31st Brigade (France)

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31st Brigade

31e Brigade

Insignia of the 31st Brigade featuring
Poseidon

Active| 1 July 1981 – 28 June 1984
Country| France
Branch| French Army
Type| Specialized Armoured Brigade
Part of| Foreign Legion Groupment
Garrison/HQ| Bonifacio, Nîmes, Aubagne, Orange, Fréjus
Motto(s)| Honneur et Fidélité
Colors| Green and Red
Red and Blue
Engagements| 31st Brigade

Lebanese Civil War

* Multinational Force in Lebanon

Commanders
Notable
commanders| Général de brigade Paul Lardry
(1981–1982)
Général de brigade Jean-Claude Coullon[1]
(1982–1984)

Military unit

The 31st Brigade (French: 31e Brigade) was a French Army unit created in 1981 whose components were all reassigned in 1984.

On 1 July 1981 the Chief of Staff of the French Army enacted the creation of an inter-arm brigade placed under the orders and command of the Foreign Legion Groupment (G.L.E), headed by générals[2] Paul Lardry and Jean-Claude Coullon.[3]

## Organization

[edit]

The structure of the 31st Brigade consisted of :

* Command
* 31st Command and Transmission Company
* Operational Group of the Foreign Legion (G.O.L.E.; French: Groupement Opérationnel de la Légion Etrangère) stationed in Bonifacio, Corsica. This was redesignated the 2nd Foreign Infantry Regiment (2e R.E.I) in 1980, and garrisoned at Nîmes.
* 21st Marine Infantry Regiment (21e R.I.M.a)

The brigade benefitted from the support of AMX-30 tank squadrons of the 501e Régiment de chars de combat, (501e R.C.C). The brigade could be reinforced more particularly by the 1st Foreign Cavalry Regiment (1er REC), as well as the 1st Foreign Regiment, and AMX 10 RC squadrons of the 21st Marine Infantry Regiment.

The headquarter staff of the brigade was stationed in Aubagne. The brigade's main mission was peacekeeping operations in Lebanon in 1983 within the Multinational Force in Lebanon. Some of the regiments included the 3rd Marine Infantry Parachute Regiment (3e RPIMa), the 8th Marine Infantry Parachute Regiment (8e RPIMa), the 1st Parachute Hussar Regiment (1er RPH), the 35th Parachute Artillery Regiment (35e RAP) and the 17th Parachute Engineer Regiment (17e RGP), already active in UNIFIL ground operations since 1978.

Général de brigade Jean-Claude Coullon was also in charge of the 2nd Foreign Parachute Regiment (2e REP) in 1982, through the putting-in-place of Operation Épaulard I spearheaded by lieutenant-colonel Bernard Janvier. Général Coullon led and witnessed the transformation of the Foreign Legion Groupment (G.L.E.) to the Foreign Legion Command (C.O.M.L.E) in 1984.[4] He also headed simultaneously the transitional command of the newly established Foreign Legion Command.[5]

From May to September 1983, the 31st Brigade intervened in Lebanon as part of the Multinational Force in Lebanon.

The 31st Brigade was replaced by the 6th Light Armoured Division on 28 June 1984.

## Traditions

[edit]

### Insignias

[edit]

The insignia of the 31st Brigade is a silver rectangle, bordered to the left by green and red stripes, representing the Legion and bordered to the right by red and blue stripes, representing the Troupes de marine. The top right features two stars representing the brigade. At the bottom left features Poseidon armed with a trident, forming out of a silver wave, recalling the intervention capacity capability of the brigade in any lieu, by maritime including aeronaval, aerial, or other maritime means of displacement. The insignia was realized in July 1981, following a contest at the corps units forming the brigade.

## Brigade commander

[edit]

Main article: Foreign Legion Command

* 1981 - 1982: Général de brigade Paul Lardy[6]
* 1982 – 1984: Général de brigade Jean-Claude Coullon[7]

## See also

[edit]

* Major (France)
* French Foreign Legion Music Band (MLE)
* Paul Arnaud de Foïard
* Jeannou Lacaze
* Jean Brette
* Maurice Schmitt
* Jean Louis Roué
* Raymond Le Corre
* Bruno Dary
* Benoît Puga
* Édouard Guillaud
* Hervé Charpentier
* Jean-Pierre Bosser
* French aircraft carrier Clemenceau (R98)
* French aircraft carrier Foch (R99)
* 1st Division
* 9th Marine Infantry Brigade
* 3rd Division
* 6th Light Armored Brigade

## References

[edit]

1. ^ [1] Division General Commandant of the French Foreign Legion, Les Chefs COMLE
2. ^ [2] Division General Commandant of the French Foreign Legion, Les Chefs COMLE
3. ^ [3] Division General Commandant of the French Foreign Legion, Les Chefs COMLE
4. ^ [4] Division General Commandant of the French Foreign Legion, Les Chefs COMLE
5. ^ [5] Division General Commandant of the French Foreign Legion, Les Chefs COMLE
6. ^ [6] Division General Commandant of the French Foreign Legion, Les Chefs COMLE
7. ^ [7] Division General Commandant of the French Foreign Legion, Les Chefs COMLE

* v
* t
* e

French Foreign Legion

* History
* Origins
* Magazine
* Motto
* Museum
* Museum society
* Pioneers
* French Foreign Legion Veteran Societies Federation (Légion étrangère)
* Unit list

Current
units|

| General Staff Headquarters|

* Foreign Legion Command

|

Command Administrative|

* 1st Foreign Regiment
* 4th Foreign Regiment
* Foreign Legion Recruiting Group

Music band|

* French Foreign Legion Music Band

Infantry &
parachute infantry|

* 1st Foreign Regiment
* 4th Foreign Regiment
* 2nd Foreign Infantry Regiment
* 2nd Foreign Parachute Regiment
* 3rd Foreign Infantry Regiment
* 13th Demi-Brigade
* Foreign Legion Detachment in Mayotte

Cavalry|

* 1st Foreign Cavalry Regiment

Engineers & parachute engineers|

* 1st Foreign Engineer Regiment
* 2nd Foreign Engineer Regiment

Training|

* 4th Foreign Regiment
* Jungle Training Center
* Combat Training Center at Arta Beach

Defunct
units|

| Administrative and training|

* Communal Depot of the Foreign Regiments

|

Parachute|

* Parachute Company of the 3rd Foreign Infantry Regiment
* 1st Foreign Parachute Regiment
* 1st Foreign Parachute Battalion
* 2nd Foreign Parachute Battalion
* 3rd Foreign Parachute Battalion
* Foreign Air Supply Company
* 3rd Foreign Parachute Regiment
* 1st Foreign Parachute Heavy Mortar Company

Infantry &
marching regiments|

* Mounted companies
* Marching Regiment of the Foreign Legion
* 2nd Marching Regiment of the 1st Foreign Regiment
* 3rd Marching Regiment of the 1st Foreign Regiment
* 4th Marching Regiment of the 1st Foreign Regiment/Garibaldi Legion
* 1st Marching Regiment of the 2nd Foreign Regiment
* 2nd Marching Regiment of the 2nd Foreign Regiment
* Marching Regiment of the Foreign Legion
* Demi-Brigade of the Foreign Legion
* 5th Foreign Infantry Regiment
* 6th Foreign Infantry Regiment
* 11th Foreign Infantry Regiment
* 12th Foreign Infantry Regiment
* Marching Regiments of Foreign Volunteers
* 21st Marching Regiment of Foreign Volunteers
* 22nd Marching Regiment of Foreign Volunteers
* 23rd Marching Regiment of Foreign Volunteers

Saharan Legion units|

* Saharan Companies of the French Foreign Legion

Pioneers & engineers|

* 6th Foreign Engineer Regiment

Cavalry|

* 2nd Foreign Cavalry Regiment
* 97th Reconnaissance Group of the Infantry Division

Transport (armored trains
& heavy weight)|

* Armored Train of the Foreign Legion
* Passage Company of the Foreign Legion (CPLE)
* 5th Heavy Weight Transport Company

Disciplinary companies|

* Disciplinary Company of the Foreign Regiments in the Far East

Brigades|

* 31st Brigade

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