2nd Foreign Engineer Regiment

The 2nd Foreign Engineer Regiment (French: 2e Régiment Etranger de Génie, 2e REG) is one of two combat engineer regiments in the French Foreign Legion. The regiment provides the combat engineering component of the 27th Mountain Infantry Brigade.[2] Stationed, since its creation in 1999, on the former site of the French Strategic Nuclear Missiles at Saint Christol, Vaucluse, southern France.

2nd Foreign Engineer Regiment
2e Régiment étranger de génie
Regimental badge of 2e REG
Active1 Jul. 1999 – present
Country France
AllegianceFrench Foreign Legion
BranchFrench Army
TypeEngineer
RoleForeign Combat Engineer

Foreign Airborne Combat Engineer

Foreign Mountain Commando
Size900-925 men
Part of27th Mountain Infantry Brigade
1st Division
Garrison/HQSaint Christol, France
Motto(s)Rien n'empêche (Nothing Prevents)
ColorsGreen & Red
MarchRien n'empêche
AnniversariesCamerone Day (30 April)
Saint Barbara (4 December)
EngagementsOpération Baliste

Global War on Terrorism (2001-present)

Battle honoursCamerone 1863[1]
Commanders
Current
commander		Lieutenant-colonel De Boisfleury
Insignia
Insignia of the 2nd Foreign Engineer Regiment
Abbreviation2e REG
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.

History

The 2nd Foreign Engineer Regiment is the combat engineer regiment of the 27th Mountain Infantry Brigade.[3] The regiment was created in 1999 and is an heir to one of the 18 combat engineer formations of the French Foreign Legion in Indochina. The regiment participated to the conservation of the indochinese patrimony of the 5th Foreign Infantry Regiment 5e REI, "The Tonkin Regiment". The French Foreign Legion regiment is a unit component of the military engineers (French: génie militaire) of the French Army.

The regiment like all Legion regiments is composed of foreign legionnaires.[3] The younger legionnaires are issued from the 4th Foreign Regiment 4e RE while the older legionnaires are selected from other legion regiments.[3]

Since creation, the regiment is stationed in garrison Maréchal Koenig, based on plateau Albion, on the commune of Saint-Christol, Vaucluse, which housed previously the 1st Strategic Missiles Groupment (French: 1er Groupement de Missiles Stratégiques) (1er GMS) of the Strategic Air Forces, on Aerial Base 200 Apt-Saint-Christol.[3]

The missions of the regiment at the corps of the 27th Mountain Brigade (27e BIM) are intelligence gathering, direct combat, mobile support (demining, clearing paths, etc.) to any counter mobilities and the deployment amongst combat units.[3][4] The particularity of the mountain brigade imposes adaptation to techniques that are demanding and specific in either relieving infantry units or replacing their combat role in operations of area control.[3][4]

The regiment has been present on most exterior theatres of operations since creation.[3] Projecting each year a number of legionnaires in various fields of operations, the regiment was engaged in Djibouti at the corps of the 13th Demi-Brigade of the Foreign Legion and in Afghanistan, Ivory Coast, French Guiana; similarly, at the corps of the 3rd Foreign Infantry Regiment, in the Balkans, in Martinique and metropole France during interior operations.[3]

Campaigns ( 1999 - present)

Engineer Combat Missions

Since creation in 1999, the 2nd Foreign Engineer Regiment (French: 2e Régiment Etranger de Génie, 2e REG) has been present in the following theatres of exterior operations:

Humanitarian Missions

  • The regiment also served in metropole France, while barely being created, within operations of the Orsec Disposition (French: Dispositif Orsec), "ORSEC" (French: Organisation de la Réponse de SÉcurité Civile),(ORSEC - Response Organization for Civil Security; the response rescue organization responsible to manage natural disasters and catastrophes beyond level of normal emergencies), at the end of 1999, following the storming thundering path of Cyclone Lothar and Martin which caused the devastation and destruction of a part of Europe.

Organization

The regiment is composed of around 900 to 925 men organized into 6 companies.[5]

  • Compagnie de Commandement et de Logistique (CCL) - Command and Logistics Company
  • Legion Pionniers Groups
  • Compagnie d'Administration et de Soutien (CAS) - Administrative and Services Company
  • 1re Compagnie de Combat - 1st Combat Company (3 combat sections, a support section and a command section)
  • 2e Compagnie de Combat - 2nd Combat Company (3 combat sections, a support section and a command section)
  • 3e Compagnie de Combat - 3rd Combat Company (3 combat sections, a support section and a command section)
  • Compagnie d'Appui (CA) - Support Company (5 specialist sections)
  • PCG Teams (Combat Engineer Divers, French: Plongeurs du Combat du Génie) former DINOPS Teams of Nautical Subaquatic Intervention Operational Detachment ( French: Détachement d'Intervention Nautique Operationnelle Subaquatique ) specialized in Parachute, Underwater demolition, Diving and Mountain Commando Group ( GCM ) in some cases as double specialties.[6]

Traditions

Insignias

Regimental Colors
Regimental Colors of the 2nd Foreign Engineer Regiment

Regimental Song

Chant de Marche : Rien n'empêche featuring:[7]

De la boue des rizières aux plateaux du Tonkin
Honneur, Fidélité pour unique refrain
Le feu, l'eau et la terre comme seul univers
Il s'avance et combat, le sapeur légionnaire,
Brisant tous les assauts quand la mitraille explose
Sur cette terre d'Indo où tant d'anciens reposent.

Dans le froid, la tourmente, à la mort à la vie
Rien n'empêche le deuxième étranger de génie. (bis)


Aujourd'hui la mémoire sonne le rappel.
Nous, légionnaires du 2 répondons à l'appel.
Ouvrir, tracer la route c'est pour le régiment
Passer coûte que coûte, voilà notre serment
Foi, vaillance et courage comme seul héritage
Nul obstacle et nul homme pour nous faire barrage.

Refrain

Sur les cimes de l'Alpe quand le combat résonne
Du fracas de la foudre et que l'orage tonne
En avant képis blancs, à nous les grands espaces.
En tout lieu en tout temps, il nous faut faire face.
Relever les défis, voilà notre ambition.
Ne jamais faire défaut, c'est notre tradition.

Refrain

Decorations
  • croix de la Valeur militaire with one palm since January 3, 2012.[8]
  • Another citation for the croix de valeur militaire was attributed on June 20, 2013, the regiment since that date wears the fourragère with colors of the croix de la Valeur Militaire.[9]
  • Croix de la Valeur militaire

Honors

Battle honours

Regimental Commanders
Main articles: Foreign Legion Command and Honneur et Fidélité
  • 1999 - 2001 : colonel Nebois
  • 2001 - 2003 : colonel Autran
  • 2003 - 2005 : colonel Fradin
  • 2005 - 2007 : colonel Boucher
  • 2007 - 2009 : colonel Chavanat
  • 2009 - 2011 : colonel Kirscher
  • 2011 - 2013 : colonel Bonini
  • 2013 - 2015 : colonel Reussner
  • 2015 - 2017 : lieutenant-colonel De Sercey
  • 2017 - 20** : colonel De Boisfleury
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See also

Notes
  1. Camerone is a Battle Honour shared by all Foreign Legion Regiments, no matter when it was formed.
  2. "La brigade". Retrieved 2011-12-30.
  3. Official Website of the 2nd Foreign Engineer Regiment, Historique et Traditions, Creation of the 2nd Foreign Engineer Regiment
  4. Official Website of the 2nd Foreign Engineer Regiment, Mission, The men
  5. "Création du 2° Régiment étranger de génie". Retrieved 2011-12-30.
  6. Official Website of the 2nd Foreign Engineer Regiment, 2e Regiment Etranger de Genie ( 2e REG ); Structure du 2ème Régiement Etranger de Génie
  7. Official Website of the 2nd Foreign Engineer Regiment. Historique et Traditions, Les chants du 2e REG et des compagnies
  8. "Le 2REG décoré de la croix de la valeur militaire". Archived from the original on 2013-11-05. Retrieved 2015-08-23.
  9. "Article sur le site du régiment". Archived from the original on 2013-07-13. Retrieved 2015-08-23.
  10. Official Website of the 2nd Foreign Engineer Regiment,Camerone

References
  • www.legion-etrangere.com
  • Windrow, Martin (1996). French Foreign Legion Since 1945. Oxford: Osprey Publishing. ISBN 1-85532-621-3.
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