Major Raymond Cabaribère was an officer of the French Foreign Legion. He was killed in action on April 21, 1954, during the Indochina War, while commanding the 2nd Battalion, 3rd Foreign Infantry Regiment. He was 41 years old.
3e REI: 2024 Exercise Desperado
Between April 4 and 10, 2024, the Foreign Legion’s 3rd Foreign Infantry Regiment (3e REI) organized a regimental maneuver, Exercise Desperado. About 300 legionnaires participated.
3e REI: 2024 Jaguar Course
See some nice images from the international Jaguar Course, a two-month jungle warfare course organized by the French Foreign Legion’s 3rd Foreign Infantry Regiment (3e REI). The annual course is designed primarily for platoon leaders (both NCOs and officers) from France, as well as allied nations around the world.
General Vittorio Tresti passed away
General Vittorio Tresti, a former commanding officer of the 3rd Foreign Infantry Regiment (3e REI) and one of the few commanding officers who started their famous careers with the Foreign Legion as simple legionnaires, passed away on February 15, 2024. He was 85 years old.
2023 Legion Christmas nativity scenes
For the French Foreign Legion, seen as a traditional pro-Catholic institution in France (unlike the rest of the French Army), Christmas Eve marks the second most important holiday. To celebrate it, legionnaires in all units of the Foreign Legion – regardless of their origin and religious – create nativity scenes (crèches) every year and compete to see which one is the nicest and most original. The scenes can be small, static ones, or performed live with hand-made scenery. This long-standing Legion tradition is unique within the French Army. If you are interested, see some of the nativity scenes created by legionnaires in December 2023.
Foreign Legion: 2023 Armistice Day
In most English-speaking countries, November 11 is known as Veterans Day or Remembrance Day, honoring military veterans and those who have died in the line of duty. In France, this day is still known as Armistice Day, in memory of the 1918 armistice signed between the Allies and Germany that ended World War I. Since 2012, all those who died for France have also been commemorated during Armistice Day. The French Foreign Legion participates annually in those ceremonies. See images.
3e REI: 2023 Fourragere Day
In mid-September 2023, the 3rd Foreign Infantry Regiment (3e REI) celebrated both the regimental holiday and the 50 years of the 3e REI’s presence in French Guiana. See some images.
3e REI: 2023 Jaguar Course Documentary
See a new documentary produced directly by the French Foreign Legion to commemorate the 50th anniversary of its presence in French Guiana, represented by the famous 3rd Foreign Infantry Regiment (3e REI). The 3e REI arrived in French Guiana in mid-September 1973, after having left Madagascar in the Indian Ocean. The more than an hour-long documentary details an important task of the regiment: one of the most difficult military courses in the world, the two-month jungle warfare Jaguar Course.
Lieutenant Colonel Jean Pierre Bissey
The 5th of August 1933 marks the day when Lieutenant Colonel Jean Pierre Bissey, a lesser-known officer of the French Foreign Legion, was killed in a battle with local rebels during the French Pacification of Morocco. All but forgotten nowadays, he remains not only the highest-ranking officer of the Foreign Legion killed between the two world wars but also during the long campaign in Morocco. The following article was written in his memory.
Foreign Legion: 2023 Victory in Europe Day
On May 8, 2023, the French Foreign Legion units commemorated the 78th anniversary of the end of World War II in Europe, which came after the definitive overall surrender of Nazi Germany to the Allies, signed in Berlin. During the final battles in Europe in May 1945, three Legion units participated: the RMLE (3e REI now), 1er REC, and the 13e DBLE. See some images from the 2023 Victory in Europe Day celebrations.
Foreign Legion: 2023 Camerone Day
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.