A new video released on the official YouTube channel of the French Foreign Legion offers an authentic look into the final stage of basic training in the 4th Foreign Regiment (4e RE) in Castelnaudary. As part of the new combat hardening course (module d’aguerrissement), recruits face a series of intense physical and mental trials designed to test their resilience, endurance, and cohesion.
1er REG: 2025 Victory in Europe Day Across the Caribbean
On May 8, 2025, French military personnel stationed across the Caribbean joined the rest of France in solemnly commemorating the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II in Europe. Among those taking part were legionnaires from the 2nd Company of the 1st Foreign Engineer Regiment (1er REG). They have been stationed in Martinique, an overseas region of France in the eastern Caribbean Sea, since late January and serve as part of the 33rd Marine Infantry Regiment (33e RIMa).
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Foreign Legion: 2025 Victory in Europe Day
On May 8, 2025, Foreign Legion units took part in the celebrations marking the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War in Europe. Honor guards from various regiments participated in ceremonies held primarily in their garrison towns, with several detachments also representing the Legion in other cities across their regions. Below are images from this year’s commemorations.
80 years ago: Second World War ended for legionnaires in Europe
Between 1939 and 1945, the French Foreign Legion men saw nearly every front of the Second World War – from Norway and France to North Africa, the Middle East, Italy, mainland Europe, and the jungles of Indochina. They fought under both Vichy and Free French command in some of the war’s most challenging campaigns. Our new article traces the Legion’s complex role during the war, its internal transformations, battlefield engagements, and the legacy it carried into the postwar world.
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Foreign Legion: 2025 Camerone Day
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.
Colonel Raphaël Vienot (1804 – 1855)
Colonel Raphaël Vienot was a distinguished French officer who concluded his military career as a colonel in the French Foreign Legion during the Crimean War. One of the Legion’s most important figures in history, Vienot became renowned not only for his leadership abilities but also for the bravery and dedication he demonstrated in service to France, ultimately sacrificing his life during the night assault of May 1–2, 1855.
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.
DOCUMENTS: 1948 Cartoon Chronicle of Basic Training
This is another contribution to our DOCUMENTS series. Discover an exceptional cartoon booklet that humorously portrays the journey of Foreign Legion recruits toward deployment in the First Indochina War in the late 1940s.
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1er REC: 2nd Squadron Joins Jaguar Ranks
In April 2025, the 2nd Squadron of the 1st Foreign Cavalry Regiment (1er REC) successfully finalized its training on the Jaguar armored vehicle, becoming the last armored unit in the regiment to adopt it. This milestone completes the 1er REC’s full transition to the modern Jaguar fleet.
13e DBLE: Joint Exercise with the Spanish Legion in 2025
In early April 2025, the 4th Company and the HQ Company elements of the 13th Foreign Legion Demi-Brigade (13e DBLE) took part in an intensive joint exercise with the 2nd Company of the 10th Battalion (X Bandera “Millán Astray”), 4th Regiment of the Spanish Legion. The exercise was held at Camp Álvarez de Sotomayor near Almería, Spain, a military training area equipped with state-of-the-art infrastructure for urban warfare simulations.
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3e REI: Fer de Lance 2025 in French Guiana
From March 24 to April 5, 2025, Exercise Fer de Lance 2025 took place in French Guiana. The goal of this international training was to improve teamwork and fast response in difficult situations like natural disasters or security crises. The 3rd Foreign Infantry Regiment (3e REI) participated.