6th Marine Infantry Parachute Regiment
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

The 6th Marine Infantry Parachute Regiment (french: 6e Régiment de Parachutistes d'Infanterie de Marine, 6e RPIMa ) is an
airborne infantry Airborne forces, airborne troops, or airborne infantry are ground combat units carried by aircraft and airdropped into battle zones, typically by parachute drop or air assault. Parachute-qualified infantry and support personnel serving in ai ...
unit of the
French Army The French Army, officially known as the Land Army (french: Armée de Terre, ), is the land-based and largest component of the French Armed Forces. It is responsible to the Government of France, along with the other components of the Armed Force ...
.


Creation and different nominations since 1951

* May 16, 1948: creation at Quimper of the 6th Colonial Parachute Commando Battalion, 6e BCCP. * October 1, 1950: became the 6th Colonial Parachute Commando Groupment, 6e GCCP. * March 1, 1951: became the 6th Colonial Parachute Battalion, 6e BPC. * August 20, 1951: disbandment of the 6th Colonial Parachute Battalion, 6e BPC . * July 5, 1952: the 6e BPC is reconstituted at Saint-Brieuc, famed as the battalion of Bigeard. * May 8, 1954: the 6e BPC is disbanded * August 1, 1955: remnants of the disbanded battalion were reinforced by elements of IV/6e RTS and formed the 6th Colonial Parachute Regiment (6e RPC). * July 10, 1957: the 6e RPC joined the 10th Parachute Division (10e DP). * December 1, 1958: the 6th Colonial Parachute Regiment became the 6th Marine Infantry Parachute Regiment (6e RPIMa). * June 30, 1998: disbandment of the regiment as a result of the restructuring of the
French Army The French Army, officially known as the Land Army (french: Armée de Terre, ), is the land-based and largest component of the French Armed Forces. It is responsible to the Government of France, along with the other components of the Armed Force ...
. * April 26, 2017: the flag of the 6e RPIMa is entrusted to the Initial Training Center for Non-Commissioned Members (CFIM) in Caylus. * April 5, 2019: the CFIM, by the agenda n° 18 of the general commanding the 11th BP, is renamed the 6e RPIMa.


History since 1948


Indochina

The Colonial Parachute Battalions trace their origins to the 1st Colonial Parachute Commando Demi-Brigade implanted in Brittany, being heir to the paratroopers of
Free France Free France (french: France Libre) was a political entity that claimed to be the legitimate government of France following the dissolution of the Third Republic. Led by French general , Free France was established as a government-in-exile ...
, the SAS Demi-Brigade and the groupment of parachute choc battalions. The 6e BCCP made way to Indochina on July 28. The battalion fought valiantly on various sectors of the battle front and on March 30, 1951, the battalion resisted an enemy force four times larger for an entire night. Following a five hours of hand-to-hand combat, the battalion endured the loss of 51 men and 97 wounded. The battalion was accordingly dissolved on August 20, 1951 during the embarking for France. Recreated on July 5, 1952, the battalion illustrated capability at Tu Lê, in October 1952 and then Langson, in July 1953. The 6th para engaged Dien Bien Phu twice. On November 20, 1953, the 6th, parachuted during
Operation Castor Opération 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 ...
and then on March 16, 1954, the 6th targeted the landing zone in the middle of the Battle of Dien Bien Phu. Despite heroic acts of valor led, the 6e BPC disappeared again, and was accordingly reconstituted.


North Africa

Reformed in Marrakech,
French protectorate of Morocco The French protectorate in Morocco (french: Protectorat français au Maroc; ar, الحماية الفرنسية في المغرب), also known as French Morocco, was the period of French colonial rule in Morocco between 1912 to 1956. The prote ...
, on 1 August 1955 and named 6th Colonial Parachute Regiment. Active in the French colonies of French protectorate of Tunisia, French protectorate of Morocco and, particularly, French Algeria during the Algerian War as a part of the 10th Parachute Division,.


France

The regiment leaves French Algeria on 6 July 1961 and regroups in
Verdun Verdun (, , , ; official name before 1970 ''Verdun-sur-Meuse'') is a large city in the Meuse department in Grand Est, northeastern France. It is an arrondissement of the department. Verdun is the biggest city in Meuse, although the capital ...
. From January 1963 it was stationed in
Mont-de-Marsan Mont-de-Marsan (; Occitan: ''Lo Mont de Marçan'') is a commune and capital of the Landes department, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, southwestern France. Population Military installations The French Air and Space Force operates the '' Constantin Roza ...
, the old instruction base for Colonial Parachute Brigade.


Lebanon

The regiment partook in various peacekeeping missions in
Lebanon Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to Lebanon–Syria border, the north and east and Israel to Blue ...
on numerous yearly designated occasions within the UNIFIL first then integrated the corps of the
Multinational Force in Lebanon The Multinational Force in Lebanon (MNF) was an international peacekeeping force created in August 1982 following a 1981 U.S.-brokered ceasefire between the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and Israel to end their involvement in the confl ...
during the
Lebanese Civil War The Lebanese Civil War ( ar, الحرب الأهلية اللبنانية, translit=Al-Ḥarb al-Ahliyyah al-Libnāniyyah) was a multifaceted armed conflict that took place from 1975 to 1990. It resulted in an estimated 120,000 fatalities a ...
along with the 1st Parachute Chasseur Regiment, the 1st Parachute Hussard Regiment and the 31e Brigade which included the Operational Group of the Foreign Legion, the 1st Foreign Cavalry Regiment, the 2nd Foreign Infantry Regiment and the
17th Parachute Engineer Regiment The 17th Parachute Engineer Regiment (french: 17e Régiment de Génie Parachutiste, 17e RGP) is heir to the traditions of the 17th Colonial Engineer Regiment (french: 17e Régiment Colonial du Génie, 17eRGC) which illustrated itself during Wor ...
. The regiment was dissolved 30 June 1998.


France

In the summer of 2017, the initial training center for non-commissioned members of the Caylus camp became "CFIM, le 6e RPIMa" then in April 2019 officially recreated under the name of 6e RPIMa.


Traditions

Except for the Legionnaires of the 1er REG, 2ème REG, 2ème REP who wear the
Green Beret The green beret was the official headdress of the British Commandos of the Second World War. It is still worn by members of the Royal Marines after passing the Commando Course, and personnel from other units of the Royal Navy, Army and RAF wh ...
, the remainder of the French army metropolitan and marine paratroopers forming the 11th Parachute Brigade wear the Red Beret. File:Chuteur Opérationnel.jpg, French
Commando Parachute Group The Commando Parachute Group (french: Groupement des Commandos Parachutistes, GCP) is a unit of elite pathfinders within the French Army's 11th Parachute Brigade (11e BP). These pathfinders are paratroopers drawn from the various regiments of t ...
Brevet of Chuteur Opérationnel File:Brevet Parachutiste.jpg, French Parachute Brevet.
The Archangel Saint Michael, patron of the French paratroopers is celebrated on 29 September. The ''prière du Para'' (Prayer of the Paratrooper) was written by André Zirnheld in 1938.


Insignias

Just like the paratrooper Brevet of the French Army, the Insignia of French Paratroopers was created in 1946. The French Army Insignia of metropolitan Paratroopers represents a closed "winged armed dextrochere", meaning a "right winged arm" armed with a sword pointing upwards. The Insignia makes reference to the Patron of Paratroopers. In fact, the Insignia represents "the right Arm of Saint Michael", the
Archangel Archangels () are the second lowest rank of angel in the hierarchy of angels. The word ''archangel'' itself is usually associated with the Abrahamic religions, but beings that are very similar to archangels are found in a number of other relig ...
which according to Liturgy is the "Armed Arm of God". This Insignia is the symbol of righteous combat and fidelity to superior missions. The French Army Insignia of Marine Infantry Paratroopers is backgrounded by a Marine Anchor. Image:Insigne du 6° BCCP.jpg, Image:Insigne du 6e RPC.jpg, Image:Parachutistes coloniaux-béret.jpg, Image:Parachutistes coloniaux-béret modèle 1962.jpg, Image:Insigne infanterie de marine.png, The insignia is mounted with an SAS dagger and was never modified, aside of the various successive inscriptions "BCCP", then "RPC", and finally "RPIMa".


Regimental colors

The regiment was heir to the 6e BCCP created in 1948 and the 6e RPC. The Regimental Color of the 6e RPIMa, heir of the 6th parachute battalion bears the inscription "INDOCHINE" with 5 citations at the orders of the armed forces for the following: * 1950 Pho Trach and Chaple * 1951 Mao Khé * 1952 Tu Lé * 1953 Langson * 1954 Dien Bien Phu The regimental color was passed to
colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge o ...
Romain-Desfossés at Blida on November 5, 1957 by
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 office ...
Gilles The Gilles are the oldest and principal participants in the Carnival of Binche in Belgium. They go out on Shrove Tuesday from 4 am until late hours and dance to traditional songs. Other cities, such as La Louvière and Nivelles, have a traditio ...
. In eleven years of campaign battles, the regiment endured the loss of 23 officers, 70 sous-officiers and 480 marsouins paratroopers. The regiment bears wearing in golden letters in the folds, the following inscriptions:Arrêté relatif à l'attribution de l'inscription AFN 1952–1962 sur les drapeaux et étendards des formations des armées et services, du 19 novembre 2004 (A) NORDEF0452926A Michèle Alliot-Marie * INDOCHINE 1949–1954 * AFN 1952–1962


Decorations

The regimental colors of the 6th Marine Infantry Parachute Regiment is decorated with: * Croix de guerre des théâtres d'opérations extérieures with: ** 5 palms. The regiment bears wearing 2
fourragère The ''fourragère'' () is a military award, distinguishing military units as a whole, in the form of a braided cord. The award was first adopted by France, followed by other nations such as the Netherlands, Belgium, Portugal, and Luxembourg. Fou ...
: * Fourragère bearing the colors of the
Médaille militaire The ''Médaille militaire'' ( en, Military Medal) is a military decoration of the French Republic for other ranks for meritorious service and acts of bravery in action against an enemy force. It is the third highest award of the French Republic, ...
. * Fourragère bearing the colors of the Croix de guerre des théâtres d'opérations extérieures. File:AVERS Croix de Guerre TOE France 2 citations.jpg, File:Fourragère MM.png, Fourragère aux couleurs de la Médaille militaire File:Fourragère CG TOE.jpg, Fourragère aux couleurs de la Croix de Guerre des théâtres d'opérations extérieures


Honours


Battle honours

* Indochine 1949–1954 * AFN 1952–1962


Regimental Commanders (1948–1998)


Notable members of the 6e RPIMa

*
Marcel Bigeard Marcel Bigeard (February 14, 1916 – June 18, 2010), personal radio call-sign "Bruno", was a French military officer and politician who fought in World War II, the First Indochina War The First Indochina War (generally known as the Indochi ...
*
Erwan Bergot Erwan Bergot (27 January 19301 May 1993) was a French Army officer and author; he served in the French Army during the First Indochina War and Algerian War. Biography Born to a Breton family in Bordeaux, Erwan Bergot volunteered to serve in In ...
* Roland Corbineau *
Pierre Tourret Pierre Tourret (30 December 1919 – December 1991) was a French Army officer who served in World War II, the First Indochina War, the Suez Crisis and the Algerian War. He commanded the 8th Shock Parachute Battalion during the Battle of Dien Bien ...


See also

*
List of French paratrooper units 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, Natio ...


References


Sources and bibliographies

* Collectif, ''Histoire des parachutistes français'', Société de Production Littéraire, 1975. * Colonel Roger Flamand, ''Paras de la France libre'', Éditions Presses de la Cité, 1976, . * Henry Corta, ''Les bérets rouges'', Amicale des anciens parachutistes SAS, 1952. *" Change of command at CFIM ", ladepeche.fr , July 22, 2017
Read online
, accessed July 1 , 2017 ) {{DEFAULTSORT:Marine Infantry Parachute Regiment, 6th Parachute infantry regiments of France Marines regiments of France 20th-century regiments of France 21st-century regiments of France Military units and formations established in 1948 Military units and formations disestablished in 1998