Foreign Legion Pioneers (Pionniers)
| Foreign Legion Pioneers - (English) Pionniers de la Légion étrangère - (French) |
|
|---|---|
Pionniers of the 1st Foreign Regiment
|
|
| Active | 1831 - Present |
| Country |
 France
|
| Allegiance |
 French Foreign Legion
|
| Garrison/HQ | Aubagne, France |
| Nickname(s) | Pionniers |
| Motto(s) | Honneur et Fidélité |
| Colors | Green and Red |
| March |
Nous sommes tous des volontaires (We are all volunteers) |
| Anniversaries | Camerone 1863 |
| Battle honours | Camerone 1863 |
| Commanders | |
| Commandant de La Légion Etrangère (France) Commandant of the French Foreign Legion (English) |
Foreign Legion Command |
| Ceremonial chief | The Sous-Officiers |
| Notable commanders |
Paul-Frédéric Rollet |
Nous sommes tous des volontaires
The Pioneers of the French Foreign Legion (French: Pionniers de la Légion étrangère) form a unit of tradition. They lead and open legion parades during all honorific ceremonies of arms and wear beards, buffalo leather aprons (French: tablier de buffle), and arm resting axes on their shoulders.
The unit is considered the only of its kind and type in service within the French Army and France.
Early in the XVIII century; small pionnier units, the axemen soldiers in the Grenadier combat companies see action in the corps regiments serving the French Royal Army. Their mission then was to mount assaults at the head of all combat units in order to destroy the obstacles created by the enemy.
Following a rather aleatory presence under the French Revolution, the pionniers reappear under the French Consulate, wearing hairy grenadier caps without the metallic plate. These units were dissolved in 1818 and recreated in 1822.
The French Foreign Legion retook, since 1831, that tradition which is still an integral part till present days.
Unlike the Pionniers of the Foreign Legion; the remainder of Pioneer units in the French Army were dissolved under the French Third Republic.
In 1920 and 1921, two sapper combat companies of pionniers were created at the corps of the four foreign legion regiments operating in Morocco. These units are tasked with , mainly in terms of infrastructures (construction of roads, bridges, tunnels). These units did not carry any axes, however, they wore the insignia of tradition of the pionniers.
...
Wikipedia