On October 15, 2026, the 1st Foreign Cavalry Regiment (1er REC) of the French Foreign Legion held its annual Foreign Legion Triathlon. The race is known as the Triathlon du Royal Étranger, after the regiment’s traditional nickname. It ran from La Ciotat, a coastal town east of Marseille, to Camp Carpiagne, the 1er REC’s base near the city.
80 Years Ago: A Little-Known Chapter in the 3e REI’s History Came to a Close
80 years ago, in late September 1946, a story of one of the least-known units of the French Foreign Legion came to an end. When the 3rd Foreign Infantry Regiment (3e REI) was officially disbanded in 1943, its mounted and motorized companies were deliberately kept in service in Morocco, then part of French North Africa, so that the name of one of the French Army’s two most decorated regiments would not vanish entirely. Grouped together in 1944, they spent the rest of World War II and the immediate postwar years in almost complete isolation, far from the battlefields of Europe and Indochina, on the edge of the Sahara, understrength and equipped with outdated weapons.
Read more80 Years Ago: A Little-Known Chapter in the 3e REI’s History Came to a Close
1er REC: Irish Cavalrymen Visit Cavalry Legionnaires at Carpiagne
In October 2026, members of the Irish Defence Forces’ Cavalry Corps visited the Foreign Legion’s 1st Foreign Cavalry Regiment (1er REC) at Camp Carpiagne, its base near Marseille. Discussions centered on the modernization of the French cavalry and the introduction of the EBRC Jaguar, a six-wheeled armored reconnaissance and combat vehicle. The program included technical briefings, an exchange of experience, and a practical part in the field.
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4e RE: 2026 Foreign Legion Half Marathon
On Saturday, October 3, 2026, the 48th edition of the Foreign Legion Half Marathon (Semi-Marathon de la Légion Étrangère) took place in Castelnaudary, a town in southern France. As every year, the race was organized by the 4th Foreign Regiment (4e RE), the training school of the French Foreign Legion.
2e REP: 2026 Saint Michael’s Day
On September 29, 2026, the 2nd Foreign Parachute Regiment (2e REP) of the French Foreign Legion celebrated Saint Michael’s Day, honoring the archangel who is the patron saint of all French paratroopers. This year, the regiment left its home base at Calvi and took the celebration into the mountains of Corsica.
1er REG: 1re CCG’s SAR Builds Reinforced Training Trench
In September 2026, legionnaires from the Support and Reconnaissance Platoon (SAR) of the 1st Combat Engineer Company (1re CCG) within the 1st Foreign Engineer Regiment (1er REG) completed a demanding eight-day field project: the construction of a reinforced trench stretching over 330 feet (around 100 meters).
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2e REG: French Guiana in 2026
In early September 2026, the 1st Company of the 2nd Foreign Engineer Regiment (2e REG) returned to the regiment’s home base at Saint-Christol, in southeastern France, after a five-month deployment to French Guiana, France’s overseas department on the northeastern coast of South America. Commanded by Captain Clément S., the company had deployed to the territory in early April.
DOCUMENTS: 1926 Citation of the 1st Battalion, 2e REI
The DOCUMENTS series returns with a new item. Today we feature a presentation folder containing the citation commemorating the 1st Battalion 2e REI, and one of the last hard-fought actions of the Rif War in Morocco: the battle for Djebel Iskritten in May 1926.
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3e REI: 2026 Fourragère Day
On September 12, 2026, the 3rd Foreign Infantry Regiment (3e REI) celebrated Fourragère Day, its regimental day, in Kourou, French Guiana. The day honors the history and sacrifices of the regiment and of its predecessor, the Foreign Legion Marching Regiment (RMLE, 1915–1920). Usually held on September 14, the date was moved this year because the regiment is currently committed to protecting the Guiana Space Center.
2e REI: 2026 El Moungar Day
On Wednesday evening, September 2, 2026, the 2nd Foreign Infantry Regiment (2e REI) commemorated the 123rd anniversary of the Battle of El Moungar, the 1903 desert engagement whose date became the regiment’s main holiday. After last year’s ceremony at the regimental barracks in Nîmes, southern France, the event returned to the Roman amphitheater (Arena) in the center of the city, built in the first century AD and still in use today.
2e REG: Martinique in 2026
At the end of August 2026, the 2nd Company of the 2nd Foreign Engineer Regiment (2e REG) wrapped up a four-month deployment to Martinique, a French overseas region in the Caribbean, and traded the tropics for the high mountains of southeastern France, where the regiment is garrisoned at Saint-Christol. The company had arrived on the island in late April.