The 6th Regiment of Dragoons (''6e Régiment de Dragons'') is a French regiment of

dragoon Dragoons were originally a class of mounted infantry, who used horses for mobility, but dismounted to fight on foot. From the early 17th century onward, dragoons were increasingly also employed as conventional cavalry and trained for combat w ...

cavalry formed under the old regime, and dissolved in 1992.

Creation and renames

September 14, 1673: Creation as the ''Régiment d'Hocquincourt'' (Regiment of Hocquincourt) * 1675: Renamed to ''Régiment de Dragons de la Reine'' (Dragoons of the Queen) * 1791: Renamed to ''6e Régiment de Dragons'' (6th Regiment of Dragoons) * 1814: Renamed to ''Régiment de Dragons de Monsieur'' (Dragoons of Gentlemen) * 1815: Renamed back to ''6e Régiment de Dragons'', dissolved after the

Hundred Days The Hundred Days (french: les Cent-Jours ), also known as the War of the Seventh Coalition, marked the period between Napoleon's return from eleven months of exile on the island of Elba to Paris on20 March 1815 and the second restoration ...

* 1815: Recreated as ''Régiment de Dragons de la Loire'' (Dragoons of the Loire) * 1825: Renamed to ''6e régiment de dragons'' * 1940: Dissolved * 1951: Recreated as ''6e régiment de dragons'' * 1963: Dissolved * 1964: Recreated as ''6e régiment de dragons'' out of the 3e Algerian Spahis Regiment * 1992: Final dissolution

Regimental Leaders

Until the French Revolution, the regimental leader were called ''

mestre de camp Mestre de camp or Maître de camp (; "camp-master") was a military rank in the Ancien Régime of France, equivalent to colonel. A mestre de camp commanded a regiment and was under the authority of a Colonel General, who commanded all the regiment ...

'', who owned the regiment they commanded. Beginning in 1791, the leader was referred to as a colonel. In reality, only the first dragoon regiment leader had this quality, his followers, being only ''mestre de camp-lieutenant'', corresponding afterwards to

lieutenant colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colone ...

. * 1673: Gabriel de Monchy * 1675: Mestre de Camp de Brizay, Viscount of Enonville * 1685: Mestre de Camp Nicolaï, Knight of Murçay * 1692: Mestre de Camp Texier, Marquis of Hautefeuille * 1704: Mestre de Camp Riencourt, Marquis of Orival * 1731: Mestre de Camp Lamber of Herbigny, Marquis of Thibouville * 1734: Mestre de Camp Chabannes, Marquis of Chabannes-Pionsac * 1740: Mestre de Camp Durey of Sauroy, Marquis of Terrail * 1748: Mestre de Camp Charles, Marquis of Morand * 1762: Mestre de Camp Grossoles, Earl of Flammarens * 1780: Mestre de Camp Franquetot, Knight of Coigny * 1784: Mestre de Camp Grammont, Duke of Guiche * 1788: Mestre de Camp Machault, Viscount of Machault * 1791: Colonel Louis-Marthe of Gouy d'Arsy * 1792: Colonel Marc Pierre de la Turmeliere * 1792: Colonel

Blaise Duval Blaise Duval de Hautmaret, or more widely referred to as Blaise Duval, (4 September 1739 – 17 January 1803) was a French general of the Revolutionary Wars. Biography Son of a merchant, he was born in Abbeville in northern France. He was corne ...

"Duval de Hautmaret" * 1792: Colonel Adelaïde Blaise François "le Hare de la Grange" * 1792: Colonel Jacques Louis François Delaistre de Tilly * 1793: Chef de Brigade François Philibert Michel Pelicot * 1794: Chef de Brigade François Jourdan * 1794: Chef de Brigade Vincent * 1794: Chef de Brigade Jean-Louis-François Fauconnet * 1797: Chef de Brigade Jacques le Baron (Colonel in 1803) * 1807: Colonel Cyrille-Simon Picquet * 1809: Colonel Pierrre Alexis de Pinteville * 1813: Colonel Claude Mugnier * 1814: Colonel Jean-Baptiste Saviot * 1815: Colonel Dornier * 1823: Colonel Podenas * 1830: Colonel Lacour * 1834: Colonel Scherer * 1845: Colonel Beltramin * 1852: Colonel Robinet des Plas * 1855: Colonel Jean Jacques Paul Félix Ressayre * 1863: Colonel Bourboulon * 1869: Colonel Tillion * 1870: Colonel Fombert de Villiers * 1876: Colonel Maréchal * 1881: Colonel Rapp * 1887: Colonel Brossier de Buros * 1893: Colonel of Lestapis * 1898: Colonel of Sesmaisons * 1899: Colonel Faure * 1908: Colonel Trafford * 1912: Colonel Champeaux * 1914: Colonel of Champvallier * 1918: Colonel Joannard * 1925: Colonel Yvart * 1931: Colonel Barbe * 1933: Colonel of the Perrier de Larsan * 1936: Colonel Jacottet * 1951: Colonel of Soultrait * 1953: Colonel Ameil * 1956: Colonel Renoult * 1958: Lieutenant-Colonel Bonnefous * 1961: Lieutenant-Colonel Boileau * 1963: Lieutenant-Colonel Jeannerod * 1964: Lieutenant-Colonel le Diberder * 1967: Colonel Fournier * 1969: Lieutenant-Colonel O'Delant * 1971: Lieutenant-Colonel Maillard * 1972: Lieutenant-Colonel Carabin * 1974: Colonel Delcourt * 1976: Colonel of Cotton * 1978: Colonel Thiébaut * 1980: Colonel Burel * 1982: Colonel Winckel * 1984: Colonel Cailloux * 1986: Colonel Lefebvre * 1990: Colonel Françon * 1991: Lieutenant-Colonel Riediner

Regimental leaders killed or injured in combat

* July 23, 1675: Knight of Hocquincourt (Killed) * August 4, 1692: Knight of Murçay (Killed) * April 26, 1794: Chef de Brigade Vincent (Killed) * February 6, 1807: Colonel Lebaron (Killed) * July 22, 1812: Colonel Picquet (Wounded)

Garrisons

In March 1788, the Régiment de Dragons de la Reine moved to Laon in a newly built barracks, which, as new as it was, is assigned to it a merry-go-round, a quarry, and even a hospital. Dragoons are sworn to the nation and the King and Queen on August 1789. Becoming the ''6e Régiment de Dragons'' early in 1792 and this time, after swearing loyalty to the nation, the law, administrators of the executive, to maintain the Constitution with all its strength, never to abandon its guiding principles, to observe the rules of discipline and to live free or to die, the regiment nevertheless left the city the following year for the campaigns of the French Revolution and the

French Empire French Empire (french: Empire Français, link=no) may refer to: * First French Empire, ruled by Napoleon I from 1804 to 1814 and in 1815 and by Napoleon II in 1815, the French state from 1804 to 1814 and in 1815 * Second French Empire, led by Nap ...

. Laon was later destroyed by bombing during World War I, only a pediment inscribed on historic monuments remains. From the end of the empire in 1815 until the Franco-Prussian War, the regiment was mobile throughout the metropolitan territory and changed garrison almost every two years. After the fall of the empire, the regiment was dissolved while garrisoned at

Nîmes Nîmes ( , ; oc, Nimes ; Latin: ''Nemausus'') is the prefecture of the Gard department in the Occitanie region of Southern France. Located between the Mediterranean Sea and Cévennes, the commune of Nîmes has an estimated population of 148,5 ...

. It was reformed in 1816 in Haute-Saône under the name of ''Régiment de Dragons de la Loire''. Before renaming back to the ''6e Régiment de Dragons'' in 1825, the regiment was moved from Nancy, Charleville, Saint-Omer, Lille, and Verdun. It then passed through Lyon, Tours, Pontivy, Valenciennes, and Paris, where it took part in the riots of June 1832. It was continued to be moved through Dax,

Limoges Limoges (, , ; oc, Lemòtges, locally ) is a city and Communes of France, commune, and the prefecture of the Haute-Vienne Departments of France, department in west-central France. It was the administrative capital of the former Limousin region ...

Poitiers Poitiers (, , , ; Poitevin: ''Poetàe'') is a city on the River Clain in west-central France. It is a commune and the capital of the Vienne department and the historical centre of Poitou. In 2017 it had a population of 88,291. Its agglomerat ...

, Fonatinebleau, Sedan, Chalon-sur-Marne, Limoges, and Toul. In 1853, before leaving for the Crimea, it was stationed in Tarascon. After that, they were moved to Clermont-Ferran, back to Paris, Saint-Mihiel, Valenciennes, Lunéville, and Lyon. In 1870, the regiment was in Libourne, where they were at for a short time and then returned to Lyon. From this period, stability was established. From 1872 to 1880, the regiment was in Chambéry, where it had already been in between 1867 and 1869, where it concurred

World War I

It took part in the Battle of the Yser. It took part in the Third Battle of the Aisne.

World War II

It was dissolved in 1940.

The Cold War

It was raised again as the ''6th Dragoon Regiment'' in 1964 out of the ''3e Régiment de Spahis Algériens''. It was dissolved in 1992.

Honours

Battle honours

* Marengo 1800 * Austerlitz 1806 * Friedland 1807 *Kanghil 1855 * L’Yser 1914 * Picardie 1918

Decorations

* Croix de guerre 1914–1918 with 1 palm *

Croix de guerre 1939–1945 The ''Croix de Guerre 1939–1945'' (English: War Cross 1939–1945) is a French military decoration, a version of the ''Croix de Guerre'' created on 26 September 1939 to honour people who fought with the Allies against the Axis forces at any ti ...

with 1 palm {{DEFAULTSORT:Dragoon, 6th Dragoon Regiment (France) Dragoon regiments of France Military units and formations disestablished in 1992 20th-century regiments of France Regiments of the Bourbon Restoration Regiments of the French First Republic Regiments of the First French Empire Regiments of the July Monarchy Military units and formations established in 1791