – as well as the rest of the French Armed Forces – commemorated the 104th Armistice Day, and remembered the 36,000 legionnaires and foreign volunteers who were killed or wounded during WWI. See the photos.
2e REP: 5th Company left New Caledonia
After their prescribed deployment that lasted four months, the men of the 5th Company, 2nd Foreign Parachute Regiment (2e REP), left New Caledonia. They had served in this special overseas collectivity of France located east of Australia, in the Pacific Ocean, since early June.