3rd Marine Infantry Parachute Regiment

3rd Marine Infantry Parachute Regiment
(3e Régiment de Parachutistes d'Infanterie de Marine)

Regimental insigne
Active 1948–1950
1951–1953
1955 - present
Country France
Branch French Army
Type Troupes de marine
Role Airborne
Size 1120 men and women
Part of 11th Parachute Brigade
Garrison/HQ Carcassonne, France
Motto Être et durer (Eng: To be and last)
Colors Red and blue
Anniversaries Saint-Michel Day
Engagements First Indochina War
*Battle of Route Coloniale 4
*Operation Lorraine
*Battle of Na San
Algerian War
*Battle of Agounennda
Commanders
Current
commander		 Philippe Pottier
Notable
commanders		 Marcel Bigeard, Roger Trinquier,
Guy Le Borgne
Insignia
Beret badge of the 3rd Marine Infantry Parachute Regiment
Abbreviation 3e RPIMa

The 3rd Marine Infantry Parachute Regiment (French: 3e Régiment de Parachutistes d'Infanterie de Marine, 3e RPIMa) is an airborne regiment of the French army. It is part of the 11th Parachute Brigade and is stationed at Quartier Laperrine, Carcassonne, France.[1]

History

Created 1 January 1948 in Saint-Brieuc as the 3rd Colonial Commando Parachute Battalion and sent to Indochina in October the same year. It was twice cited in the order of the army before being dissolved in 30 September 1950 after having sacrificed itself at That Khe in Indochina.

Reformed on 27 December 1951 and renamed the 3rd Colonial Parachute Battalion on 28 May 1952 and the regiment further distinguished itself in Indochina.

It is once again dissolved in 1953, providing the cadre for the 5th Vietnamese Parachute Battalion. It was reformed again on 1 June 1955 as the 3rd Colonial Parachute Regiment and Lieutenant Colonel Bigeard took command on 1 November 1955.

It took part in all the major operations in Algeria as a part of the 10th Parachute Division, including combat around Bizerte. It was renamed the 3rd Marine Infantry Parachute Regiment on 1 December 1958 and it returned to Metropolitan France and settled in Carcassonne on 22 July 1962. The regiment became entirely professional in 1976. In 1978 the regiment took part in the intervention in south Lebanon in 1978.

Recent overseas operations

Composition

The regiment is composed of 1120 personnel organized into 8 companies:[1]

Lineage

Commanding officers

  • Major Henri Ayrolles (1948–1949)
  • Captain Paul Cazaux (1949–1950)
  • Major Pierre Decorse (1950)
  • Captain Louis Bonnigal (1951–1953)
  • Captain Jacques Bouvery (1953)
  • Major Albert Lenoir (1955)
  • Colonel Marcel Bigeard (1955–1958)
  • Lieutenant Colonel Roger Trinquier (1958–1959)
  • Lieutenant Colonel Louis Bonnigal (1959–1961)
  • Lieutenant Colonel Guy Le Borgne (1961–1962)
  • Lieutenant Colonel Marcel Mollo (1962–1963)
  • Lieutenant Colonel Maurice Escarra (1963–1965)
  • Lieutenant Colonel Robert Courtiade (1965–1967)
  • Lieutenant Colonel Pierre de Haynin de Bry (1967–1970)
  • Lieutenant Colonel Jean Garnier (1970–1972)
  • Lieutenant Colonel Raymond Chabanne (1972–1974)
  • Colonel Michel Datin (1974–1976)
  • Colonel Jean Salvan (1976–1978)
  • Lieutenant Colonel Hugues Mircher (1978–1980)
  • Lieutenant Colonel Olivier Leblanc (1980–1982)
  • Colonel Daniel Roudeillac (1982–1984)
  • Colonel Michel Billot (1984–1986)
  • Colonel Serge Ménard (1986–1988)
  • Colonel Michel Stouff (1988–1990)
  • Colonel Pierre Ribeyron (1990–1992)
  • Colonel Henri Poncet (1992–1994)
  • Colonel Patrick Marengo (1994–1996)
  • Colonel Philippe Six (1996–1998)
  • Colonel Didier Legrand (1998–2000)
  • Colonel Olivier Tramond (2000–2002)
  • Colonel Jean-François Hogard (2002–2004)
  • Colonel Bruno Guibert (2004–2006)
  • Colonel Frédéric Merveilleux du Vignaux (2006–2008)
  • Colonel Jean-Pierre Perrin (2008–2010)
  • Colonel Philippe Pottier (2010–present)

Officers and marines

Honours

Battle Honours

Decorations

Notes

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 1.9 "3e RPIMa". French government. Retrieved 2012-02-17.

References

External links