In early October 2019, the 4th Foreign Regiment (4e RE), the training center of the French Foreign Legion, organized a traditional half marathon in Castelnaudary, its garrison town in southern France.
1er REG: Training with Spanish Legion 2019
In September and October 2019, for four weeks, the legionnaires from the 1st Foreign Engineer Regiment (1er REG) of the French Foreign Legion were training in Spain, alongside their comrades-sappers from the Spanish Legion. Both well-known Legions meet together from time to time, to participate in joint exercises, as partners within the NATO alliance.
3e REI: 2019 Fourragere Day
In mid-September 2019, the Foreign Legion’s 3rd Foreign Infantry Regiment (3e REI) celebrated their regimental holiday, called Fourragere Day. See the nice images of the event organized in French Guiana (South America), where the famous 3e REI has been stationed since the 1970s.
80 years ago: In Syria, a Foreign Legion regiment was born
See a freshly reworked article dedicated to history of an exeptional Foreign Legion unit. This unit became the only Foreign Legion regiment to be ever established in the Middle East. To be more precise, in the Levant, which means current Syria and Lebanon. Nicknamed Regiment of the Levant, the unit was born in early October 1939, not long after the Second World War had started. In 1941, its legionnaires took part in the little-known and sad Syria–Lebanon campaign. They faced an invasion of British troops, their former Allies, supported by a small number of French elements fighting within the British Army, including former legionnaires. Because of this campaign, the regiment would be seen as a controversial unit representing the old French Empire of the 19th century, which came to an end in November 1942.
Read more80 years ago: In Syria, a Foreign Legion regiment was born
2e REP: Saint Michael Day 2019
As every year since 1948, French Foreign Legion paratroopers celebrated the day of Saint Michael the Archangel, their patron. The annual ceremony took place at Camp Raffalli, the regiment’s headquarters located near Calvi, Corsica, on the 29th of September. This day also marks the regimental holiday. See photos.
Legion Music: French Foreign Legion song
In mid-September 2019, the exceptional and well-respected Foreign Legion Music Band (MLE) performed a concert in Attignat, a small town in the Ain department in eastern France. During the concert, an Eastern-European legionnaire was praised with a great applause for singing the French Foreign Legion, a song from 1958, well-known due to its original performer Frank Sinatra. See the video.
4e RE: September 2019 Remise de Kepi blanc in Sète
In early September 2019, a French Foreign Legion enlisted volunteer platoon of the 4th Foreign Regiment (4e RE) finished their initial four-week instruction and after having passed a long march, they were allowed to make a military oath and become legionnaires. This time, the ceremony took place in Sète in southern France.
13e DBLE: BACCARAT 2019 starts today
In northeastern France, in the regions of Champagne and Alsace, a large multinational ten-day exercise starts today: BACCARAT 2019. The exercise is aimed at adaptation to air assault and its perfection. It has been organized since 2017, by the 4th Air Assault Brigade (4e BAC). Apart from British, Spanish and French military helicopter units, the Foreign Legion’s 13th Half Brigade (13e DBLE) also participates in the exercise.