French Military Term “De Marche”

The now-obsolete French military term de marche, as found in designations such as bataillon de marche or régiment de marche, refers to temporary military units formed from existing elements to address specific operational requirements.

Historically, during the early 19th century in the Napoleonic Wars, these units were created by regrouping replacement and support personnel. They were subsequently transferred via forced marches to the battlefield to reinforce, replenish, or replace depleted combat units.

In later periods, French units labeled de marche appeared in response to emergencies, such as wars or urgent military deployments. Characterized by their temporary nature, they were typically composed of able-bodied personnel drawn from various existing units, while preserving the integrity of permanent, organic formations.

Although de marche has commonly been translated as “marching,” this does not fully reflect its meaning beyond the Napoleonic era. Instead, the closest English equivalents would be “provisional,” “war-service,” “combined,” or “task force,” according to the given situation.

For the record, the term de marche was notably versatile, applicable to units ranging from a company to division. This made it well adapted to the demands of a particular mission.

 

Examples of Foreign Legion units designated de marche

  • Foreign Marching Regiment (1870-71)
  • Foreign Legion Tonkin Marching Regiment (1900s)
  • 1st Marching Regiment, 1st Foreign Regiment (1er RM/1er RE, 1910s)
  • 2nd Marching Regiment, 1st Foreign Regiment (2e RM/1er RE, 1914-15)
  • 3rd Marching Regiment, 1st Foreign Regiment (3e RM/1er RE, 1914-15)
  • 4th Marching Regiment, 1st Foreign Regiment (4e RM/1er RE, 1914-15)
  • 1st Marching Regiment, 2nd Foreign Regiment (1er RM/2e RE, 1910s)
  • 2nd Marching Regiment, 2nd Foreign Regiment (1er RM/2e RE, 1914-15)
  • Foreign Legion Marching Regiment (RMLE, 1915-20; now the 3e REI)
  • 21st Foreign Volunteer Marching Regiment (21e RMVE, 1940)
  • 22nd Foreign Volunteer Marching Regiment (22e RMVE, 1940)
  • 23rd Foreign Volunteer Marching Regiment (23e RMVE, 1940)
  • 1st Marching Foreign Infantry Regiment (1er REIM, 1943)
  • 3rd Marching Foreign Infantry Regiment (3e REIM, 1943)
  • Foreign Legion Marching Regiment (RMLE, 1943-45, now the 3e REI)
  • Foreign Legion Far East Marching Regiment (RMLE/EO, 1945-46; now the 2e REI)
  • Marching Battalion 5e REI (BM5, 1945-46)
  • 3rd Foreign Legion Marching Battalion (3e BMLE, 1962-64)