45 years ago, on May 17, 1978, legionnaires of the French Foreign Legion’s 2nd Foreign Parachute Regiment (2e REP) in Corsica were alerted and the next day, they took off in direction of then Zaire in Central Africa. There, on May 19, they jumped over Kolwezi, a mining center in the south of the country. The legionnaires would rescue over 2,000 Europeans captured and held by local rebels…

Thanks to the success of the operation and the then international media coverage, the regiment became popular across the world. To learn more about the famous operation, follow the link:
1978 Battle of Kolwezi

…or click the image: