The is a Primary Reserve

infantry Infantry, or infantryman are a type of soldier who specialize in ground combat, typically fighting dismounted. Historically the term was used to describe foot soldiers, i.e. those who march and fight on foot. In modern usage, the term broadl ...

regiment A regiment is a military unit. Its role and size varies markedly, depending on the country, military service, service, or administrative corps, specialisation. In Middle Ages, Medieval Europe, the term "regiment" denoted any large body of l ...

of the

Canadian Army The Canadian Army () is the command (military formation), command responsible for the operational readiness of the conventional ground forces of the Canadian Armed Forces. It maintains regular forces units at bases across Canada, and is also re ...

. It is part of the 2nd Canadian Division's 35 Canadian Brigade Group and is headquartered at Lévis, Quebec.

Insignia

The regimental insignia consists of two crossed

Vickers Vickers was a British engineering company that existed from 1828 until 1999. It was formed in Sheffield as a steel foundry by Edward Vickers and his father-in-law, and soon became famous for casting church bells. The company went public in 18 ...

machine guns, surmounted by a beaver supporting a fleur-de-lys. Under this is a scroll inscribed with the device meaning 'Stronger than bronze', with a small maple leaf on each end.

Lineage

File:R de Chaud Colour.jpg, Regimental colour (prior to addition of 1812 and Afghanistan honours) File:R de Chaud Camp Flag.jpg, Camp flag Le Régiment de la Chaudière perpetuates three units (1st Battalion, Select Embodied Militia, Dorchester Provincial Light Dragoons and the 1st Lotbinière Division) from the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 was fought by the United States and its allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom and its allies in North America. It began when the United States United States declaration of war on the Uni ...

and as such carries Battle Honours which recognize the service of those previous units during the War of 1812 and, in particular, at the Battle of the Chateauguay. The regiment itself originated in Saint-Anselme, Quebec, on 9 April 1869, as The Provisional Battalion of "Dorchester". It was redesignated as the 92nd "Dorchester" Battalion of Infantry on 12 June 1885. On 1 August 1899, it was amalgamated with the 23rd "Beauce" Battalion of Infantry but retained the same designation. It was redesignated as the 92nd Dorchester Regiment on 8 May 1900; as Le Régiment de Dorchester on 29 March 1920; as The Beauce Regiment on 15 March 1921; as Le Régiment de Beauce on 1 May 1921; and as Le Régiment de Dorchester et Beauce on 1 February 1932. On 15 December 1936, it amalgamated with the 5th Machine Gun Battalion, CMGC and was redesignated as Le Régiment de la Chaudière (Mitrailleuses). It was redesignated as the 2nd (Reserve) Battalion, Le Régiment de la Chaudière (Mitrailleuses) on 7 November 1940; as the 2nd (Reserve) Battalion, Le Régiment de la Chaudière on 1 April 1941; and as Le Régiment de la Chaudière on 24 April 1946. On 1 September 1954, it was amalgamated with Le Régiment de Lévis but retained the same designation. The 23rd "Beauce" Battalion of Infantry originated in Sainte-Marie, Quebec, on 9 April 1869. On 1 August 1899, it was amalgamated with the 92nd Dorchester Battalion of Infantry. Le Régiment de Lévis originated in Lévis, Quebec, on 1 December 1902, as the 17th Regiment of Infantry. It was redesignated as Le Régiment de Lévis on 29 March 1920; as the 2nd (Reserve) Battalion, Le Régiment de Lévis on 12 May 1942; and as Le Régiment de Lévis on 7 November 1945. On 1 September 1954, it amalgamated with Le Régiment de la Chaudière. The 5th Machine Gun Battalion, CMGC originated in Quebec City, Quebec, on 1 June 1919, as the 5th Machine Gun Brigade, CMGC. It was redesignated as the 5th Machine Gun Battalion, CMGC on 15 September 1924. On 15 December 1936, it amalgamated with Le Régiment de Dorchester et Beauce.

Perpetuations

The War of 1812

* 1st Battalion, Select Embodied Militia * Dorchester Provincial Light Dragoons * 1st Lotbinière Division

Operational history

The Second World War

Le Régiment de la Chaudière (Mitrailleuses) mobilized Le Régiment de la Chaudière (Mitrailleuses), CASF on 1 September 1939. It was redesignated as Le Régiment de la Chaudière, CASF on 24 May 1940; and as the 1st Battalion, Le Régiment de la Chaudière, CASF on 7 November 1940. It embarked for Great Britain on 21 July 1941. On D-Day, 6 June 1944, it landed in Normandy, France as a part of the 8th Infantry Brigade,

3rd Canadian Infantry Division The 3rd Canadian Division is a formation of the Canadian Army responsible for the command and mobilization of all army units in the provinces of Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia, as well as Northwestern Ontario including the ...

, and it continued to fight in North West Europe until the end of the war. The overseas battalion was disbanded on 15 January 1946.

War In Afghanistan

The regiment contributed an aggregate of more than 20% of its authorized strength to the various Task Forces which served in Afghanistan between 2002 and 2014.

History

The regiment mobilized a battalion for the Canadian Active Service Force in 1939. Initially organized as a machine gun battalion, the battalion was sent to England in August 1941. The unit was assigned to the

as a standard rifle battalion and was designated as a reserve battalion during the

D-Day The Normandy landings were the landing operations and associated airborne operations on 6 June 1944 of the Allied invasion of Normandy in Operation Overlord during the Second World War. Codenamed Operation Neptune and often referred to as ...

landings in June 1944. Le Régiment de la Chaudière came ashore on the second wave at Bernières-sur-Mer after The Queen's Own Rifles of Canada, surprising the locals who hadn't expected to find francophone troops in the liberating forces. It was the only French-Canadian regiment to participate in

Operation Overlord Operation Overlord was the codename for the Battle of Normandy, the Allies of World War II, Allied operation that launched the successful liberation of German-occupied Western Front (World War II), Western Europe during World War II. The ope ...

, and one of the few French-speaking units to come ashore that day alongside the bilingual The North Shore (New Brunswick) Regiment and the Free-French Commando Kieffer. The regiment participated in the Battle for Caen, suffering several casualties in the fight at Carpiquet airfield on 4 July 1944. With the rest of the division, the regiment fought in the

Battle of the Scheldt The Battle of the Scheldt in World War II was a series of military operations to open up the Scheldt river between Antwerp and the North Sea for shipping, so that Antwerp's port could be used to supply the Allies in north-west Europe. The oper ...

, notably in actions in the

Breskens Pocket The Breskens Pocket was a pocket of fortified German resistance against the Canadian First Army in the Battle of the Scheldt during the Second World War. It was chiefly situated on the southern shore of the Scheldt estuary in the southern Nether ...

between 6 October and 3 November 1944. The unit wintered in the Nijmegen Salient and was again active in the Rhineland fighting in February 1945, and finished the war on German soil in May. A 2nd Battalion served in the Reserve Army. A 3rd Battalion was raised for the Canadian Army Occupation Force. File:RegimentdelaChaudiereMembersTrainingInWinter1945.jpg, Infantrymen of the Régiment de la Chaudière, who are wearing British winter camouflage clothing, on patrol, Berg en dal, Netherlands, January 24, 1945 File:Léo Major.jpg, Sergeant Léo Major File:Pierre tombale de Léo Major.jpg, Grave of Sgt Léo Major

Name

Citizens in Normandy were surprised to find that soldiers of the Chaudière spoke a type of French very close to that spoken in Normandy, but were puzzled by the regiment's name. In French, is the word for a water heater or

boiler A boiler is a closed vessel in which fluid (generally water) is heated. The fluid does not necessarily boil. The heated or vaporized fluid exits the boiler for use in various processes or heating applications, including water heating, centra ...

. The regiment was named for the

Chaudière River The Chaudière River (; French for "Cauldron" or "Boiler"; Western Abenaki, Abenaki: Kik8ntekw) is a river with its source near the Lac-Mégantic, Quebec, Town of Lac-Mégantic, in southeast Quebec, Canada. From its source Lake Mégantic in the ...

, itself named for the "boiling" of a waterfall on the river.

Battle honours

In the list below, battle honours in small capitals were awarded for participation in large operations and campaigns, while those in lowercase indicate honours granted for more specific battles. Those battle honours in bold type are emblazoned on the regimental colour.

Régiment de la Chaudière museum

The museum researches, collects, preserves and interprets as many artifacts as possible which illustrate the military life, particularly during the war in Europe, 1944–1945. The museum displays and describes arms, uniforms, equipment and customs of Le Régiment de la Chaudière from its founding and that of its antecedents.A-AD-266-000/AG-001 Canadian Forces Museums –Operations and Administration 2002-04-03 File:PaulMathieu.jpg, Paul Mathieu, DSO, ED from Archives of Museum of Régiment de la Chaudière

Media

* Le Régiment de la Chaudière by Jacques & Armand Ross Castonguay (1983) * Le Geste Du Régiment De La Chaudière by Major Armand, Major Michel Gauvin Ross and Georges Lepage (1945)

Order of precedence

Notable people

* Sergeant Léo Major * Pierre Paul-Hus

Notes

References

External links

Web site of Le Régiment de la Chaudière

{{DEFAULTSORT:Regiment De La Chaudiere Régiment de la Chaudière Regimental museums in Canada Museums in Quebec Chaudiere, Regiment de la Military units and formations of Quebec Military units and formations of Canada in World War II Infantry regiments of Canada in World War II Military units and formations established in 1936 Armouries in Canada Lévis, Quebec