In July 2023, new French rotations arrived in Estonia in Northeastern Europe to replace the previous French contingent, which made part of NATO’s “enhanced Forward Presence” (eFP), a multinational battlegroup led by the British. Legionnaires from the 1st Foreign Engineer Regiment (1er REG) are part of the new contingent.
2e REP: Diamond Strike 23 in Australia
In late June 2023, a platoon of the Foreign Legion’s 2nd Foreign Parachute Regiment (2e REP) was detached to the Australia Army’s 7th Brigade to participate in Exercise Diamond Strike. Learn more and see some images.
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.
2e REI: 1st Company in New Caledonia
Since June 2023, the 1st Company of the French Foreign Legion’s 2nd Foreign Infantry Regiment (2e REI) has been deployed to New Caledonia, a special overseas collectivity of France in the southwest Pacific Ocean, east of Australia.
50 years ago: A new Foreign Legion unit in the Indian Ocean was born
50 years ago, on August 1, 1973, a small independent unit of the Foreign Legion was officially activated in the South Indian Ocean, near Madagascar. Its main mission was to control the strategically important Mozambique Channel, as well as keep French presence in the region.
Read more50 years ago: A new Foreign Legion unit in the Indian Ocean was born
Foreign Legion: 2023 Change of Command
In late July 2023, General Alain Lardet left after three years the Foreign Legion Command (COMLE) to be replaced by General Cyrille Youchtchenko, the new commander-in-chief of the Legion.
1er REC, 13e DBLE, 1er REG: 2023 CENTAC
On June 25, 2023, legionnaires of the French Foreign Legion’s 1st Foreign Cavalry Regiment (1er REC), 13th Foreign Legion Demi-Brigade (13e DBLE), and 1st Foreign Engineer Regiment (1er REG) arrived at the CENTAC Combat Training Center at the Mailly Camp, in the Aube Department of Northeastern France. Their task was to train combined arms maneuvers.
2023 Bastille Day Military Parade
Annually, a large military parade takes place in Paris to commemorate the 14th of July, the French national day, known in English-speaking countries as Bastille Day. On that most important French holiday, also the French Foreign Legion units participate in the parade in the capital. Learn more and see images.
Rehearsal for the 2023 Bastille Day parade
As every year in July, members of the French Foreign Legion are preparing dutifully for the Bastille Day Military Parade that takes place annually in Paris on July 14. See a nice video showing the legionnaires’ rehearsal for the parade.
MLE: 2023 Music Concert in the Olympia
On June 18, 2023, an important and unique concert of the well-known Foreign Legion Music Band (MLE) was held in Paris’s Olympia Hall, a popular venue for rock bands and one of the world’s most modern performance halls. See the official video.
75 years ago: An elite airborne unit of the Foreign Legion was activated
75 years ago, in France’s North Africa in early July 1948, an airborne unit of the Foreign Legion was officially constituted to take part in the First Indochina War (1946-1954) in Southeast Asia. There, the resolute unit would become a legend, as the very first French airborne battalion lost in combat.
Read more75 years ago: An elite airborne unit of the Foreign Legion was activated