8th Marine Infantry Parachute Regiment

The 8th Marine Infantry Parachute Regiment is an airborne

Airborne forces

Airborne forces are military units, usually light infantry, set up to be moved by aircraft and 'dropped' into battle. Thus they can be placed behind enemy lines, and have an ability to deploy almost anywhere with little warning...

regiment

Regiment

A regiment is a major tactical military unit, composed of variable numbers of batteries, squadrons or battalions, commanded by a colonel or lieutenant colonel...

in 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...

. It is an elite unit that can be rapidly sent anywhere in the world. Part of the regiment are Commando Parachute Group

Commando Parachute Group

The Commando Parachute Group is a special forces unit in the 11th Parachute Brigade of the French Army that is within the second "circle" of authority of the Commandement des Opérations Spéciales....

, a French special forces

Special forces

Special forces, or special operations forces are terms used to describe elite military tactical teams trained to perform high-risk dangerous missions that conventional units cannot perform...

unit.

Indochina

The unit was created on 28 February 1951, in Hanoi as the "8th Colonial Parachute Battalion," as a part of the French union forces.

The 8th Colonial Parachute Battalion fought at Lai-Chau, Hoa Binh, Langson and Dien Bien Phu. The Battalion was mentioned in dispatches four times for valor. It was dissolved on 19 May 1954, after Dien Bien Phu.

Algeria

The unit was recreated as the "8th Colonial Parachute Regiment" on 1 May 1956. The regiment parcipated in operations against the Algerian National Liberation Front (FLN)

National Liberation Front (Algeria)

The National Liberation Front is a socialist political party in Algeria. It was set up on November 1, 1954 as a merger of other smaller groups, to obtain independence for Algeria from France.- Anticolonial struggle :...

, most notably at El Kiffene, Ain El Kesseub and Tarf.

Relocation to Metropolitan France

The regiment relocated to the town of Nancy, Metropolitan France

Metropolitan France

Metropolitan France is the part of France located in Europe. It can also be described as mainland France or as the French mainland and the island of Corsica...

, in 1961, to form a part of the 11th Light Division. The regimental headquarters moved to Castres

Castres

Castres is a commune, and arrondissement capital in the Tarn department and Midi-Pyrénées region in southern France. It lies in the former French province of Languedoc....

in 1963.

Later Deployments

The regiment took part in the intervention in Chad between 1969 and 1972.

The regiment is currently serving with the NATO ISAF in Afghanistan. In a fierce battle on 18–19 August 2008, ten French soldiers were killed and 21 wounded making it the largest loss of French troops in battle in many years. ISAF Press Release

Commanding officers

Captain Gautier (1951–1952)
Captain Guy Le Borgne
Guy Le Borgne
Guy Le Borgne was a French Army general that fought in World War II, First Indochina War and Algerian War. He commanded several paratroop units during his career and was military governor of Lyon.- Biography :...

(1952–1953)
Captain Pierre Tourret
Pierre Tourret
Pierre Tourret was a French Army officer who served in World War II, the First Indochina War, the Suez Crisis and the Algerian War...

(1953–1954)
Lieutenant Colonel Kohler (1954–1955)
Colonel Louis Fourcade (1956–1958)
Lieutenant Colonel Hubert de Seguins-Pazzis (1958–1960)
Lieutenant Colonel Albert Lenoir (1960–1961)
Lieutenant Colonel Kohler (1961–1963)
Lieutenant Colonel Desfarges (1963–1965)
Lieutenant Colonel Drouin (1965–1967)
Lieutenant Colonel Mourier (1967–1969)
Lieutenant Colonel Guilleminot (1969–1971)
Lieutenant Colonel Bellamy (1971–1973)
Lieutenant Colonel Dominique (1973–1975)
Colonel Maurice Schmitt (1975–1977)
Lieutenant Colonel Cann (1977–1979)

Lieutenant Colonel Vidal (1979–1981)

Lieutenant Colonel Zeisser (1981–1983)

Lieutenant Colonel Lepage (1983–1985)

Lieutenant Colonel Theodoly-Lannes (1985–1987)

Colonel Lafourcade (1987–1989)

Lieutenant Colonel Thomann (1989–1991)

Lieutenant Colonel Elrick Irastorza

Elrick Irastorza

General Elrick James Martial Irastorza is a French general, presently Chief of Staff of the French Army. He has served a career in marine paratrooper infantry, notably in oversea operations.-Biography:...

(1991–1993)

Lieutenant Colonel de Haynin de Bry (1993–1995)

Lieutenant Colonel Reglat (1995–1997)

Lieutenant Colonel de Braquilanges (1997–1999)

Colonel Michel Stollsteiner

Michel Stollsteiner

Michel Stollsteiner is a French general. He was one of the five regional NATO commanders in Afghanistan, and was the highest-ranking French officer in Afghanistan between 6 August 2008 and 10 July 2009.- Career :...

(1999–2001)

Colonel Bosser (2001–2003)

Colonel Brousse (2003–2005)

Colonel Guionie (2005–2007)

Colonel Jacques Aragones (2007–2009)

Colonel Philippe du Chaxel (2009- )

Lineage

1951: 8th Colonial Parachute Battalion
1952: 8th Colonial Parachute Group
1953: 8th Shock Parachute Battalion
1954: Dissolved
1956: 8th Colonial Parachute Regiment
1958: 8th Marine Infantry Parachute Regiment

Composition

The regiment consists of over 1047 men and women, divided into seven companies:

4 Combat companies
1 Reconnaissance and Support company (d'éclairage et d'appui ) (CEA)
1 Training company
1 Command and Logistics company

The regiment has been headquartered in Castres