Mounted Companies (Compagnies montées de la Légion étrangère)

While the infantry was very efficient in the Aurès (French: ), in Kabylie (French: ) and all the mountainous regions, they were slow when the terrain became flat in the desert. Accordingly, at the end of the 19th century, the French Foreign Legion, and more particularly the 2nd Foreign Regiment 2^e RE set on foot the mounted companies (French: compagnies montées) in order to allow these infantry contingents to make movement over long distances while avoiding fatigue.

Horses could not move for long distances in the desert, without water supply, accordingly, others means of displacement were required to be imagined.

The first mule mounted units of the French Army, were in reality the two infantry battalions of colonel Yusuf in July 1843. However, these battalions did not have any future follow-ups.

At the end of 1880, in Algeria, the French troops started to occupy the oasis in the south, around the Saharan border. However, these forward operating posts had to be filled with supplies which made the convoys supplying them a tentative target.

The first Legion mule mounted unit was imagined by colonel de Négrier, regimental commander of the 2nd Foreign Regiment in 1881 during launching of combat columns. On December 14 1881, 50 Legionnaires mounted on mules brought back the first victories.

In 1913, the 3rd Mounted Company of the 2nd Foreign Regiment became the Mounted Company of Morocco (French: Compagnie Montée du Maroc), forming a corps. During the war, the corps was in charge of maintaining the security of communication between Fès and Taza (French: ). Assigned to the 3rd Foreign Regiment on November 15 1920, the corps was reassigned to the 2^e REI on January 1 1922, and reassumed the original designation.

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