8th Marine Infantry Parachute Regiment

8th Marine Infantry Parachute Regiment (8e Régiment de Parachutistes d'Infanterie de Marine)

Active	1951 - 1954 1956 - present
Country	France
Branch	French Army
Type	troupes de marine
Role	Airborne
Size	Battalion 1200 men and women
Part of	11th Parachute Brigade
Garrison/HQ	Castres, France
Motto	Volontaire (Volunteer)
Colors	Blue and red
Anniversaries	Saint-Michel Day
Engagements	First Indochina War Battle of Hoa Binh Battle of Dien Bien Phu Algerian War Lebanese Civil War 1975-1990 Multinational Force 1982-1984
Commanders
Current commander	Philippe du Chaxel
Notable commanders	Guy Le Borgne, Pierre Tourret
Insignia
Beret badge of the 8th Marine Infantry Parachute Regiment
Abbreviation	8e RPIMa

The 8th Marine Infantry Parachute Regiment (French: 8e Régiment de Parachutistes d'Infanterie de Marine, 8e RPIMa) is an airborne battalion of the French Army. It is part of the 11th Parachute Brigade and is stationed at Quartier Fayolle, Castres, France.^[1]

It is an elite unit that can be rapidly sent anywhere in the world. Part of the regiment is the Commando Parachute Group, a French special forces unit. Paratroop training is conducted at the École des troupes aéroportées (ETAP) in Pau.

History

Indochina

The unit was created on 28 February 1951, in Hanoi as the "8th Colonial Parachute Battalion," as a part of the French union forces.

The 8th Colonial Parachute Battalion fought at Lai-Chau, Hoa Binh, Langson and Dien Bien Phu. The Battalion was mentioned in dispatches four times for valor. It was dissolved on 19 May 1954, after Dien Bien Phu.

Algeria

The unit was recreated as the "8th Colonial Parachute Regiment" on 1 May 1956. The regiment participated in operations against the Algerian National Liberation Front (FLN), most notably at El Kiffene, Ain El Kesseub and Tarf.

Relocation to Metropolitan France

The regiment relocated to the town of Nancy, Metropolitan France, in 1961, to form a part of the 11th Light Division. The regimental headquarters moved to Castres in 1963.

Later Deployments

The regiment took part in the intervention in Chad between 1969 and 1972.

The regiment is currently serving with the NATO ISAF in Afghanistan. In a fierce battle on 18–19 August 2008, ten French soldiers were killed and 21 wounded making it the largest loss of French troops in battle in many years. ISAF Press Release

Composition

The regiment consists of battalion size unit of around 1200 personnel organized into eight companies:^[1]

Compagnie de commandement et de logistique (CCL)^[1] - Command and logistics company
Compagnie d'éclairage et d'appui (CEA)^[1] - Reconnaissance and support company
1er Compagnie de combat^[1] - 1st Combat company
2e Compagnie de combat^[1] - 2nd Combat company
3e Compagnie de combat^[1] - 3rd Combat company
4e compagnie de combat^[1] - 4th Combat company
Compagnie de réserve opérationnelle (CRO)^[1] - Operational reserve company

Commanding officers

Captain Gautier (1951–1952)
Captain Guy Le Borgne (1952–1953)
Captain Pierre Tourret (1953–1954)
Lieutenant Colonel Kohler (1954–1955)
Colonel Louis Fourcade (1956–1958)
Lieutenant Colonel Hubert de Seguins-Pazzis (1958–1960)
Lieutenant Colonel Albert Lenoir (1960–1961)
Lieutenant Colonel Kohler (1961–1963)
Lieutenant Colonel Desfarges (1963–1965)
Lieutenant Colonel Drouin (1965–1967)
Lieutenant Colonel Mourier (1967–1969)
Lieutenant Colonel Guilleminot (1969–1971)
Lieutenant Colonel Bellamy (1971–1973)
Lieutenant Colonel Dominique (1973–1975)
Colonel Maurice Schmitt (1975–1977)
Lieutenant Colonel Cann (1977–1979)

Lieutenant Colonel Vidal (1979–1981)
Lieutenant Colonel Zeisser (1981–1983)
Lieutenant Colonel Lepage (1983–1985)
Lieutenant Colonel Theodoly-Lannes (1985–1987)
Colonel Lafourcade (1987–1989)
Lieutenant Colonel Thomann (1989–1991)
Lieutenant Colonel Elrick Irastorza (1991–1993)
Lieutenant Colonel de Haynin de Bry (1993–1995)
Lieutenant Colonel Reglat (1995–1997)
Lieutenant Colonel de Braquilanges (1997–1999)
Colonel Michel Stollsteiner (1999–2001)
Colonel Bosser (2001–2003)
Colonel Brousse (2003–2005)
Colonel Guionie (2005–2007)
Colonel Jacques Aragones (2007–2009)
Colonel Philippe du Chaxel (2009-2011)
Colonel Eric Chasboeuf (2011- )

Officers and marines

Maurice Amiot

Lineage

1951: 8th Colonial Parachute Battalion
1952: 8th Colonial Parachute Group
1953: 8th Shock Parachute Battalion
1954: Dissolved
1956: 8th Colonial Parachute Regiment
1958: 8th Marine Infantry Parachute Regiment

Honours

Battle honours

Decorations

Croix de guerre des Théatres d'Opérations Exterieures with 3 palms.

Notes

↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 "8e RPIMa". French government. Retrieved 2012-02-17.

External links

Official site - 8e RPIMa