The Pioneers of the Foreign Legion (french: Les Pionniers de la Légion étrangère) are a "unit of

tradition A tradition is a belief or behavior (folk custom) passed down within a group or society with symbolic meaning or special significance with origins in the past. A component of cultural expressions and folklore, common examples include holidays or ...

". They march at the head of Foreign Legion detachments during ceremonial parades. The Legion's Pioneers are bearded, wear buffalo leather aprons (), and carry polished

axe An axe ( sometimes ax in American English; see spelling differences) is an implement that has been used for millennia to shape, split and cut wood, to harvest timber, as a weapon, and as a ceremonial or heraldic symbol. The axe has ma ...

s on their shoulders. The unit is the only one of its kind remaining in service in the French Armed Forces.

History of the Pionniers

During the 18th century; small

pioneer Pioneer commonly refers to a settler who migrates to previously uninhabited or sparsely inhabited land. In the United States pioneer commonly refers to an American pioneer, a person in American history who migrated west to join in settling and de ...

detachments, carrying axes and other working tools, served with the grenadier companies of the infantry regiments of the French Royal Army. In battle they joined with the grenadiers who led infantry assaults on fortified positions. The primary purpose of the pioneers was to use their axes to demolish the obstacles and barriers created by the enemy. Away from the battlefield the pioneers served as the regimental tradesmen, constructing and repairing buildings; or clearing access through forested terrain. The need for permanent units of pioneers to form part of the newly-raised volunteers of the

French Revolution The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in coup of 18 Brumaire, November 1799. Many of its ...

was an uncertain one.général (cr) Jean Hallo, ''Monsieur légionnaire'', Lavauzelle, 2000, However the ''pionniers'' reappeared under the

French Consulate The Consulate (french: Le Consulat) was the top-level Government of France from the fall of the Directory in the coup of 18 Brumaire on 10 November 1799 until the start of the Napoleonic Empire on 18 May 1804. By extension, the term ''The Co ...

, wearing

bearskin A bearskin is a tall fur cap, usually worn as part of a ceremonial military uniform. Traditionally, the bearskin was the headgear of grenadiers, and remains in use by grenadier and guards regiments in various armies. Bearskins should not be c ...

fur caps without the metal front plates of the grenadiers. These units were dissolved in 1818 but recreated in 1822. The Foreign Legion adopted pioneer detachments in 1831. Originally of practical use in the difficult terrain of Algeria, the Legion's pioneers have survived to the present day as a visible symbol of its tradition of

Honneur et Fidélité ''Honneur et Fidélité'' ("Honour and Fidelity") is the motto of the Foreign Legion in the French Armed Forces. It has been inscribed on Legion flags instead of the ''Honneur et Patrie'' (Honour and Fatherland) inscribed on flags of the regular ...

. The pioneer detachments of the other infantry regiments of the French Army were disbanded under the Third Republic.

Pionniers of Tradition

Foreign Legion Bastille Day 2013 Paris t112145

In 1920 and 1921, two

sapper A sapper, also called a pioneer or combat engineer, is a combatant or soldier who performs a variety of military engineering duties, such as breaching fortifications, demolitions, bridge-building, laying or clearing minefields, preparing ...

combat companies of pionniers were created at the corps of the four foreign legion regiments operating in

Morocco Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria t ...

. These units are tasked with engineering functions (french: génie militaire), mainly in terms of infrastructure (construction of roads, bridges, tunnels, etc.). These units did not carry any axes; they did, however, wear the pioneers' shoulder sleeve traditional patch on all uniforms. On April 30, 1931, during the 100th year celebration of the Foreign Legion, orchestrated by general Paul-Frédéric Rollet, a section (platoon) of the sapper combat company of the

3rd Foreign Infantry Regiment The 3rd Foreign Infantry Regiment (french: 3e Régiment étranger d'infanterie, 3e REI) is an infantry regiment of the Foreign Legion in the French Army. The regiment is stationed in French Guiana. Its mission includes the protection of the Ce ...

paraded at the head of all parading troops while bearing the emblems of the pionniers, reclaiming the traditions of their predecessors. Pionnier units were integrated officially within the ranks of tradition in 1946 by

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 ...

Louis-Antoine Gaultier.

Function of Tradition

Certain regiments of the French Foreign Legion ( 1^e R.E., 2^e R.E.G, 3^e R.E.I, 4^e R.E., D.L.E.M) house even, punctually or permanently, groups of pionniers (in general, one Sous-Officiers and 9 Legionnaires); however, the section of tradition is part of the 1st Foreign Regiment of

Aubagne Aubagne (, ''Aubanha'' in Occitan according to the classic norm or ''Aubagno'' according to the Mistralian norm) is a commune in the southern French department of Bouches-du-Rhône. In 2018, it had a population of 47,208. Its inhabitants are k ...

and is composed of 3 Sous-Officiers and 36 Legionnaires. This section (platoon) of pionniers of the 1st Foreign Regiment is the one that opens the way for the

Legion Legion may refer to: Military * Roman legion, the basic military unit of the ancient Roman army * Spanish Legion, an elite military unit within the Spanish Army * Legion of the United States, a reorganization of the United States Army from 179 ...

heading the 14th of July military parade on the

Champs-Élysées The Avenue des Champs-Élysées (, ; ) is an avenue in the 8th arrondissement of Paris, France, long and wide, running between the Place de la Concorde in the east and the Place Charles de Gaulle in the west, where the Arc de Triomphe is l ...

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...

. The same section of pionniers is also employed during the commemoration ceremony of the

Battle of Camarón The Battle of Camarón (french: Bataille de Camerone) which occurred over ten hours on 30 April 1863 between the Foreign Legion of the French Army and the Mexican army, is regarded as a defining moment in the Foreign Legion's history. A small ...

, on April 30, at the 1st Foreign Regiment 1^er RE to frame protect the holder of the wooden hand of captain

Jean Danjou Jean Danjou (15 April 1828 – 30 April 1863) was a decorated captain of the Foreign Legion in the French Army. He commanded the two lieutenants and 62 legionnaires who fought the Battle of Camarón during the French intervention in Mexico, i ...

. During both yearly ceremonies, the '' Pionniers'' march to the sound of the Foreign Legion Music.

Honoring the Legion Sous-Officiers

Military parades of the Foreign Legion are headed and opened by this section to maintain the tradition of sapeurs opening and clearing the way (french: ouvrant la route), always at the front, amongst worth and honor. Such is the

custom Custom, customary, or consuetudinary may refer to: Traditions, laws, and religion * Convention (norm), a set of agreed, stipulated or generally accepted rules, norms, standards or criteria, often taking the form of a custom * Norm (social), a r ...

of honoring the Legion Sous-officiers ( Majors, Legion

Chief Warrant Officer Chief warrant officer is a military rank used by the United States Armed Forces, the Canadian Armed Forces, the Pakistan Air Force, the Israel Defense Forces, the South African National Defence Force, the Lebanese Armed Forces and, since 2012, th ...

s (french: Adjudant-chefs ) and

Warrant Officer Warrant officer (WO) is a rank or category of ranks in the armed forces of many countries. Depending on the country, service, or historical context, warrant officers are sometimes classified as the most junior of the commissioned ranks, the mos ...

s (french:

Adjudant Adjutant is a military appointment given to an officer who assists the commanding officer with unit administration, mostly the management of human resources in an army unit. The term is used in French-speaking armed forces as a non-commissioned ...

s)) since one of them always parades at the head of all Foreign Legion regimental parades of

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

Uniform of Tradition

The Legion Pionniers distinguish themselves by their specific and unique

dress uniform Full dress uniform, also known as a ceremonial dress uniform or parade dress uniform, is the most formal type of uniforms used by military, police, fire and other public uniformed services for official parades, ceremonies, and receptions, ...

: *

Axe An axe ( sometimes ax in American English; see spelling differences) is an implement that has been used for millennia to shape, split and cut wood, to harvest timber, as a weapon, and as a ceremonial or heraldic symbol. The axe has ma ...

(french: Hache): serves to destroy obstacles of wood dressed by the enemy. At origin there were 6 kinds of axes to destroy and 7 kinds of axes to hammer. *Leather Apron (french: Tablier de Cuir): Originally colored yellow with heritage to the 18th century and worn by the infantry ''sapeurs'', the apron initially served the function to protect the sapeurs from wooden munitions blasts, breaching blasts and also limiting risks of penetration on obstacles in case of fall. The leather apron is of a tawny color and was officially adopted by the Legion in 1835. * Gauntlet Gloves (french: Gants à Crispin ): White Gauntlet Gloves served to protect the hands while destroying obstacles. *

Beard A beard is the hair that grows on the jaw, chin, upper lip, lower lip, cheeks, and neck of humans and some non-human animals. In humans, usually pubescent or adult males are able to grow beards. Throughout the course of history, societal at ...

(french: Barbe): Since the pionniers were the first to mount combat assaults, their life expectancy was very minimal. Accordingly, from that principle, they reserved the right, when deploying to combat, to not shave and would come back bearded when they survived. The wearing of the beard became mandatory in the

French Foreign Legion The French Foreign Legion (french: Légion étrangère) is a corps of the French Army which comprises several specialties: infantry, Armoured Cavalry Arm, cavalry, Military engineering, engineers, Airborne forces, airborne troops. It was created ...

in 1844. *Pionniers Insignia (french: l'insigne de manche): Worn below the rank insignia on the right arm. The insignia represents two crossed axes,

emblem An emblem is an abstract or representational pictorial image that represents a concept, like a moral truth, or an allegory, or a person, like a king or saint. Emblems vs. symbols Although the words ''emblem'' and '' symbol'' are often us ...

of function of tradition. The lozenges (diamonds) vary in color and depend on ranks: ** Golden Axe on black background for Sous-officiers. ** Golden Axe on black background bordered with gold for the Caporaux-Chefs. ** Green Axe on black background bordered with green for the Caporaux and Legionnaires.

Tradition

Insignia

"" "mode="" packed"=""> File:Insigne 1er régiment étranger-transparent.png,

Regimental Insignia of the 1st Foreign Regiment, 1^e R.E.

File:Pionniers.png, Pionniers of the 1st Foreign Regiment File:Insign de béret 1er RE Type 3.jpg,

Insignia of the 1st Foreign Regiment

Regimental Colors

Regimental Song

Chant de Marche : Nous sommes tous des volontaires featuring:
Official Website of the 1st Foreign Regiment, Chant du 1er Régiment étranger Nous sommes tous des volontaires, Les gars du 1er étranger, Notre devise est légendaire, Honneur et Fidélité, Honneur Fidélité - Fidélité, Marchons légionnaires, Dans la boue, dans le sable brûlant, (bis) Marchons l'âme légère, (bis) Et le cœur vaillant, (bis) Marchons légionnaires. (bis) Nous marchons gaiement en cadence, Malgré le vent malgré la pluie, Les meilleurs soldats de la France, Sont là devant vous, les voici. Partout où le combat fait rage, L'on voit le 1er étranger, Exemple d'héroïsme, de courage, Se couvrir de glorieux lauriers. Gardons dans le fond de nos âmes, Le souvenir de nos aînés, Et pour la grenade à sept flammes, Loyal prêt à tout sacrifier.

Decorations

Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon ...

on April 28, 1906 *

Croix de guerre 1939–1945 (France) Croix (French for "cross") may refer to: Belgium * Croix-lez-Rouveroy, a village in municipality of Estinnes in the province of Hainaut France * Croix, Nord, in the Nord department * Croix, Territoire de Belfort, in the Territoire de Belfort d ...

with 1 palm
Official Website of the 1st Foreign Regiment, Regimental Colors and decorations *

Gold Medal of the City of Milan The Gold Medal of the City of Milan was a French medal issued in 1909 to commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of France's 1859 Italian campaign, an intervention in the Second Italian War of Independence. Regiment recipients

* 9th Hussar Regim ...

since March 9, 1909 * Cross with swords of the

Sovereign Military Order of Malta The Sovereign Military Order of Malta (SMOM), officially the Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, of Rhodes and of Malta ( it, Sovrano Militare Ordine Ospedaliero di San Giovanni di Gerusalemme, di Rodi e di Malta; ...

File:Chevalier légion d'honneur 2.png,

Legion of Honour

File:Croix de Guerre 39 45.jpg,

Croix de guerre 1939-1945 with 1 palm

Image:Médaille d'or de la ville de milan.jpg,

* 9th Hussar Regim ...

Honors

Battle honours

* Sevastopol 1855 * Kabilie 1857 * Magenta 1859 * Camerone 1863 * Extrême-Orient 1884–1885 * Dahomy-Maroc 1892–1907–1925 * Madagascar 1895–1905 * Orient 1915–17 * AFN 1952–1962

Gallery

File:Camerone 2006.jpg, Each year, the Foreign Legion commemorates and celebrates Camarón in its headquarters in

and Bastille Day military parade in

; featuring the Pionniers leading and opening the way and marching to the sound of the

Music Music is generally defined as the art of arranging sound to create some combination of form, harmony, melody, rhythm or otherwise expressive content. Exact definitions of music vary considerably around the world, though it is an aspe ...

. Veterans follow behind with Captaine Danjou's hand.

References

External links

{{French Foreign Legion navbox French Foreign Legion