French Foreign Legion information. An online project dedicated to the famous Foreign Legion.
In early June 2026, the Mountain Engagement Support Platoon (SAEM) of the 2nd Foreign Engineer Regiment (2e REG), stationed in Saint-Christol in southeastern France, conducted a week-long mountain exercise in the Banon area, near the regiment’s home base at Quartier Maréchal Koenig.
Read more2e REG: Mountain Specialists Sharpen Skills in the Alps
On May 8, 2026, French Foreign Legion units commemorated the 81st anniversary of the end of the Second World War in Europe, marking the definitive overall surrender of Nazi Germany to the Allied forces in 1945. As every year, legionnaires took part in ceremonies held both in France and overseas to honor the veterans and fallen soldiers of the conflict.
On April 30, 2026, the French Foreign Legion observed the 163rd anniversary of the Battle of Camerone, the legendary action that forged the Legion’s identity and esprit de corps. On that day in Mexico in 1863, a company of 62 legionnaires led by Captain Jean Danjou stood against some 2,000 Mexican soldiers. The legionnaires refused to surrender and fought until only three of them remained standing. As every year, the anniversary was commemorated across all Legion units and garrisons, in France and abroad. Below are images from several of these ceremonies.
In early April 2026, the 2nd Company of the 2nd Foreign Engineer Regiment (2e REG) of the French Foreign Legion completed its training at Camp La Courtine in central France. This phase marked the culmination of several weeks of intensive, targeted preparation before an upcoming overseas deployment.
Ten years ago, in January 2016, a group of 52 cadres and legionnaires from the French Foreign Legion’s 2nd Foreign Engineer Regiment (2e REG) arrived in the mountains near Valfréjus, a ski resort in the Savoie department in eastern France, for an initial mountain adaptation course. This is a routine training meant to prepare units for operations in harsh, high-altitude conditions. What began as a standard exercise, turned into the deadliest loss the regiment had faced since its creation.
Read more10 Years Ago: 2016 Mountain Training Tragedy at Valfréjus
In mid-December 2025, a series of Challenges de Noël (Christmas Challenges) took place in regiments of the French Foreign Legion, both in France and abroad. These anual events are friendly competitions between companies of the same regiment. They are not about winning alone, but about building fighting spirit, teamwork, and unit cohesion. For hard-working legionnaires, the challenges also bring a moment of fun and relaxation. They are usually organized shortly before Christmas.
In early December 2025, the combat engineers of the 1st Foreign Engineer Regiment (1er REG) and the 2nd Foreign Engineer Regiment (2e REG) of the French Foreign Legion once again commemorated their patron, Saint Barbara (Sainte Barbe in French).
Since early October 2025, the 3rd Company of the 2nd Foreign Engineer Regiment (2e REG) have been deployed on a four-month mission to Martinique, as part of the regular troop rotation in the Caribbean.
On November 11, 2025, detachments of the French Foreign Legion participated in ceremonies marking Armistice Day, honoring the memory of military veterans and those who died in the line of duty.
In early October 2025, two Foreign Legion regiments – the 2nd Foreign Infantry Regiment (2e REI) and the 2nd Foreign Engineer Regiment (2e REG) – took part in the multinational military exercise Dog Fighter 2025, hosted by France’s 132nd Canine Infantry Regiment (132e RIC), the only unit of its kind in France and the largest military working dog regiment in Europe.
In August 2025, approximately a dozen legionnaires from the Foreign Legion’s 2nd Foreign Engineer Regiment (2e REG) undertook the Summer High Mountain Team Leader Course in the French Alps, southeastern France. From the cliffs of Mont Aiguille in the Vercors Massif to the iconic ridgelines of La Meije in the Écrins range, the legionnaires were trained to take responsibility for their rope teams and to progress safely through complex alpine terrain.
Read more2e REG: 2025 Summer High Mountain Team Leader Course