On May 8, 2025, Foreign Legion units took part in the celebrations marking the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War in Europe. Honor guards from various regiments participated in ceremonies held primarily in their garrison towns, with several detachments also representing the Legion in other cities across their regions. Below are images from this year’s commemorations.
Foreign Legion: 2025 Camerone Day
April 30, 2025, marked the 162nd anniversary of the Battle of Camerone, the defining event in the French Foreign Legion’s history, when 62 legionnaires under the command of Captain Jean Danjou faced a force of 2,000 Mexican troops. Refusing to surrender, they fought to the very end, with only three able-bodied legionnaires left standing. Commemorations of this anniversary were held across all Legion units and garrisons, both in France and abroad. The following post includes images from several of these ceremonies.
2e REP: 2025 Camerone Day Challenge
Recently, legionnaires of the 2nd Foreign Parachute Regiment (2e REP) took part in the annual Camerone Day Challenge, a series of sports competitions held in the days leading up to the main day of the French Foreign Legion to which the regiment belongs.
2e REP: 4th Company in Guiana in 2025
Recently, in early February 2025, a short-term deployment (MCD) to South America started for a company of the 2nd Foreign Parachute Regiment (2e REP). The Legion paratroopers would stay there for four months.
Foreign Legion: 2024 Christmas Challenges
Christmas Eve marks the second most important holiday in the French Foreign Legion. Before the actual celebrations, each Foreign Legion regiment organizes Christmas challenges. The challenges help to maintain cohesion within the units and provide a bit of fun for their hard-working men. See several images taken in different Foreign Legion regiments during the Christmas challenges that took place in late 2024.
2e REP: Pope Francis’ visit to Corsica
On Sunday, December 15, 2024, Pope Francis, head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State, made the first papal visit ever to France’s Corsica. Legionnaires of the 2nd Foreign Parachute Regiment (2e REP) were among the security forces responsible for maintaining order during the pontiff’s visit. This elite regiment is stationed on the island.
Foreign Legion: 2024 Armistice Day
Today, on November 11, 2024, the French Foreign Legion detachments participated in the ceremonies commemorating Armistice Day, to honor the memory of military veterans and those who died in the line of duty. See images.
2e REP, 1er REG: New Caledonia in 2024
Legionnaires from the French Foreign Legion continue to deploy abroad, also in late 2024. Recently, detachments from the 2nd Foreign Parachute Regiment (2e REP) and the 1st Foreign Engineer Regiment (1er REG) have deployed to New Caledonia in the Pacific, not far from Australia.
2e REP: 2024 Saint Michael’s Day
Last month, in late September 2024, the 2nd Foreign Parachute Regiment (2e REP) commemorated the patron of all French paratroopers, Saint Michael the Archangel. The 29th of September, called Saint Michael’s Day (or simply Saint Michel in France), is the regimental holiday.
2e REP: Exercise Vent d’Automne 2024
In late September 2024, the French Foreign Legion’s only airborne unit, 2nd Foreign Parachute Regiment (2e REP), carried out a military exercise in the northwest of Corsica. See the video.
2e REP: 1st Company in Guiana in 2024
Watch a short, interesting French Army documentary showing legionnaires from the 2nd Foreign Parachute Regiment (2e REP) during their deployment to French Guiana (France’s overseas department in South America) earlier this year.