The 6th Engineers Regiment () is a regiment of the ''génie militaire'' of the

French Military The French Armed Forces (, ) are the military forces of France. They consist of four military branches – the Army, the Navy, the Air and Space Force, and the National Gendarmerie. The National Guard serves as the French Armed Forces' military ...

constituted under the IIIrd Republic. It is the only Engineers Regiment among the Troupes de Marine (French Marine Corps).

Creation and different nominations

In 1894 : 6th Engineer Regiment 6^e RG was created, on October 1 at Angers. The regiment was installed in garrison Eblé designated after the

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 ...

whose men perished while constructing the bridges on the Bérézina.

History

1894 to 1914

* 1894 : Angers * 1895 : Campaigns in Madagascar * 1900 : China

World War I

* 1914 :

La Marne La Marne (; Gallo: ''La Marnn'', ) is a commune in the Loire-Atlantique department in western France. Population See also *Communes of the Loire-Atlantique department The following is a list of the 207 communes of the Loire-Atlantique ...

* 1916 :

Verdun Verdun ( , ; ; ; official name before 1970: Verdun-sur-Meuse) is a city in the Meuse (department), Meuse departments of France, department in Grand Est, northeastern France. It is an arrondissement of the department. In 843, the Treaty of V ...

* 1917 : L'Aisne * 1918 : Champagne During the campaign of 1914-1918, 17 companies of the regiment were cited 72 times (out of which 47 citations at the orders of the armed forces). 15 companies of the regiment were awarded the right to wear the fourragere of the

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 ...

Interwar period

* 1918-1939 : Angers * 1925-1927:

Rif War The Rif War (, , ) was an armed conflict fought from 1921 to 1926 between Spain (joined by France in 1924) and the Berber tribes of the mountainous Rif region of northern Morocco. Led by Abd el-Krim, the Riffians at first inflicted several ...

World War II

In June 1940, the 6th Engineer Regiment participated to the combats of the Cadets of Saumur. Missioned by lieutenant-colonel Robert, regimental commander of the depot of the 6th Engineer Regiment, lieutenant Rousseau was the chief head center at Saumur and had at his disposition, for each bridge, one officer with some 30 men : lieutenant Martin on the bridge of Montsoreau, lieutenant Poupon on the bridge of VR de Saumur, sous-lieutenant Fraisier on the bridge of VF de Saumur, sous-lieutenant Falck on the bridge of Gennes. In total, there were 120 men at the war depot of the 6th Engineer Regiment which supported the combats of the

Cadets A cadet is a student or trainee within various organisations, primarily in military contexts where individuals undergo training to become commissioned officers. However, several civilian organisations, including civil aviation groups, maritime o ...

of Saumur. Captain Schneider was cited for the defensive mounted on the bridge of Port-Boulet. At mobilization in September 1939, the 71st Engineer Battalion was created at Angers. The active encadrement of this unique regiment of engineer of the 1st Colonial Infantry Division 1^re DIC was issued from the 6th Engineer Regiment. From that came the links between the 71st and 6th, out of which in 1997, was summarized by the transfer to the 6^e RG of a complete consecutive company at the dissolution of the 71st.

1945 to present

Following

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, the 6th was garrisoned in Angers at garrison Vernau, in designation of Jean-Edouard Verneau, a resistant French

, deceased in deportation in 1944. * 1946 - : garrison at Angers. * 1945 - 1954 : participated to the

French Far East Expeditionary Corps The French Far East Expeditionary Corps (, CEFEO) was a colonial expeditionary force of the French Union Army that was initially formed in French Indochina in 1945 during the Pacific War. The CEFEO later fought and lost in the First Indochina Wa ...

. * 1977 - 1984 : 4th Cavalry Division (). * 1984 - 1993 : 3rd Army Corps. * 1993 - : 9th Marine Infantry Division 9^e DIMa, then 9th Light Armoured Marine Brigade 9^e BLBMa, then designated

9th Marine Infantry Brigade The 9 Marine Infantry Brigade () is a light armoured, amphibious unit of the '' Troupes de marine'' of the French Army. In July 1963, the 9 Brigade was created in Brittany. On 1 January 1976, the 9th Brigade became the 9th Marine Infantry Divis ...

9^e BIMa. ** Interventions in

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 ...

Guyana Guyana, officially the Co-operative Republic of Guyana, is a country on the northern coast of South America, part of the historic British West Indies. entry "Guyana" Georgetown, Guyana, Georgetown is the capital of Guyana and is also the co ...

Central African Republic The Central African Republic (CAR) is a landlocked country in Central Africa. It is bordered by Chad to Central African Republic–Chad border, the north, Sudan to Central African Republic–Sudan border, the northeast, South Sudan to Central ...

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, ...

Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...

Kuwait Kuwait, officially the State of Kuwait, is a country in West Asia and the geopolitical region known as the Middle East. It is situated in the northern edge of the Arabian Peninsula at the head of the Persian Gulf, bordering Iraq to Iraq–Kuwait ...

Somalia Somalia, officially the Federal Republic of Somalia, is the easternmost country in continental Africa. The country is located in the Horn of Africa and is bordered by Ethiopia to the west, Djibouti to the northwest, Kenya to the southwest, th ...

Rwanda Rwanda, officially the Republic of Rwanda, is a landlocked country in the Great Rift Valley of East Africa, where the African Great Lakes region and Southeast Africa converge. Located a few degrees south of the Equator, Rwanda is bordered by ...

Cambodia Cambodia, officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. It is bordered by Thailand to the northwest, Laos to the north, and Vietnam to the east, and has a coastline ...

, Congo,

Albania Albania ( ; or ), officially the Republic of Albania (), is a country in Southeast Europe. It is located in the Balkans, on the Adriatic Sea, Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea, and shares land borders with Montenegro to ...

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 ...

and

Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina, sometimes known as Bosnia-Herzegovina and informally as Bosnia, is a country in Southeast Europe. Situated on the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula, it borders Serbia to the east, Montenegro to the southeast, and Croatia to th ...

. ** Since 2004, 500 sapeurs of the 6th Engineer Regiment deployed to the

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

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 ...

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 ...

Martinique Martinique ( ; or ; Kalinago language, Kalinago: or ) is an island in the Lesser Antilles of the West Indies, in the eastern Caribbean Sea. It was previously known as Iguanacaera which translates to iguana island in Carib language, Kariʼn ...

Mayotte Mayotte ( ; , ; , ; , ), officially the Department of Mayotte (), is an Overseas France, overseas Overseas departments and regions of France, department and region and single territorial collectivity of France. It is one of the Overseas departm ...

and

Haiti Haiti, officially the Republic of Haiti, is a country on the island of Hispaniola in the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, and south of the Bahamas. It occupies the western three-eighths of the island, which it shares with the Dominican ...

. ** In February 2006, a hundred sapeurs were deployed to aid the populations of the Reunion in an epidemic. ** In 2010 : the "6" integrated two companies in the 2nd Engineer Regiment 2^e RG and one reserve company 22nd Marine Infantry Battalion 22^e BIMa. ** In 2013 : the "6" was engaged in Mali during Operation Serval.

Traditions

Motto

To recall the commitment, fidelity and hardship work of the sapeurs of the "6", the writer

Hervé Bazin Hervé Bazin (; 17 April 191117 February 1996) was a French writer, whose best-known novels covered semi-autobiographical topics of teenage rebellion and dysfunctional families. Biography Bazin, born Jean-Pierre Hervé-Bazin in Angers, Maine ...

, nominated the motto of the regiment "Je continuerai". In the years of 1980, the motto was "Parfois détruire, souvent construire, toujours servir".

Nickname

The Marine soldiers are called "marsouins" when coming from the infantry or light cavalry and "bigors" when coming from the artillery. The engineers being more recently added in the French Marines, they do not have a traditional nickname. They are called "sapeurs de Marine" (Marine engineers).

Regimental Colors

Decorations

The regimental colors of the 6th Engineer Regiment 6^e RG is decorated with: * 15 companies of the 6th Engineer Regiment, were cited numerous times for collective and individual acts of valor during the 1914-1918 world conflict and two citations at the orders of the armed forces. *

with: ** 2 palms *

Croix de la Valeur militaire 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 d ...

with: ** 1 palm (May 4, 2013) Fourragere: *Fourragère with colors of the

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 ...

Image:Fourragère_aux_couleurs_de_la_croix_de_guerre_1914-1918.jpg, Fourragère aux couleurs du ruban de la

Honours

Battle Honours

*Madagascar 1895 *La Marne 1914 *Verdun 1916 *L'Aisne 1917 *Champagne 1918

Regimental Commander

{, , - , valign=top , * 1894 - 1897 : Colonel Dalstein * 1897 - 1899 : Colonel Gillet * 1899 - 1902 : Colonel Mortagne * 1902 - 1904 : Colonel Mague * 1904 - 1905 : Colonel Petitbon * 1905 - 1908 : Colonel Bourdeaux * 1908 - 1911 : Colonel Alby * 1911 - 1912 : Colonel de Montdesir * 1914 - 1919 : Colonel Bernard * 1919 - 1920 : Lieutenant-colonel Leroux * 1920 - 1922 : Colonel Thomas * 1922 - 1924 : Colonel Leroux * 1924 - 1926 : Colonel Letourneur * 1926 - 1928 : Colonel Tircaud * 1928 - 1930 : Colonel Gourandy , valign=top , * 1930 - 1932 : Colonel Alleau * 1932 - 1934 : Colonel Fillon * 1934 - 1936 : Colonel Froment * 1936 - 1938 : Colonel Tournoux * 1938 - 1939 : Colonel Carrier * 1939 - 1940 : Lieutenant-colonel Robert * 1940 - 1941 : Lieutenant-colonel Bastide * 1941 - 1942 : Lieutenant-colonel Malhomme * 1945 - 1946 : Lieutenant-colonel Guy * 1946 - 1950 : Colonel Malhomme * 1950 - 1952 : Colonel Besson * 1952 - 1953 : Colonel Muttin * 1953 - 1956 : Colonel Colin * 1956 - 1957 : Colonel Bonnamy * 1957 - 1959 : Colonel Cathala , valign=top , * 1959 - 1961 : Colonel Guilleret * 1961 - 1963 : Colonel Tricot * 1963 - 1964 : Colonel Siquier * 1964 - 1965 : Colonel Leconte * 1965 - 1967 : Colonel de Bouteiller * 1967 - 1969 : Colonel Ledermann * 1969 - 1971 : Colonel Lartigue * 1971 - 1973 : Colonel Georges * 1973 - 1975 : Colonel Tretjak * 1975 - 1977 : Colonel Munier * 1977 - 1979 : Colonel Teil * 1979 - 1981 : Colonel Bresson * 1981 - 1983 : Colonel Kervizic * 1983 - 1985 : Colonel Lalier * 1985 - 1987 : Colonel Laguerie , valign=top , * 1987 - 1990 : Colonel Leduc * 1990 - 1992 : Colonel Charvoz * 1992 - 1994 : Colonel Maral * 1994 - 1997 : Colonel Chinouilh * 1997 - 1999 : Colonel Gros * 1999 - 2001 : Colonel Daehn * 2001 - 2003 : Colonel de Goutte * 2003 - 2005 : Colonel Alabergère * 2005 - 2007 : Colonel de Jerphanion * 2007 - 2009 : Colonel Quevilly * 2009 - 2011 : Colonel Glinec * 2011 - 2013 : Colonel Crach * 2013 - 2015 : Colonel Combi * 2015 - : Colonel Guillot

External links

website (in French)
French engineer regiments Military units and formations established in 1894