3rd Marine Infantry Parachute Regiment


The 3rd Marine Infantry Parachute Regiment is an airborne elite regiment of the French Army heir to the 3rd Colonial Commando Parachute Battalion 3e BCCP created in 1948 and the 3rd Colonial Parachute Regiment 3e RPC. The regiment is part of the 11th Parachute Brigade.
The battalion filled the ranks with the thousands throughout the various campaign battle courses of dissolutions and reformations. The battalions of this regiment are heir to the 1st Colonial Parachute Commando Demi-Brigade, another heir of the paratroopers of Free France, the Demi-Brigade of the SAS, of the Parachute Choc Groupment Battalions, whose regimental colors was decorated with the Légion d'honneur in July 1954.

Creation and different nominations

Campaigns

Created in January 1948, the 3rd Colonial Parachute Commando Battalion 3e BCCP joined Indochina on November of the same year. Cited twice at the orders of the armed forces, the battalion was dissolved after having sacrificed itself in October 1950. During this episode, the 3e BCCP of captain Cazaux and the 1st Foreign Parachute Battalion 1er BEP of Commandant Pierre Segretain, disappeared.
Recreated on December 27, 1951, the battalion was designated as the 3rd Colonial Parachute Battalion 3e BPC, illustrating savoir faire while gaining another citation at the orders of the armed forces.
The battalion was then dissolved again, providing the reformation of another battalion.
Recreated again, the battalion was designated as the 3rd Colonial Parachute Regiment 3e RPC in November 1955 under the orders and disposition of Lieutenant-colonel Bigeard.

3rd Marine Infantry Parachute Regiment, 3e RPIMa (1958–present)

Designated as the 3rd Marine Infantry Parachute Regiment in December 1958, the regiment joined the metropole and stationed in July 1962. The regiment formed a part of the 11th Light Intervention Division 11e DLI.
In 1968, the regiment intervened in Chad during the during the first civil war conflict.
The regiment partook in various peacekeeping missions in Lebanon on numerous yearly designated occasions within the UNIFIL first then integrated the corps of the Multinational Force in Lebanon. During one of these various peacekeeping interventions, the regimental commander colonel Jean Salvan was severely wounded.
The regiment then intervened in Djibouti, again in Chad, Central African Republic, New Caledonia, Togo, Gabon, the Gulf War, Turkey, Zaire, Ex-Yugoslavia, Congo, and Kosovo where the regiment acquired the fifth respective citation.
The regiment has been deployed in combat, combat support, peacekeeping and multipurposed facade mission operations throughout the world with the ongoing War on Terror, mainly on all exterior theatres of operations where the French Armed Forces are engaged in along the five continents.

Composition

The regiment is composed of 1120 personnel organized into 8 companies:
Except for the Legionnaires of the 1ème REG, 2ème REG, 2ème REP that conserve the Green Beret, the remainder of the French army metropolitan and marine paratroopers forming the 11th Parachute Brigade wear the Red Beret.
The Archangel Saint Michael, patron of the French paratroopers is celebrated on September 29.
The prière du Para was written by André Zirnheld in 1938.

Insignia

Just like the paratrooper Brevet of the French Army, the insignia of French Paratroopers was created in 1946. The French Army insignia of metropolitan Paratroopers represents a closed "winged armed dextrochere", meaning a "right winged arm" armed with a sword pointing upwards. The insignia makes reference to the Patron of Paratroopers. In fact, the insignia represents "the right Arm of Saint Michael", the Archangel which according to Liturgy is the "Armed Arm of God". This insignia is the symbol of righteous combat and fidelity to superior missions. The French Army insignia of Marine Infantry Paratroopers is backgrounded by a Marine Anchor.

Regimental colors

Since its creation, the regiment has endured the loss of 476 Officers, Sous-Officiers and paratroopers of the 3e RPIMa.

Regimental song

;Hymne du 3e RPIMa: "Rien ne saurait t'émouvoir"

Decorations

The regimental colors of the 3rd Marine Infantry Parachute Regiment are as follows:
The regiment has received one citation sans croix at the orders of the armed forces for the peace intervention in Lebanon in 1978, which was replaced with a citation bearing attribution of the Croix de la Valeur militaire with palm.
The citation at the orders of the brigade was awarded for action while leading allied forces in Kosovo in 1999.
On May 21, 2012, the regimental colors were decorated again with the croix de la valeur militaire with palm for service in Afghanistan within the cadre of ISAF.
The regiment bears wearing Fourragère:

Battle honours

3rd Colonial Parachute Commando Battalion, 3e BCCP
3rd Colonial Parachute Battalion, 3e BCP
3rd Colonial Parachute Regiment, 3e RPC
3rd Marine Infantry Parachute Regiment, 3e RPIMa