The 2nd Foreign Parachute Regiment (french: 2e Régiment étranger de parachutistes, 2e REP) is the only airborne regiment 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 ...

. It is one of the four infantry regiments of the 11th Parachute Brigade and part of the spearhead of the French rapid reaction force. Since the regiment's arrival from Algeria in 1967, it has been stationed at Camp Raffalli near the town of Calvi on the island of

Corsica Corsica ( , Upper , Southern ; it, Corsica; ; french: Corse ; lij, Còrsega; sc, Còssiga) is an island in the Mediterranean Sea and one of the 18 regions of France. It is the fourth-largest island in the Mediterranean and lies southeast of ...

, south of mainland France. The regiment is also equipped with Véhicule de l'Avant Blindé (VAB).

History

Descended from the

2nd Foreign Parachute Battalion The 2nd Foreign Parachute Battalion (french: 2e Bataillon Étranger de Parachutistes, 2e B.E.P) was a parachute battalion of the Foreign Legion in the French Army initially composed of volunteers of the 4th Demi-Brigade of the Foreign Legion ...

which served in Indochina, it fought in Algeria, and more recently in

Kolwezi Kolwezi or Kolwesi is the capital city of Lualaba Province in the south of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, west of Likasi. It is home to an airport and a railway to Lubumbashi. Just outside of Kolwezi there is the static inverter plant ...

( Zaïre) during the Battle of Kolwezi in 1978.https://www.defense.gouv.fr/terre/l-armee-de-terre/le-niveau-divisionnaire/3e-division/2e-regiment-etranger-de-parachutistes2/historique Having participated in all French exterior operations since 1970, the regiment has operated in

Chad 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 Republic ...

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 ...

, and the former Yugoslavia since 1992, at

Djibouti Djibouti, ar, جيبوتي ', french: link=no, Djibouti, so, Jabuuti officially the Republic of Djibouti, is a country in the Horn of Africa, bordered by Somalia to the south, Ethiopia to the southwest, Eritrea in the north, and the Red ...

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 ...

, in Central Africa and even Gabon. In 1997, the regiment was engaged in the

Congo-Brazzaville The Republic of the Congo (french: République du Congo, ln, Republíki ya Kongó), also known as Congo-Brazzaville, the Congo Republic or simply either Congo or the Congo, is a country located in the western coast of Central Africa to the w ...

during Operation Pelican (french: Opération Pélican). From 2002 to 2003, at the beginning of

Opération Licorne Opération Licorne was a French Armed Forces peacekeeping operation in support of the United Nations Operation in Côte d'Ivoire. The French forces had been stationed in the country since shortly after the outbreak of the Ivorian Civil War. Th ...

, the regiment was engaged in the

Ivory Coast Ivory Coast, also known as Côte d'Ivoire, officially the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire, is a country on the southern coast of West Africa. Its capital is Yamoussoukro, in the centre of the country, while its largest city and economic centre i ...

. More recently in 2010, the regiment fought in Afghan theatre as part of the

Brigade La Fayette The Brigade La Fayette, also named Task Force La Fayette, was a joint unit of the French forces in Afghanistan. It was officially created on 1 November 2009, along with a complete reorganisation of the French military deployment in Afghanistan. It ...

(or ''Task Force La Fayette'') as GTIA Surobi, code Battle Group Altor. The Parachute Company of the 3rd Foreign Infantry Regiment was created on April 1, 1948.http://2rep.legion-etrangere.com/mdl/info_seul.php?id=101&idA=43&block=16&idA_SM=0&titre=historique-du-2e-rep Official Website of the 2nd Foreign Parachute Regiment, History of the 2e REP, The origins... The command of the company was given to a 23-year-old Lieutenant,

Jacques Morin Jacques Morin (1924-1995) was a French officer and company commander of the Parachute Company of the 3rd Foreign Infantry Regiment.

. He commanded the company from April 31, 1948, to May 31, 1949. Volunteers filled in the ranks from the foreign regiments present already in

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 ...

. Part of the 3rd Foreign Infantry Regiment, the parachute company operated under different battalions. Following a series of combat action operations in the most exposed sectors of the high regions and airborne operations in the Delta, the company was dissolved on May 31, 1949. At the time the company disbanded, it comprised three Legion officers, 14 Sous-officiers, and 92 corporals and legionnaires, all of whom were transferred to the

1st Foreign Parachute Battalion The 1st Foreign Parachute Battalion (french: 1er Bataillon Etranger de Parachutistes (1er BEP)) was a parachute battalion of the Foreign Legion formed from the Parachute Company of the 3rd Foreign Infantry Regiment. History 1er Bataillon E ...

which had just disembarked in Indochina.

3rd Foreign Parachute Battalion (1948–1955)

The

3rd Foreign Parachute Battalion The 3rd Foreign Parachute Battalion (french: Foreign Legion formed based on the Parachute Instruction Company (C.I.P) of the 7th combat company of the 2nd Battalion of the 1st Foreign Regiment">1st Foreign Infantry Regiment. History, Creation a ...

(3e BEP) was created in April 1949 at Mascara.http://2rep.legion-etrangere.com/mdl/info_seul.php?id=104&idA=47&block=16&idA_SM=43&titre=3e-bep Official Website of the 2nd Foreign Parachute Regiment, History of the 2e REP, the 3rd Foreign Parachute Battalion ''3e Bataillon Etranger de Parachutistes'' The 7th combat company of paratrooper training of the 1st Foreign rejoined Sétif 7 months later, starting November 15, 1949, becoming officially the 3rd Foreign Parachute Battalion. The mission of the 3e B.E.P was to instruct the legionnaires destined to relieve the

1st First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1). First or 1st may also refer to: *World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement Arts and media Music * 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and reco ...

and

s. It also participated in operations to maintain order in

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from January to June 1952. On May 4, 1954, as the

Battle of Dien Bien Phu The Battle of Dien Bien Phu (french: Bataille de Diên Biên Phu ; vi, Chiến dịch Điện Biên Phủ, ) was a climactic confrontation of the First Indochina War that took place between 13 March and 7 May 1954. It was fought between the Fr ...

was underway, the battalion began travelling to

. On May 25, 1954, the battalion was at Haïphong. On June 1, the men forming the 3e B.E.P were transferred to the

as the 2 BEP was reconstituted. The

merged with the injured of annihilated foreign battalions while in the meantime, owing to numerous volunteers, the 3e B.E.P. was seen reconstituted at Sétif. Back to

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, the three foreign paratrooper battalions the

) would be seen filling the ranks of the foreign paratrooper regiment. On September 1, 1955, the 3e B.E.P. became the 3rd Foreign Parachute Regiment (3e REP). Based at Batna, the regiment became operational but then was dissolved on December 1, 1955; the men constituting the regiment were merged with the 2nd Foreign Parachute Battalion to form a new unit, the 2nd Foreign Parachute Regiment. The insignia of the 3rd Foreign Parachute Battalion was created in 1950 by Captain

Pierre Darmuzai Pierre Georges Fernand Darmuzai (4 January 1915 – 18 February 1996) was a French Général who served an entire career in the formation of the Parachute Battalions and Regiments BEPs and REPs of the Foreign Legion. 2eBEP en Indo

2nd Foreign Parachute Battalion (1948–1955)

Insigne 2e régiment étranger de parachutistes

The

(2e Bataillon Etranger de Parachutistes, 2e B.E.P) was created on October 1, 1948, in accordance with a ministerial prescription dating to March 27, 1948.http://2rep.legion-etrangere.com/mdl/info_seul.php?id=103&idA=46&block=16&idA_SM=43&titre=2e-bep-1948-1955 Official Website of the 2nd Foreign Parachute Regiment, History of the 2e REP, 2nd Foreign Paratrooper Battalion,''2e Bataillon Etranger de Parachutistes'' The combat companies of the 2e B.E.P were formed by the 4th Demi-Brigade of the Foreign Legion in

Morocco Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to A ...

and the depot of the foreign regiments in Sidi-bel-Abbès, were assigned by the 25th Airborne Division Element. Made up of one command company and three ''fusiliers-voltigeurs'' type combat companies, the battalion cleared way to Oran on January 19, 1949, destined for

. Disembarked in Saïgon on February 9, the battalion was directed to Kép (

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 ...

) by land route.http://2rep.legion-etrangere.com/mdl/info_seul.php?id=103&idA=46&block=16&idA_SM=43&titre=2e-bep-1948-1955 Official Website of the 2nd Foreign Parachute Regiment, History of the 2e REP, 2nd Foreign Parachute Battalion,''2e Bataillon Etranger de Parachutistes'' In November 1949, the battalion took base in Quan Thé. The first combat engagements of the 2e B.E.P. have for theatre of operations,

, Cochinchine and Annam. In October 1950, the battalion was summoned to Tonkin. Reinforced by a heavy mortars company, the battalion engaged in all military operations in the Delta, in Thaï lands, Mékong and the plains of Jarres. The impressive series of combat engagements were earned at the battle of Nghĩa Lộ, colonial route N°6 (RC6), Hòa Bình and the defence of the camp by an airborne operation on Langson. Crowned of a magnificent epoque, the 2e B.E.P cleared the way to Dien Bien Phu on April 9 and 10 of 1954 in the middle of the furnace. Following the couter-attack of supporting point "Huguet", led by a rare determination during the night of the 22 and 23 of April; the 2e B.E.P and the

(1^er B.E.P) merged to form a single Foreign Marching Battalion. On May 7, the Foreign Marching Battalion was dissolved and the 2e B.E.P was recreated by members of the

. On June 1, 1954, the 2e B.E.P. left Asia on November 1, 1955. The colors of the battalion were decorated with 6 citations at the orders of the armed forces and the Fourragère of the colors of the

Legion of Honor The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon ...

. The losses of the 2e B.E.P included 1500 Legion Officers, Sous-Officiers and Legionnaires killed along with their "chef de corps", Legion

Commandant Commandant ( or ) is a title often given to the officer in charge of a military (or other uniformed service) training establishment or academy. This usage is common in English-speaking nations. In some countries it may be a military or police ran ...

Barthélémy Rémy Raffali leading and heading

tradition A tradition is a belief or behavior (folk custom) passed down within a group or society with symbolic meaning or special significance with origins in the past. A component of cultural expressions and folklore, common examples include holidays or ...

. Returned to Algeria, the 2nd Foreign Parachute Battalion (2^e B.E.P) became the 2nd Foreign Parachute Regiment on December 1, 1955. The insignia of the

was created in 1949, in

. The battalion insignia represents an Eastern winged

Dragon A dragon is a reptilian legendary creature that appears in the folklore of many cultures worldwide. Beliefs about dragons vary considerably through regions, but dragons in western cultures since the High Middle Ages have often been depicted a ...

making reference to the original implementation in Asia. The three point triangular shape of the insignia represents the form of an open

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 ...

; centered by the flag colors of the Legion; and is symbol of the perfection that is expected of the men that may serve this regiment. The battalion was commanded at the time by commandant Solnon (1948–1950).

Algeria (1954–1962)

On December 1, 1955, the

was enlarged to a full regiment, the 2nd Foreign Parachute Regiment (french: 2e Régiment étranger de parachutistes, 2e R.E.P). The regiment served throughout the

Algerian War The Algerian War, also known as the Algerian Revolution or the Algerian War of Independence,( ar, الثورة الجزائرية '; '' ber, Tagrawla Tadzayrit''; french: Guerre d'Algérie or ') and sometimes in Algeria as the War of 1 November ...

and suffered a total of 741 casualties. When the 2nd Foreign Parachute Battalion left the

Far East The ''Far East'' was a European term to refer to the geographical regions that includes East and Southeast Asia as well as the Russian Far East to a lesser extent. South Asia is sometimes also included for economic and cultural reasons. The t ...

on November 1, 1955, the

fanion A fanion is a small flag used by the French military; the equivalent of an American guidon or British company colour. The name derives from the Italian word gonfanone, or gonfanon. They were often attached to a small staff which was placed in the ...

of the battalion included six palms and the Fourragère with colors of the

Légion d'honneur The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon ...

. The battalion had lost 1500

Officers An officer is a person who has a position of authority in a hierarchical organization. The term derives from Old French ''oficier'' "officer, official" (early 14c., Modern French ''officier''), from Medieval Latin ''officiarius'' "an officer," fr ...

, Sous-Officiers and Legionnaires including a battalion commander. On December 1 the 2e BEP became the 2nd Foreign Parachute Regiment (2e REP). During their first combat engagement, on January 5, the regiment lost its first fatality, while their opponents lost 22 of theirs. Regrouping at

Philippeville Philippeville (; wa, Flipveye) is a city and municipality of Wallonia located in the province of Namur, Belgium. The Philippeville municipality includes the former municipalities of Fagnolle, Franchimont, Jamagne, Jamiolle, Merlemont, ...

, the companies covered appropriate sectors. From March to June, two units operated in the

Aurès Mountains The Aures Mountains ( ar, جبال الأوراس) are an eastern prolongation of the Atlas Mountain System that lies to the east of the Saharan Atlas in northeastern Algeria and northwestern Tunisia, North Africa. The mountain range gives its na ...

. April 30 was marked with hard combat engagements. The regimental colors were received on June 5. In November, the regiment changed sectors. The command post set camp at

Tébessa Tébessa or Tebessa ( ar, تبسة ''Tibissa'', ''Tbessa'' or ''Tibesti''), the classical Theveste, is the capital city of Tébessa Province region of northeastern Algeria. It hosts several historical landmarks, the most important one being the ...

. In operational reserve, the regiment had for mission to run surveillance of the Algeria-Tunisia border. The year of 1956 ended with 900 rebels killed, 500 prisoners and significant war material recuperated. The foreign regiment had endured the loss of 38 men killed in combat. In April 1957, the regiment returned to Philippeville. On May 30, the regiment left garrison and made way to El Milia (french: El Milia) in order to ensure the security of the almost island looking Collo and the region of

Jijel Jijel ( ar, جيجل), the classical Igilgili, is the capital of Jijel Province in north-eastern Algeria. It is flanked by the Mediterranean Sea in the region of Corniche Jijelienne and had a population of 131,513 in 2008. Jijel is the administr ...

(french:

). In August, the regiment returned to Tébessa for a series of operations on the border where 35 rebels where placed out of combat at the expense of the lives of six Legionnaires. On December 18, the foreign regiment destroyed an opposing battalion size in the Hamimat Guerra. The rebels deplored 45 fatalities. In 1960, the regiment was spread in different garrisons : Chekfa, Tleta, Chahna, Siar and Philipeville at camp Pehau. During the 1st trimester, « Opération Turquoise » occupied the regiment which deplored four fatalities, eight wounded, however, the enemy left 24 outlaws (french: Hors La Loi, HLL), 2 prisoners, 5 defeated escapees, and 17 arrested suspects. One type 20 mm cannon recuperated, 1 PM, 10 war rifles and numerous munitions were destroyed. A couple of secondary operations were mounted such as « Saxophone » on January 26 and 27, "Clarinette" (3 HLL killed and one prisoner), « Basson I » on February 20 and 21, « Basson II » on March 8 and 9, (six HLL killed and 24 suspects arrested), « Zacharie » (1 leading figure died committing suicide and 2 defeated escapes) from March 15 to 17, « Victorien » (four defeated escapees), then in the 2nd trimester, « Turquoise » with secondary operations « Poisson » (two HLL killed, eight suspects arrested) on April 1 and 2, « Basson III » (three HLL killed and defeated escapees, on April 19, one

Officer An officer is a person who has a position of authority in a hierarchical organization. The term derives from Old French ''oficier'' "officer, official" (early 14c., Modern French ''officier''), from Medieval Latin ''officiarius'' "an officer," f ...

and two

Legionnaires 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. It ...

were killed in an ambush). After « Turquoise », followed « Opaline » in June. In the first days of 1958, the regiment saw accelerated combat. On April 26 and 27, the foreign regiment placed out of combat 209 HLL (outlaws) in the region of Sbihi, seizing a strong arsenal including three machine-guns. On the 30, during the celebration of Camarón, a series of locations seals were placed into effect in order to intercept a band of rebels making way towards Ahras. 84 of them were killed. In January 1959, the foreign regiment made way towards Guelma, as operational reserve for the zone East Constantine. On March 1, the foreign regiment annihilated a battalion size force at Gambetta. On June 23, another battalion size rebel force was dismantled. 29 HLL were killed and 10 were made prisoners. During the 3rd trimester, the operations "Pierres précieuses" were launched. West Constantine was racked. The casualty results were heavy: 229 HLL killed, 99 prisoners, and the foreign regiment endured the loss of 11 Legionnaires. In January 1960, the 2e REP, now part of the 25th Parachute Division operated in the sector of Djidjelli. It's operation "Turquoise" again, secondary operation of operation "Pierres précieuses". On September 23, the foreign regiment returned to its rear base in Philipeville before rejoining Hammama where operation "Ariège" was commencing and which concerned the regions of Biskra and Kenchela. Before leaving the Aurès, the 2e REP inflicted another defeat on the rebels in Chelia, finishing with 53 HLL killed. On December 28, the foreign regiment made movement towards Oran then Tlemcen where the regiment arrived on December 30. On May 1, 1961, following the dissolution of their brother regiment, 1st Foreign Parachute Regiment, the 2e REP remained the only heir of all Foreign Legion parachute units created since 1948. Coming under the orders of the Western Oran Zone to reinforce the Algerian-Moroccan Barrage, the regiment remained until January 28, date where the later was found in the rear base. The operations, police rounds and presence rounds followed each other in the regions of Calle, Milia, Philipeville until March 18, 1962, date of the ceasefire which the foreign regiment learned of at Telergma. In less than seven years, more than 4000 rebels were placed out of combat and nearly 4000 individual arms and more than 200 collective arms were ceased. The foreign regiment left Constantine, on August 30, 1962, after a continuous quasi presence for 6 years in the same region. On September 16, the foreign regiment regrouped at Bou-Sfer in the enclave of the Strategic Base of Mers El Kébir.

2nd Foreign Paratrooper Regiment

The transition (1962–1967)

Starting 1962 and at the signature of the Évian Accords, the

French Armed Forces The French Armed Forces (french: Forces armées françaises) encompass the Army, the Navy, the Air and Space Force and the Gendarmerie of the French Republic. The President of France heads the armed forces as Chief of the Armed Forces. France ...

progressively left

Algeria ) , image_map = Algeria (centered orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Algiers , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , relig ...

for metropolitan France. For the first time in Legion history, Legion regiments would be garrisoned in mainland France. For the 2e REP, this move would be made progressively between 1965 and 1967. From the former garrison at Bou-Sfer, the last French Base on Algerian territory, the Regiment sent units to start preparing the new garrison, situated in Calvi, in

. This garrison was the former garrison of the 1st Parachute Choc Battalion of the 11th Parachute Choc Demi-Brigade, dissolved in 1963. The complete move would be effective in June 1967 and the regiment joined the 11th Parachute Division. That period, the first period of peace in the history of the regiment after 14 years in existence, was accompanied with various challenges, significant for the legionnaires. The legionnaires had to face political decisions which were hard to comprehend. The dissolution of their "brother regiment", the 1st Foreign Parachute Regiment following the generals putsch left the regiment in significant disarray. In addition, the foreign regiment was in a null phase of operations activity. The Regiment was garrisoned in camp, and stuck with no permission to move out of the designated area while being encircled by the local Algerian army, with whom the foreign regiment had been fighting against for eight years. Accordingly, the training and routine affected deeply the esprit de corps of the legionnaires. It was during this périod, under Colonel Caillaud, that the companies started to specialize in a particular task: Anti-tank combat (1st company), Mountain combat (2nd company), Amphibious combat (3rd company) and Destruction explosive activities (4th company). This regrouping reformed the R.E.P into an elite para-commando force. In June 1967 the regiment was moved to its current base at Camp Raffalli, Calvi on the island of

. It was assigned to the 11th Division and became part of France's rapid intervention forces.

(1967–1978)

* Chad: (in 1969, Operations Pout, Manta, Sparrowhawk): Elements of the regiment were deployed to Chad in April 1969 as part of a French force to support the government against two rebel forces. Returning at the end of 1970. Individual companies were deployed again in 1978–79 to protect French lives and again in 1984. *

French Territory of the Afars and the Issas The French Territory of the Afars and the Issas (FTAI; french: Territoire français des Afars et des Issas) was the name given to present-day Djibouti between 1967 and 1977, while it was still an overseas territory of France. The area was former ...

: (1976 Loyada, 1992 Operation Iskoutir). * Zaire: In May 1978, a force of ''gendarmes katangais'' entered the Katanga province of

Zaire Zaire (, ), officially the Republic of Zaire (french: République du Zaïre, link=no, ), was a Congolese state from 1971 to 1997 in Central Africa that was previously and is now again known as the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Zaire was, ...

from

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and occupied the mining town of

. They began to loot the town and kill government soldiers and civilians (including several Belgian and French employees of a mining company). At the request of the government of Zaire, 2 REP was airlifted to Kinshasa and dropped on Kolwezi. The operation was a success and the town was quickly recaptured with minor casualties in the ranks of the paratroopers. Some 120 civilian hostages died in the occupation.

(1978–2015)

In 1994, the parachute company which the REP provided for the 13th Demi-Brigade of Foreign Legion (13e DBLE) was dissolved. Nevertheless, the 2e REP continued each year to supply a turning « captive » until the departure of the 13e DBLE on June 13, 2011. *

: (

Operation Épaulard I Operation Épaulard 1 (Operation Orca 1) was a military operation undertaken on the behalf of the 2nd Foreign Parachute Regiment to land soldiers in Beirut, Lebanon on 21 August 1982, during the Lebanese Civil War. They were part of the Multinatio ...

spearheaded by Lieutenant Colonel Bernard Janvier from August to September 1982 under command of Général de brigade Jean-Claude Coullon, in preparation for the Multinational Force in Lebanon and then

United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon ( ar, قوة الأمم المتحدة المؤقتة في لبنان, he, כוח האו"ם הזמני בלבנון), or UNIFIL ( ar, يونيفيل, he, יוניפי״ל), is a UN peacekeeping m ...

) along with the 31st Brigade which included the Operational Group of the Foreign Legion. *

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 ...

: (Reconnaissance and Deep Action

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(french: Commandos de renseignement et d'action dans la profondeur), contingents of

1st Marine Infantry Paratroopers Regiment The 1er Régiment de Parachutistes d'Infanterie de Marine ( en, 1st Marine Infantry Parachute Regiment) or 1er RPIMa is a unit of the French Army Special Forces Command, therefore part of the Special Operations Command. Heirs to the Free Fre ...

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 ...

undertaken in

Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in Western Asia. It covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and has a land area of about , making it the fifth-largest country in Asia, the second-largest in the Ara ...

under the command of Général de brigade Bernard Janvier ) *

: (1990, 1992, Operation Noroit) *

Gabon Gabon (; ; snq, Ngabu), officially the Gabonese Republic (french: République gabonaise), is a country on the west coast of Central Africa. Located on the equator, it is bordered by Equatorial Guinea to the northwest, Cameroon to the nort ...

: (1990, Operation Shark) *

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 ...

: (1992, Operation Oryx) * Central: (1996, Operation Almandine) *

: (1997, Operation Pelican) * Former Yugoslavia: (1993 Sarajevo, 1995 RIF 1996 and 1999 KFOR, Kosovo 2001 and 2003) *

Côte d'Ivoire Ivory Coast, also known as Côte d'Ivoire, officially the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire, is a country on the southern coast of West Africa. Its capital is Yamoussoukro, in the centre of the country, while its largest city and economic centre ...

: (2002, 2004, 2006, 2010 Licorne)

2008–2015

The configuration of the REP did not fundamentally evolve until 2010 and the regiment continued to be engaged in various foreign theatres, such as

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 ...

International Security Assistance Force The International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) was a multinational military mission in Afghanistan from 2001 to 2014. It was established by United Nations Security Council United Nations Security Council Resolution 1386, Resolution 1386 pursua ...

ISAF with

Operational Mentoring and Liaison Team Operational Mentoring and Liaison Teams (OMLTs) were the NATO equivalent of the United States' Embedded Training Teams and were active in Afghanistan. Countries Teams from several countries provided training and operational support to the Af ...

s in 2008 and 2012, GTIA (''Altor'' in 2010) and SGTIA (''Ba cum'' in 2011) as part of

(Operation Pamir). Two Legionnaires, Pole Konrad Rygiel from 2e R.E.P G.C.P, Slovakian Robert Hutnik from the regiment were killed in action. In January 2011, a defense base in Calvi was created. Colonel Plessy was the first commandant of the designated defense base, while being the regimental commander of the 2e REP. 2e REP continued to be deploy the respective units in short duration missions in Djibouti (until the departure of the 13th Demi-Brigade of Foreign Legion in 2011), to

, then

New Caledonia ) , anthem = "" , image_map = New Caledonia on the globe (small islands magnified) (Polynesia centered).svg , map_alt = Location of New Caledonia , map_caption = Location of New Caledonia , mapsize = 290px , subdivision_type = Sovereign st ...

, and as of 2012, in the

United Arab Emirates The United Arab Emirates (UAE; ar, اَلْإِمَارَات الْعَرَبِيَة الْمُتَحِدَة ), or simply the Emirates ( ar, الِْإمَارَات ), is a country in Western Asia (Middle East, The Middle East). It is ...

as a deployed Legion infantry company of the 13e DBLE, alternating with legion infantry units from metropolitan France. In 2012, one of the units in the

protected the French Military Hospital during Operation Tamour (french: Opération Tamour) in

Jordan Jordan ( ar, الأردن; tr. ' ), officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan,; tr. ' is a country in Western Asia. It is situated at the crossroads of Asia, Africa, and Europe, within the Levant region, on the East Bank of the Jordan Rive ...

. During the night of January 27 and January 28, 2013, a company of the 2e REP was parachuted on the city of Tombouctou, within the cadre

Operation Serval Operation Serval (french: Opération Serval) was a French military operation in Mali. The aim of the operation was to oust Islamic militants from the north of Mali, who had begun a push into the center of Mali. Operation Serval followed the ...

Mali Mali (; ), officially the Republic of Mali,, , ff, 𞤈𞤫𞤲𞥆𞤣𞤢𞥄𞤲𞤣𞤭 𞤃𞤢𞥄𞤤𞤭, Renndaandi Maali, italics=no, ar, جمهورية مالي, Jumhūriyyāt Mālī is a landlocked country in West Africa. Ma ...

, a first since the Operation Bonite (Kolwezi) in 1978. In 2015, a fifth combat company was formed, specialized in the actions of desert warfare.

Global War on Terror from 2015 until present

having been replaced by

Operation Barkhane Operation Barkhane was an anti-insurgent operation that started on 1 August 2014 and formally ended on 9 November 2022. It was led by the French military against Islamist groups in Africa's Sahel region.Terror in France and

Opération Sentinelle Opération Sentinelle is a French military operation with 10,000 soldiers and 4,700 police and gendarmes deployed since the aftermath of the January 2015 Île-de-France attacks, with the objective of protecting the deemed sensitive "points" of th ...

means the regiment operates in mainland France.

Selection

"Shaping up" for 2e R.E.P takes 12 months of physical, mental and psychological tests across all terrain and weather conditions including special operations training. 2e R.E.P is the only regiment of the 11th Parachute Brigade which trains their own paratroopers. The Legionnaires spend their parachute training in Calvi TAP within the walls of the regiment. All other French Army paratrooper units are trained at the École des troupes aéroportées (ETAP) in Pau.

Organization

The regiment is composed of around 1310 men organized into 10 companies and a reserve unit of 60 men. The structure of the 2nd Foreign Parachute Regiment as 2018: * Compagnie de Commandement et de Logistique (CCL) – Command and Logistics Company * Compagnie d'Administration et de Soutien (CAS) – Administrative and Support Company * 1^re CIE – 1st Company (specialises in

Urban warfare Urban warfare is combat conducted in urban areas such as towns and cities. Urban combat differs from combat in the open at both the operational and the tactical levels. Complicating factors in urban warfare include the presence of civilians a ...

)Originally specialised in

Night Night (also described as night time, unconventionally spelled as "nite") is the period of ambient darkness from sunset to sunrise during each 24-hour day, when the Sun is below the horizon. The exact time when night begins and ends depends ...

and

Anti-tank warfare Anti-tank warfare originated from the need to develop technology and tactics to destroy tanks during World War I. Since the Triple Entente deployed the first tanks in 1916, the German Empire developed the first anti-tank weapons. The first dev ...

. (a command section and 4 combat sections - note that a French section is equivalent to a platoon in Anglophone armies) * 2^e CIE – 2nd Company (specialises in

Mountain warfare Mountain warfare (also known as alpine warfare) is warfare in mountains or similarly rough terrain. Mountain ranges are of strategic importance since they often act as a natural border, and may also be the origin of a water source (for example, ...

) (a command section and 4 combat sections) * 3^e CIE – 3rd Company (specialises in

Amphibious warfare Amphibious warfare is a type of offensive military operation that today uses naval ships to project ground and air power onto a hostile or potentially hostile shore at a designated landing beach. Through history the operations were conducted ...

) (a command section and 4 combat sections) * 4^e CIE – 4th Company (specialises in Woodland Warfare) (a command section and 4 combat sections) * 5^e CIE – 5th Company (specialises in Desert warfare) ( a command section and 4 combat sections) * Compagnie d'Appui (CA) (then known as ''Compagnie d'éclairage et d'appui'' – ''CEA'') – Combat Support Company ** Missile Moyenne Portée (MMP) – Portable Medium-range Missile Platoon ** Section d'Appui Mitrailleuse (SAM) – Machine Gun Support Platoon ** Section de Tireurs d'Elite (STE) – Elite Snipers Platoon ** Groupement des Commandos Parachutistes (GCP) – Parachute Commando Group * Compagnie de Maintenance Régimentaire (CMR) (then known as 5^e Compagnie de maintenance – 5^e CM) – Regimental Maintenance Company (formed August 1994) * 6e Compagnie de Réserve (6^e CIE) – 6th Reserve Company (founded July 2001 upon the dissolution of the 173rd Infantry Regiment of Corsica) Consisting similarly to the DINOPS, PCG, GCM of the Legion REGs, the 2^e REP operates more specialized action teams, known more recently as the GCP of the Commando Parachute Group – ''Groupement Commando Parachutiste'' which is a

special forces Special forces and special operations forces (SOF) are military units trained to conduct special operations. NATO has defined special operations as "military activities conducted by specially designated, organized, selected, trained and equi ...

unit of the 11th Parachute Brigade of the

. While GCP members of other specialized regular units wear the parachutist's red beret, the 2^e REP GCP members wear the green beret.

Traditions

Except for the

of the 1^er REG, 2^e REG, 2^e REP that conserve the Green Beret; the remainder of the French army metropolitan and marine paratroopers forming the 11th Parachute Brigade wear the Red Beret. File:Brevet Parachutiste.jpg, French parachute brevet.

Insignias

The insignia of the French metropolitan Paratroopers represents a closed "winged armed dextrochere", meaning a "right winged arm" armed with a sword pointing upwards. The Insignia makes reference to the Patron of Paratroopers. In fact, the Insignia represents "the right Arm of Saint Michael", the

Archangel Archangels () are the second lowest rank of angel in the hierarchy of angels. The word ''archangel'' itself is usually associated with the Abrahamic religions, but beings that are very similar to archangels are found in a number of other relig ...

which according to

Liturgy Liturgy is the customary public ritual of worship performed by a religious group. ''Liturgy'' can also be used to refer specifically to public worship by Christians. As a religious phenomenon, liturgy represents a communal response to and partic ...

is the "Armed Arm of God". This Insignia is the symbol of righteous combat and fidelity to superior missions. File:Cie para 3REI.JPG, Co. Para du 3^e R.E.I in the 1^er B.E.P and 1^er R.E.P File:Insigne1erBEP.jpg, 1^er B.E.P File:Monument aux morts legion para.jpg,

, Sous-Officiers and

of the C.E.Ps, B.E.Ps and R.E.Ps File:Insigne du 1° REP.jpg, 1^er R.E.P File:Insigne3REP.jpg, 3^e B.E.P & 3^e R.E.P File:Insigne 1°CEPML.jpg, 1^re C.E.P de M.L File:CERA.JPG, C.E.R.A File:Insigne 2e régiment étranger de parachutistes.jpg, 2^e B.E.P

Regimental Colors

2e régiment étranger de parachutistes-drapeau

''Bearing stitched in golden letters, the following inscriptions''.

Regimental Songs

Chant de Marche : La Légion marche featuring: La Légion marche vers le front, En chantant nous suivons, Héritiers de ses traditions, Nous sommes avec elle. (Refrain) Nous sommes les hommes des troupes d'assaut, Soldats de la vieille Légion, Demain brandissant nos drapeaux, En vainqueurs nous défilerons, Nous n'avons pas seulement des armes, Mais le diable marche avec nous, Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, car nos aînés de la Légion, Se battant là-bas, nous emboîtons le pas. Pour ce destin de chevalier, Honneur, Fidélité, Nous sommes fiers d'appartenir Au 2^e REP.

Decorations

The regimental colors are decorated 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: ** 6 palms obtained during the campaigns of the

First Indochina War The First Indochina War (generally known as the Indochina War in France, and as the Anti-French Resistance War in Vietnam) began in French Indochina from 19 December 1946 to 20 July 1954 between France and Việt Minh (Democratic Republic of Vi ...

. The 6 palms obtained during the same campaign allows the regiment to wear the red fourragère. * Fourragère with: ** ruban colors of the Légion d'honneur, only two regiments (2^e R.E.P & 1^er R.C.P) earned this fourragère for participating in military campaigns in Indochina. The 2^e REP has received a second fourragère Valeur Militaire in July 2013Official Website of the 2nd Foreign Parachute Regiment, Traditions, Le Drapeau du 2e REP
/ref> *

Cross for Military Valour 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 ...

with 4 palms for the following citations: ** Intervention at

Loyada Loyada ( ar, لويعدا , so, Lowyacadde) is a small town in Djibouti. Located in the Arta Region, it is the only official border crossing from Djibouti into Somaliland. It is situated on the west coast of Gulf of Aden, from the capital, Djibou ...

( Djibouti, frontier with

) in 1976 and the Battle of Kolwezi in 1978. ** Interventions in

with the contingents of ISAF(2 palms). ** Airborne operations on

Timbuktu Timbuktu ( ; french: Tombouctou; Koyra Chiini: ); tmh, label=Tuareg, script=Tfng, ⵜⵏⴱⴾⵜ, Tin Buqt a city in Mali, situated north of the Niger River. The town is the capital of the Tombouctou Region, one of the eight administrativ ...

during

in 2013. * Fourragère with: ** the attribution of the two citations for the same operation theatre confers the right to wear the fourragère with colors of the Croix de la Valeur militaire (as of July, 2013)circulaire n°, 13913/SDBC/DECO créant une fourragère à la couleur croix de la Valeur militaire du 28 novembre 2011 and the olive colors of the

Médaille militaire The ''Médaille militaire'' ( en, Military Medal) is a military decoration of the French Republic for other ranks for meritorious service and acts of bravery in action against an enemy force. It is the third highest award of the French Republic, ...

for the ensemble of the four conferred citations. File:Croix de la Valeur Militaire France AVERS.jpg, File:Croix de guerre des TOE.jpg, File:Fourragère LH.png,

Honours

=Battle honours

= * Camerone 1863Camerone is a Battle Honour shared by all Foreign Legion Regiments, no matter when it was formed. * Indochine 1949–1954 * AFN 1952–1962

Company, Battalion & Regimental Commanders

''Note (*): Legion officers killed leading their battalions and regiments''

2nd Foreign Parachute Battalion (1948–1955)

2nd Foreign Parachute Regiment 1955–present

Notable Officers, Sous-Officiers and Legionnaires

Notes

References

* Official website of th
French Foreign Legion
* Porch, Douglas. ''The French Foreign Legion.'' New York: Harper Collins, 1991. * Braby, Wayne & Windrow, Martin. ''French Foreign Legion Paratroops.'' Oxford: Osprey Publishing, 1985. * Lochrie, Alex. ''Fighting for the French Foreign Legion.'' London: Pen & Sword, 2009. * The 2e Rep: French Foreign Legion Paratroopers, Yves Debay, Histoire & Collections, 2003, ,

External links

* Official website �
2e Régiment étranger de parachutistes

2eREP veterans forum
* History and images �
2e REP History
{{DEFAULTSORT:Foreign Parachute Regiment, 2nd French Army Parachute regiments of France Regiments of the French Foreign Legion Military units and formations established in 1955