The 1st Foreign Engineer Regiment (french: 1er Régiment étranger de génie, 1^er REG) is one of two

combat engineer A combat engineer (also called pioneer or sapper) is a type of soldier who performs military engineering tasks in support of land forces combat operations. Combat engineers perform a variety of military engineering, tunnel and mine warfare tas ...

regiments of the Foreign Legion in the

French Army History Early history The first permanent army, paid with regular wages, instead of feudal levies, was established under Charles VII of France, Charles VII in the 1420 to 1430s. The Kings of France needed reliable troops during and after the ...

. The regiment provides the combat engineering component of the

6th Light Armoured Brigade The 6th Light Armoured Brigade (french: 6e Brigade Légère Blindée, 6e BLB) is one of the eight inter-arm brigades which are at the disposition of the '' Commandement des Forces Terrestres''. The headquarters of the brigade is situated in Nîmes ...

It is currently stationed at Quartier General Rollet in

Laudun-l'Ardoise Laudun-l'Ardoise (; oc, Laudun) is a commune in the Gard department in Occitanie (southern France). The commune name was ''Laudun'' until February 1, 2001. Population Wine Laudun is one of the communes producing Côtes du Rhône Villages ...

Gard Gard () is a department in Southern France, located in the region of Occitanie. It had a population of 748,437 as of 2019;France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

History, creation and different nominations

Heir to the 6th Foreign Infantry Regiment (6^e REI)

World War II

6th Foreign Infantry Regiment (1939 – 1/1/1942), (1949–1955) " Oriental

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on ...

Regiment " known as ''Regiment du Levant'', the 6th Foreign Infantry Regiment (french: 6^e Régiment Etranger d'Infanterie, 6^e REI) has existed through history on two occasions, in the

Levant The Levant () is an approximate historical geographical term referring to a large area in the Eastern Mediterranean region of Western Asia. In its narrowest sense, which is in use today in archaeology and other cultural contexts, it is ...

(

Syria Syria ( ar, سُورِيَا or سُورِيَة, translit=Sūriyā), officially the Syrian Arab Republic ( ar, الجمهورية العربية السورية, al-Jumhūrīyah al-ʻArabīyah as-Sūrīyah), is a Western Asian country loc ...

and

Lebanon Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to the north and east and Israel to the south, while Cyprus lie ...

) from October 1, 1939 to January 1, 1942 and in

Tunisia ) , image_map = Tunisia location (orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = Location of Tunisia in northern Africa , image_map2 = , capital = Tunis , largest_city = capital , ...

from April 1, 1949 to June 1955.
Official Website of the 1st Foreign Engineer Regiment, Historique du 1er Régiment Etranger de Génie At creation in 1939, the manpower came from the 1st, 4th, 6th battalions of the 1st Foreign Regiment, 1st Foreign Infantry Regiment, 1er R.E.I (forming the 1st, 2nd, 4th battalions of the 6^e R.E.I) and the 2nd battalion of the

2nd Foreign Infantry Regiment The 2nd Foreign Infantry Regiment (french: 2e Régiment Étranger d'Infanterie, 2e REI) is an infantry regiment of the Foreign Legion in the French Army. The regiment is one of two mechanized infantry regiments of the 6th Light Armoured Brigade ...

(forming the 3rd battalion of the 6^e R.E.I) with the Legion Artillery Group of the Levant (French: Groupe d'Artillerie de Légion du Levant, G.A.L.L) compromising 3

artillery batteries In military organizations, an artillery battery is a unit or multiple systems of artillery, mortar systems, rocket artillery, multiple rocket launchers, surface-to-surface missiles, ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, etc., so grouped to facil ...

. On August 23, 1941; the 6th Foreign Infantry Regiment embarked at

Marseilles Marseille ( , , ; also spelled in English as Marseilles; oc, Marselha ) is the prefecture of the French department of Bouches-du-Rhône and capital of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. Situated in the camargue region of southern Franc ...

; reduced from the results of combats to the 1st, 2nd, 3rd battalion and an artillery group, the regiment rallied to the

Free French Free France (french: France Libre) was a political entity that claimed to be the legitimate government of France following the dissolution of the Third Republic. Led by French general , Free France was established as a government-in-exile ...

including other French constituents. The regiment was disbanded on January 1, 1942 after the British success in the

Syria–Lebanon Campaign The Syria–Lebanon campaign, also known as Operation Exporter, was the Allied invasion of Syria and Lebanon (then controlled by Vichy France) in June and July 1941, during the Second World War. The French had ceded autonomy to Syria in Septemb ...

and its legionnaires were transferred into the

1st Foreign Regiment The 1st Foreign Regiment (french: 1er Régiment étranger, 1er RE) and the 2nd Foreign infantry Regiment are the original and most senior founding regiments of the Foreign Legion in the French Army. The regiment is also responsible for running sp ...

and Communal Depot of the Foreign Regiments while 690 of the 6th Foreign Infantry Regiment opted for

Charles de Gaulle Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle (; ; (commonly abbreviated as CDG) 22 November 18909 November 1970) was a French army officer and statesman who led Free France against Nazi Germany in World War II and chaired the Provisional Governm ...

. The regiment left Lebanon on August 16, 1941 and rejoined the Camp Idron (Pau) on August 25 before rejoining Sidi-bel-Abbès on December 3, 1941. During the regiment's dissolve on December 31, 1941, the legionnaires of the 6th Foreign Infantry Regiment were assigned to the later reconstituted 1st Foreign Marching Infantry Regiment (french: 1^er Régiment Etranger d'Infanterie de Marche, 1^er R.E.I.M) and the Marching Regiment of the Foreign Legion (french: Régiment de Marche de la Légion Etrangère, R.M.L.E). On June 7, 1949, the 3rd battalion of the 6th Foreign Infantry Regiment embarked for

Indochina Mainland Southeast Asia, also known as the Indochinese Peninsula or Indochina, is the continental portion of Southeast Asia. It lies east of the Indian subcontinent and south of Mainland China and is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the west an ...

and transformed to the 1st battalion of the 5th Foreign Infantry Regiment (french: 5e Regiment Etranger d'Infanterie, 5^e REI) on October 31. The 6th Foreign Infantry Regiment participated to the operations of maintaining order. The regiment notably engaged in the battles of djebel Selloum, Kasserine and djebel Gouleb. the 6th Foreign Infantry Regiment was dissolved for the second time on June 30, 1955 when the

French Foreign Legion The French Foreign Legion (french: Légion étrangère) is a corps of the French Army which comprises several specialties: infantry, cavalry, engineers, airborne troops. It was created in 1831 to allow foreign nationals into the French Army ...

was in phase of reorganization following the return from

Creation of the 6th Foreign Engineer Regiment (6^e REG)

6th Foreign Engineer Regiment (1984–1999) The 1st Foreign Engineer Regiment (1^er Régiment Etranger de Génie), 1^er REG) was created in 1984 as the 6th Foreign Engineer Regiment. On July 1, 1984, Foreign Legion Groupment, G.L.E Commander,

général is the French word for general. There are two main categories of generals: the general officers (), which are the highest-ranking commanding officers in the armed forces, and the specialist officers with flag rank (), which are high-level office ...

Jean-Claude Coullon assisted to the patronization ceremony marking the enacting of the 6th Foreign Engineer Regiment, '' 6^e R.E.G''. For the first time in Legion history, the colors of a French foreign legion regiment included the inscription "Génie". Accordingly, the 6th Foreign Engineer Regiment ( 6^e R.E.G ) received the regimental colors on October 12, 1984. The creation of the 6th Foreign Engineer Regiment ( 6^e R.E.G ) was delayed with a doubtful bet. The

Legion Legion may refer to: Military * Roman legion, the basic military unit of the ancient Roman army * Spanish Legion, an elite military unit within the Spanish Army * Legion of the United States, a reorganization of the United States Army from 179 ...

had a long history of

Fortification A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere ...

construction (french: génie bâtisseur), however, had little experience in combat engineering assault. The whites cadres combat engineer assault specialist of the general regime, a part component of the Military Combat Engineer Assault (french: Génie militaire) of the

brought forth their precious savoir-faire and formed the legionnaires in the various fields of specialties. Material arrived and the units prowled. The combat section and companies of the 6e REG deployed in missions of short duration in Mayotte, Guyane, the

Central African Republic The Central African Republic (CAR; ; , RCA; , or , ) is a landlocked country in Central Africa. It is bordered by Chad to the north, Sudan to the northeast, South Sudan to the southeast, the DR Congo to the south, the Republic of th ...

and very quickly the regiment gained its first

combat Combat (French for ''fight'') is a purposeful violent conflict meant to physically harm or kill the opposition. Combat may be armed (using weapons) or unarmed ( not using weapons). Combat is sometimes resorted to as a method of self-defense, or ...

experience. For the actions of 6th Foreign Engineer Regiment ( 6^e R.E.G ) in

Tchad Chad (; ar, تشاد , ; french: Tchad, ), officially the Republic of Chad, '; ) is a landlocked country at the crossroads of North and Central Africa. It is bordered by Libya to the north, Sudan to the east, the Central African Republ ...

at Faya-Largeau in 1987, the 1st combat company was cited at the orders of the armed forces with the

Croix de la Valeur militaire The Cross for Military Valour (french: Croix de la Valeur Militaire) is a military decoration of France. It recognises an individual bestowed a Mention in Dispatches earned for showing valour in presence of an enemy, in theatres of operations wh ...

. In the same theater of combat engagement, Sergent-Chef Panic was killed by an

Anti-tank mine An anti-tank mine (abbreviated to "AT mine") is a type of land mine designed to damage or destroy vehicles including tanks and armored fighting vehicles. Compared to anti-personnel mines, anti-tank mines typically have a much larger explosive c ...

on January 14, 1988 during a mission of opening and clearing the route. In 1989, a detachment of the 6th Foreign Engineer Regiment trained Pakistanis in

demining Demining or mine clearance is the process of removing land mines from an area. In military operations, the object is to rapidly clear a path through a minefield, and this is often done with devices such as mine plows and blast waves. By cont ...

during Operation Salam in

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...

. At Laudun, the mood and mode of the regiment was accelerated by the dispatching of combat companies, sections and small separate detachments tasked with punctual missions. In 1990, for the first time, the entire regiment intervened. In

Iraq Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq ...

and

Kuwait Kuwait (; ar, الكويت ', or ), officially the State of Kuwait ( ar, دولة الكويت '), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated in the northern edge of Eastern Arabia at the tip of the Persian Gulf, bordering Iraq to Iraq–Ku ...

, the 6th Foreign Engineer Regiment participated to the victorious offensive of the

Division Daguet The Division Daguet was a French Army division formed in September 1990 in Saudi Arabia as part of France's contribution to Operation Desert Shield. The French military contribution to the allied cause to liberate Kuwait from Iraqi occupation was na ...

part of

Opération Daguet Opération Daguet (, ''Operation Brocket'') was the codename for French operations during the 1991 Gulf War. 18,000 members of the French Armed Forces were deployed during the conflict and they represented the second largest European contingen ...

and was seen cited at the orders of the armed forces with

Croix de guerre des théâtres d'opérations extérieures The ''Croix de guerre des théâtres d'opérations extérieurs'' (War Cross for foreign operational theatres), also called the ''Croix de Guerre TOE'' for short, is a French military award denoting citations earned in combat in foreign countri ...

with a palm. During the

Gulf War The Gulf War was a 1990–1991 armed campaign waged by a 35-country military coalition in response to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. Spearheaded by the United States, the coalition's efforts against Iraq were carried out in two key phases: ...

, D.I.N.O.P.S operated in support of the

U.S. Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cl ...

82nd Airborne Division The 82nd Airborne Division is an airborne infantry division of the United States Army specializing in parachute assault operations into denied areasSof, Eric"82nd Airborne Division" ''Spec Ops Magazine'', 25 November 2012. Archived from tho ...

, and provided the EOD services to the division. After the cease fire took hold they conducted a joint mine clearing operation alongside a

Royal Australian Navy The Royal Australian Navy (RAN) is the principal naval force of the Australian Defence Force (ADF). The professional head of the RAN is Chief of Navy (CN) Vice Admiral Mark Hammond AM, RAN. CN is also jointly responsible to the Minister o ...

Clearance Diver Team Unit. Barely in return to Laudun, combat companies were seen redispatched to new theatres of combat operations. The regiment would be found in

Cambodia Cambodia (; also Kampuchea ; km, កម្ពុជា, UNGEGN: ), officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochinese Peninsula in Southeast Asia, spanning an area of , bordered by Thailand ...

Bosnia Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh, / , ), abbreviated BiH () or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina and Pars pro toto#Geography, often known informally as Bosnia, is a country at the crossroads of Southern Europe, south and southeast Euro ...

Somalia Somalia, , Osmanya script: 𐒈𐒝𐒑𐒛𐒐𐒘𐒕𐒖; ar, الصومال, aṣ-Ṣūmāl officially the Federal Republic of SomaliaThe ''Federal Republic of Somalia'' is the country's name per Article 1 of thProvisional Constitut ...

Rwanda Rwanda (; rw, u Rwanda ), officially the Republic of Rwanda, is a landlocked country in the Great Rift Valley of Central Africa, where the African Great Lakes region and Southeast Africa converge. Located a few degrees south of the Equator ...

Kosovo Kosovo ( sq, Kosova or ; sr-Cyrl, Косово ), officially the Republic of Kosovo ( sq, Republika e Kosovës, links=no; sr, Република Косово, Republika Kosovo, links=no), is a international recognition of Kosovo, partiall ...

and other geographical locations.

Campaigns

Engineer Combat Missions The 6th Foreign Engineer Regiment ( 6^e REG ) then 1st Foreign Engineer Regiment (1^er REG) engaged in: *

, ( Operation Oryx) *

, (

United Nations Transitional Authority in Cambodia The United Nations Transitional Authority in Cambodia (UNTAC) ar, سلطة الأمم المتحدة الانتقالية في كمبوديا, italics=off zh, , italics=offfrench: Autorité provisoire des Nations unies au Cambodgerussian: Орг ...

(Opérations Marquis 1 et 2) * Ex-

Yugoslavia Yugoslavia (; sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Jugoslavija, Југославија ; sl, Jugoslavija ; mk, Југославија ;; rup, Iugoslavia; hu, Jugoszlávia; rue, label= Pannonian Rusyn, Югославия, translit=Juhoslavij ...

–

Sarajevo Sarajevo ( ; cyrl, Сарајево, ; ''see names in other languages'') is the capital and largest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a population of 275,524 in its administrative limits. The Sarajevo metropolitan area including Sarajevo ...

(

UNPROFOR The United Nations Protection Force (UNPROFOR; also known by its French acronym FORPRONU: ''Force de Protection des Nations Unies'') was the first United Nations peacekeeping force in Croatia and in Bosnia and Herzegovina during the Yugoslav ...

) and

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two N ...

, (Operation Turquoise) *

, (Operation Trident) *

Eritrea Eritrea ( ; ti, ኤርትራ, Ertra, ; ar, إرتريا, ʾIritriyā), officially the State of Eritrea, is a country in the Horn of Africa region of Eastern Africa, with its capital and largest city at Asmara. It is bordered by Ethiopi ...

, United Nations Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea *

(

Operation Epervier Operation or Operations may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * ''Operation'' (game), a battery-operated board game that challenges dexterity * Operation (music), a term used in musical set theory * ''Operations'' (magazine), Multi-Man ...

) Humanitarian Missions * Operation Salam in

, initiating the formation of Afghans on techniques of mine clearing * Operations in

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Gui ...

Sumatra Sumatra is one of the Sunda Islands of western Indonesia. It is the largest island that is fully within Indonesian territory, as well as the sixth-largest island in the world at 473,481 km2 (182,812 mi.2), not including adjacent i ...

during the

2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami An earthquake and a tsunami, known as the Boxing Day Tsunami and, by the scientific community, the Sumatra–Andaman earthquake, occurred at 07:58:53 local time ( UTC+7) on 26 December 2004, with an epicentre off the west coast of northern ...

* Operations in

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

during intense

floods A flood is an overflow of water ( or rarely other fluids) that submerges land that is usually dry. In the sense of "flowing water", the word may also be applied to the inflow of the tide. Floods are an area of study of the discipline hydrolog ...

* Operation Tamour, protective security operations in support of medical treatment for children

1st Foreign Engineer Regiment (1^er REG)

1st Foreign Engineer Regiment (1999–present) The 1st Foreign Engineer Regiment (french: 1^er Regiment Etranger de Genie, 1^er REG) on was renamed on July 1, 1999 with the creation of the 2nd Foreign Engineer Regiment 2^e REG.

Organization

The regiment is composed of 980 men organized into 8

companies A company, abbreviated as co., is a legal entity representing an association of people, whether natural, legal or a mixture of both, with a specific objective. Company members share a common purpose and unite to achieve specific, declared go ...

. * Compagnie de Commandement et de Logistique (CCL) – Command and Logistics Company * Legion Pionniers Groups * Compagnie d'Administration et de Soutien (CAS) – Administrative and Services Company * 1^er Compagnie de Combat – 1st Combat Company (3 combat sections, a support section and a command section) * 2^e Compagnie de Combat – 2nd Combat Company (3 combat sections, a support section and a command section) * 3^e Compagnie de Combat – 3rd Combat Company (3 combat sections, a support section and a command section) * 4^e Compagnie de Combat – 4th Combat Company ( 3 combat sections, a support section and a command section) * Compagnie d'Appui (CA) – Support Company * 5^e Compagnie – 5th Reserve Company * PCG Teams (Combat Engineer Divers, french: Plongeurs du Combat du Génie) former DINOPS Teams of Nautical Subaquatic Intervention Operational Detachment (french: Détachement d'Intervention Nautique Operationnelle Subaquatique) specialized in

Parachute A parachute is a device used to slow the motion of an object through an atmosphere by creating drag or, in a ram-air parachute, aerodynamic lift. A major application is to support people, for recreation or as a safety device for aviators, w ...

Underwater demolition Underwater demolition refers to the deliberate destruction or neutralization of man-made or natural underwater obstacles, both for military and civilian purposes. History Charles Pasley In 1839 Charles Pasley, at the time a colonel of the Royal ...

and Diving.

Traditions

Insignias

File:1reg.JPG, Regimental insignia of 1st Foreign Engineer Regiment, 1er REG File:Pionniers.png, Insignia of the Pionniers of the

. File:Insigne de béret du 1er REG.jpg, Beret insignia of the 1st Foreign Engineer Regiment, 1^er REG.

Regimental Colors

6e régiment étranger d'infanterie-drapeau

Regimental Song

Chant de Marche : Le fanion claque et s'élève featuring: Le fanion claque et s'élève Au dessus du pont romain. Légionnaire marche sans trève Sur les pas de nos anciens. Les médailles sonnent sur le tablier, Sur l'épaule brille la hache du pionnier. Honneur fidélité. Premier régiment étranger de génie Grenades à sept flammes sur ta cuirasse brille. Honneur fidélité En sondant, les baïonnettes Chantent toutes le même refrain, Il faut faire place nette Déminer tout le terrain. Les grappins soulèvent des mines piégées Il faut avancer au mépris du danger. Honneur fidélité. Premier régiment étranger de génie Grenades à sept flammes sur ta cuirasse brille. Honneur fidélité. Une seule devise aux lèvres : Légio patria nostra. Le lance flammes ou la portière Légionnaire tu serviras. Quand le vert et rouge de ton fanion surgit C'est la débandade dans les rangs ennemis. Honneur fidélité. Premier régiment étranger de génie Sapeur de combat sans crainte ni répit. Honneur fidélité

Decorations

* La

, 1st combat company, for engagement in

in 1987. * La

, the 6th Foreign Engineer Regiment 6^e REG, for engagement in

, 1990. * La

, with 1 palm, the regiment, as of 2009 for engagement in

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is borde ...

part of Operation Pamir french: Opération Pamir)
Official Website of the 1st Foreign Engineer Regiment, Historiques et Traditions, Le drapeau du 1er REG File:Croix de la Valeur Militaire France AVERS.jpg, File:Croix de guerre des TOE.jpg,

Honors

Battle honours

* Battle of Camarón, Camerone 1863 * Koweït 1990–1991

Regimental Commanders

Notes

References

* www.legion-etrangere.com * *

External links

* Official website �
1er Régiment étranger de génie
* 1er REG's History & images �
1er REG History
{{DEFAULTSORT:Engineer Regiment, 1st French Army 1st Foreign Engineer Regiment Military units and formations established in 1949 Military units and formations disestablished in 1955