1st Mechanised Brigade (France)
| 1re Brigade Mécanisée | |
|---|---|
Insignia of the 1st Mechanised Brigade
|
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| Active | 1999 – 2015 |
| Country | France |
| Branch | French Army |
| Type | Mechanised |
| Size | 4,000 including women |
| Part of | CFAT |
| Garrison/HQ | Châlons-en-Champagne |
| Motto(s) | Nomine et virtute prima ("First by name and valor") |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders |
Général Éric Bellot des Minières |
The 1st Mechanised Brigade (French: 1re Brigade Mécanisée, 1re BM) was one of the mechanized units of the Commandement des Forces Terrestres of the French Army. Created on July 1 1999, as heir to the 1st Armored Division, the brigade was dissolved on July 21 2015. Before the dissolution, formations reached 4000 men and women and the general staff headquarters of the brigade was garrisoned at Châlons-en-Champagne.
The 1st Division was recreated in 2016 within the cadre of the reorganization of the French Army.
The motto, Nomine et Virtute Prima literary means "First by name and valor". The choice of the insignia, the cross of Saint Louis by général Jean Touzet du Vigier, comes from the place of formation of the unit, Tunisia, where King Louis IX of France came to rest in 1270.
The 1st Armoured Division was dissolved with the reorganisation of the French Army in 1999, and the dissolution of the French Forces in Germany FFA. The division’s honours and traditions are carried on with the formation of the 1st Mechanised Brigade in Châlons-en-Champagne.
The brigade was strong with 4000 men and women. The brigade was engaged on the ensemble of exterior theatres operations with an average of 3500 soldiers on average per year: Afghanistan, Lebanon, Guyana, Kosovo, Ivory Coast, Tchad and Senegal.
The 1st Mechanised Brigade was dissolved on July 21, 2015.
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