1st Foreign Regiment

1st Foreign regiment 1er Régiment étranger
Regimental badge of 1er RE
Active	1841 - present
Country	France
Allegiance	French Foreign Legion
Branch	French Army
Part of	Foreign Legion Command
Garrison/HQ	Aubagne
Motto(s)	Honneur et Fidélité
Colors	Green & Red
March	Nous sommes tous des volontaires (We are all volunteers)
Anniversaries	Camerone Day (April 30) and Christmas
Engagements	Crimean War Siege of Sevastopol 1854 Second Italian War of Independence Battle of Magenta French intervention in Mexico Battle of Camarón World War I World War II Multinational Force in Lebanon Gulf War Global War on Terror (2001-present)
Commanders
Notable commanders	Raphaël Viénot Paul-Frédéric Rollet
Insignia
Insignia of the 1st Foreign Regiment
Abbreviation	1er RE

Each year, the French Foreign Legion commemorates and celebrates Camarón in its headquarters in Aubagne and Bastille Day military parade in Paris; featuring the Pionniers leading and opening the way.

Captain Jean Danjou (Battle of Camarón)

The 1st Foreign Regiment (French: 1^er Régiment étranger, 1^er RE) is the oldest and most senior regiment of the French Foreign Legion.

The regiment is also in charge of special institutions of the legion to include the magazine Képi Blanc, the Legion's Athletics Team (ATHLEG) and the Military band.

History, creation and different nominations

Royal Foreign Regiments

1st Foreign Regiment Pionniers

The Legion retook since 1831 the tradition of Pionniers.

1st Regiment of the 1st Foreign Legion

1st Foreign Regiment of 1885

The 1st Regiment of the Foreign Legion was created in 1841 based on 3 battalions in the newly created 1831 Foreign Legion.^[1] The 1st Regiment of the Foreign Legion became in 1855 the 1st Regiment of the 1st Foreign Legion.^[1] This regimet merged with the 2nd Foreign Regiment (2^e R.E.), (1856-1861) in 1859 and became the Foreign Regiment (R.E), (1862-1875), then came the 1st and 2nd battalion of the Foreign Legion (L.E), (1875-1884) which produced the 1st Foreign Regiment of 1885 that consequently became the 1st Foreign Infantry Regiment in 1922 and the 1st Foreign Marching Infantry Regiment (French: 1er Régiment Etranger d'Infanterie de Marche, 1er R.E.I.M) in 1943.^[1]

1st Foreign Regiment of 1856

The 1st Foreign Regiment (1er R.E.) (1856-1861) was created based on the 1st and 2nd Foreign Regiments of the 2nd Foreign Legion.^[1]

1st Foreign Regiment of 1955

The 1st Foreign Regiment (1^er R.E) (1955–present) was created based on the recreated 1st Foreign Infantry Regiment (1946-1955).^[1] This 1st Foreign Regiment gave formation on September 1, 1972 to the Foreign Legion Groupment (G.L.E) which became the Foreign Legion Command (C.O.M.L.E) on July 1, 1984.^[1] With the Foreign Legion Command, the 1st Foreign Regiment constitute the <<Maison Mère>> (Mother House) of the Foreign Legion.^[2]

This expression inherited from Sidi Bel Abbès came from the primordial role the regiment played in conserving tradition and rendering the 1st Foreign Regiment a genuine turning plateau for the ensemble of the Foreign Legion.^[2][3] Quartier (garrison) Raphaël Vienot of Aubagne and Sidi Bel Abbès were both named in honor of colonel Viénot. Aubagne also houses the French Foreign Legion Museum.^[2]

Created in 1841 and stationed in Aubagne since 1962, the 1st Foreign Regiment is the patron of all Foreign Legion regiments.^[2] Beyond this historical aspect, the 1st Foreign Regiment represents a major cornerstone in the career paths of legionnaires.^[2] The legionnaires initiate their careers from the 1st Foreign Regiment at the selection center of incorporation while also confirming successful return upon completion of basic training before deploying to a legion operational regiment.^[2] Legionnaires also pass by the 1st Foreign Regiment each time a posting of a regiment changes, and also finalize in the same regiment their departure formalities at the end of active duty service.

Missions of the 1st Foreign Regiment

The 1st Foreign Regiment, is a regiment with essentially an administrative vocation which major missions are the support of the Foreign Legion and the Foreign Legion Command.^[3] However, during exterior and interior misson deployments requirements of units and regiments of the legion; the 1st Foreign Regiment usually also dispatches particular individuals or teams of specialists (O.M.L.T).^[3] In addition, the foreign regiment like all regiments of the French Army, does also engage in the alert phase mission of Vigipirate.^[3] The 1st Foreign Regiment also dispatches and supports world humanitarian missions around the globe during natural catastrophe and disasters.^[3]

Organisation

The regiment consists of three companies, as follows:^[4]

• Pionniers Sections of Tradition
• Compagnie de Commandement et des Services Régimentaire (CCSR) - Regimental Command and Services Company
• Compagnie des Services de la Légion Étrangère (CSLE) - Foreign Legion Services Company
• Compagnie Administrative du Personnel de la Légion Étrangère (CAPLE) - Foreign Legion Personnel Administration Company

It also runs the following:^[4]

• Institution des Invalides de la Légion Étrangère (IILE) à Puyloubier - Foreign Legion Invalid Institution, at Puyloubier
• Centre d’Hébergement et d’Accueil de la Légion Étrangère (CHALE) à la Ciotat - Foreign Legion Accommodation & Welcome Center, at Ciotat
• Centre des Permissionnaires de la Légion Étrangère de la Malmousque (CPLEM) à Marseille - Foreign Legion Leave Center, at Malmousque

Also reported within the regiment is the Foreign Legion Emergency Staff and Statistics Division, a Legion intelligence section.

Tradition

Insignia

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File:Insigne 1er régiment étranger-transparent.png|

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File:Écusson de la 31e brigade.jpg| The Foreign Legion Groupment, G.L.E in the 31st Brigade featuring Poseidon File:Pionniers.png|Pionniers of the 1st Foreign Regiment

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File:Insign de béret 1er RE Type 3.jpg|

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The insignia of the 1st Foreign Infantry Regiment, (1^er R.E.I), (1950-1955) retook the symbolics of the Foreign Legion with the grenade of 7 flames and the green, red colors of the legion. The regiment is represented inside the grenade while the globe commemorates the relic of the Foreign Legion in Sidi Bel Abbès.

The current insignia of the 1st Foreign Regiment, (1^er R.E), retook the symbolic ruban of the Commemorative medal of the Mexico Expedition created in 1863. This insignia was initially destined for the 3rd company of the 4th Foreign Regiment in 1936. The insignia became that of the Autonomous Group of the Foreign Legion, (G.A.L.E) and was then adopted by the 1st Foreign Regiment, (1^er R.E.) in 1955.

The insignia makes reference to a white diamond shape on which figures the arms of Mexico (a black Circaetus holding a serpent) and a Roman saltire with Foreign Legion and Mexican colors.

Regimental colors

Verso Colors of the 1st Foreign Regiment, 1^er R.E with Honneur et Fidélité.

Regimental Song

Chant de Marche : Nous sommes tous des volontaires featuring:^[5]

Decorations

• Legion of Honour on April 28, 1906
• Croix de guerre 1939–1945 (France) with 1 palm^[6]
• Gold Medal of the City of Milan since March 9, 1909
• Cross with swords of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta

• 

  Legion of Honour
• 

  Croix de guerre 1939-1945 with 1 palm
• 

  Gold Medal of the City of Milan

Honors

Battle honours

• Sevastopol 1855^[6]
• Kabilie 1857
• Magenta 1859
• Camerone 1863
• Extrême-Orient 1884-1885
• Dahomy-Maroc 1892-1907, 1925
• Madagascar 1895-1905
• Orient 1915-17
• AFN 1952-1962

Foreign Legion and Regimental Commanders

Tenure (1841-1955)

Tenure (1955-present)

Notable personalities having served in the 1st Foreign Regiment

• Captain Jean Danjou
• Peter I of Serbia
• Herbert Kitchener, 1st Earl Kitchener
• Brigadier General Giuseppe Garibaldi II with his 5 brothers, 2 of whom were killed in combats at Argonne in 1915.
• Eugene Bullard
• Pierre Segretain
• Pierre Jeanpierre

Gallery

• 

  Relic of the Foreign Legion at Sidi bel-Abbès

• 

  Place d'armes of garrison (quartier) Vienot at Aubagne

• 

  Relic of the Foreign Legion at Aubagne

See also

• Swiss Guard
• Moroccan Division
• Marching Regiment of the Foreign Legion
• Pierre Segretain
• Pierre Jeanpierre

References

• www.legion-etrangere.com
• Windrow, Martin (1971). French Foreign Legion. Oxford: Osprey Publishing. ISBN 0-85045-051-9. 

External links

• Official website - 1er Régiment étranger
• French Foreign Legion recruitment portal
• Képi Blanc magazine

Foreign Legion Command French Foreign Legion
Honneur et Fidélité History of the French Foreign Legion Foreign Legion Pioneers (Pionniers) List of French paratrooper units Képi Blanc (publication)
Current Foreign Legion Units	Administrative Communal Depot of the Foreign Regiments 1st Foreign Regiment Foreign Legion Command Foreign Legion Recruiting Group Infantry & Parachute Infantry 2nd Foreign Infantry Regiment 2nd Foreign Parachute Regiment 3rd Foreign Infantry Regiment 13th Foreign Legion Demi-Brigade Foreign Legion Detachment in Mayotte Cavalry 1st Foreign Cavalry Regiment Engineer & Parachute Engineer 6th Foreign Engineer Regiment 1st Foreign Engineer Regiment 2nd Foreign Engineer Regiment Training 4th Foreign Regiment Jungle Training Center Combat Training Center at Arta Beach
Defunct Foreign Legion Units	Administrative and Training Communal Depot of the Foreign Regiments Parachute Parachute Company of the 3rd Foreign Infantry Regiment 1st Foreign Parachute Regiment 1st Foreign Parachute Battalion 2nd Foreign Parachute Battalion 3rd Foreign Parachute Battalion Foreign Air Supply Company 3rd Foreign Parachute Regiment 1st Foreign Parachute Heavy Mortar Company Infantry 1st Foreign Infantry Regiment 1st Marching Regiment of the 1st Foreign Regiment 2nd Marching Regiment of the 1st Foreign Regiment 3rd Marching Regiment of the 1st Foreign Regiment 4th Marching Regiment of the 1st Foreign Regiment/Garibaldi Legion 1st Marching Regiment of the 2nd Foreign Regiment 2nd Marching Regiment of the 2nd Foreign Regiment Marching Regiment of the Foreign Legion 5th Foreign Infantry Regiment 6th Foreign Infantry Regiment 11th Foreign Infantry Regiment 12th Foreign Infantry Regiment 21st Marching Regiment of Foreign Volunteers 22nd Marching Regiment of Foreign Volunteers 23rd Marching Regiment of Foreign Volunteers Cavalry 2nd Foreign Cavalry Regiment 97th Reconnaissance Group of the Infantry Division Transport Armored Train of the Foreign Legion Disciplinary Disciplinary Company of the Foreign Regiments in the Far East Foreign Legion Brigades 31st Brigade (France)