List of French paratrooper units

Last updated
Chuteur Operationnel Instructor and Moniteur Brevet of the French Armed Forces. Moniteur chuteur.jpg
Chuteur Opérationnel Instructor and Moniteur Brevet of the French Armed Forces.
Chuteur Operationnel Brevet of Commando Parachute Group of the French Army. Chuteur Operationnel.jpg
Chuteur Opérationnel Brevet of Commando Parachute Group of the French Army.
Paratrooper Moniteur Brevet of the French Armed Forces. Instructeur Para.jpg
Paratrooper Moniteur Brevet of the French Armed Forces.
French Army Parachute Brevet. Brevet Parachutiste.jpg
French Army Parachute Brevet.

The history of French airborne units began in the Interwar period when the French Armed Forces formed specialized paratroopers units. First formed in the French Air Force, they were rapidly integrated into the French Army, French Navy, National Gendarmerie and from the British Armed Forces. Some were later included in the postwar French Armed Forces.

Contents

French Army

Parachute and airborne divisions

Parachute Brigades and Groups

Parachute Demi-Brigades

Parachute centers of formation and schools

Foreign Legion

Seven Flame grenade of the Foreign Legion. Grenade legion.svg
Seven Flame grenade of the Foreign Legion.

Legion parachute companies, battalions and regiments

Parachute (Airborne) Commandos of the Foreign Legion

Parachute Commandos of the 11th Parachute Brigade (11e BP) include:

Parachute, Underwater Demolition and Diving Units of the 6th Light Armoured Brigade (French : 6e Brigade Légère Blindée, 6e BLB) include:

  • 1st Foreign Engineer Regiment (1er REG) [8]
    • PCG Teams (Combat Engineer Divers, French : Plongeurs du Combat du Génie), former DINOPS Teams of Nautical Subaquatic Intervention Operational Detachment specialized in Parachute, Underwater Demolition and Diving.

Parachute, Underwater Demolition, Diving Units and Commandos of the 27th Mountain Infantry Brigade (27e MIB) include:

  • 2nd Foreign Engineer Regiment (2e REG) [9]
    • PCG Teams (Combat Engineer Divers, French : Plongeurs du Combat du Génie), former DINOPS Teams of Nautical Subaquatic Intervention Operational Detachment specialized in Parachute, Underwater Demolition and Diving. [10]
    • Mountain Commando Groups (GCM) [10]

Troupes de marine

Marine Infantry Parachute Regiments

Battalions and Colonial Parachute Groups

Parachute Artillery

35th Parachute Artillery Regiment of the 11th Parachute Brigade marching on Bastille Day military parade, Paris. 35th Parachute Artillery Regiment Bastille Day 2013 Paris t110829.jpg
35th Parachute Artillery Regiment of the 11th Parachute Brigade marching on Bastille Day military parade, Paris.

Parachute Cavalry

1st Parachute Hussar Regiment of the 11th Parachute Brigade, on Bastille Day, Paris. ERC-90 Sagaie 008 FR.JPG
1st Parachute Hussar Regiment of the 11th Parachute Brigade, on Bastille Day, Paris.

Parachute Engineer

Parachute Infantry

Patrol Chasseurs

General Parachute Infantry

21 R.I.A.P Insigne du 21e regiment d'infanterie..jpg
21 R.I.A.P

French Air Force Commando de l'Air, Parachute Chasseur, British Army Special Air Service (S.A.S) & 1er R.P.I.Ma

Shock Paratroopers

French Train Parachute Regiments

Parachute Companies and Regiments

  • Air Support Companies (CRA).
  • Air Delivery Regiment (RLA - dissolved).
  • 1st Train Parachute Regiment (French : 1er Régiment du Train Parachutiste) (1er RTP).

Insigne regimentaire du 1er Regiment du Train Parachutiste.jpg

Airborne Bases

Parachute Command and Support

Matériel

Vietnamese, Laotien and Cambodian Parachute Units

Algerian Parachute Units

French Air and Space Force

Commando-air-beret.jpg

Past and present Fusiliers Commandos de l'Air units have included:

French Navy

Commando-marine-beret V2.jpg

Naval Fusiliers and Commandos include the following Forces Fusiliers Marins and Commandos Marine FORFUSCO

National Gendarmerie

Paratroopers of the National Gendarmerie include:

Medics

Combat medics in the French Armed Forces are part of the French Defence Health Service. Each French regiment, battalion, company and unit has its own specialized combat medics, with ranks designating various unit level sizes.

For French Regiments engaged in combat, the leading Medical leadership would be a colonel or Lieutenant-colonel and can also be designated as Parachute Medical-Colonel of the Army (French : Médecin-Colonel Parachutiste de l'Armée).

For Foreign Legion Regiments, Medics can be French and Legionnaires, while the leading Medical leadership would be a Colonel or Lieutenant-colonel and can also be designated as Foreign Parachute Medical-Colonel (French : Médecin-Chef Parachutiste des Régiments, Bataillons et Compagnies Etranger de Parachutistes).

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Troupes de marine</span> Corps of the French Army intended for amphibious and overseas operations

The Troupes de Marine is a corps of the French Army that includes several specialities: infantry, artillery, armoured, airborne, engineering, and transmissions (Signals). Despite its name, it forms part of the Army, not the Navy. Intended for amphibious and overseas operations, the Troupes de marine have been, and still are, in all the fights of the French army. It has gradually become professionalized since 1970.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Operation Castor</span> French military operation in the First Indochina War

Operation Castor was a French airborne operation in the First Indochina War. The operation established a fortified airhead in Điện Biên Province, in the north-west corner of Vietnam and was commanded by Brigadier General Jean Gilles. The Operation began at 10:35 on 20 November 1953, with reinforcements dropped over the following two days. With all its objectives achieved, the operation ended on 22 November. Castor was the largest airborne operation since World War II.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2nd Foreign Parachute Regiment</span> Military unit

The 2nd Foreign Parachute Regiment is the only airborne regiment of the Foreign Legion in the French Army. It is one of the four infantry regiments of the 11th Parachute Brigade and part of the spearhead of the French rapid reaction force.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1st Marine Infantry Parachute Regiment</span> Military unit

The 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.

The structure of the French Army is fixed by Chapter 2 of Title II of Book II of the Third Part of the Code of Defense, notably resulting in the codification of Decree 2000-559 of 21 June 2000.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2nd Marine Infantry Parachute Regiment</span> Military unit

The 2nd Marine Infantry Parachute Regiment is an airborne regiment of the Troupes de Marine created in 1947. The regiment is heir to the traditions of the 2nd Colonial Commando Parachute Battalion 2eB.C.C.P. As of 2008, the regiment is stationed at Saint-Pierre, Réunion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">3rd Marine Infantry Parachute Regiment</span> Military unit

The 3rd Marine Infantry Parachute Regiment is a one of the airborne force regiment of the Troupes de Marine. It is heir to the 3rd Colonial Commando Parachute Battalion created in 1948 and the 3rd Colonial Parachute Regiment. The regiment is part of the 11th Parachute Brigade.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">11th Parachute Brigade (France)</span> Military unit

The 11th Parachute Brigade is a one of the French Army's airborne forces brigade, predominantly light infantry, part of the French paratrooper units and specialized in air assault, airborne operations, combined arms, and commando style raids. The brigade's primary vocation is to project in emergency in order to contribute a first response to a situational crisis. An elite unit of the French Army, the brigade is commanded by a général de brigade with headquarters in Balma near Toulouse. The brigade's soldiers and airborne Marines wear the red beret (amaranth) except for the Legionnaires of the 2ème REP who wear the green beret.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">6th Marine Infantry Parachute Regiment</span> Airborne unit of the French Army

The 6th Marine Infantry Parachute Regiment is an airborne infantry unit of the French Army.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">8th Marine Infantry Parachute Regiment</span> Military unit

The 8th Marine Infantry Parachute Regiment is an airborne regiment of the Troupes de Marine. The 8e RPIMa was created on 28 February 1951 and the men wear the red beret. It is part of the 11th Parachute Brigade.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1st Armored Division (France)</span> French Army formation

The 1st Armored Division is a unit of the French Army formed during World War II that took part in the Liberation of France.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">3rd Armored Division (France)</span> French Army formation

The 3rd Armoured Division is a unit of the French Army. The Division is the heir of the 3rd Algerian Infantry Division formed in 1943 and dissolved in 1946, which contributed in the liberation of Marseille during the Second World War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Army of Châlons</span> Military unit

The Army of Châlons was a French military formation that fought during the Franco-Prussian War of 1870. Formed in the camp of Châlons on August 17, 1870, from elements of the Army of the Rhine which the formation was issued from, the Army of Châlons was engaged in combats of Beaumont and Sedan while disappearing during the capitulation of September 2, 1870.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Outline of the French Army at the end of the Cold War</span> Of the French Army at the end of the Cold War

The following is a hierarchical outline for the French Land Army at the end of the Cold War. It is intended to convey the connections and relationships between units and formations. The theoretical combat strength of the army was 295,989 soldiers, of the 557,904 individuals available for service across the entire French Armed Forces in 1989.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">10th Parachute Division (France)</span> Military unit

The 10th Parachute Division was a formation of the French Army, part of the French Airborne Units. It consisted predominantly of infantry troops, and specialized in airborne combat and air assault. Established in 1956, it fought primarily in the Suez Crisis and the Algerian War. It was dissolved immediately after the Algiers putsch of 1961.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2nd Parachute Chasseur Regiment</span> Military unit

The 2nd Parachute Chasseur Regiment or 2e RCP, is one of the most decorated French units of the Second World War, the only land unit awarded the red fourragère in that war, including six citations at the orders of the armed forces. The French Navy 1500-ton class submarine Casabianca also accumulated six citations at the orders of the armed forces and therefore its crewmen were entitled to wear the same fourragère.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Army of the Rhine (1870)</span> Military unit

The Army of the Rhine was a French military unit that fought in the Franco-Prussian War. It was created after the declaration of war on July 18 1870.

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 named Opération Daguet and its ground part was subsequently named Division Daguet. In French "Daguet" is a young brocket deer.

The 14th Military Division was a division sized unit of the Vichy France army. The division was formed in late 1940 and demobilized in late 1942. It was under the control of the 1st Military Corps and controlled units in East France notably on the Swiss border.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Frédéric AUTHIE. "1er RCP - Site officiel -". defense.gouv.fr. Archived from the original on 2006-09-07. Retrieved 2015-07-05.
  2. 1 2 3 Official Website of the 2nd Foreign Parachute Regiment
  3. 1 2 GYI. "Les origines..." legion-etrangere.com.
  4. GYI. "1er Bataillon Etranger de Parachutistes". legion-etrangere.com.
  5. GYI. "1er Régiment Etranger de Parachutistes". legion-etrangere.com.
  6. 1 2 GYI. "3e Bataillon Etranger de Parachutistes". legion-etrangere.com.
  7. GYI. "2e Bataillon Etranger de Parachutistes". legion-etrangere.com.
  8. GYI. "1er Régiment étranger de génie". legion-etrangere.com.
  9. GYI. "2e Régiment étranger de génie". legion-etrangere.com.
  10. 1 2 GYI. "Structure du 2ème régiement étranger de génie". legion-etrangere.com.
  11. "17e régiment du génie parachutiste". defense.gouv.fr.

Bibliography