List of French Foreign Legion units
This article lists the principal units of the French Foreign Legion created since 1831. Legion units are only cited once, based on their respective dates of creation. A dissolved Legion unit which is recreated under the same designation will only appear once. The last section of the list re-summarizes actual Legion units in service.
Each year, the Legion commemorates and celebrates Camarón in its headquarters in Aubagne and Bastille Day military parade in Paris; featuring the Pionniers leading and opening the way.
XIX century
- French Foreign Legion (1st formation) - 9 March 1831
- 2nd Foreign Legion (2LE) (2nd formation) - 3 February 1836
- 1st Foreign Regiment - 1 April 1841
- 2nd Foreign Infantry Regiment – 1 April 1841
- Foreign Brigade (unit designation in 1854 for two merged foreign regiments during the Crimean War)
- Mounted Companies (Compagnies montées de la Légion étrangère) – 1881
- Saharan Companies of the French Foreign Legion, Saharan Companies and Squadrons of the French Foreign Legion – (CSPLE, ESPLE) – 1901
- 1st Marching Regiment of the 2nd Foreign Regiment (1erRM 2eRE) - 1907
- 1st Marching Regiment of the 1st Foreign Regiment (1e RM 1er RE) - 1913
World War I
Review of the Marching Regiment of the Foreign Legion (RMLE) at the end of November 1918.
- 2nd Marching Regiment of the 2nd Foreign Regiment (2e RM 2e RE) - end of August 1914
- 2nd Marching Regiment of the 1st Foreign Regiment (2e RM 1er RE) - September 1914
- 3rd Marching Regiment of the 1st Foreign Regiment (3e RM 1er RE) - (first called Marching Regiment of the Foreign Legion entrenched camp of Paris) – September 1914
- 4th Marching Regiment of the 1st Foreign Regiment (4e RM 1er RE) - 5 November 1914
- Marching Regiment of the Foreign Legion (RMLE) - 11 November 1915
Interwar period
- 3rd Foreign Infantry Regiment (3e RE), ex-RMLE – 15 November 1920
- 4th Foreign Infantry Regiment (4e REI) – 15 November 1920
- 1st Foreign Cavalry Regiment (1er REC) - 1921
- Demi-Brigade of the Foreign Legion in Indochina (DBLE) - 2 August 1930
- 5th Foreign Infantry Regiment (5e REI) - 1 September 1930
- Foreign Legion Command (COMLE)[1] - successive appellations and designations IILE[2] (1931), GALE[3] (1950), COLE[4] (1955), ITLE[5] (1957), GLE[6] (1972) and COMLE[7] (1984) - 1 April 1931.
- Communal Depot of the Foreign Regiments - successive appellations and designations DCRE (1933) and DCLE (1950) – 13 October 1933.
- 2nd Foreign Cavalry Regiment - 1 July 1939
World War II
- Marching Regiments of Foreign Volunteers (1er, 2e and 3e RMVE) - 29 September 1939, became the 21e, 22e, 23e RMVE
- 6th Foreign Infantry Regiment (6e REI) - 1 October 1939
- 11th Foreign Infantry Regiment (11e REI) - 6 November 1939
- 97th Reconnaissance Group of the Infantry Division - GRD 97 (first called GRDI 180) – 1 December 1939
- 12th Foreign Infantry Regiment (12e REI) – 24 February 1940
- 13th Demi-Brigade of the Foreign Legion (13e DBLE) (first called 13th Light Mountain Demi-Brigade) – became the 13e DBLE on 12 November 1940
- 21st Marching Regiment of Foreign Volunteers – (21e RMVE) - first called 1er RMVE – 29 September 1939
- 22nd Marching Regiment of Foreign Volunteers (22e RMVE) first called 2e RMVE – 24 October 1939
- 23rd Marching Regiment of Foreign Volunteers (23e RMVE) – first called 3e RMVE – May 1940
Decolonization
Indochina War
- Disciplinary Company of the Foreign Regiments in the Far East (CDRE/EO) – 1 June 1946
- Passage Company of the Foreign Legion (CPLE) of the Far East - 1 May 1947
- Armored Train of the Foreign Legion (TBLE) - 1948
- Parachute Company of the 3rd Foreign Infantry Regiment - Para Co. 3rd Foreign Infantry Regiment (3e REI) - 1 April 1948 - later designations: 1st Foreign Parachute Battalion (1er BEP)
- 1st Foreign Parachute Regiment – later names and designations: 1st Foreign Parachute Battalion (1er BEP) - 1948 and (1er REP) - 1955 – 1 July 1948
- 2nd Foreign Parachute Regiment – successive appellations and designations, 2e BEP (1948) and 2e REP (1955) – 9 October 1948.
- 3rd Foreign Parachute Regiment - successive appellations and designations, 3rd Foreign Parachute Battalion (3e BEP - 1949 and 3e REP - 1955) – November 1949
- Foreign Air Supply Company (CERA) – 1 January 1951
- 1st Foreign Parachute Heavy Mortar Company (1re CEPML) – 1 September 1953
After 1962
- 61st Mixed Legion Engineer Battalion – 61e BMGL - 1963
- 5th Mixed Regiment of the Pacific 5e RMP (ex-5e REI) – October 1963.
- 5th Heavy Weight Transport Company (CTGP) – 5e CTGP – 1 May 1965.
- Foreign Legion Detachment in Mayotte successive designations and appellations DLEC (1973) and DLEM (1975) – 2 August 1973.
- 6th Foreign Engineer Regiment – 6e REG – 1 July 1984.
- 1st Foreign Engineer Regiment – 1er REG (ex-6e REG) – 1 July 1999.
- 2nd Foreign Engineer Regiment – 2e REG – 1 July 1999.
- Foreign Legion Recruiting Group – GRLE – 1 July 2007.
Current Legion units
- Foreign Legion Command; officially Commandement de la Légion étrangère – COMLE.[8]
- Foreign Legion Recruiting Group (GRLE)
- 1st Foreign Regiment (1er RE)
- 1st Foreign Cavalry Regiment (1er REC)
- 1st Foreign Engineer Regiment (1e REG)
- 2nd Foreign Parachute Regiment (2er REP)
- 2nd Foreign Engineer Regiment (2e REG)
- 3rd Foreign Infantry Regiment (3e REI)
- 4th Foreign Regiment (4e RE)
- 13th Demi-Brigade of the Foreign Legion (13e DBLE)
- Foreign Legion Detachment in Mayotte
- French Foreign Legion Music Band (MLE) – 1831
References
Notes
- Division General Commandant of the French Foreign Legion, Les Chefs COMLE
- Division General Commandant of the French Foreign Legion, Les Chefs COMLE
- Division General Commandant of the French Foreign Legion, Les Chefs COMLE
- Division General Commandant of the French Foreign Legion, Les Chefs COMLE
- Division General Commandant of the French Foreign Legion, Les Chefs COMLE
- Division General Commandant of the French Foreign Legion, Les Chefs COMLE
- Division General Commandant of the French Foreign Legion, Les Chefs COMLE
- Division General Commandant of the French Foreign Legion, Les Chefs COMLE
Sources and bibliographies
- Le Livre d’Or de la Légion étrangère (1831-1955) (Golden Book of the Legion 1831-1955), Jean Brunon et Georges Manue, éditions Charles Lavauzelle et Cie, 1958.
- Histoire de la Légion, de Narvik à Kolwesi, (The History of the Legion from Narvik to Kolwesi), Henri Le Mire, éditions Albin Michel, 1978, ISBN 2-226-00694-X
- Division Communication et Information de la Légion étrangère (Communication and Information Division of the French Foreign Legion).
- Division Histoire et Patrimoine de la Légion étrangère (History and Patrimony Division of the French Foreign Legion).
- Monsieur Légionnaire - Général (cr) Hallo Jean - Lavauzelle – 1994
- Centre de documentation de la Légion étrangère (Center of Documentation of the French Foreign Legion).
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