Barthélémy "Rémy" Raffalli (16 March 1913 – 10 September 1952) was a French Army major who fought in World War II and the First Indochina War.

Early life and pre-war service

He entered the Saint-Cyr Military School on 1 October 1933 as part of the King

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promotion and graduated in 1935. Raffalli then chose to enter the

cavalry Historically, cavalry (from the French word ''cavalerie'', itself derived from "cheval" meaning "horse") are soldiers or warriors who fight mounted on horseback. Cavalry were the most mobile of the combat arms, operating as light cavalry ...

of the French Army and studied at the Armoured Cavalry Branch Training School in

Saumur Saumur () is a commune in the Maine-et-Loire department in western France. The town is located between the Loire and Thouet rivers, and is surrounded by the vineyards of Saumur itself, Chinon, Bourgueil, Coteaux du Layon, etc.. Saumur statio ...

. In 1936 he was posted to the 1st Regiment of Spahis in Algeria, which he joined at Médéa, and then the 3rd Moroccan Regiment of Spahis.

World War II service

Raffalli joined the French Expeditionary Corps in Italy in 1943 and served with distinction. On 17 March 1944, he was seriously wounded while leading a squadron of the 5th Moroccan Spahis Regiment.

Post War service and death

Raffalli earned his parachute badge in September 1949. After a short tour with the 3rd Foreign Parachute Battalion 3^ème BEP and

1st Foreign Parachute Battalion The 1st Foreign Parachute Battalion (french: 1er Bataillon Etranger de Parachutistes (1er BEP)) was a parachute battalion of the Foreign Legion formed from the Parachute Company of the 3rd Foreign Infantry Regiment. History 1er Bataillon E ...

1^et BEP, he took command of the

2nd Foreign Parachute Battalion The 2nd Foreign Parachute Battalion (french: 2e Bataillon Étranger de Parachutistes, 2e B.E.P) was a parachute battalion of the Foreign Legion in the French Army initially composed of volunteers of the 4th Demi-Brigade of the Foreign Legio ...

2^èmeBEP on 12 September 1950 in Hanoi, Vietnam. He was promoted to Chef d'Escadrons on 1 July 1951 and led the battalion during the

Battle of Nghia Lo A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force ...

in October 1951. He was fatally wounded on 1 September 1952 while leading his battalion; he died on 10 September 1952 in

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Honors and awards

Ribons

Decorations

* Légion d'honneur **Knight (1944) **Officer (1951) **Commander (1951) *

Croix de guerre 1939-1945 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 depa ...

with one bronze star *

Croix de guerre des Théatres d'Opérations Exterieures 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 depa ...

with one bronze star

Legacy

Posthumous homages

Camp Raffalli

Camp Raffalli, the headquarters of the

2nd Foreign Parachute Regiment The 2nd Foreign Parachute Regiment (french: 2e Régiment étranger de parachutistes, 2e REP) is the only airborne regiment of the Foreign Legion in the French Army. It is one of the four infantry regiments of the 11th Parachute Brigade and part o ...

(2^ème REP) is named in his memory.

Promotion class « Chef d'Escadrons Raffalli » École militaire interarmes ESM

The 183rd promotion of the

École spéciale militaire de Saint-Cyr The École spéciale militaire de Saint-Cyr (ESM, literally the "Special Military School of Saint-Cyr") is a French military academy, and is often referred to as Saint-Cyr (). It is located in Coëtquidan in Guer, Morbihan, Brittany. Its motto is ...

chose the promotion Chef d'Escadrons Raffalli. The song of the promotion recalls the arms celebration of Chef d'Escadrons Raffalli .
Chant de la promotion Chef d'escadron Raffalli (ESM de Saint-Cyr)

Rémy Raffalli - Gallery

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Raffali, Remy 1913 births 1951 deaths People from Nice French Army officers French military personnel of World War II French military personnel of the First Indochina War French military personnel killed in the First Indochina War Officers of the French Foreign Legion École Spéciale Militaire de Saint-Cyr alumni Commandeurs of the Légion d'honneur Recipients of the Croix de Guerre 1939–1945 (France) Recipients of the Croix de guerre des théâtres d'opérations extérieures