The 30th of April 2023 marked the 160th anniversary of the 1863 Battle of Camerone, an epic moment in the history of the French Foreign Legion in which its 65 men faced some 2,000 Mexican adversaries. The famous battle is portrayed as a pure example of bravery and the determination to fight to the finish, and gave the Legion its character and esprit de corps. Therefore, Camerone Day became the most important holiday for all current or former members of this exceptional military unit. See 2023 Camerone Day pictures from several Legion regiments.
13e DBLE, 1er REC, 1er REG: 2023 Mission Lynx in Estonia
See some nice pictures from Estonia, a Baltic state located in Northeastern Europe, where are currently deployed legionnaires from three French Foreign Legion regiments: the 13th Foreign Legion Demi-Brigade (13e DBLE), the 1st Foreign Cavalry Regiment (1er REC), and the 1st Foreign Engineer Regiment (1er REG). There, they serve alongside Great Britain’s The Queen’s Royal Hussars (QRH).
Read more13e DBLE, 1er REC, 1er REG: 2023 Mission Lynx in Estonia
1er REC, 2e REI, 1er REG: 2023 Training at the CENTAC Combat Training Center
In the second half of March 2023, legionnaires from three Foreign Legion regiments are deployed to the Combat Training Center (Centre d’Entraînement au Combat, CENTAC) at the Mailly Camp, in the Aube Department of Northeastern France.
Read more1er REC, 2e REI, 1er REG: 2023 Training at the CENTAC Combat Training Center
1er REG, 13e DBLE: FRINJEX 2023 in India
From March 6 to 9, 2023, legionnaires of the 1st Foreign Engineer Regiment (1er REG) and the 13th Foreign Legion Demi-Brigade (13e DBLE) participated in a joint military exercise in Trivandrum, India.
2022 Legion Christmas nativity scenes
Christmas Eve marks the second most important holiday within the French Foreign Legion, traditionally a pro-Catholic institution. Thus, for that day, legionnaires in all units of the Legion create original nativity scenes and compete to see which one is the nicest and most original. This Legion tradition is unique within the French Army.
1er REG: 2022 Exercise Rubicon
Between November 7 and 10, 2022, the 1st Foreign Engineer Regiment (1er REG) participated in Exercise Rubicon. The so-called high-intensity exercise took place mainly in Laudun, the regiment’s garrison town, and its surroundings.
1er REG: A platoon returned from Africa
In early November 2022, a combat engineer platoon of the 1st Foreign Engineer Regiment (1er REG) was back at their home base in Laudun, Southern France. The legionnaires returned from Central Africa where they were participating in France’s anti-terrorist Operation Barkhane.
1er REG: 2022 Bastille Day in Ivory Coast
Like their comrades from the 2e REG parading in Paris, even the combat engineers from the 1st Foreign Engineer Regiment (1er REG) celebrated the French national day – Bastille Day – which took place on July 14. Not only in France, but in West Africa as well, in Ivory Coast.
1er REC, 2e REI, 1er REG: A new mission in Djibouti from June 2022
Last week, several units of the French Foreign Legion landed in Djibouti, a country in the Horn of Africa, for carrying out the usual mission to maintain order and a French presence in this former colony of Frence. Their mission would last four months.
Read more1er REC, 2e REI, 1er REG: A new mission in Djibouti from June 2022
2e REP: 1st Company to return from Djibouti
This week, the 1st Company of the 2nd Foreign Parachute Regiment (2e REP) is to return to Corsica from Djibouti, a small country in the Horn of Africa, where the airborne legionnaires have spent four months.
Foreign Legion: 2022 Camerone Day
On April 30, 2022, the French Foreign Legion commemorated the 159th anniversary of the Battle of Camerone, a crucial moment in their history. The battle is portrayed as a pure example of bravery and the determination to fight to the finish. Camerone Day is therefore the most important day of the year for all current or former legionnaires. After two years of involuntary banning, the French Foreign Legion was once again allowed to commemorate the event publicly. See 2022 Camerone Day images from several Legion regiments.