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The French Foreign Legion (French: Légion étrangère, also known simply as la Légion, "the Legion") is a corps of the French Army created to allow foreign nationals into French service. [8] The Legion was founded in 1831 and today consists of several specialties, namely infantry , cavalry , engineers , and airborne troops . [ 9 ]
Blue or red sashes of the pattern shown were worn by all units of the Army of Africa; the Legion however, officially adopted the Ceinture Bleue (blue sash) in 1882. The Saharan Mounted Companies of the Foreign Legion consisted of legionnaires of various nationalities and races transferred from the existing Foreign Legion infantry and cavalry ...
This article lists the principal units of the Foreign Legion in the French Army created since 1831. Legion units are only cited once, based on their respective dates of creation. A dissolved Legion unit which is recreated under the same designation will only appear once. The last section of the list re-summarizes actual Legion units in service.
Between 80 and 100 men seconded from units of the French Foreign Legion as support elements; A legion infantry company (provided alternatively by the 2nd Foreign Parachute Regiment 2 e REP and the 2nd Foreign Infantry Regiment 2 e REI); An artillery unit armed with CAESAR; An infantry unit armed with VBCI.
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. [5] It is one of the four infantry regiments of the 11th Parachute Brigade and part of the spearhead of the French rapid reaction force. [6] [7]
It is the smallest operational unit of the French Army. [1] The main role of the detachment is to maintain a French presence in the region, enabling the French armed forces to quickly react to events in the Indian Ocean and the east coast of Africa. [2] [3] The Foreign Legion Detachment in Mayotte (DLEM) is an infantry regiment of the French Army.
The Foreign Legion provided mule mounted detachments for service in southern Algeria and, from 1940 to 1962, four of the Compagnies Sahariennes. In addition to the above, units or individuals from the mainland French Army were sometimes posted to service in North Africa, as were detachments of the Gendarmerie and the Tirailleurs Senegalais.
From the 1930s onwards, the Méharistes formed part of the Compagnies Sahariennes which also included motorised French and (from 1940) Foreign Legion units. Following the establishment of a French mandate over Syria in 1920, three méhariste companies were organised in that country as part of the French Army of the Levant.