In late May and early June 2024, the armed forces of Martinique and Guadeloupe, overseas departments of France in the eastern Caribbean Sea, were mobilized as part of the exercise Caraïbes 2024 (Caribbean 2024). The aim of this full-scale exercise was to train teams to intervene effectively in the event of a natural disaster in the French West Indies, where the hurricane season is slowly approaching. The men of the Foreign Legion’s 3rd Foreign Infantry Regiment (3e REI) also participated.
75 years ago: Foreign Legion’s first airborne unit was disbanded
75 years ago, in late May 1949, the first airborne unit of the French Foreign Legion was disbanded in Northern Vietnam, during the First Indochina War (1946-54). The Legion paratroopers had conducted operations around Hanoi, as well as in remote, forested areas along the Vietnam-China border. They were the first legionnaires to wear the green beret that was adopted by the entire Legion a decade later.
Read more75 years ago: Foreign Legion’s first airborne unit was disbanded
70 years ago: A decisive battle ended in French Indochina
In early May 1954, the decisive battle of the First Indochina War between French troops and the communist-led Viet Minh ended. Thousands of legionnaires participated, and many Foreign Legion units were lost during the fighting. The battle culminated in French withdrawal from Southeast Asia after almost 100 years.
Read more70 years ago: A decisive battle ended in French Indochina
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.
Major Raymond Cabaribère (1913 – 1954)
Major Raymond Cabaribère was an officer of the French Foreign Legion. He was killed in action on April 21, 1954, during the Indochina War, while commanding the 2nd Battalion, 3rd Foreign Infantry Regiment. He was 41 years old.
3e REI: 2024 Exercise Desperado
Between April 4 and 10, 2024, the Foreign Legion’s 3rd Foreign Infantry Regiment (3e REI) organized a regimental maneuver, Exercise Desperado. About 300 legionnaires participated.
3e REI: 2024 Jaguar Course
See some nice images from the international Jaguar Course, a two-month jungle warfare course organized by the French Foreign Legion’s 3rd Foreign Infantry Regiment (3e REI). The annual course is designed primarily for platoon leaders (both NCOs and officers) from France, as well as allied nations around the world.
General Vittorio Tresti passed away
General Vittorio Tresti, a former commanding officer of the 3rd Foreign Infantry Regiment (3e REI) and one of the few commanding officers who started their famous careers with the Foreign Legion as simple legionnaires, passed away on February 15, 2024. He was 85 years old.
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.
Foreign Legion: 2023 Armistice Day
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.