The Parachute Intervention Squadron of the National Gendarmerie (french: Escadron Parachutiste d'Intervention de la Gendarmerie Nationale) (EPIGN) was the parachute-trained intervention squadron of the

French Gendarmerie The National Gendarmerie (french: Gendarmerie nationale, ) is one of two national law enforcement forces of France, along with the National Police. The Gendarmerie is a branch of the French Armed Forces placed under the jurisdiction of the Min ...

. The unit was formed in 1984 with personnel from EPGM, a one-of-a-kind parachute squadron that had been created within the

mobile gendarmerie The Mobile Gendarmerie (french: Gendarmerie mobile) (GM) is a subdivision of the French National Gendarmerie whose main mission is to maintain public order (from crowd control to riot control) and general security. Contrary to the Departmental G ...

in 1971 and was disestablished at that date. EPIGN, was based in Versailles-

Satory Satory is an area south of Versailles in France. It is mostly known for its military camp, housing: * Weapon-testing facilities of Nexter Systems * Barracks and facilities for Gendarmerie including the GIGN headquarters and the Mobile Gend ...

with its sister unit GIGN. Besides its primary mission of providing heavy support and reinforcement to GIGN, EPIGN soon developed its own set of missions in the fields of protection and observation. It was finally absorbed, together with the "old" GIGN, into the newly reorganized GIGN in September 2007. EPIGN2E Domenjod 020123

History

EPGM: The Mobile Gendarmerie Parachute squadron (1971–1983)

In 1971, the French Gendarmerie established a new

squadron in Mont-de-Marsan in southwest France: ''Escadron 9/11 parachutiste de la Gendarmerie mobile'' (EPGM). The squadron had a dual mission as a law and order unit specialized in "hard" situations and a parachute unit. One of the new unit's additional missions was to provide parachute-qualified provosts to the army's 11th airborne division. ''Encyclopédie de la Gendarmerie nationale'' – Tome 3 In 1973, in the wake of the

Munich massacre The Munich massacre was a terrorist attack carried out during the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, West Germany, by eight members of the Palestinian militant organization Black September, who infiltrated the Olympic Village, killed two members ...

, the Gendarmerie created two tactical teams or "intervention units": one named ECRI (''Équipe Commando Régionale d'intervention'' or Regional Commando Tactical Team) was based in Maisons-Alfort near Paris and a second, named GIGN () was created within the parachute squadron in Mont-de-Marsan. In 1974, the two units were renamed respectively GIGN 1 and GIGN 4. Then in 1976, both units merged into a single one, named GIGN and based in Maisons-Alfort while the parachute squadron remained in Mont-de-Marsan.''Histoire de la gendarmerie mobile d'Ile-de-France'', 3 volumes, Éditions SPE-Barthelemy, Paris, 2007, - tome II GIGN relocated to

near Versailles (west of Paris) in 1982. EPGM was involved in maintaining order during some of the most violent demonstrations of the 1980s which included protests against the building of new-generation nuclear plants. It was also deployed overseas to such places as Chad, the Central African Republic and Lebanon. The unit was also deployed to the

French Territory of the Afars and the Issas The French Territory of the Afars and the Issas (FTAI; french: Territoire français des Afars et des Issas) was the name given to present-day Djibouti between 1967 and 1977, while it was still an overseas territory of France. The area was former ...

to provide security for the 1977 referendum that led to the independence of

Djibouti Djibouti, ar, جيبوتي ', french: link=no, Djibouti, so, Jabuuti officially the Republic of Djibouti, is a country in the Horn of Africa, bordered by Somalia to the south, Ethiopia to the southwest, Eritrea in the north, and the Red S ...

.Alain Betry – ''L'Escadron parachutiste d'intervention de la gendarmerie nationale'' Besides being a qualified gendarme and paratrooper, every member of the unit had to have an additional specialty: high altitude jumper, sharpshooter, explosive neutralization specialist, close combat specialist, combat medic, loadmaster, driver, etc., the unit's structure remaining however that of a regular mobile gendarmerie squadron (i.e. one headquarters platoon and three line platoons) under the command of a captain. Being based near the Atlantic coast, the unit trained combat divers and this specialty was then acquired by GIGN4. This know-how was transferred to GIGN and further developed when the two units merged.

EPIGN: The National Gendarmerie Parachute Intervention Squadron (1984–2007)

In 1984, it was decided that EPGM (the gendarmerie mobile parachute squadron) would be disestablished and that its personnel would be transferred to Satory to create a new kind of parachute squadron there. The new unit, named ''escadron parachutiste d'intervention de la gendarmerie nationale'' or EPIGN would provide tactical support and reinforcements for GIGN whenever additional personnel or heavy weapons were needed. That same year, GIGN and EPIGN became part of a larger organization called GSIGN (french: Groupement de sécurité et d'intervention de la Gendarmerie nationale).

Missions and structure

As time passed, EPIGN, without ever giving up its primary mission of providing tactical support and reinforcements for GIGN, developed its own set of missions: surveillance and observation of criminals and terrorists, personal protection of VIPs and officials and protection of critical sites such as embassies in war-torn countries.Jean-Marc Tanguy. ''Missions Extrêmes''. The unit structure also evolved as the mission scope evolved and very soon, had nothing left in common with that of a regular mobile gendarmerie squadron. In the end the unit, still under the command of a captain, was composed of: * headquarters platoon – including a high altitude jump cell; * two Security and Protection Platoons (SPP) french: sections de Sécurité Protection (SSP) specialized in close protection of VIPs or dangerous sites (for example embassies in war-torn countries); * one Observation and Research Group (GOR) french: Groupe d'observations et de recherches (GOR) specialized in monitoring suspected criminals or terrorists. Despite the squadron's name, the "intervention" mission was entirely transferred to GIGN, members of the parachute squadron being assigned the task to support the intervention group by sanitizing and cordoning off their operating area and by providing heavy weapon support with machine guns and mortars if and when necessary. An additional mission was to reinforce GSPR (french: Groupe de Sécurité de la Présidence de la République), the presidential security group (then composed exclusively of gendarmes), mainly during official or state visits abroad. Squadron personnel frequently conducted security audits of embassies, ports and airports and various French or foreign sites. Finally the squadron was also involved during special events such as the Pope's visit, the World Football or Rugby World Cups, the D-Day commemoration, etc.

Uniform

EPIGN members often operated in plainclothes with a simple lapel pin (for example for VIP protection). When in uniform, they wore a dark blue beret, like their predecessors of EPGM.

Skills

EPIGN personnel (and now GIGN personnel) was trained in: *

Alpinism Mountaineering or alpinism, is a set of outdoor activities that involves ascending tall mountains. Mountaineering-related activities include traditional outdoor climbing, skiing, and traversing via ferratas. Indoor climbing, sport climbing, a ...

(taught by the high-mountain gendarmerie group of

Chamonix Chamonix-Mont-Blanc ( frp, Chamôni), more commonly known as Chamonix, is a commune in the Haute-Savoie department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of southeastern France. It was the site of the first Winter Olympics in 1924. In 2019, it had ...

) * Parachuting * Diving *

First aid First aid is the first and immediate assistance given to any person with either a minor or serious illness or injury, with care provided to preserve life, prevent the condition from worsening, or to promote recovery. It includes initial int ...

Marksmanship A marksman is a person who is skilled in precision shooting using projectile weapons (in modern days most commonly an accurized scoped long gun such as designated marksman rifle or a sniper rifle) to shoot at high-value targets at longer-th ...

* Explosive neutralization * Close security *

Close combat Close combat means a violent physical confrontation between two or more opponents at short range.''MCRP 3-02B: Close Combat'', Washington, D.C.: Department Of The Navy, Headquarters United States Marine Corps, 12 February 1999Matthews, Phil, CQ ...

Known operations

The unit was never deployed in a large scale parachute jump and a large part of the unit's missions were kept secret but known missions include: * Embassy protection in war-torn countries or during crises (Afghanistan, Algeria, Colombia, Congo, Ethiopia, Iraq, Romania, Rwanda, El Salvador, Togo, Yemen, Democratic Republic of the Congo) * Technical assistance and training missions in Burundi, Colombia, Union of the Comoros, Djibouti, Jordan, Republic of the Congo, Mali, Chad, Togo, etc. * Reinforcement of the Presidential security group (GSPR) during visits to Jordan, Egypt, the Republic of Ireland, etc. * GIGN support during the assault on the Ouvéa cave. An EPIGN section led the assault group through the jungle and cordoned off the area. An EPIGN member was wounded by gunshot when the hostage takers shot at their helicopter at the beginning of the assault. * GIGN support (and hostage rescue) during the assault on

Air France Flight 8969 Air France Flight 8969 was an Air France flight that was hijacked on 24 December 1994 by the Armed Islamic Group of Algeria (GIA) at Houari Boumediene Airport, Algiers. The terrorists murdered three passengers and their intention was either to ...

at Marseille Marignane airport in December 1994. A section of eighteen EPIGN members was stationed directly underneath the plane during the assault and recovered the hostages as they went down the escape chutes. As only four armored jackets were available due to the urgency of the deployment, they decided that none would be used. * Attempted arrest, and shooting, of terrorist

Khaled Kelkal Khaled Kelkal ( ar, خالد كلكال) (April 28, 1971 – September 29, 1995) was a French and Algerian terrorist affiliated with the GIA. He was involved in the 1995 terror bombings in France. Biography Khaled Kelkal was born in 1971 in M ...

in 1995. As GIGN was deployed in the Comoros, EPIGN undertook the operation. Kelkal refused to surrender and was shot in the ensuing exchange. * Search for and monitoring of suspected criminals after the end of the Yugoslav Wars. * Search for and monitoring of violent independentist activists (Corsica, Basque Country) or terrorists ( Action Directe).

EPGM and EPIGN unit commanders

EPGM (1971–1983) * Capitaine Poupinot * Capitaine Michel * Capitaine Rémy * Capitaine Denis * Capitaine Vanderperre EPIGN (1984–2007) * Capitaine Chancerelle * Capitaine Pattin * Capitaine Cormier * Capitaine Strub * Capitaine Bonneau * Capitaine Veneau * Capitaine Lavergne * Capitaine L.

Dissolution

In 2007, the Gendarmerie, in light of mass terrorists events such as the

Moscow theater hostage crisis The Moscow theater hostage crisis (also known as the 2002 Nord-Ost siege) was the seizure of the crowded Dubrovka Theater by Chechen terrorists on 23 October 2002, which involved 850 hostages and ended with Russian security services killing o ...

and the

Beslan school siege The Beslan school siege (also referred to as the Beslan school hostage crisis or the Beslan massacre) was a terrorist attack that started on 1 September 2004, lasted three days, involved the imprisonment of more than 1,100 people as hostages ( ...

and in order to better integrate its tactical teams under reinforced headquarters, decided to disestablish GSIGN in favor of a "new" GIGN composed of the former GIGN, the former EPIGN and other former components of GSIGN (the Presidential close protection group and the training group). So EPIGN was disestablished and its former members became part of "forces" in the new GIGN (mainly the Security Protection Force and the Observation and Research Force). Société nationale de L'Histoire et du Patrimoine de la Gendarmerie / Société des amis du musée de la gendarmerie https://www.force-publique.net/2007/09/01/1er-septembre-2007-creation-du-gign-2-0/

Notes and references

Bibliography

* * * *