École spéciale militaire de Saint-Cyr

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Saint-Cyriens parading on Champs-Elysées Avenue on Bastille Day

A saint-cyrien in Grand Uniforme

The École Spéciale Militaire de Saint-Cyr (ESM, "Special Military School of St Cyr") is the foremost French military academy. It is often referred to as Saint-Cyr. Its motto is "Ils s'instruisent pour vaincre": "They study to vanquish." French cadet officers are named "saint-cyriens", or "cyrards". École spéciale militaire de Saint-Cyr is located in Coëtquidan in Guer, Morbihan département, Brittany, France.

1 History
2 Training
3 Distinguished alumni
4 External links

[edit] History

The École Spéciale Militaire was created by order of Napoleon Bonaparte on May 1, 1802 (the Law of 11 Floréal an X according to the then-official revolutionary calendar), to replace the École Royale Militaire then located in Fontainebleau. Renamed the École Spéciale Impériale Militaire after Bonaparte was proclaimed Emperor, it moved in 1806 to Saint-Cyr-l'École (Yvelines) in the castle of the former Maison royale de Saint-Louis, a school for girls of the French nobility disbanded at the time of the Revolution.

The school trained a large number of young officers who served during Napoleonic Wars. It remained stationed in Saint-Cyr-L'École after Napoleon's deposition and through all regime changes until 1940. After the defeat of the French Army against Germany in 1940, the school moved to the free zone, in the south of France, in Aix-en-Provence. After invasion of the free zone by the Germans in 1942, the school was disbanded, but French cadet officers training went on, part in Cherchell (Algeria, then Free French territory) and part in United Kingdom (Cadets de la France Libre) under General de Gaulle's command.

At the Libération of France in 1944, the School was reunited under the command of General de Lattre de Tassigny and settled in the military camp of Coëtquidan, Morbihan, because the "vieux bahut" (old school) has been severely damaged by an Allied bombing during the Libération campaign.

The École Spéciale Militaire de Saint-Cyr has remained there to this day. A reform in 1961 split the school into two entities: the current École Spéciale Militaire de Saint-Cyr (ESM), devoted to the training of direct recruitment officers, recruited through an annual national competitive exam, and the École Militaire Interarmes (EMIA), cadets from internal recruitment (selected from non-commissioned officer (NCO) ranks and reserve officer ranks) and added a third entity, the École Militaire du Corps Technique et Administratif (EMCTA), devoted to the formation of administrative specialist officers. The school admitted its first female cadets in 1983 and underwent a minor reform in 2002 devised to broaden the diversity of its direct recruitment.

Cadets of the 2004–2007 class (“Lieutenant Brunbrouck”) of the ESM Saint-Cyr during the Bastille Day 2007 military parade on the Champs-Élysées.

Cadets of the École militaire interarmes during the 2007 military parade on the Champs-Élysées.

Since 1802, 65,000 saint-cyriens have been trained, along with 2,000 international cadets. Nine thousand six hundred thirty-nine of them died on the field of battle. Alumni also count 11 Maréchaux de France, three French heads of state, two flying aces, six members of the Académie Française, and one Blessed of the Catholic Church.

[edit] Training

The saint-cyriens are recruited through a national annual competitive exam at the academic level of Bac+2, like most other French Grandes écoles. The course is three years long and covers academic training, military training, physical training and leadership training.

Upon graduation, cadets are awarded the diploma of Saint-Cyr and an academic diploma equivalent to a master's degree, depending on their major. They leave the school with the rank of lieutenant and join the specialist school of the branch they select for one additional year, before being assigned to a regiment to serve as platoon leader.