The 1st Marine Infantry Regiment is a French regiment, that inherits from Colonial Infantry. It is one of the oldest regiments of the Troupes de Marine

Troupes de marine

The or Infanterie de marine, formerly Troupes coloniales, are an arm of the French Army with a colonial heritage. The Troupes de marine have a dedicated overseas service role. Despite their title they have been a part of the Army since 1958...

 with 2e RIMa

2nd Marine Infantry Regiment

The 2nd Marine Infantry Regiment is one of the oldest marine units in the French Army, as part of the troupes de marine.The 2nd Marine Infantry Regiment is a unit of the French army is the only one to carry 15 names on its battle flag and the inscription "AFN 1952-1962"...

, 3e RIMa

3rd Marine Infantry Regiment

The 3rd Marine Infantry Regiment is one of the oldest marine units in the French Army, as part of the troupes de marine. It formed part of the 2nd Brigade of the Blue Division during the Franco-Prussian War...

, 4e RIMa

4th Marine Infantry Regiment

The 4th Marine Infantry Regiment was a French marine regiment, as part of the troupes de marine within the French Army. Its motto was "J'y suis j'y reste" . It and the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Marine Infantry Regiments are the oldest marine units in the French Army...

 and 1er RAMa, forming the Blue Division during Franco-Prussian war

Franco-Prussian War

The Franco-Prussian War or Franco-German War, often referred to in France as the 1870 War was a conflict between the Second French Empire and the Kingdom of Prussia. Prussia was aided by the North German Confederation, of which it was a member, and the South German states of Baden, Württemberg and...

.
The current regiment is based in Angoulême

Angoulême

-Main sights:In place of its ancient fortifications, Angoulême is encircled by boulevards above the old city walls, known as the Remparts, from which fine views may be obtained in all directions. Within the town the streets are often narrow. Apart from the cathedral and the hôtel de ville, the...

, and is actually a light cavalry regiment like the RICM

RICM

The RICM, in French Régiment d'Infanterie de Chars de Marine is a light cavalry regiment of the French Army belonging to the "Troupes de Marine". It is part of the 9th Light Armoured Marine Brigade of the French Army and is currently based in Poitiers. The Regiment is the most decorated of the...

 equipped with AMX-10RC and VBL

VBL

The Panhard Véhicule Blindé Léger is a wheeled 4x4 all-terrain vehicle offered in various configurations. It was designed to combine the agility of the Peugeot VLTT liaison vehicle with adequate protection against small arms fire, artillery fragments, mines and NBC weapons...

. It was part of the 9th Light Armoured Marine Brigade

9th Light Armoured Marine Brigade (France)

The 9th Light Armoured Marine Brigade is a light armoured, amphibious unit of the Troupes de marine of the French Army.- Composition :*Headquarters Poitiers...

 of the French Army

French Army

The French Army, officially the Armée de Terre , is the land-based and largest component of the French Armed Forces.As of 2010, the army employs 123,100 regulars, 18,350 part-time reservists and 7,700 Legionnaires. All soldiers are professionals, following the suspension of conscription, voted in...

 and has been transferred to 3rd Mechanised Brigade

3rd Mechanised Brigade (France)

The 3rd Mechanised Brigade is a mechanised unit of the French Army.It maintains the traditions of the World War II 3rd Algerian Infantry Division which were later carried on by the 3rd Armored Division.- Composition :...

 since July 2009.

Organisation

The regiment is organised in 8 squadrons

• 1 command and support squadron
• 4 combat squadrons with AMX-10RC
• 1 reconnaissance squadron
• 1 instruction squadron
• 1 reserve squadron

Battle Honours

• Bomarsund 1854
  Bomarsund, Åland
  The Battle of Bomarsund was fought by an Anglo-French task force against Russian defenses at Bomarsund during the Crimean War.-Background:Bomarsund is a 19th century fortress which had started to built in 1832 by Russia in Sund on the Åland Islands in the Baltic Sea...
  
  
• Forts du Pei-Ho 1860
• Ki-Hoa 1861
• Puebla 1863
• Bazeilles 1870
  Battle of Bazeilles
  The Battle of Bazeilles was one of the first occasions of modern urban warfare.During the 1870 Franco-Prussian war, Bazeilles, a small village in the French Ardennes department near Sedan was the theater of an ambush on Bavarians, allies of the Prussians, by a small detachment from the "Blue...
  
  
• Sontay 1883
  Son Tay Campaign
  The Son Tay Campaign was a campaign fought by the French to capture the strategically important city of Son Tay in Tonkin from Liu Yongfu's Black Flag Army and allied contingents of Vietnamese and Chinese troops...
  
  
• La Marne 1914
  First Battle of the Marne
  The Battle of the Marne was a First World War battle fought between 5 and 12 September 1914. It resulted in an Allied victory against the German Army under Chief of Staff Helmuth von Moltke the Younger. The battle effectively ended the month long German offensive that opened the war and had...
  
  
• Champagne 1915
• Dobropolje 1918
  Battle of Dobro Pole
  The Battle of Dobro Pole was a World War I battle, fought on 15 September 1918. The battle resulted in a decisive Entente victory, with a defeated Bulgaria left to sign an armistice, which removed it from World War I....
  
  
• Tobrouk 1941
• Bir-Hakeim 1942
  Battle of Bir Hakeim
  Bir Hakeim is a remote oasis in the Libyan desert, and the former site of a Turkish fort. During the Battle of Gazala, the 1st Free French Division of General Marie Pierre Kœnig defended the site from 26 May-11 June 1942 against attacking German and Italian forces directed by Lieutenant-General ...
  
  
• Garigliano 1944
  Battle of Monte Cassino
  The Battle of Monte Cassino was a costly series of four battles during World War II, fought by the Allies against Germans and Italians with the intention of breaking through the Winter Line and seizing Rome.In the beginning of 1944, the western half of the Winter Line was being anchored by Germans...
  
  
• Belfort 1944
  Belfort
  Belfort is a commune in the Territoire de Belfort department in Franche-Comté in northeastern France and is the prefecture of the department. It is located on the Savoureuse, on the strategically important natural route between the Rhine and the Rhône – the Belfort Gap or Burgundian Gate .-...
  
  
• Authion 1945
• Afn 1952-1962

Decorations

• Légion d'honneur
  Légion d'honneur
  The Legion of Honour, or in full the National Order of the Legion of Honour is a French order established by Napoleon Bonaparte, First Consul of the Consulat which succeeded to the First Republic, on 19 May 1802...
  
  
• Croix de guerre 1914-1918
  Croix de guerre 1914-1918 (France)
  The Croix de guerre 1914–1918 is a French military decoration.-Creation:Soon after the outbreak of World War I, French military officials felt that a new military award had to be created...
  
   with 2 palms
• Croix de guerre 1939-1945
  Croix de guerre 1939-1945 (France)
  The Croix de guerre 1939–1945 is a French military decoration created on September 26, 1939, to honour people who fought with the Allies against the Axis force at any time during World War II.-Recipients:...
  
   with 1 palm

Sources and bibliography

• Erwan Bergot, La coloniale du Rif
  Rif
  The Rif or Riff is a mainly mountainous region of northern Morocco, with some fertile plains, stretching from Cape Spartel and Tangier in the west to Ras Kebdana and the Melwiyya River in the east, and from the Mediterranean Sea in the north to the river of Wergha in the south.It is part of the...
  
   au Tchad 1925-1980, imprimé en France : décembre 1982, n° d'éditeur 7576, n° d'imprimeur 31129, sur les presses de l'imprimerie Hérissey.