In Mayotte, Indian Ocean, the 5th Foreign Regiment (5e RE) was reactivated by reorganization and transformation of the former Foreign Legion Mayotte Detachment (DLEM), retaining the tasks and missions of the latter. The original 5e RE was inactivated in French Polynesia 24 years ago. To better introduce this newly reactivated regiment, the article mapping its history has been revised and fully rewritten.
5e RE: Miss France 2024 in Mayotte
Miss France 2024, Eve Gilles, visited Mayotte in late August, including the military base of the former Foreign Legion Detachment in Mayotte (DLEM), a unit which right now is transforming into a new regiment, the 5th Foreign Regiment (5e RE).
70 years ago: A successful battle in an entrenched valley in French Indochina
In late 1952, an important confrontation between the French and the communist Viet Minh took place in then French Indochina, in a valley transformed into a well-fortified camp. A direct predecessor to the sad 1954 battle of Dien Bien Phu, the confrontation ended with a clear French victory, thanks to a significant role of the French Foreign Legion men.
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Andrew J. Mitchell: Pictorial History of the French Foreign Legion in Indochina, 1927-1945
In late September 2020, a new book dedicated to the Foreign Legion and its history was released: Pictorial History of the French Foreign Legion in Indochina, 1927-1945. This pictorial book is another interesting work of Andrew J. Mitchell, an Irish author, amateur historian and a well-known Foreign Legion badge collector.
Read moreAndrew J. Mitchell: Pictorial History of the French Foreign Legion in Indochina, 1927-1945
Regiment of Tonkin: From Indochina to Polynesia
Regiment of Tonkin. The only regiment of the French Foreign Legion established (two times) in Asia. Nicknamed after Tonkin, the then title for northern Vietnam during the French rule and the place were the unit was born, the 5th Foreign Regiment (5e RE) remains also the only regiment of the Foreign Legion stationed in French Polynesia. Its legionnaires were also the only Legion force fighting against the Japanese during WWII (1940 and 1945). Besides that, the 5e RE’s units fought in Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam and Algeria. In 1963, the regiment was reorganized and moved to French Polynesia to build and guard a new French nuclear testing site…