In 2018, the French Foreign Legion’s paratroopers commemorate the 70th anniversary of their service. In 1948, the first Legion paratroopers celebrated Saint Michael, their patron adopted by all French airborne units in Hanoi, the capital of then French Indochina in June 1948. 70 years later, the legionnaires of the 2nd Foreign Parachute Regiment (2e REP) celebrated Saint Michael Day (September 29th), their regimental holiday, by Lake Nino in Corsica. See some nice images.
2e REG: Mountain Commandos in Greenland
In early September 2018, mountain commandos from the French Foreign Legion’s 2nd Foreign Engineer Regiment (2e REG) took part in an artic military exercise in Greenland, close to the North Pole.
1er REG: 2018 Regimental March
In late September 2018, officers and legionnaires of the 1st Foreign Engineer Regiment (1er REG), an engineering unit of the French Foreign Legion, carried out a regimental march in the Gard region of southern France.
2e BEP: 70th anniversary of the predecessor to the 2e REP
70 years ago, on October 1, 1948, the 2nd Foreign Parachute Battalion (2e BEP) of the Foreign Legion was established in North Africa. The unit would be shipped to Southeast Asia a few months later, to became the most awarded French battalion of the First Indochina War (1946-54). After having returned back to North Africa in late 1955, its men helped to constitute its famous successor, the 2e REP (Regiment).
3e REI: 2018 Fourragere Day
On September 20, 2018, the 3rd Foreign Infantry Regiment (3e REI) commemorated the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Vauxaillon, fought on the Western Front to break Germany’s Hindenburg Line. This battle helped to end the First World War. The famous regiment fully participated in that action, gained a rare double fourragère and became the most decorated unit of the French Army.
2e REP: GCP jumping in Mali
Since June 2018, several companies of the 2nd Foreign Parachute Regiment (2e REP) have been deployed to Mali, a country in West Africa, to participate in anti-terrorist Operation Barkhane. To support the 2e REP units, a GCP commando group also serves in Mali. During this summer, the commandos conducted an operational jump to find local rebel groups.
The worst accident in the Foreign Legion’s history: 86 years already
86 years ago, in September 1932, the worst accident in the French Foreign Legion’s history occurred. In Algeria (North Africa), on the 14th September of 1932, a troop train was heading for Morocco, carrying a Legion battalion being ready for fighting with Moroccan rebels. In the afternoon, the train had derailed and fell into a ravine. Tens of legionnaires were killed, two hundreds of legionnaires were wounded.
1er REC: New legionnaires arriving at the regiment
The 1st Foreign Cavalry Regiment (1er REC) decorated 12 new freshly trained legionnaires having arrived at the only cavalry regiment od the French Foreign Legion and took them into its ranks.