german: Deutsch-Französische Brigade , image = Deutsch-Französische Brigade.svg , image_size = 150px , caption =

Coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldic visual design on an escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central element of the full heraldic achievement, which in its ...

of the Franco-German Brigade. , dates = October 2, 1989 – present , country =
, branch =
, command_structure = 1st Division and '' 10th Panzer Division'' , type =

Mechanized infantry Mechanized infantry are infantry units equipped with armored personnel carriers (APCs) or infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs) for transport and combat (see also mechanized force). As defined by the United States Army, mechanized infantry is di ...

, role = , size = 1

brigade A brigade is a major tactical military formation that typically comprises three to six battalions plus supporting elements. It is roughly equivalent to an enlarged or reinforced regiment. Two or more brigades may constitute a division. B ...

(5,980) , current_commander =

Brigadier General Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...

Marc Rudkiewicz , garrison =

Müllheim Müllheim ( High Alemannic: ''Mille'') is a town in Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. It belongs to the district Breisgau-Hochschwarzwald. Müllheim is generally considered to be the center of the region known as Markgräflerland. History ...

Baden-Württemberg Baden-Württemberg (; ), commonly shortened to BW or BaWü, is a German state () in Southwest Germany, east of the Rhine, which forms the southern part of Germany's western border with France. With more than 11.07 million inhabitants across a ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

, nickname = , motto = Le devoir d'excellence
Dem Besten verpflichtet
("Devoted to excellence") , colors = , march = , mascot = , battles = , notable_commanders = , anniversaries = The Franco-German Brigade (french: Brigade Franco-Allemande; german: Deutsch-Französische Brigade) is a special

military A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. It is typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with its members identifiable by their distinct ...

of the

Eurocorps Eurocorps, located in the French city of Strasbourg (Bas-Rhin), is a multinational corps headquarters. Founded by France and Germany in 1992, it is today composed of personnel from six framework nations and five associated nations. The framework ...

, founded in 1989, jointly consisting of units from both 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 ...

and the German Army.

History

The Brigade was formed in 1987 following a summit between President Mitterrand 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 ...

and Chancellor Kohl of

. The Brigade became operational on October 2, 1989, under the command of General Jean-Pierre Sengeisen. Currently, the FGB is stationed at

Metz Metz ( , , lat, Divodurum Mediomatricorum, then ) is a city in northeast France located at the confluence of the Moselle and the Seille rivers. Metz is the prefecture of the Moselle department and the seat of the parliament of the Grand ...

, Donaueschingen,

Illkirch-Graffenstaden Illkirch-Graffenstaden () is a commune in the Bas-Rhin department in Grand Est in north-eastern France. It is the second-largest suburb of the city of Strasbourg, and is adjacent to it on the south-southwest. Illkirch-Graffenstaden is one of the ...

Sarrebourg Sarrebourg (; also , ; Lorraine Franconian: ; older la, Pons Saravi) is a commune of northeastern France. In 1895 a Mithraeum was discovered at Sarrebourg at the mouth of the pass leading from the Vosges Mountains. Geography Sarrebourg is ...

, and Stetten am Kalten Markt as part of the

. In February 2009 it was announced that a German battalion of the force was to be moved to

Illkirch Illkirch-Graffenstaden () is a commune in the Bas-Rhin department in Grand Est in north-eastern France. It is the second-largest suburb of the city of Strasbourg, and is adjacent to it on the south-southwest. Illkirch-Graffenstaden is one of the ...

near Strasbourg, the first time a German unit had been stationed in France since the German occupation of World War II. On 31 October 2013, France announced that in 2014 it would inactivate the 110th Infantry Regiment based in Donaueschingen and thus withdraw around 1000 men from Germany. This would leave the brigade with 4000 men, but would put an end to each country having a major presence in the other, France would be left with ~500 troops in Germany and vice versa. Since 2016, French units are part of 1st Division and German units are part of '' 10th Panzer Division''.

Organisation

The Franco-German brigade can be described as a mechanised formation; its combat units are an armoured reconnaissance regiment, three infantry battalions, and an artillery regiment. The logistical support unit and the brigade's HQ have mixed complements drawn from both countries. * Staff, in

( D) * 3^e Régiment de Hussards (3e RH) (3rd Hussar Regiment), barracks Séré-de-Rivières in

( F) ** 1st Reconnaissance Company ** 2nd Reconnaissance Company ** 3rd Reconnaissance Company ** 4th Light Reconnaissance and Anti-Armour Company ** 5th Supply and Support Company ** 6th Combat Service Support Company * 1 Régiment d'Infanterie (1 RI) - Infantry Regiment in

(F) ** 1st Infantry Company ** 2nd Infantry Company ** 3rd Infantry Company ** 4th Reconnaissance and Combat Support Company ** 5th Supply and Support Company ** 6th Combat Service Support Company * Jägerbataillon 291 (291st Light Infantry Battalion), in

(F) ** 1st HQ & Supply Company ** 2nd Light Infantry Company ** 3rd Light Infantry Company ** 4th Reconnaissance Company * Jägerbataillon 292 (292nd Light Infantry Battalion), in Donaueschingen (D) ** 1st HQ & Supply Company ** 2nd Light Infantry Company ** 3rd Light Infantry Company ** 4th Light Infantry Company ** 5th Heavy Infantry Company (8x 120mm Mortars, and 8x

TOW Towing is coupling two or more objects together so that they may be pulled by a designated power source or sources. The towing source may be a motorized land vehicle, vessel, animal, or human, and the load being anything that can be pulled. Th ...

Anti-Tank, 8x MK20 Fire Support and 6x Reconnaissance Wiesel Armoured Weapons Carriers) ** 6th Combat Service Support Company * Artilleriebataillon 295 (295th Artillery Battalion), in Stetten am kalten Markt (D) ** 1st HQ & Supply Battery ** 2nd Self-Propelled Howitzer Artillery Battery with PzH 2000 ** 3rd Self-Propelled Howitzer Artillery Battery with PzH 2000 ** 4th Rocket Artillery Battery with

MLRS A multiple rocket launcher (MRL) or multiple launch rocket system (MLRS) is a type of rocket artillery system that contains multiple launchers which are fixed to a single platform, and shoots its rocket ordnance in a fashion similar to a voll ...

** 5th Target Acquisition Battery with radars (COBRA), UAV (KZO) and weather platoon. ** 6th basic training company * Panzerpionierkompanie 550 (550th Armoured Engineer Company), in Immendingen (D) * Logistic Battalion (french: Bataillon de Commandement et de Soutien german: Deutsch-Französisches Versorgungsbataillon), in Müllheim (D) ** 1st HQ & Supply Company (bi-national) ** 2nd Supply Company (bi-national) ** 3rd Maintenance Company (bi-national) ** 4th Transport Company (German) ** Combat Service Support Company (French) ** Staff Company Franco-German Brigade (bi-national)

References

* See also article in '' International Defence Review'', November 1994.

External links

Deutsch-Französischen Brigade
at Bundeswehr.de
The Franco-German brigade and the pilot unit of a proposed Single Eu27pean regiment of a European Army.
{{Authority control Brigades of France Brigades of the Bundeswehr Multinational army units and formations Infantry brigades of Germany France–Germany military relations Military units and formations established in 1989