The 6th Engineers Regiment (french: 6^e Régiment du Génie) is a regiment of the ''génie militaire'' of the

French Military The French Armed Forces (french: Forces armées françaises) encompass the Army, the Navy, the Air and Space Force and the Gendarmerie of the French Republic. The President of France heads the armed forces as Chief of the Armed Forces. France ...

constituted under the IIIrd Republic. It is the only Engineers Regiment among the Troupes de Marine (French Marine Corps).

Creation and different nominations

In 1894 : 6th Engineer Regiment 6^e RG was created, on October 1 at Angers. The regiment was installed in garrison Eblé designated after the

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 ...

whose men perished while constructing the bridges on the Bérézina.

History

1894 to 1914

* 1894 : Angers * 1895 : Campaigns in Madagascar * 1900 : China

World War I

* 1914 : La Marne * 1916 :

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 ...

* 1917 : L'Aisne * 1918 : Champagne During the campaign of 1914-1918, 17 companies of the regiment were cited 72 times (out of which 47 citations at the orders of the armed forces). 15 companies of the regiment were awarded the right to wear the fourragere of the

Croix de guerre 1914-1918 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 ...

Interwar period

* 1918-1939 : Angers * 1925-1927:

Rif War The Rif War () was an armed conflict fought from 1921 to 1926 between Spain (joined by France in 1924) and the Berber tribes of the mountainous Rif region of northern Morocco. Led by Abd el-Krim, the Riffians at first inflicted several de ...

World War II

In June 1940, the 6th Engineer Regiment participated to the combats of the Cadets of Saumur. Missioned by lieutenant-colonel Robert, regimental commander of the depot of the 6th Engineer Regiment, lieutenant Rousseau was the chief head center at Saumur and had at his disposition, for each bridge, one officer with some 30 men : lieutenant Martin on the bridge of Montsoreau, lieutenant Poupon on the bridge of VR de Saumur, sous-lieutenant Fraisier on the bridge of VF de Saumur, sous-lieutenant Falck on the bridge of Gennes. In total, there were 120 men at the war depot of the 6th Engineer Regiment which supported the combats of the Cadets of Saumur. Captain Schneider was cited for the defensive mounted on the bridge of Port-Boulet. At mobilization on September 1939, the 71st Engineer Battalion was created at Angers. The active encadrement of this unique regiment of engineer of the 1st Colonial Infantry Division 1^re DIC was issued from the 6th Engineer Regiment. From that came the links between the 71st and 6th, out of which in 1997, was summarized by the transfer to the 6^e RG of a complete consecutive company at the dissolution of the 71st.

1945 to present

Following

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, the 6th was garrisoned in Angers at garrison Vernau, in designation of Jean-Edouard Verneau, a resistant French

, deceased in deportation in 1944. * 1946 - : garrison at Angers. * 1945 - 1954 : participated to the

French Far East Expeditionary Corps The French Far East Expeditionary Corps (french: Corps Expéditionnaire Français en Extrême-Orient, CEFEO) was a colonial expeditionary force of the French Union Army that was initially formed in French Indochina in 1945 during the Pacific W ...

. * 1977 - 1984 : 4th Cavalry Division (french: 4^e Division de Cavalerie, 4^e DC). * 1984 - 1993 : 3rd Army Corps. * 1993 - : 9th Marine Infantry Division 9^e DIMa, then 9th Light Armoured Marine Brigade 9^e BLBMa, then designated

9th Marine Infantry Brigade The 9 Marine Infantry Brigade (french: 9 Brigade d'Infanterie de Marine, 9 BIMa) is a light armoured, amphibious unit of the ''Troupes de marine'' of the French Army. In July 1963, the 9 Brigade was created in Brittany. On 1 January 1976, the 9 ...

9^e BIMa. ** Interventions 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 ...

, Guyana,

Central African Republic The Central African Republic (CAR; ; , RCA; , or , ) is a landlocked country in Central Africa. It is bordered by Chad to the north, Sudan to the northeast, South Sudan to the southeast, the DR Congo to the south, the Republic of th ...

Tchad Chad (; ar, تشاد , ; french: Tchad, ), officially the Republic of Chad, '; ) is a landlocked country at the crossroads of North and Central Africa. It is bordered by Libya to the north, Sudan to the east, the Central African Republ ...

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 243 million people, and has the world's second-lar ...

Kuwait Kuwait (; ar, الكويت ', or ), officially the State of Kuwait ( ar, دولة الكويت '), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated in the northern edge of Eastern Arabia at the tip of the Persian Gulf, bordering Iraq to the nort ...

Somalia Somalia, , Osmanya script: 𐒈𐒝𐒑𐒛𐒐𐒘𐒕𐒖; ar, الصومال, aṣ-Ṣūmāl officially the Federal Republic of SomaliaThe ''Federal Republic of Somalia'' is the country's name per Article 1 of thProvisional Constituti ...

, Rwanda,

Cambodia Cambodia (; also Kampuchea ; km, កម្ពុជា, UNGEGN: ), officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochinese Peninsula in Southeast Asia, spanning an area of , bordered by Thailan ...

, Congo, Albenia,

Kosovo Kosovo ( sq, Kosova or ; sr-Cyrl, Косово ), officially the Republic of Kosovo ( sq, Republika e Kosovës, links=no; sr, Република Косово, Republika Kosovo, links=no), is a partially recognised state in Southeast Euro ...

and

Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh, / , ), abbreviated BiH () or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina and often known informally as Bosnia, is a country at the crossroads of south and southeast Europe, located in the Balkans. Bosnia and H ...

. ** Since 2004, 500 sapeurs of the 6th Engineer Regiment deployed to the Ivory Coast, Guyana,

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...

Senegal Senegal,; Wolof: ''Senegaal''; Pulaar: 𞤅𞤫𞤲𞤫𞤺𞤢𞥄𞤤𞤭 (Senegaali); Arabic: السنغال ''As-Sinighal'') officially the Republic of Senegal,; Wolof: ''Réewum Senegaal''; Pulaar : 𞤈𞤫𞤲𞤣𞤢𞥄𞤲𞤣𞤭 ...

Martinique Martinique ( , ; gcf, label=Martinican Creole, Matinik or ; Kalinago: or ) is an island and an overseas department/region and single territorial collectivity of France. An integral part of the French Republic, Martinique is located in ...

Mayotte Mayotte (; french: Mayotte, ; Shimaore: ''Maore'', ; Kibushi: ''Maori'', ), officially the Department of Mayotte (french: Département de Mayotte), is an overseas department and region and single territorial collectivity of France. It is loca ...

and Haiti. ** In February 2006, a hundred sapeurs were deployed to aid the populations of the Reunion in an epidemic. ** In 2010 : the "6" integrated two companies in the 2nd Engineer Regiment 2^e RG and one reserve company 22nd Marine Infantry Battalion 22^e BIMa. ** In 2013 : the "6" was engaged in Mali during Operation Serval.

Traditions

Motto

To recall the commitment, fidelity and hardship work of the sapeurs of the "6", the writer

Hervé Bazin Hervé Bazin (; 17 April 191117 February 1996) was a French writer, whose best-known novels covered semi-autobiographical topics of teenage rebellion and dysfunctional families. Biography Bazin, born Jean-Pierre Hervé-Bazin in Angers, Maine- ...

, nominated the motto of the regiment "Je continuerai". In the years of 1980, the motto was "Parfois détruire, souvent construire, toujours servir".

Nickname

The Marine soldiers are called "marsouins" when coming from the infantry or light cavalry and "bigors" when coming from the artillery. The engineers being more recently added in the French Marines, they do not have a traditional nickname. They are called "sapeurs de Marine" (Marine engineers).

Regimental Colors

Decorations

The regimental colors of the 6th Engineer Regiment 6^e RG is decorated with: * 15 companies of the 6th Engineer Regiment, were cited numerous times for collective and individual acts of valor during the 1914-1918 world conflict and two citations at the orders of the armed forces. *

with: ** 2 palms *

Croix de la Valeur militaire The Cross for Military Valour (french: Croix de la Valeur Militaire) is a military decoration of France. It recognises an individual bestowed a Mention in Dispatches earned for showing valour in presence of an enemy, in theatres of operations wh ...

with: ** 1 palm (May 4, 2013) Fourragere: *Fourragère with colors of the

croix de guerre 1914-1918 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 ...

Image:Fourragère_aux_couleurs_de_la_croix_de_guerre_1914-1918.jpg, Fourragère aux couleurs du ruban de la

Honours

Battle Honours

*Madagascar 1895 *La Marne 1914 *Verdun 1916 *L'Aisne 1917 *Champagne 1918

Regimental Commander

{, , - , valign=top , * 1894 - 1897 : Colonel Dalstein * 1897 - 1899 : Colonel Gillet * 1899 - 1902 : Colonel Mortagne * 1902 - 1904 : Colonel Mague * 1904 - 1905 : Colonel Petitbon * 1905 - 1908 : Colonel Bourdeaux * 1908 - 1911 : Colonel Alby * 1911 - 1912 : Colonel de Montdesir * 1914 - 1919 : Colonel Bernard * 1919 - 1920 : Lieutenant-colonel Leroux * 1920 - 1922 : Colonel Thomas * 1922 - 1924 : Colonel Leroux * 1924 - 1926 : Colonel Letourneur * 1926 - 1928 : Colonel Tircaud * 1928 - 1930 : Colonel Gourandy , valign=top , * 1930 - 1932 : Colonel Alleau * 1932 - 1934 : Colonel Fillon * 1934 - 1936 : Colonel Froment * 1936 - 1938 : Colonel Tournoux * 1938 - 1939 : Colonel Carrier * 1939 - 1940 : Lieutenant-colonel Robert * 1940 - 1941 : Lieutenant-colonel Bastide * 1941 - 1942 : Lieutenant-colonel Malhomme * 1945 - 1946 : Lieutenant-colonel Guy * 1946 - 1950 : Colonel Malhomme * 1950 - 1952 : Colonel Besson * 1952 - 1953 : Colonel Muttin * 1953 - 1956 : Colonel Colin * 1956 - 1957 : Colonel Bonnamy * 1957 - 1959 : Colonel Cathala , valign=top , * 1959 - 1961 : Colonel Guilleret * 1961 - 1963 : Colonel Tricot * 1963 - 1964 : Colonel Siquier * 1964 - 1965 : Colonel Leconte * 1965 - 1967 : Colonel de Bouteiller * 1967 - 1969 : Colonel Ledermann * 1969 - 1971 : Colonel Lartigue * 1971 - 1973 : Colonel Georges * 1973 - 1975 : Colonel Tretjak * 1975 - 1977 : Colonel Munier * 1977 - 1979 : Colonel Teil * 1979 - 1981 : Colonel Bresson * 1981 - 1983 : Colonel Kervizic * 1983 - 1985 : Colonel Lalier * 1985 - 1987 : Colonel Laguerie , valign=top , * 1987 - 1990 : Colonel Leduc * 1990 - 1992 : Colonel Charvoz * 1992 - 1994 : Colonel Maral * 1994 - 1997 : Colonel Chinouilh * 1997 - 1999 : Colonel Gros * 1999 - 2001 : Colonel Daehn * 2001 - 2003 : Colonel de Goutte * 2003 - 2005 : Colonel Alabergère * 2005 - 2007 : Colonel de Jerphanion * 2007 - 2009 : Colonel Quevilly * 2009 - 2011 : Colonel Glinec * 2011 - 2013 : Colonel Crach * 2013 - 2015 : Colonel Combi * 2015 - : Colonel Guillot

External links

website (in French)
French engineer regiments Military units and formations established in 1894