9th Parachute Chasseur Regiment

The 9th Parachute Chasseur Regiment (French: 9e Régiment de Chasseurs Parachutistes, 9e RCP) was an airborne unit of the French Army that was part of all three histories of the 10th Parachute Division, 25th Parachute Division and the 11th Parachute Brigade. It was formed during the Algerian War and fought its most notable engagement at the Battle of Frontiers in 1958 at Souk Ahras during which the sacrifice of Captain's Beaumont 3rd company earned naming the garrison of the 9th Parachute Chasseur in his honor. During the Algerian War, the 9th Parachute Chasseur Regiment relieved the 1st Parachute Chasseur Regiment (1st PCR) and became part of the 25th Parachute Division.^[2] It didn’t take part in the 1961 Algiers Putsch. The regiment took part in numerous overseas operations before it merged in 1999. The regiment was the heir to the traditions, battle honours and decorations of the 9th Infantry Regiment created during the Ancien Régime.

Tribute to the 58 French paratroopers; 55 of the 1st Parachute Chasseur Regiment and 3 of the 9th Parachute Chasseur Regiment (R.C.P) Mort pour la France in the 'Drakkar' building in Beirut on October 23, 1983

History

The 9th Parachute Chasseur Regiment was created on 1 June 1956 in Algeria from the 4th Battalion of the 18th Parachute Chasseur Regiment and received its standard from Division Commander General Henri Sauvagnac (1956-1958) in Batna on 11 November.

The parachute regiment didn’t take part in the 1961 Algiers putsch and after the end of the Algerian War it moved to Toulouse on mainland France. The regiment later took part in numerous operations in Lebanon. The parachute regiment served extensively within the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFL)^[1] and the Multinational Force in 1983 where the regiment lost 3 paratroopers during the 1983 Beirut barracks bombing.^[3] Three years later, the parachute regiment was quick to take part again in the United Nations Interim Force Lebanon in 1986 and 1998-1999 while also participating in other foreign operations. The 9th parachute regiment merged in 1999 as part of a restructuring of the 11th Parachute Brigade of the French Army.

Timeline from 1956-1999

• 1956 : Regiment was created on June 1 as the 9th Parachute Chasseur Regiment from the 18th Parachute Chasseur Regiment (18th RIPC) in Algeria.
• 1968 : the 9th Parachute Chasseur Regiment based in Saint-Sulpice-la-Pointe deploys in a formed battalion to New Caledonia.
• 1979  : Reconnaissance and Support Company of the 9th Parachute Chasseur Regiment deploys to Southern Lebanon on a peacekeeping mission under the United Nations Force Protection (UNIFIL) for a period of 6 months.
• 1981  : Installation of the 9th Parachute Chasseur Regiment at base quartier Capitaine-Beaumont in Pamiers
• 1983  : The 9th Parachute Chasseur Regiment participates in maintaining peace order in Southern Lebanon and particularly in Beirut.^[4]
• 1986  : Within the battle contigent forming the peacekeeping mission in Lebanon under the United Nations; the 9th Parachute Chasseur Regiment under command orders of Colonel Godinot engages in several battle clashes against armed groups.
• 1987-1999 : The 9th Parachute Chasseur Regiment deploys to the four corners of the globe engaged in numerous foreign military operations - Gabon, Central Africa Republic, Tchad, Burundi, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Ex-Yugoslavia, Irak, Turkey as much as in the Overseas departments and territories of France.^[4]
• 1993  : The 9th Parachute Chasseur Regiment deploys to Mogadishu, Somalia.
• 1994  : The 9th Parachute Chasseur Regiment under command orders of Colonel Oberto under BATINF 2 engages in Sarajevo under mandate United Nations Force Proctection.^[4]
• 1998 - 1999 : The 9th Parachute Chasseur Regiment engages its Reconnaissance and Support Company one more time in maintaining order in Southern Lebanon in United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL).^[4]
• 1999 : The 9th Parachute Chasseur Regiment merges with the 1st Parachute Chasseur Regiment part of the restructuring of the 11th Parachute Brigade in the French Army.

Regimental commanders

Traditions

The paratroopers of the regiment wear the red berets with the Fourragère with colors of the Croix de Guerre.

Insignia

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  Insignia of the 9th Parachute Chasseur Regiment

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  Shoulder Insignia of the 25th Parachute Division of France

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  Shoulder Insignia of the 10th Parachute Division of France

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  Insignia of French Paratroopers Berets

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  Paratrooper Brevet of the French Army

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  Red Beret

Regimental Song

The regimental song was "En avant Normandie".

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  the 9th Parachute Chasseur Regiment at Laval, Mayenne for the general assembly in March 2012.

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  Flag honors at a Ceremony

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  Ceremony held by the old combatants of the 9th Parachute Chasseur Regiment at Laval in March 2012

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  Ceremony held by the old combatants of the 9th Parachute Chasseur Regiment at Laval in March 2012

Decorations

• Croix de guerre 1914–1918 with three palms, one vermeil star and one argent star
• Gold Medal of the City of Milan

Honours

Battle honours

9th Infantry Regiment

• Austerlitz 1805
• Wagram 1809
• La Moskova 1812
• Sebastopol 1856
• Verdun 1916
• Soissonnais 1918
• L’Ailette 1918

9th Parachute Regiment

• AFN 1952–1962

Notable officers and chasseurs

• Claude Barrès

References

External links

• History of the 1st Parachute Chasseur Regiment and 9th Parachute Chasseur Regiment