The 11th Foreign Infantry Regiment (11e REI) was a provisional unit of the French Foreign Legion. It was created in late 1939, and its mission was to defend mainland France against Nazi Germany. The 11e REI was disbanded in June 1940.
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L'article en français : 11e Régiment Etranger d’Infanterie
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Introduction
In early September 1939, Hitler’s Germany invaded Poland. In response, France and Great Britain declared war on Germany. Immediately after the declaration of war, thousands of foreign volunteers reported to recruiting centers as part of the general mobilization. Given the long tradition of foreign volunteers willing to defend France, no one was surprised. Instead, orders were issued to form units composed of these volunteers who enlisted for the duration of the war. For administrative reasons, these units were assigned to the Foreign Legion.
To take charge of these war volunteers (so-called EVDG), a Legion depot was organized north of Lyon in eastern France. The depot was responsible for recruiting, equipping, training, and administering the future soldiers who would be assigned to one of the provisional units. An instruction center was established nearby, at Camp La Valbonne.
Creation of the 11th Foreign Infantry Regiment
The 11th Foreign Infantry Regiment (11e REI) was activated at Camp La Valbonne on November 1, 1939. The regiment comprised an HQ, an HQ company, a logistics company, a motorized company (light tracked vehicles), and three battalions. Each battalion was composed of three infantry companies and a support company (machine guns). A motorcycle platoon – consisting mostly of Englishmen and Americans, including Sergeant Ortiz – and a medical detachment completed the regiment. Mobilized Colonel Fernand Maire took command. He was a famous figure of the Legion where he had served as an officer from 1914 to 1936, before his retirement.
Regarding the personnel, the 11e REI consisted of 79 officers, 184 NCOs, and 2,390 legionnaires (for a total of 2,653 men). It was a mixture of various groups of elements. There were mobilized reserve officers and NCOs, including those who had previously served with the Legion in Africa. There were also mobilized former legionnaires. Other groups of officers, NCOs, corporals, and men came from North Africa, from both the Foreign Legion regiments (including several hundred seasoned legionnaires) and non-Legion regiments. Among them were 63 French officers and NCOs from the 1er RTA (Algerian Riflemen). In addition to active and former legionnaires and EVDG war volunteers, the troops comprised mobilized foreigners living in France.
The regiment was installed in villages around the camp: Dagneux (1st Battalion), Bressolles (2nd Battalion), and Béligneux (3rd Battalion).
The ongoing general mobilization in France disrupted the distribution of the regiment’s supplies. Thus, the regiment suffered from shortages of some equipment. For example, uniforms were available only in irregular sizes, rifles for instruction were old ones from World War I, and no machine guns, hand grenades, or blank ammunition were available. However, morale remained high, and the troops underwent training and built esprit de corps until mid-December – time for the much-anticipated dispatch to the front line.
At the time, the regiment still lacked materiel: It had received only 400 sets of bandages out of the 3,000 needed, nine 25 mm guns out of the 12 needed, and 12 hayboxes (fireless cookers) out of the 90 needed.
Composition of the 11e REI in November 1939:
- Commander : Colonel Maire
- Military Staff/HQ : Major Robitaille
- HQ Company : Captain Perret
- Logistics Company : Captain Chiron
- Motorized Company : Captain Costa
- 1st Battalion : Major Auffrey
- 2nd Battalion : Major Brissard
- 3rd Battalion : Major Guyot


Phoney War
From the declaration of war in early September, virtually no serious action occurred on the front line between French and German forces. It was a calm period. France’s strategy was strictly defensive, relying on the well-known Maginot Line. This was a long line of concrete fortifications, obstacles, and weapon installations built in Northeastern France in the 1930s to counter a possible German attack.
On December 15, the 11e REI left Camp La Valbonne and was transported by truck to Lorraine, a region in Northeastern France. The battalions were posted northeast of Metz, in the sector of Thionville, beyond the Maginot Line.
In early January 1940, the men moved on the front line at Sierck, northeast of Thionville, close to the border with Luxembourg and Germany. The winter was harsh, and the temperature had dropped to -4 °F/-20 °C. The first casualties of the regiment were the result of occasional exchanges of fire with the enemy or ambushes during patrols in the no-man’s land.
In early February, the 11e REI left Thionville and moved southeast to the sector of Metzervisse. The men were tasked with digging anti-tank ditches in the frozen ground.
On February 12, twelve officers and about 30 NCOs were transferred back to La Valbonne to participate in the constituting of a new provisional foreign regiment, the 12e REI.
On March 1, Colonel Georges Robert took command of the 11e REI. The commanding officer of the 1st Foreign Regiment (1er RE) in 1939, he replaced the now-definitely retired Colonel Maire.
Two weeks later in Metzervisse, the regiment received a visit from retired General Rollet, another famous member of the Foreign Legion and its first “Father” (commander, inspector-supervisor).
Shortly afterward, the legionnaires returned beyond the Maginot Line. They strengthened the defensive line to support the French forward positions.
On April 15, the 11e REI (previously a sector support unit) was assigned to the 6th North African Infantry Division (6e DINA) under General de Verdilhac. The regiment replaced the 24th Chasseurs Demi-Brigade, leaving for Norway. The Legion battalions were posted in the region of Boulay (east of Metz), still in Lorraine.
At the same time, groupes francs (commando-like units) were formed within the regiment, with one group per battalion. Each group comprised a lieutenant and about 30 volunteers who carried out night reconnaissance-in-force beyond the front line to probe the enemy’s combat ability and catch prisoners.
Close to the commune of Boulay on April 30, the Legion’s most important holiday, the 11th Foreign Infantry Regiment commemorated the 1863 Battle of Camerone. During the ceremony, the 11e REI – all of whose members were in attendance – received the regimental colors. In fact, during World War II, these were the only regimental colors handed over to a provisional Legion unit comprising EVDG volunteers.








Battle of France
The Phoney War in Western Europe ended definitively on May 10, 1940. That day, Nazi Germany launched Fall Gelb (Case Yellow), a war plan for the invasion of Luxembourg, Belgium, and Holland. Subsequently, from May 12, the German armed forces bypassed the Maginot Line by advancing through the Ardennes (a large forest located primarily in Belgium and Luxembourg but also stretching into Germany and northeastern France) and attacked the French defensive line on the Meuse River, close to Sedan. The Battle of France began.
On May 14, the Germans crossed the Meuse River. Two days later, they violently attacked French positions south of Sedan, between La Ferté and Inor. These were held by another North African division, the 3e DINA under General Chapouilly.
On May 20, the 6e DINA (including the 11e REI) was ordered to march toward the Inor sector to relieve the 3e DINA. However, in the nearby Inor Wood (Bois d’Inor), they found that their sister division had already hastily withdrawn from its positions, which had been exposed to heavy shelling. Only corpses, wounded or lost men, dead horses, and abandoned equipment and materiel remained. It was early in the morning of May 22. The 6th Division set up positions and waited. Their mission was to slow or stop German progress. Non-stop shelling continued, with the enemy using large-caliber artillery (150 and 210 mm).
Composition of the 11e REI in May 1940:
- Commander : Colonel Robert
- Military Staff/HQ : Major Robitaille
- HQ Company : Captain Lignez
- Logistics Company : Captain Chiron
- Motorized Company : Captain Costa
- 1st Battalion : Captain Rouillon
- 2nd Battalion : Major Rzekiecki d’Alegron
- 3rd Battalion : Captain Gaultier
Battle of the Inor Wood
At three o’clock in the morning of May 27, an impressive preparation of German artillery began in the Inor Wood and hit the positions of the entire 6e DINA. Two hours later, the Germans launched a frontal assault. The 11e REI legionnaires were at the head of the division, on the front line. They thus faced the enemy’s main onslaught, carried out by three regiments of Germany’s 56th Infantry Division of General Kriebel. The shock was tough, and the heavy fighting lasted nearly 12 hours. Nevertheless, the 11e REI fulfilled its mission; the legionnaires stopped the enemy by all means, including bayonet charges. Hundreds of German soldiers were killed or wounded in this heroic battle.
Following the battle, the 6e DINA’s General de Verdilhac expressed his admiration and addressed the 11e REI colonel with three short words: “Bravo, la Légion !”
Subsequently, as a reward, the colonel was named commander of the 6th Division’s infantry. Major René Clément replaced him as head of the 11e REI. The latter officer was familiar with the Legion, as he had commanded the 1st Battalion 3e REI in Morocco in the 1930s. He is often confused with another Clément from the 11e REI – the captain who commanded the 1st Battalion’s Support Company and who later served with the 4e DBLE in Senegal, West Africa.
In early June, a reinforcement consisting of 98 fresh legionnaires joined the regiment. At this time, the 11e REI formally comprised 3,085 men, with losses of 504 men (killed, wounded, or missing). Therefore, the regiment consisted of 2,581 combat-ready men.
Retreat to Saint-Germain-sur-Meuse
The 6th North African Division, including the 11th Foreign Regiment, found itself isolated from the rest of the French forces. On June 11, an order to retreat to the south arrived. The units moved to Verdun, where the longest battle of World War I had taken place in 1916. The city lay about 30 miles (40 km) south of Stenay, where the 6e DINA camped following the battle in the Inor Wood. The division passed the city on June 13 and continued south. Three days later, after a long and difficult march of about 45 miles (70 km), the regiment arrived in the Void region. During this retreat, several legionnaires were killed or seriously wounded as a result of German attacks on the column.
The 11e REI units took up defensive positions around Saint-Germain-sur-Meuse, a village southeast of the town of Void and west of Toul, the primary objective of German troops. Toul was one of the two main Foreign Legion recruitment centers in France (along with Marseille) between the world wars.
Adjudant Romanovitch and his platoon remained in Void to secure the French garrison’s retreat. They subsequently blew up the bridge over the Marne-Rhine Canal.
Battle of Void
On the evening of the next day, June 17, the order came to return to Void to slow the German advance. Major Rzekiecki d’Alegron volunteered. A Polish nobleman with more than 26 years in the Legion, he set out with his 2nd Battalion at two o’clock in the morning for a last-ditch struggle.
Two hours later, the battalion made contact with the enemy. A fierce, two-hour battle began. Major Rzekiecki d’Alegron fell shortly afterward, hit by several bullets. He died alongside his battalion’s vanguard.
Although the legionnaires fought bravely and tenaciously, they were destroyed by the Germans’ modern artillery and merciless machine guns. At six o’clock in the morning, all that remained from the 2nd Battalion was a combat group (15 men) of the 5th Company, a platoon of the 6th Company, with the 7th Company and Support Company still keeping half of their strength. The decimated battalion was ordered to return to Saint-Germain-sur-Meuse.
Battle of Saint-Germain-sur-Meuse
On the same morning, June 18, the division’s general ordered the 11e REI to hold its positions at Saint-Germain-sur-Meuse at any cost and, if necessary, to fight to the last man. The legionnaires were already exhausted by the fighting in the Inor Wood and the subsequent accelerated retreat. In addition, they hadn’t eaten properly in a week because of the broken supply chains, and their ammunition had almost run out. However, they were determined to accomplish their mission.
The regiment was tasked with defending two important bridges across the Meuse River at Saint-Germain-sur-Meuse (in fact, a bridge and a railroad viaduct). They were defended by the 1st Battalion and the remnants of the 2nd Battalion. The 3rd Battalion was posted as a reserve to Ugny-sur-Meuse, behind the river.
Major Clément and his regiment’s HQ installed themselves in a cellar of the post office in Saint-Germain-sur-Meuse, while the 11e REI’s rear base camped in a wood east of the village. There, a hill protected them from the enemy.
The German assault began at ten o’clock in the morning with shelling and machine gun fire. The shelling was heavy and accurate; the wounded were rapidly increasing in number. It was clear that the Germans wanted to cross the river as soon as possible.
The 11th Foreign Regiment’s situation became untenable. However, the new order of the 6e DINA’s command was to hold on at all costs until 10 p.m., i.e., until the new withdrawal.
At two o’clock in the afternoon, the enemy had advanced to the riverbank. Saint-Germain-sur-Meuse was under artillery fire. At about 4 p.m., the number of wounded in the regiment exceeded 250. In the evening, it was over 370. Dozens of men had been killed.
Burning of the regimental flag
At around six o’clock in the evening, Major Clément gave the order to burn the regimental flag despite the violent reaction of his officers at headquarters. The commander feared that the enemy would capture it. Lieutenant Virenque, the intelligence officer, had the sad duty of carrying out this order. It was an extraordinary event in the Legion’s history. At least the lieutenant saved the flag’s cravat, which was to bear medals, crosses, and other military decorations that the regiment earned.


Retreat to Blénod and the Armistice
At ten o’clock in the evening, the regimental headquarters, including the commanding officer, was evacuated. Meanwhile, the enemy interrupted the deadly fire. After midnight, on June 19, the 11e REI began to retreat. It moved some 10 miles (15 km) southeast to Blénod-lès-Toul.
On June 21 and 22, the regiment moved another few miles southeast to Crézilles in the sector of Ochey. The gold-fringed cravat of the burnt regimental flag and the fanion of the 1st Battalion were stored in a metal box and hidden under the floor of the porch of the Saint-Gengoult church of Crézilles.
The 6e DINA remained a unit characterized by its desire to fight regardless of a pressing shortage of food and ammunition and a lack of artillery support. Nevertheless, the situation on the battlefield was untenable for the French, who had been systematically pushed by the quickly advancing enemy. A week earlier, on June 15, German troops had marched down the streets of Paris. The inevitable arrived. On June 22, the Armistice was signed between Hitler’s Third Reich and the French government. The Battle of France was over. A demarcation line divided the country into two parts: the area occupied by the German Army and the so-called “Free Zone” (Zone libre) presided over by a new French government transferred from occupied Paris to the city of Vichy.
Officers of the 11e REI who were killed in 1940
Major Henryk (Henri) Rzekiecki d’Alegron
– commander of the 2nd Battalion 11e REI
– killed on June 18, 1940
Captain Jules Emanuelli
– commander of the 3rd Company 11e REI
– killed on May 27, 1940
Captain Louis Lanchon (born Lefebvre)
– commander of the 5th Company 11e REI
– killed on June 18, 1940
Captain Jean Magne
– commander of the 6th Company 11e REI
– killed on June 18, 1940
Captain Albéric Urvoy de Closmadeuc
– commander of the 2nd Support Company (CA2) 11e REI
– killed on May 27, 1940
Chaplain-Captain Jean Wattel
– chaplain of the 11e REI
– killed on May 27, 1940
Lieutenant Jacques de Rousiers
– signal officer of the 11e REI
– killed on June 18, 1940
Lieutenant Jean Hafenscher
– platoon leader with the 6th Company 11e REI
– seriously wounded on May 13, he died on May 20, 1940
Lieutenant André Jabouille
– platoon leader with the CA2 11e REI
– killed on June 18, 1940
Lieutenant Marc Jurion
– platoon leader with the 1st Company 11e REI
– groupe franc leader
– killed on May 13, 1940
Lieutenant Benoît Seillon
– commander of the 2nd Company 11e REI
– missing since May 22, 1940
Lieutenant Roger Viel
– platoon leader with the CA2 11e REI
– killed on June 18, 1940
After the Armistice
On June 23, the 11e REI ceased to exist. The wounded and exhausted survivors of the regiment were taken prisoner along with the rest of the division, which the enemy surrounded in the sectors of Crézilles and Ochey. They were ordered to march to Verdun, where the Germans established a prisoner-of-war camp, Frontstalag 240.
In the meantime, 578 officers, NCOs, and legionnaires of the 11th Foreign Infantry Regiment escaped captivity. They crossed the demarcation line and took refuge in the Free Zone. When they reached Aix-en-Provence (about 20 miles/30 km north of Marseille) in Southern France, they joined the Legion Depot that had been transferred there from the camps near Lyon. Thereafter, the whole group moved some 10 miles (15 km) farther southeast to a small town called Fuveau.
On July 14, the French national day, the legionnaires paraded in front of the public of Fuveau.
By the end of July, the decision was made to employ these men in a meaningful way. Thus, the project of the “Legion Road” (Route de la Légion) was born. The road was supposed to be several hundred yards/meters long. It ran near the Saint-Jean du Puy Hermitage in the sector of Trets, six miles (10 km) northeast of Aubagne, the Motherhouse of the current Legion.
In August 1940, survivors of the 12e REI (another provisional regiment of the Legion) arrived in Fuveau. Subsequently, the escaped active legionnaires from both disbanded regiments were returned to North Africa.
The Legion Road was finished by war-period volunteers from both regiments and the Depot. They were divided into four units of workers (Foreign Worker Group, GTE). The Legion Depot in Fuveau was disbanded on August 22.

Conclusion
The foreign volunteers of the badly equipped 11th Foreign Infantry Regiment were finally fighting bravely like seasoned warriors. Along with the active legionnaires and reservists, they formed a cohesive unit that faced Nazi Germany’s superior, modern army, which was supported by heavy artillery and aircraft. However, the 11e REI men never let the enemy scare them.
Four-fifths of the regiment’s men were killed, wounded or missed. Among them were one battalion commander and five company commanders who were killed in action.
The next year, in early September 1941, the 11e REI earned a citation at the Army level (the highest citation awarded in France) and received a War Cross.
Late in the same month, the cravat of the 11e REI’s regimental color and the 1st Battalion’s fanion were retrieved from their hiding place in Crézilles. They were found and collected by a nurse, Miss Meiffredy, thanks to Major Robitaille’s detailed information. The latter officer had just returned to France from Syria, where he had fought with the 6e REI against the British invasion. In 1940, he was head of the HQ Staff of the 11e REI.
The two emblems were taken to Algeria, North Africa, and deposited in the Legion’s Hall of Honor in Sidi Bel Abbès, HQ of the Legion until 1962.
Following the end of World War II, a veteran association (Amicale) of the 11e REI was established in France in March 1946. It was presided over by Mr. Rouillon, a former commander of the 1st Battalion 11e REI.
In Sidi Bel Abbès in late April 1946, General Robert and Lt. Colonel Clément met during the festivities of Camerone Day. Both former commanding officers of the regiment were honored in the presence of the regimental flag’s cravat of the 11e REI. During the same ceremony, a delegation of Belgian veterans of the 11e REI handed over the fanions of the 3rd Battalion and 1st Support Company to the Hall of Honor of the Legion.
In May 2000, a gravestone was unveiled in the Inor Wood to commemorate the heroic battle of the 11e REI that took place there in May 1940.
In the 2000s, a war memorial dedicated to the men of the 11e REI and 12e REI was built close to the Legion Road, south of Trets. Every year, in early November, a ceremony takes place there to pay homage to the men of both regiments who fought in France in 1940.
In 2018, the Foreign Legion Recruiting Group (GRLE) received a new regimental color of the 11e REI to guard and was instructed to maintain the traditions of the former regiment.














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Find out more about the personnel of the 11e REI on an awesome website of Miss Zigrand (in French): 11è Régiment Etranger d’Infanterie 1939-1940
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Main information & images sources:
Luce Coupin: Vainqueurs quand même (By the author, 1972)
Képi blanc magazines
Légion Etrangère magazines
11e et 12e REI,13e DBLE, 1939-1940 (Fr)
Fanion Vert et Rouge (Fr)
Mémorial Gen Web (Fr)
Google Maps
Wikipedia.org
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Foreign Legion’s other former regiments:
1st Foreign Parachute Regiment
2nd Foreign Cavalry Regiment
3rd Foreign Parachute Regiment
4th Foreign Infantry Regiment
6th Foreign Infantry Regiment
6th Foreign Engineer Regiment
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The page was updated on: December 17, 2024