The 4th Dragoon Regiment () was a

cavalry Historically, cavalry (from the French word ''cavalerie'', itself derived from ''cheval'' meaning "horse") are groups of soldiers or warriors who Horses in warfare, fight mounted on horseback. Until the 20th century, cavalry were the most mob ...

unit created during the

Ancien Regime ''Ancien'' may refer to * the French word for "ancient, old" ** Société des anciens textes français * the French for "former, senior" ** Virelai ancien ** Ancien Régime ''Ancien'' may refer to * the French word for " ancient, old" ** Socié ...

and was dissolved on July 11, 2014.

Creation and different names

* 1667 : creation of the 4^e Régiment de dragons under the designation of Beaupré-Cavalry * 1684 : Chartres-Cavalry * 1724 : Clermont-Prince-Cavalry * 1771 : Marche-Prince-Cavalry * 1776 : Conti-Dragons * 1791 : 4^e Régiment de dragons * 1814 : 2^e Régiment de dragons de la Reine * 1815 : 4^e Régiment de dragons * 1815 : dissolution of the regiment * 1816 : creation under the designation of Régiment des dragons de la Gironde * 1825 : 4^e Régiment de dragons * 1926 : dissolution of the regiment * 1929 : creation of the regiment under the designation of 4^e bataillon de dragons portés from the 4^e groupe de chasseurs cyclistes * 1935 : 4^e Régiment de dragons portés * 1940 : dissolution of the regiment * 1947 : creation of the regiment under the designation of 4^e bataillon de dragons portés * 1948 : 4^e Régiment de dragons portés * 1950 : 4^e Régiment de dragons * 1954 : dissolution of the regiment * 1955 : creation of 4^e Régiment de dragons * 1962 : dissolution of the regiment * 1968 : creation of 4^e Régiment de dragons * 1990 : squadrons group of 4^e Régiment de dragons * 1994 : dissolution of the regiment * July 27, 2009 : recreation of 4^e Régiment de dragons by designation change nomination of the 1^er-11^e Régiment de cuirassiers. * July 11, 2014 : dissolution.

History

Ancien Regime

The unit took part in all campaigns of the

: * Guerre de Hollande (1672–1678) * Guerre de la Ligue d'Augsbourg (1689–1697) *

War of the Spanish Succession The War of the Spanish Succession was a European great power conflict fought between 1701 and 1714. The immediate cause was the death of the childless Charles II of Spain in November 1700, which led to a struggle for control of the Spanish E ...

(1701–1713) *

War of the Quadruple Alliance The War of the Quadruple Alliance, 1718 to 1720, was a conflict between Spain and a coalition of Austria, Great Britain, France, and Savoy, joined in 1719 by the Dutch Republic. Most of the fighting took place in Sicily and Spain, with minor engag ...

(1719) *

War of the Polish Succession The War of the Polish Succession (; 1733–35) was a major European conflict sparked by a civil war in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth over the succession to Augustus II the Strong, which the other European powers widened in pursuit of ...

(1733–1736) *

War of the Austrian Succession The War of the Austrian Succession was a European conflict fought between 1740 and 1748, primarily in Central Europe, the Austrian Netherlands, Italian Peninsula, Italy, the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea. Related conflicts include King Ge ...

(1740–1748) *

Seven Years' War The Seven Years' War, 1756 to 1763, was a Great Power conflict fought primarily in Europe, with significant subsidiary campaigns in North America and South Asia. The protagonists were Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and Kingdom of Prus ...

(1756–1763)

Wars of the Revolution & Empire

1815 to 1848

The unit was designated as the 2^e Régiment des dragons de la Reine under the first restoration, then readopted the old designation during the 100 days; following the abdication of Napoleon I^er, the unit was designated as dragons de la Gironde, then retook the number designation 4 in 1825.

Second Empire

The regiment led life in the garrison without any history.

1871 to 1914

In 1870, the regiment participated to combats of the

Armée de la Loire The Armée de la Loire was a French army of the Franco-Prussian War. It was formed in October 1870 by Léon Gambetta, interior minister and minister for war in the Government of National Defence, then taking refuge in Tours after the French de ...

.
During the

Paris Commune The Paris Commune (, ) was a French revolutionary government that seized power in Paris on 18 March 1871 and controlled parts of the city until 28 May 1871. During the Franco-Prussian War of 1870–71, the French National Guard (France), Nation ...

in 1871, the regiment participated with the Armée Versaillaise.

World War I

The regiment joined in 1913 the 12^e brigade de dragons at Commercy and Sézanne (2^e division de cavalerie from August 1914 to November 1918). The 2nd Cavalry Division is attached to the cavalry corps of général Conneau until September 1, 1914. * In 1914, the regiment covered the 1^er and 2^e armées from August 4 to 15 1914. At La Mortagne on August 25, two squadrons hold the wooden forest of de Lalau alongside the chasseur à pied. Under the orders of colonel Dolfus, the regiment apprehended the villages of Chazelles and Gondrexon on November 2, and ten days later, those of Saint-Sauveur and Val-et-Châtillon. After the battle of the Marne, the regiment joined the trenches. * In 1915, the regiment led combats on Lorraine. * In 1916 in Alsace until June, then in the valley of La Somme east to Amiens, ready to exploit by horse a successful anticipation. Following the failure of the offensive, the regiment was back in the trenches. * From November 1916 to January 1917, the regiment joined the trenches of Soissons. At the beginning of the month of March, the regiment is the camp of Mailly. On April 17, the regiment assisted to the

Second Battle of the Aisne The Second Battle of the Aisne ( or , 16 April – mid-May 1917) was the main part of the Nivelle Offensive, a French Third Republic, Franco-British attempt to inflict a decisive defeat on the German Empire, German armies in France. The Entente ...

without taking part in the battle. The regiment joined the sector of Ludes, east of Reims until January 1918. In the meantime, in June and September, the regiment was in the outskirts of

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

to fend off any internal complications. In February 1918, the regiment was summoned for the same reasons at Valence, then Saint-Étienne. * Following the

German spring offensive The German spring offensive, also known as ''Kaiserschlacht'' ("Kaiser's Battle") or the Ludendorff offensive, was a series of German Empire, German attacks along the Western Front (World War I), Western Front during the World War I, First Wor ...

end of Mars on Amiens, the regiment let combats in the Flandres at mont des Cats. The regiment was successful at Locre from April 26 to 29 1918, enduring the loss of 80% of effectifs and being cited at the orders of the armed forces. Following a forced march of 200 km, the regiment led combats on Ourcq and apprehended Montmarlet and Montemafroy. The regiment was seen attributed a second citation at the orders of the armed forces, and the fourragere with colors of the croix de guerre 1914–1918.

Interwar period

From 1918 to 1923, the regiment garrisoned at Castres, then Carcasonne where a dissolution was placed in effect in 1926. Recreated in 1929 under the designation of 4^e bataillon de dragons portés 4^e BDP, the regiment was formed at Trèves from elements of the 4^e groupe de chasseurs cyclistes. The regiment was equipped with chenilettes Citroën, automatic machine guns AMR and side-cars. In 1935, the regiment was designated as 4^e régiment de dragons portés and garrisoned at Verdun.

World War II

On May 10, 1940, the regiment, with the rest of the 1st Light Mechanized Division, made way to Holland, region of Tilburg. On May 12 and 13 and following intense combats, the regiment took a hard turn on the south of the Albert canal, then made way to

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

. The regiment was engaged in combat during the entire

Battle of France The Battle of France (; 10 May – 25 June 1940), also known as the Western Campaign (), the French Campaign (, ) and the Fall of France, during the Second World War was the Nazi Germany, German invasion of the Low Countries (Belgium, Luxembour ...

. The regiment was dissolved on July 8, 1940 and was cited at the orders of the armed forces for conduit during the short campaign duration. French Mounted Dragoon Rgt DLM ORBAT 1940

French Mounted Dragoon Rgt DLM ORBAT 1940

1945 to 1994

Recreated in February 1947 under the designation of 4^e bataillon de dragons portés, the battalion was sent to

Tonkin Tonkin, also spelled Tongkin, Tonquin or Tongking, is an exonym referring to the northern region of Vietnam. During the 17th and 18th centuries, this term referred to the domain '' Đàng Ngoài'' under Trịnh lords' control, including both the ...

on March 25 of the same year.
The battalion was sent to Cochinchine in 1948, on November 1, the battalion was redesignated as 4^e régiment de dragons portés.
The regiment became 4^e Régiment de dragons on February 16, 1950. On June 30, 1954, the regiment was dissolved after a 7-year presence in

Indochina Mainland Southeast Asia (historically known as Indochina and the Indochinese Peninsula) 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 th ...

.
The regiment was cited twice at the orders of the armed corps.
The 4^e Régiment de dragons was formed from elements of the 5th Armoured Division 5^e DB on November 15, 1955, in West Germany, then was sent to

Algeria Algeria, officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It is bordered to Algeria–Tunisia border, the northeast by Tunisia; to Algeria–Libya border, the east by Libya; to Alger ...

on June 19.
On April 28, 1968, at Olivet, the regiment was recreated and equipped with

AMX-13 The AMX-13 is a French light tank produced from 1952 to 1987. It served with the French Army, as the Char 13t-75 Modèle 51, and was exported to more than 26 other nations. Named after its initial weight of 13 tonnes, and featuring a tough and re ...

tanks, composed of two squadrons and two companies of

VTT VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland Ltd is a state-owned and controlled non-profit limited liability company. VTT is the largest research and technology company and research centre conducting applied research in Finland. It provides resear ...

.
On June 30, 1979, the regiment was dissolved.
The regiment was recreated on September 1, 1979, at Mourmelon-le-Grand. The regiment was accordingly equipped with 54 AMX 30 B2. The first squadron of the regiment was professionalized and participated in

Tchad Chad, 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 to the south, Cameroon to the southwest, ...

Operation Manta Operation Manta was a French military intervention in Chad between 1983 and 1984, during the Chadian–Libyan conflict. The operation was prompted by the invasion of Chad by a joint force of Libyan units and Chadian Transitional Government of N ...

from January to June 1984. The regiment was entirely professionalized in 1990.
the 4^e dragons was the (heavy AMX-30 B2) armoured tank cavalry regiment of

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 n ...

during the

first Gulf War The Gulf War (1990–1991) was an armed conflict between Iraq and a multinational military coalition led by the United States, triggered by the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait in August 1990. Persian Gulf War may also refer to: * Shatt al-Arab conflict ...

. The regiment participated to the principal mission of the division in liaison with the

3rd Marine Infantry Regiment The 3rd Marine Infantry Regiment () is a unit of the French Army. The 3e RIMa is one of the oldest of the troupes de marine. This regiment is one of the "Quatre Grands" of marine infantry once garrisoned within the four military ports, ready to ...

3^e RIMa. The regiment was cited at the orders of the armed forces and was awarded the croix de guerre des théâtres d’opérations extérieurs with palm.
The regiment participated in September 1992 within the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...

cadres force

FORPRONU 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 Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bosnia and ...

. Strong with two units, the regiment participated to readying an

infantry Infantry, or infantryman are a type of soldier who specialize in ground combat, typically fighting dismounted. Historically the term was used to describe foot soldiers, i.e. those who march and fight on foot. In modern usage, the term broadl ...

battalion acting in Croatia.
Dissolved in 1994, on June 28, 2006, the honor guard was entrusted to the combat training center at Mailly.

2009 to 2014

The 4^e Régiment de dragons was reactivated in 2009 by dissolution of the 1^er-11^e Régiment de cuirassiers de Carpiagne and equipped with Leclerc tanks. A part of the regiment was deployed to Lebanon at the corps of the

United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (; ), or UNIFIL (; ) is a United Nations peacekeeping mission established on 19 March 1978 by United Nations Security Council Resolutions United Nations Security Council Resolution 425, 425 and Unit ...

. The regiment formed the composition of 7th Armoured Brigade. The 4^e RD, recreated on August 1, 2009, succeeded to the 1^er-11^e Régiment de cuirassiers de Carpiagne. The regiment was restructured in the summer of 2009 passing by an organization bi-bataillonnaire to a structure of 4 tank squadrons supported by a rear defensive base. Announced in the 2013 restructurations, the regiment was dissolved on July 11, 2014.

Subordinations

The regiment is subordinated to the

7th Armoured Brigade Seventh is the ordinal number (linguistics), ordinal form of the number 7, seven. Seventh may refer to: * Seventh Amendment to the United States Constitution * A fraction (mathematics), , equal to one of seven equal parts Film and television *"T ...

, a part component of terrestrial forces.

Compositions

* four Leclerc squadrons * one logistics & command squadron * one reserve squadron

Missions

In 2009, 70% of the regiment was deployed to

Lebanon Lebanon, officially the Republic of Lebanon, is a country in the Levant region of West Asia. Situated at the crossroads of the Mediterranean Basin and the Arabian Peninsula, it is bordered by Syria to the north and east, Israel to the south ...

Kosovo Kosovo, officially the Republic of Kosovo, is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe with International recognition of Kosovo, partial diplomatic recognition. It is bordered by Albania to the southwest, Montenegro to the west, Serbia to the ...

Senegal Senegal, officially the Republic of Senegal, is the westernmost country in West Africa, situated on the Atlantic Ocean coastline. It borders Mauritania to Mauritania–Senegal border, the north, Mali to Mali–Senegal border, the east, Guinea t ...

and

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. It is bordered by Pakistan to the Durand Line, east and south, Iran to the Afghanistan–Iran borde ...

. The plan Vigipirate constituted equally an important mission part for the regiment, assured all year long in Paris and in regions around

Traditions & uniforms

The uniformed royal ordinance of 1786 fixed the uniforms of the Régiments de dragons. The uniform background is dark green (vert dragon). The uniforms are of a distinct color attributed to each regiment.« Dragons 1789 » sur 1789-1815.com.
/ref> Cav clermont 1757.png, Clermont cavalry 1757 Cav Conti 1762.png, Conti cavalry 1762 Conti 1776.PNG, Conti dragons 1776 Conti dragons 1779.png, Conti dragons 1779 Conti dragons 1786.png, Conti dragons 1786 4RD 1791.PNG, 4^e dragons 1791

Regimental Colors

Decorations

The regimental colors of the 4^e Régiment de dragons is decorated with: *

Croix de guerre 1914–1918 Croix (French for "cross") may refer to: Belgium * Croix-lez-Rouveroy, a village in municipality of Estinnes in the province of Hainaut France * Croix, Nord, in the Nord department * Croix, Territoire de Belfort, in the Territoire de Belfort depa ...

with: ** 2 palms *

Croix de guerre 1939-1945 Croix (French for "cross") may refer to: Belgium * Croix-lez-Rouveroy, a village in municipality of Estinnes in the province of Hainaut France * Croix, Nord, in the Nord department * Croix, Territoire de Belfort, in the Territoire de Belfort depa ...

with : ** 1 palm *

Croix de guerre des théâtres d'opérations extérieures The (; "War Cross for Foreign Operational Theatres"), also called the for short, is a French military award denoting citations earned in combat in foreign countries. The Armistice of November 11, 1918 ended the war between France and Germa ...

with: ** 2 vermeil stars (for service in Indochina) * Croix de guerre des théâtres d'opérations extérieures with : ** 1 palm * croix de la vaillance vietnamienne: ** with 1 vermeil star Fourragere: * The regiment bears wearing the fourragere with colors of the croix de guerre 1914–1918. Image:Fourragère CG.png, Fourragère with colors of the croix de guerre 1914-1918

Honours

Battle Honours

* Valmy 1792 *Eylau 1807 *Badajoz 1811 *Nangis 1814 *La Mortagne 1914 *L'Avre 1918 *Flandres 1918 *L'Aisne 1918 *Indochine 1947–1954 *AFN 1952-19623 *Koweït 1990–1991

Regimental Commanders

Notable Officers & dragons

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 offic ...

Maxime Weygand Maxime Weygand (; 21 January 1867 – 28 January 1965) was a French military commander in World War I and World War II, as well as a high ranking member of the Vichy France, Vichy regime. Born in Belgium, Weygand was raised in France and educate ...

(1888), then a

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a Junior officer, junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, Security agency, security services ...

References

Sources et bibliographies

* Musée des Blindés ou Association des amis du musée des Blindés 1043, route de

Fontevraud Fontevraud-l'Abbaye () is a commune in the western French department of Maine-et-Loire. It is situated both in the Loire Valley, a UNESCO World Heritage Site between Chalonnes-sur-Loire and Sully-sur-Loire, and the Loire Anjou Touraine Frenc ...

, 49400

Saumur Saumur () is a Communes of France, commune in the Maine-et-Loire Departments of France, department in western France. The town is located between the Loire and Thouet rivers, and is surrounded by the vineyards of Saumur itself, Chinon, Bourgu ...

''France militaire''
by Abel Hugo, 1838 {{DEFAULTSORT:4e Regiment de dragons Dragoon regiments of France 1667 establishments in France 2014 disestablishments in France Military units and formations established in 1667 Military units and formations disestablished in 2014 Regiments of France in World War I Regiments of France in World War II