The 6th Foreign Infantry Regiment (6e REI) was the only Foreign Legion regiment created in the Middle East. It was organized in the Levant (now Syria and Lebanon) in late 1939. Following the 1941 Syria-Lebanon Campaign against a British invasion, the regiment was inactivated. In 1949, it was reconstituted in Tunisia, North Africa, though it was ultimately disbanded in mid-1955.

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L'article en français : 6e Régiment Etranger d’Infanterie
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France in Syria and Lebanon before 1921

The French had long-lasting connections to the Levant, a historical geographical term for (mainly) Syria and Lebanon. During the Christian crusades of the 11th century, they established contact with local Catholic Christians (Maronites) who had lived there for 600 years. Afterward, several crusader states were created along the Syrian and Lebanese coasts. They existed until the 1290s, when they were taken over by the Egyptian Mamluks. Then, the Ottoman Empire (now Turkey) overtook the region in the early 16th century.

In 1799, a failed French campaign took place in Syria. In 1860, French troops intervened in Lebanon after the local Druze tribe massacred Maronite Christians. France forced the Ottomans to form a Lebanese autonomous Christian region governed by a Catholic.

During World War I, both empires faced each other once again. Until its capitulation in late 1918, the Ottoman Empire fought alongside Germany and Austria while opposing France and the United Kingdom. In 1916, these two powers signed a secret treaty (Sykes-Picot Agreement) that defined their future spheres of influence in the Ottoman Levant and Palestine (now Israel).

In early October 1918, during the war’s last days, the first French troops arrived in the Levant. They entered Beirut (the future capital of Lebanon) on October 8. Later that month, they formed the Army of the Levant under the command of General Hamelin. Also in October, a joint French and British military administration was established over Syria, Lebanon, and Palestine. (Only the British occupied the latter).

With its significant proportion of Christians, pro-France Lebanon was a relatively calm country. On the other hand, after the withdrawal of British soldiers from Syria in late 1919, the Franco-Syrian War (March-July 1920) occurred between France and the self-proclaimed Arab Kingdom of Syria. As a result, the French troops occupied Damascus (Syria’s capital) and broadened their sphere of influence throughout the territory. Meanwhile, in April 1920, the joint military administration over Syria, Lebanon, and Palestine was inactivated. Two League of Nations mandates replaced them:

• French Mandate for Syria and Lebanon
• British Mandate for Palestine

 
The French Mandate for Syria and Lebanon formalized France’s control of the Levant. However, another three years passed before France had fully occupied Syria. The French Mandate was ratified in 1923, and it formally existed until 1946.

 

 
 

Foreign Legion in the Levant, 1921 – 1939

 

4e REI battalions in Syria and Lebanon, 1921 – 1925

In March 1921, the first Foreign Legion unit arrived in the Levant: the 4th Battalion 4th Foreign Regiment (4e RE, renamed 4e REI in 1922). The regiment had been activated in North Africa’s Morocco only a few months earlier. The 5th Battalion 4e RE reinforced its sister unit in the Levant in September.

Each battalion comprised a HQ, three infantry companies, and a mounted company. Both battalions took part in France’s military operations to gain full control over Syria. Commanded by Major Salvat at the very beginning, the 4th Battalion (around 800 men) operated on the Syrian coast, around Latakia and Baniyas. In 1923, it moved to the east of the country, to the Raqqa and Deir ez-Zor regions. The legionnaires maintained order in the pacified sectors and (given that they were well-known as both soldiers and builders) constructed roads, bridges, and military installations. In November 1924, the 4th Battalion left the Levant and moved back to North Africa. The unit was stationed in Algeria and became the 7th Battalion of the 1st Foreign Regiment (1er REI).

The 5th Battalion, initially led by Major Goepfert, operated along the Afrin River (1921) northwest of Aleppo, in the Raqqa and Deir ez-Zor regions (1922), and the Maskanah and Hasakah regions (1923-24). The legionnaires of the battalion helped build an important road between Deir ez-Zor and Aleppo. From mid-November 1924, they were the only Legion elements serving in the Middle East.

In 1924, the pacification of Syria was achieved.
 

 

Great Syrian Revolt, 1925 – 1927

However, the pacification was not to last for long. In July 1925, Syria and Lebanon experienced a new uprising: the Great Syrian Revolt (also the Great Druze Revolt). It was launched by the Druze, an ethno-religious group from the small Djebel Druze state existing within Syria, situated in the southernmost part of the country.

That month, the French arrested three Druze sheiks whom they viewed as the main agitators of anti-French activities. A few days later, the Druze downed a French military plane and arrested two airmen. They planned to exchange them for the three sheiks. On July 22, a French column of around 160 men (consisting of Tunisians and local auxiliaries) under Captain Normand was sent to rescue the two French men. However, the Druze attacked and massacred the heavily outnumbered column. Another French column (under General Michaud) was massacred a few days later.

In response to these massacres, France sent thousands of troops to Syria and Lebanon in August. Among them were two Foreign Legion units: the 4th Squadron 1er REC and the 29th Operational Company 1er REI. The company (two officers and 160 men) was assigned to the 5th Battalion 4e REI.

In September 1925, the Battle of Messifré (now Al-Musayfirah) occurred in southern Syria. The ten-hour battle was the first French victory during the revolt. Two Legion units were involved: the 5th Battalion 4e REI under Major Kratzert and the 4th Squadron 1er REC under Captain Landriau. The legionnaires were attacked by some 3,000 Druze rebels who ultimately suffered hundreds of killed and wounded. The Legion also had heavy losses: 47 men were killed, and 83 officers and legionnaires were wounded. Both units were cited at the Army level (the highest citation). This French victory resulted in the important Capture of Suwayda (also Sweida, the capital of the Druze) a week later. The 5th Battalion participated.

In November 1925, another heroic battle occurred: the Battle of Rachaya. The fierce five-day conflict took place in Lebanon, where the 4th Squadron defended the ancient citadel of Rachaya, attacked by thousands of the Druze. The legionnaires refused to surrender, and they fought to the last bullet. Finally, with a reinforcement, the attackers were fought off. Around 1,400 of them were killed or wounded. Twelve legionnaires were killed, and 34 officers and legionnaires were wounded. The 4th Squadron 1er REC earned a new citation that allowed its men to wear a fourragère (a braided cord, an award). The squadron left the Levant in February 1926.

In November 1926, another Foreign Legion unit — the 1st Squadron 1er REC — reinforced French troops in the Levant. It was commanded by Captain Flipo, whose name remains virtually unmentioned in official sources and historical works of the Legion. (Even the deployment of his unit in Syria receives barely a mention.) Perhaps this is because the situation was almost calm back then, and the squadron didn’t see any serious action. After maintaining order in the Raqqa region, the cavalrymen of the longest-serving Legion squadron returned to North Africa in June 1927.

The same month, the Great Syrian Revolt was successfully suppressed. At least 6,000 rebels were killed.

As a matter of interest, the regimental colors of the 4th Foreign Regiment didn’t receive any battle honor commemorating the famous actions of its two battalions during their successful campaigns in Syria and Lebanon.
 

 

Foreign Legion in Syria and Lebanon, 1926 – 1939

In July 1926, the 5th Battalion 4e REI was redesignated and, for administrative reasons, became the 8th Battalion 1er REI, still commanded by Major Kratzert. It absorbed the 29th Operational Company. Also, the 8th Battalion was awarded a fourragère thanks to the two citations it had earned during the Syrian Revolt. Now stationed in Suwayda and Deir ez-Zor, its men maintained order in the assigned sectors and carried out construction work. In the late 1920s, the battalion was transferred to Baalbek and Rayak in Lebanon.

In late 1926, the Lebanese Republic was established under the control of France.

Four years later, in 1930, the Republic of Syria was established. Also this new state remained under French administration.

In 1931, the 8th Battalion 1er REI (now under Major Bountry) changed its title once again, becoming the 4th Battalion 1er REI. Major Guyot took command. The battalion was considered an independent, self-governed regiment-like formation (called Formant Corps in France’s military). It consisted of periodically rotating men, due to its overseas unit status. The 4th Autonomous Battalion (4e BFC) was stationed in Homs, Syria.

In early 1936, the 1st Battalion 1er REI (ex-6th Battalion) under Captain Belloc arrived in the Levant. These legionnaires also wore a fourragère thanks to two citations earned in Morocco. Posted in Baalbek, Lebanon, this battalion was redesignated a Formant Corps unit as well. Two of its four companies moved to Homs in Syria.

In May 1936, the two battalions stationed in the Levant were regrouped into a new formation: the Foreign Legion Group (Groupement de Légion Etrangère, GLE) with an HQ in Homs. Lieutenant Colonel Fernand Barre took command.

Life in Syria and Lebanon was relatively calm following the end of the revolt in 1927. The GLE battalions maintained order, participated in military exercises and maneuvers, and carried out construction work.

In 1939, due to the deteriorating political situation in Europe and the newly threatened conflict, Paris decided to reinforce its troops in the colonies in order to sufficiently counter possible attacks from Hitler’s Germany and its allies. Therefore, the GLE was reinforced by two battalions. These were Major Taguet’s 2nd Battalion 2e REI, which arrived in April, and Major Boitel’s 6th Battalion 1er REI, arriving in August. Both units were stationed in Syria.

 

 
 

6th Foreign Infantry Regiment, 1939 – 1941

 

6th Foreign Infantry Regiment in 1939

In September 1939, France and the United Kingdom declared war on Germany after the latter invaded Poland. The Second World War had begun. These developments led to a reorganization of the French forces, including units in the Levant.

In Syria and Lebanon, on October 1, 1939, the overseas GLE with rotating men was transformed into the 6th Foreign Infantry Regiment (6e Régiment Étranger d’Infanterie, 6e REI). Nicknamed the “Regiment of the Levant,” the 6e REI comprised four battalions and an HQ based in Homs, Syria. Colonel Albert Imhaus took command. A former French military attaché in Prague, Czechoslovakia, he had just arrived from Indochina, where he had commanded the 5e REI.

The 6e REI consisted of 85 officers, 334 NCOs, and 2,876 legionnaires, for a total of 3,295 men. (For comparison, an ordinary infantry regiment of the Legion in the mid- 2020s comprised around 1,300 men.)

The regiment was reinforced in late November by a detachment of six officers, 15 NCOs, and 447 legionnaires from North Africa (1er REI, 3e REI).

The 1st Battalion (the former 5th Bn 4e REI, which later became the 8th Bn 1er REI and then its 4th Bn) was stationed in Suwayda, Syria. The 2nd Battalion (ex-1st Bn 1er REI) was stationed in Baalbek, Lebanon, and Deir ez-Zor, Syria. As for the 3rd Battalion (ex-2nd Bn 2e REI), it was posted in Damascus and a nearby town, Dumeir, Syria. The 4th Battalion (ex-6th Bn 1er REI) was installed in Syria’s Homs and Palmyra.

The 6e REI’s composition in the Levant in late 1939:

• Command – Lieutenant Colonel Fernand Barre
• HQ Company – Captain Delattre
• 1st Battalion – Major Édart
• 2nd Battalion – Major Brisset
• 3rd Battalion – Major Taguet
• 4th Battalion – Major Boitel

 
 

 

6th Foreign Infantry Regiment in 1940

In early 1940, the regiment experienced two major changes. Firstly, Colonel Imhaus was no longer in command. At the end of December, he was sent to Beirut to take over the 192nd Division. He was replaced by his deputy, Lieutenant Colonel Barre, the GLE commander from 1936 to 1939. The latter took command of the regiment in early January.

At the same time, the 6e REI battalions were administratively divided into two separate parts:

• 6th Foreign Infantry Regiment
• Foreign Legion Levant Group (GLEL)

 

The 6e REI, now considered a unit with fixed personnel, was assigned to the 192nd Division and based in Homs. It comprised the HQ, the HQ Company, a gun company, and the 1st and 2nd Battalions. Each of the two battalions created a new mountain warfare platoon of deep reconnaissance troops (Eclaireurs-Skieurs, scout skiers).

The GLEL was designated as an overseas unit with rotating personnel. It was assigned to the Southern Syria Territory, Levant Troops and based in Damascus. The Group comprised an HQ, the 3rd and 4th Battalions, and a disciplinary platoon. It was commanded by Lt. Colonel Albert Vias, second-in-command of the 6e REI.

Combined, both parts – still administratively under the command of Colonel Barre – numbered 85 officers, 378 NCOs, and 3,255 legionnaires (3,718 men in total).

In mid-April 1940, the 6e REI was reinforced by a battalion that, two weeks later, became the 11th Foreign Volunteer Battalion (11e BVE). The battalion had been organized in France the previous month as an auxiliary unit assigned to the Foreign Legion. Commanded by Major Knocker and comprising about 800 war-period foreign volunteers (mostly Spaniards), the battalion was stationed in Baalbek, Lebanon.

In May and June 1940, the Battle of France took place between the German attackers and the French defenders. The latter fought fiercely to stop the enemy invasion. Among them were thousands of legionnaires and foreign volunteers, many of whom died. However, in late June, the French were overwhelmed, and France and Germany signed an armistice.

Following these sad events, the 11e BVE was disbanded in mid-October 1940. Its men formed a foreign worker group occupied with infrastructure construction tasks in the Levant (building roads, rails, bridges, etc.).

In December 1940, the 6e REI officially received its regimental flag. The ceremony occurred in Homs. At the end of that month, a new reorganization took place. The GLEL administratively ceased to exist, and its battalions rejoined the regiment. In addition, the gun company was deactivated.
 

 

6e REI: Regimental Insignia

In 1939, Lieutenants Bonchard and Favreau of the 2nd Battalion 6e REI designed a hexagonal insignia inspired by the ruins of the Roman Temple of Jupiter in Baalbek, where their battalion was stationed at the time. The insignia also bore the head of a legionnaire, the Legion’s seven-flame grenade, and the Latin motto Ad Unum (To the last man). It was first distributed to the men of the battalion.

The regiment’s HQ expressed its appreciation for the insignia and, in late 1939 or early 1940, decided to adopt it for the entire 6e REI. Nevertheless, in a simplified and slightly modified version, without the head of a legionnaire. Photos taken on 1940’s Camerone Day (April 30), the Foreign Legion’s most important holiday, show the scene decorated with large wooden models of the new insignia.

Meanwhile, the design was sent to France to the well-known Drago Paris, a manufacturer of military medals and insignia. However, production was postponed because of the German invasion of France in early May and the subsequent occupation. The badges were ultimately made in the Levant by local artisans.
 

 

6th Foreign Infantry Regiment in the Levant in 1941

In early January, the Legion Levant Artillery Group (GALL) was formed with the 6e REI men. Composed of three motorized artillery batteries equipped with 75 mm guns, the Group was stationed in Baalbek. For operational purposes, it was assigned to the 2e RAML (Artillery Regiment).

The slightly reduced 6e REI now consisted of 73 officers, 359 NCOs, and 2,686 legionnaires (3,118 men in total). As for the Artillery Group, it comprised 16 officers, 32 NCOs, and 177 legionnaires.

The regiment remained under Lt. Colonel Barre (promoted to colonel in April). It continued carrying out its construction tasks and participated in various exercises and maneuvers.

Nevertheless, the international situation had deteriorated again. At the time, in April 1941, British-occupied Iraq – bordering Syria to the west – experienced a coup d’état led by nationalists. The latter sought help from the Germans, who had good connections with the Muslim world. Thus the British accused the French of turning the Levant territories into a German Luftwaffe transit base. These accusations eventually led to the British invasion of the French Levant.

The 6e REI’s composition in the Levant in mid-1941:

• Command – Colonel Barre
• Deputy – Lieutenant Colonel Vias
• HQ Staff – Captain Jacquot
• HQ Company – Captain Andolenko
• 1st Battalion – Captain Berthoux
• 2nd Battalion – Major Brisset
• 3rd Battalion – Major Robitaille
• 4th Battalion – Captain Hourtané
• Artillery Group – Major Ribérolles

 

 

Syria–Lebanon campaign, June–July 1941

From late May, all units in the French Levant were on alert. On June 8, Australian and Hindu troops of the British Army invaded southern Lebanon and Syria. They were supported by elements of General de Gaulle’s Free French Forces, which were also part of the British Army from mid-1940. These elements included the 13th Foreign Legion Demi-Brigade (13e DBLE). Thus, the French would fight against the French, and, in some cases, the legionnaires faced the legionnaires. It was the start of a conflict that inflicted deep scars on troops loyal to the legal Vichy France government. For the record, the sad campaign in the Levant between two recent allies was rather censored in Britain for fear of its negative impact on public opinion. Today, it is known in Britain as Operation Exporter.

The Syria–Lebanon campaign lasted five weeks, until mid-July. The British troops invaded Lebanon from British Palestine (now Israel). They advanced along the coast, toward the capital of Beirut and through the Mount Lebanon range, to Syria’s Damascus. They were supported by British warships that, day and night, shelled the French defenders’ positions along the coast, including those that the legionnaires occupied. Another wave of British troops came from Iraq and advanced through Deir ez-Zor to Palmyra and Aleppo.

The 6e REI legionnaires fought bravely and, although badly equipped for modern warfare, took part in all important battles. The HQ Company and 1st Battalion distinguished themselves at Jezzine and Damour, while blocking the British advance from Palestine, and lost 170 men. The 2nd Battalion fought fiercely at Jadra (June 19) and in the Battle of Damour (July 6) against the 7th Australian Division. The 3rd Battalion men proved their Legion tradition of fighting to the finish during the Battle of Merdjayoun on June 19. Dozens of Australian prisoners were captured that day. Finally, the 4th Battalion distinguished itself in Palmyra, where the 15th Company fought off British attacks for almost two weeks despite the enemy’s numerical superiority.

However, the 6e REI legionnaires were eventually overrun and suffered heavy casualties. On July 14, Britain and France signed the Armistice of Saint Jean d’Acre (Convention of Acre). The French would withdraw from the Levant.

In late July, the regiment was regrouped at Antoura in Lebanon. The 4th Battalion was disbanded. In mid-August, the officers and men of the regiment were offered to leave the Legion and the French Army and join the Free French of the British Army. Only a small number of legionnaires agreed. Shortly afterward, on August 16, the 6e REI boarded a ship and left the Levant, where the Foreign Legion had served with honor and fidelity for twenty years. The legionnaires didn’t return until 1982.

The Australians, who maintained mutual respect with the legionnaires during the campaign, paid tribute to their departing rivals with an official honor guard.

In the conflict, almost 250 legionnaires of the 6e REI were killed. Another 600 were badly wounded.

Among the 6e REI officers who participated in the Syria-Lebanon campaign and returned to France, after refusing the offer to join the Free French of De Gaulle, were Captain Segrétain (future head of the 1er BEP, killed in Indochina in 1950), Lieutenant Jeanpierre (his deputy in the 1er BEP and future commander of the 1er REP, killed in Algeria in 1958), Captain Jacquot (who led the 3e REI in Indochina from 1950-1951 and the 2e REI from 1953-1956), Captain Laimay (head of the 3e REI in Indochina from 1951-1953, and then deputy head of the Legion), Captain Andolenko (commander of the 5e REI from 1956-1958), Lieutenant Favreau (who took over the 5e REI from 1958-1960), Lieutenant Bloch (head of the 2e BEP in Indochina from 1952-1953), and Lieutenant Liesenfelt (who led the 2e BEP in from 1953-1954).
 

 

6th Foreign Infantry Regiment in France in 1941

In late August, the 6e REI units landed in France and were stationed at Camp d’Idron, close to Pau. In the meantime, a detachment consisting of 42 NCOs was shipped directly to Algeria, likely to reinforce a recently formed demi-brigade (the future 4e DBLE, under the 4e REI’s old flag) that would deploy to Senegal in French West Africa.

At Camp d’Idron in late August and mid-September, the 3rd Battalion and GALL were subsequently disbanded. Its men rejoined the remaining units.

In late October, little-known Lieutenant Colonel Emile Delor took command of the 6e REI. Colonel Barre moved to Sidi Bel Abbès in Algeria, the motherhouse of the Legion at the time.

While the regiment was stationed in France, the French manufacturer Drago Paris finally delivered the badges that it had ordered in early 1940.

In December, the reduced 6e REI left France for Sidi Bel Abbès. There, the Regiment of the Levant was inactivated on December 31, 1941 after two years of a short but turbulent existence.

The next day, January 1, 1942, the two former 6e REI battalions reformed the old 1st Foreign Regiment, again under Colonel Barre. A year later, the 1st Battalion 1er REI (ex-I/6REI) proved its ability as a brave fighting force in the 1943 Tunisia Campaign, against Germany’s Afrika Korps.
 

 
 

6th Foreign Infantry Regiment in Tunisia, 1949 – 1955

 

6th Foreign Infantry Regiment in 1949

Tunisia, a small country located between Algeria and Libya in North Africa, was a French protectorate from 1881. Unlike other French-controlled North African states like Morocco and Algeria, Tunisia had never seen armed conflicts with the French. For that reason, the Foreign Legion wasn’t stationed there until 1921 upon the creation of the 1er REC. When the latter moved to Morocco in late 1940, Tunisia was once again devoid of Foreign Legion elements.

This changed in mid-1946 when an autonomous formant corps unit, a newly reconstituted 1st Battalion 1er REI, was posted there to guarantee the presence of France, and the Foreign Legion in particular, in French Tunisia following World War II.

That latter battalion was reinforced by another one three years later to reactivate the Regiment of the Levant, 6th Foreign Infantry Regiment, on April 1, 1949. The regiment was composed of an HQ and two battalions (Major Thomas, Major Orsini) and stationed in Le Kef. It was commanded by Lieutenant Colonel René Babonneau, who led the 13th Company 6e REI during the 1941 Syria–Lebanon campaign. (He was one of the few officers who defected and joined the Free French.)

The regiment took over a recreation center of the former 1st Battalion 1er REI, located in Hammamet, a small town on the east coast. Prior to World War II, the 1er REC operated a similar center in the same town. However, it’s unclear whether both centers were in the same barracks (an old fortress near the sea).

In early May, the 6e REI obtained its old flag.

At the time, the ongoing First Indochina War (1946-54) against Ho Chi Minh’s Viet Minh was taking place in French Indochina and was demanding new reinforcements. To partially relieve the motherhouse in Sidi Bel Abbès of its difficult task, instruction groups began appearing among Foreign Legion units, including the 6e REI, in North Africa to provide basic training to the increased number of recruits.

Like the other Legion units in North Africa, the regiment soon transformed into a reservoir of men, a depot. Those who returned from the prescribed two-year stay in Indochina rotated with those who were designated to deploy.

The training of fresh recruits by Indochina veterans was supplemented with various forms of construction work, camp renovations, military maneuvers, and patrols to maintain order and French presence in the region.

In June 1949, the entire 1st Battalion 6e REI was ordered to deploy to Indochina. Consisting of 840 men in total, under Major Thomas, it was redesignated as the 3rd Battalion and stationed in the Phuc Yen and Vinh Yen sectors of Tonkin (as Northern Vietnam was called back then). Its legionnaires participated in, among others, Operation Canigou, alongside the 13e DBLE (the unit that the 6e REI had faced eight years earlier during the 1941 Syria–Lebanon campaign) and the 1er BEP under Major Segrétain, a veteran of the same campaign in the ranks of the 6e REI.

The 3rd Battalion 6e REI served in Tonkin until late October. Throughout four months, 10 men were killed, including Captain Robert Minard (commander of the 10th Company), and 12 men were wounded. On October 31, the 3rd Battalion 6e REI was administratively disbanded.

The next day, it became the 1st Battalion of the newly reactivated 5th Foreign Infantry Regiment (5e REI) and continued to fight in Indochina. A few months later, it lost its new commander, Captain Darès, who died during an operation. An officer of Senegalese origin and a World War II veteran, he was probably the only native Black African who ever commanded an operational battalion of the Legion. He served with the battalion as second-in-command even before the 6e REI was formed.

Meanwhile, in Tunisia, the considerably reduced regiment faced a manpower shortage. The 2nd Battalion wasn’t at full strength yet and continued to receive new drafts from Algeria. It was commanded by Major Orsini, another veteran of the original 6e REI who was wounded during the 1941 campaign and received a citation. Only one company represented the new 1st Battalion. Led by Captain Pfirrmann and consisting of personnel not allowed to deploy to Indochina, it manned the regiment’s rear base in Le Kef. However, this battalion would also gradually be reformed with new drafts.

 

 

6th Foreign Infantry Regiment from 1950 to 1953

In early January 1950, Major Sourlier replaced Major Pfirrmann as commander of the 1st Battalion in Le Kef. In 1941, then-Captain Sourlier led the 1st Company 6e REI and was seriously wounded. Both officers had served with the 1st Battalion 3e REI in Indochina before joining the 6e REI in Tunisia.

The year 1950 saw a great decrease in the strength of all Foreign Legion units stationed in North Africa due to the ongoing conflict in Indochina and bloody battles that took place there, including those on Colonial Road 4. All capable men were sent as reinforcements directly to Asia.

This caused a new considerable reduction of the 6e REI, which took place on March 31, 1951. Only the 2nd Battalion remained, reinforced by leftovers from the 1st Battalion. Major Sourlier left the regiment. Because the situation did not improve, a reorganization occurred on July 1. The battalion was renamed the 1st Battalion and became an administratively independent unit, Bataillon Formant Corps (BFC), that kept the 6e REI’s flag and traditions.

The battalion’s HQ was now based at Camp Amyot d’Inville in Le Kef. Also, some of the 6e REI legionnaires were stationed in Tabarka.

The tasks of the only Foreign Legion unit serving in Tunisia at the time remained unchanged. Maintaining order and French presence in the region alternated with construction and renovation work, military exercises and maneuvers, and the training of newly enlisted volunteers by Indochina veterans.

In early 1952, the French protectorate of Tunisia witnessed the first insurgent actions after many peaceful decades. They erupted at the same time as similar actions took place in Morocco. The left-wing Tunisian rebels led by Habib Bourguiba took advantage of the complicated situation that France faced in Indochina. The rebels (called fellaghas) formed small armed groups in remote areas and began their first attacks.

The French units, including the 6e REI, were alerted. Anti-insurgent Operation Mars was launched in late January 1952 with the support of French reserve troops from Algeria. Thus, the 6e REI legionnaires had the opportunity to operate alongside their comrades from the Algeria-based 3e BEP (Parachute Battalion; future 3e REP). The little-known operation was successfully completed in early July.

In mid-September 1952, Lieutenant Colonel Jean Rossi took command of the 6e REI (or, more precisely, the regiment-like battalion) to replace the departing Lt. Col. Babonneau. Having returned from Indochina, Jean Rossi had served an extraordinary five long years with the 1st Battalion 13e DBLE there.

In 1953, the 6e REI men continued maintaining order in the country. They mainly patrolled southwestern Tunisia along the border with Algeria to calm tensions in that somewhat troubled region.

 

 

6th Foreign Infantry Regiment in 1954

In early 1954, the autonomous 1st Battalion 6e REI was still based in Le Kef, with units also occupying Tabarka, Ain Draham, and Souk El Arba (today called Jendouba). Two 6e REI companies provided basic training, while the HQ Company, the Support Company (CA), and the 3rd Company participated in military operations, for example, in the Djebel Selloum in March and the Djebel Majoura in late May.

Rebel activities, which had been suppressed in 1952, intensified. The relatively calm military life in Tunisia was over. Throughout May and June, the 6e REI men maintained order in Le Kef, Kasserine, Maktar, Le Sers, and Sakiet, a village on the Algeria-Tunisia border, west of Le Kef.

In early June 1954, Major Etienne Georgeon took command of the battalion. He was a platoon leader with the original 6e REI and was wounded during a battle in Syria in 1941. Lt. Col. Rossi left Tunisia to take over the 13e DBLE in Indochina.

In early August 1954, the war in Southeast Asia ended for France. However, the situation with the insurgency in French North Africa significantly worsened. Therefore, the 6e REI ceased its instruction tasks and became a regular operational unit. The companies remained in the assigned sectors, where they conducted patrols and protected supply routes and communication lines.

In the meantime, the HQ 6e REI left Le Kef and, on August 5, moved to Camp Servière at Fondouk Djedid, in northeastern Tunisia. This was a large French military camp established in 1899.

In late 1954, the French began clashing with rebels in Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia. Two Foreign Legion units came to the latter country from Algeria to participate in operations alongside their 6e REI comrades. These units were the 2e CSPL (Saharan Company) and the 3rd Operational Battalion 1er REI (BM3/1).

In August, the 6e REI’s HQ and 3rd Companies took part in operations in the Kasserine region. Motorized patrols operated at Cape Bon, a peninsula in far northeastern Tunisia.

In the following months, 6e REI men maintained order at Sidi Bou Zid and southeast of Camp Servière, at Grombalia.

In October, the HQ Company maintained order at Cape Bon. The same month also saw, along the Algeria-Tunisia border, the beginning of significant military operations in which the 3rd and CA Companies (led by Captain Morin and Captain Fraysse) and the 2e CSPL and BM3/1 participated. On October 8, clashes with rebels took place in the Djebel Gadoum between Kasserine and Sfax. Two 6e REI legionnaires were wounded and 16 rebels were killed. Additional fighting occurred between Gafsa and Sfax on October 19. That day, 3rd Company men killed 10 rebels in the Djebel Gouleb, north of El Maknassi.

In mid-November, the CA legionnaires discovered various rebel firearms during the four-day-long Operation Castor III close to Siliana in northern Tunisia.

The last important clashes between 6e REI units and rebels in Tunisia took place in the Djebel Sidi Aich, north of Gafsa, on November 21. The local insurgency was broken.

However, the Tunisian fellagas moved to Algeria, where they helped start the Algerian War (1954-62). This was another irregular conflict with a sad end for the French colonial empire.

In December, the 3rd Company and Support Company left their sectors and were transferred to Camp Servière.

Later that month, the PRLE 3 — one of four virtually unknown Legion repair platoons in Africa — was deactivated. Stationed at Gabès on Tunisia’s east coast and administratively assigned to the 6e REI, the platoon provided maintenance services for French units (both Legion and non-Legion) based in Tunisia in the first half of the 1950s.

 

 

6e REI protecting TAT from 1954 to 1955

In 1954, the 6e REI began an interesting mission that was quite popular among its legionnaires. They were to protect supply convoys of the Tunisian Car Transportation (TAT) logistics company, going between Tunisia and neighboring Libya.

The mission started in Tunis (the capital) and headed to Fort Leclerc. This was an old fortress and the HQ of the Foreign Legion’s 3e CSPL in Sebha, the administrative center of Libya’s Fezzan region. A predominantly desert area in the southwestern part of the country, the region was under French administration from 1943 to the early 1950s.

The mission route was about 1,500 miles long (2,400 km, there and back) and took three weeks to travel (10 days each way). Every convoy was protected by a 6e REI escort consisting of a lieutenant and a “reinforced group” of legionnaires (a small platoon). From time to time, Libyan rebels tried to attack the convoys in large, remote desert areas. However, the legionnaires saw the mission as a pleasant adventure in the sand dunes of Africa, far from their superiors and the monotonous military life in Tunisia.

 

6th Foreign Infantry Regiment in 1955 and dissolution

In Bizerte, Tunisia, in early February 1955, a 6e REI detachment led by Major Vieules rendered honor and welcomed the 2e REI back to North Africa after the nine years that the regiment had spent in Indochina. Major Vieules most likely served as the deputy commander of the 1st Battalion 6e REI at the time. He was a temporary commander of the 1er BEP in 1954 and was killed in Algeria in 1958.

In late February, the 6e REI’s football (soccer) team became the military champion in Tunisia.

In 1955, 6e REI legionnaires were mainly patrolling the mountains and valleys of the Gafsa region in central Tunisia. However, France’s reorganization of infantry units following the end of the war in Indochina affected the Foreign Legion. Because of this fact and rumors that Tunisia would be granted independence in the future, the reduced 6e REI was eventually deactivated instead of expanding into a full operational regiment.

On June 30, 1955, the 6e REI in Tunisia was disbanded. The autonomous battalion changed its designation, and the following day, it became the 3rd Battalion 2e REI. Major Escaron took command. The battalion maintained its tasks, with the former 6e REI legionnaires continuing their patrols and maintaining order in the assigned sectors.

On November 11, the 6e REI’s regimental flag was deposited in the Legion’s Hall of Honor in Sidi Bel Abbès, Algeria.

In early January 1956, the battalion left Camp Servière and Tunisia for Morocco as the last unit of the 2e REI. While military life in Tunisia was relatively peaceful, Morocco became hostile for the former 6e REI men soon after their arrival. On January 28, the 11th Company (ex-3rd Company 6e REI) under Captain Ungerman was fiercely attacked at Tainaste in the north of the country. The platoon led by Lieutenant Schmidt suffered heavy casualties, including the deaths of the officer and 17 of his men. For the Legion, the now-forgotten tragedy remains the bloodiest attack in Morocco since 1934, when the country’s pacification ended. It also remains one of the two bloodiest attacks aimed at the Foreign Legion in North Africa after the end of World War II.

On September 30, 1956, the ex-1st Battalion 6e REI was definitively disbanded.

In 1984, the 6th Foreign Engineer Regiment (6e REG) took over the number, history, and traditions of the old 6e REI. In 1999, the regiment was redesignated and became the 1st Foreign Engineer Regiment (1er REG).

 

 
 

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Main information sources:
Képi blanc magazines
Légion étrangère magazines (1940s)
Foreign Legion annual bulletins (1950s)
Tibor Szecsko: 6e Étranger de Génie (Editions Atlas, 1990)
P. Cart-Tanneur, Tibor Szecsko: Le 4eme Etranger (Editions B.I.P., 1987)
P. Cart-Tanneur, Tibor Szecsko: La vieille garde (Editions B.I.P., 1987)
Pierre Andolenko: Les canons étaient sous le bureau (Librinova, 2016)
1939 War diary of the 6e REI
French troops in the Levant military archive
More Majorum (German legionnaires in Indochina)
Wikipedia.org

 
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Learn more about the history of the Foreign Legion:
1st Foreign Parachute Regiment
2nd Foreign Cavalry Regiment
3rd Foreign Parachute Regiment
4th Foreign Infantry Regiment
History of the 5th Foreign Regiment
11th Foreign Infantry Regiment

 
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The page was updated on: November 18, 2024

 

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