April 30, 2025, marked the 162nd anniversary of the Battle of Camerone, the defining event in the French Foreign Legion’s history, when 62 legionnaires under the command of Captain Jean Danjou faced a force of 2,000 Mexican troops. Refusing to surrender, they fought to the very end, with only three able-bodied legionnaires left standing. Commemorations of this anniversary were held across all Legion units and garrisons, both in France and abroad. The following post includes images from several of these ceremonies.
2e REP: 2025 Camerone Day Challenge
Recently, legionnaires of the 2nd Foreign Parachute Regiment (2e REP) took part in the annual Camerone Day Challenge, a series of sports competitions held in the days leading up to the main day of the French Foreign Legion to which the regiment belongs.
PHOTOS: 1938 Camerone Day in Syria
A new part of the PHOTOS series. See a rare set of pictures taken in Syria in late April 1938. They show legionnaires of the 1st Foreign Infantry Regiment (1er REI; now 1er RE) during the most important holiday of the Foreign Legion (April 30), commemorating the famous 1863 Battle of Camerone.
DLEM: 2024 Camerone Day in Mayotte
Watch images from Mayotte, a French overseas department in the Indian Ocean, where the Foreign Legion Detachment in Mayotte (DLEM) commemorated the 161st anniversary of the 1863 Battle of Camerone.
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.
VIDEO: 160th Anniversary of the Battle of Camerone in Aubagne
See a nice, 15-minute-long official video dedicated to the recent 160th Anniversary of the Battle of Camerone in Aubagne. The video was published by the French Foreign Legion on their YouTube channel.
Read moreVIDEO: 160th Anniversary of the Battle of Camerone in Aubagne
PHOTOS: 100th Anniversary of the Battle of Camerone in Aubagne in 1963
A new part of the PHOTOS series. Rare photographs presenting the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Camerone, which was commemorated in Aubagne in 1963, within the new HQ of the Foreign Legion and the 1st Foreign Regiment (1er RE). This was also the very first Camerone Day celebrated in France and not in Algeria’s Sidi Bel Abbes.
Read morePHOTOS: 100th Anniversary of the Battle of Camerone in Aubagne in 1963
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.
Foreign Legion: 2022 Camerone Day
On April 30, 2022, the French Foreign Legion commemorated the 159th anniversary of the Battle of Camerone, a crucial moment in their history. The battle is portrayed as a pure example of bravery and the determination to fight to the finish. Camerone Day is therefore the most important day of the year for all current or former legionnaires. After two years of involuntary banning, the French Foreign Legion was once again allowed to commemorate the event publicly. See 2022 Camerone Day images from several Legion regiments.
Foreign Legion: 2021 Camerone Day
On April 30, as every year since 1931, the French Foreign Legion celebrated their most important holiday, Camerone Day. This day marks the anniversary of the Battle of Camerone, the famed action which occurred in Mexico 158 years ago, in 1863.