2nd Foreign Parachute Regiment

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2e Régiment étranger de parachutistes

Badge of the 2nd Foreign Parachute Regiment
Active 9 October 1948-
Country France
Branch French Army
Type Infantry
Role Air Assault
Size One battalion
Part of 11th Parachute Brigade
Garrison/HQ Calvi
Motto Honneur et Fidélité (Honour and loyalty)
March Regimental March: La Legion Marche, Legion Etrangere's March: Le Boudin
Anniversaries Camerone Day (April 30), Saint-Michel Day and Christmas
Engagements First Indochina War
*Battle of Route Coloniale 4
*Battle of Hoa Binh
*Battle of Na San
*Battle of Dien Bien Phu
Algerian War
Commanders
Current
commander		 Colonel Houdet
Notable
commanders		 Rémy Raffalli,
Paul Arnaud de Foïard

The 2nd Foreign Parachute Regiment (French: 2e Régiment Étranger de Parachutistes, 2e REP) is an Airborne Commando regiment in the French Foreign Legion. It is a part of the 11e Brigade Parachutiste and the spearhead of the French Rapid reaction force.

Contents

[edit] History

[edit] Indochina

It was formed on October 9, 1948 as the 2nd Foreign Parachute Battalion at the Legions HQ, Sidi Bel Abbes, Algeria. The reason was the success of the 1st Foreign Parachute Battalion in the First Indochina War.

The battalion arrived in Indochina in January 1949, they served as 'sector troops' from February to November.

In 1950, the battalion became a part of the General Reserve in Indochina. Following the French defeat on Route Coloniale 4 (Cao Bang) in October 1950, the battalion was sea-transported to North Vietnam.

It took part in the first battle of Nghia Lo (October 1951) and in the combats on the Black River (November-December 1951) and on Route Coloniale 6 (January-February 1952) during the battle of Hoa Binh.

The battalion was dropped on Dien Bien Phu as reinforcement during the battle of Dien Bien Phu (March-May 1954). It was annihilated in the battle.

[edit] Zaire

In May 1978, a force of gendarmes katangais entered the Katanga province of Zaire from Angola and occupied the mining town of Kolwezi. They began to loot the town and kill government soldiers and civilians (including several Belgian and French employees of a mining company). At the request of the government of Zaire, 2 REP was airlifted to Kinshasa and dropped on Kolwezi. The operation was a success and the town was quickly recaptured with minor casualties in the ranks of the paratroopers. Some 120 civilian hostages had died in the occupation.

[edit] Today

The modern Legion paratrooper is an airborne commando unit, that operates from the island of Corsica, just south of mainland France.

Soldiers landing in Calvi for a training course

[edit] Composition

Battle of Kolwezi, 1978
Battle of Kolwezi, 1978

It consists of 1160 men divided into 9 companies.

  • A command and logistics company
  • A administrative and support company
  • Four combat companies, each made up of one command section and four combat sections.
  • A reconnaissance and support company
  • A Maintenance Company
  • A reserve company

[edit] Battle Honours

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ Camerone is a Battle Honour shared by all Foreign Legion Regiments, no matter when it was formed.

[edit] References

  • Porch, Douglas. The French Foreign Legion. New York: Harper Collins, 1991. ISBN 978-0-06-092308-2
  • Braby, Wayne & Windrow, Martin. French Foreign Legion Paratroops. London: Osprey Publishing, 1985. ISBN 978-0-85045-629-5

[edit] External links

Life in the French Foreign Legion by CCH Alex Lochrie 11 years of service in the 2eme REP. Images and introduction to the Legion today.