French: « Le couteau suisse de la brigade parachutiste (English: « The Swiss Army knife of the Parachute Brigade) » « Les démineurs de l'espoir » (English: « Hope's demining specialists »)
The 17th Parachute Engineer Regiment (French: 17e Régiment de Génie Parachutiste, 17e RGP) is heir to the traditions of the 17th Colonial Engineer Regiment (French: 17e Régiment Colonial du Génie, 17eRGC) which fought illustriously during the Second World War . It is the only airborne engineer unit of the French Army forming the engineering component of the 11th Parachute Brigade and secures all the specific airborne engineering missions relative to para assaulting at the level of deep reconnaissance as well as operations relative to para demining and handling explosives. The regiment has been present non-stop since 1975 on all theatres of operations (Lebanon, Tchad, New Caledonia, French Guiana, Pakistan, Kurdistan, Kuwait, Cambodia, Somalia, Rwanda, Gabon, Mozambique, ex-Yugoslavia, Albania, Kosovo, Afghanistan, Mali and others). For its various combat operational deployments, the 17e RGP was cited 3 times at the orders of the armed forces, 2 times at the orders of the armed forces corps, and three of its combat companies cited at the orders of the armed forces ( 2nd combat company) in addition to armed forces corps (1st and 3rd combat companies).
1870–1871: creation of the 17th company, 2nd Engineer Regiment: took part in the defense of Paris, Saint-Denis, Mont-Valérien, Bourgets combats, battles of Champigny and Buzenval, founders of bridges at Marne.
1876: creation of an engineer battalion and intervention in Algeria.
1881: 1st combat company of the 17th participated to an expedition in Tunisia.
1912: 4 combat companies participated to an expedition in Morocco.
1914–1918: 23 combat companies of the 17th Engineer Battalion battled in Ardennes Belge, Marne, Champagne, Artois, Verdun, Aisne, Flandres, Oise, Woëvre.
1916–1920: 4 combat companies of the 17th intervened in Morocco, attached to the Moroccan Division.
1923: creation of the 17th Engineer Regiment, the 1st battalion of the regiment was stationed at Strasbourg, the second was dispatched to the French Army of the Rhin at Biebrich in Germany.
1928: the 17th Engineer Regiment became the 1st Engineer Regiment.
1940: 2 combat engineer companies of the 17th battled in l'Oise. Creation of the 17th Battalion at Castersarrasin (Tarn and Garonne) which became the 5th Engineer Battalion.
1944–1945: creation of the 17th Colonial Engineer Battalion in Morocco. The Battalion was detached to Corsica and battled at Toulon ( battle campaigns of France and Germany) at the corps of the 1st Army (Rhin and Danube).
1953: regrouping of the combat sections of the paratrooper pioneers of Indochina from 17th Airborne Engineer Battalion for the creation of the 17th Parachute Engineer Company which would intervene in the Battle of Dien Bien Phu part of Operation Castor.
1954: creation of the 3rd combat company of Vietnamese Airborne Engineers in Indochina commanded and formed by the cadres of the 17th Parachute Engineer Company.
1953–1962: the 1st combat company of the 17th Airborne Engineer Battalion intervened in Algeria and became in 1955 the 60th Airborne Engineer Company attached to the 10th Parachute Division. The combat company intervened in Egypt in 1956 and in 1961 at Bizerte (Tunisia).
1956–1962: the 75th Airborne Engineer Company issued from the 3rd combat company of the 17th Airborne Battalion Regiment was attached to the 25th Parachute Division. The company became in 1961 the 61st Airborne Engineer Regiment and intervened in Bizerte.
1958: creation of the center of instruction of Airborne Engineers '17' at Castersarrasin.
1963: creation of the 17th Airportable Engineer Regiment (17e R.G.A.P) at Castelsarrasin from the paratrooper pioneers of the engineer Center of Instruction and from the two combat companies back from Algeria.
1971: the regiment was dissolved, the 1st and 2nd combat companies of the airportable engineer regiment were attached respectively to the 1st Parachute Hussar Regiment, 1eRHP and the 35th Parachute Artillery Regiment, 35eRAP becoming inter-arm units. At the corps of these two regiments, the two airborne engineer companies maintained their missions and traditions of "Génie Parachutiste".
1990–1991: the 17th Parachute Engineer Regiment took part in the Gulf War part of the Opération Daguet.
2001: the 17th Parachute Engineer Regiment spearheaded combat, combat support, peacekeeping, multipurposed operations through the War on Terror and has been seen taking part in all exterior theatres of operations of the French Armed Forces on all five continents.
Creation and different designations since 1944
Created on March 1, 1944 at Port Lyautey in Morocco under the designation of the 17th Colonial Engineer Regiment (French: 17e Régiment Colonial du Génie) 17eRGC. Dissolved on November 16, 1945.
Reformed on August 1, 1946 in Algeria, from the 91st Engineer Battalion which provided airborne engineer support to the 25th Parachute Division, under the designation of 17th Engineer Battalion. Combat companies 17/9 stationed at Hussein Dey, the 17/1 at Bougie, the 17/2 at Marocco, the 17/3 at Mont-de-Marsan. Dissolved with the division in July 1948, a combat engineer Group designated (17) was integrated at the center of specialized airborne troops until February 1949.
The airborne engineer group (17) was redesignated the 17th Airborne Engineer Battalion on February 15, 1949 and was based within Metropolitan France at Castelsarras in Tarn-and-Garonne under the successive designations 17th Airborne Engineer Battalion, Center of Instruction of Airborne Engineer (17), 17th Airborne Engineer Regiment. Dissolved on June 30, 1971, two combat companies of the Airborne Engineer troops joined the two combined-arms paratrooper regiments in Tarbes and Auch, mainly the 35th Parachute Artillery Regiment and the 1st Parachute Hussard Regiment.
Reconstituted at Montauban on July 1, 1974 under the designation of the 17th Airborne Engineer Regiment from the companies of parachute engineers forming the inter-arm regiments, based in garrison Doumer. In 1978, the airborne engineer regiment was designated as the 17th Parachute Engineer Regiment.
Structure
The Regiment of volunteer paratroopers, the 17th Parachute Engineer Regiment is articulated in 6 combat companies and 1 detachment:
1 Command and logistic company (CCL)
1 Combat support company (CA) known as la verte et amarante, regrouping means of terrain organization
2 sections of combat support for emergency deployments
The mascot of the regiment was initially the Golden eagle named "Bac Kan" [2] in reference to the first mission participation of the Airborne engineers in Indochina during the airborne operation "Lea" in October 1947.
Since 2014, the mascot is a Bald eagle named "Malizia", name of François Grimaldi ( said "François la Malice") who in the 13th century conquered the Rock of Monaco.
Traditions
The regiment wears wear the Red Beret. Regimental Colours:
AFN [Afrique française du Nord] 1952-1962 (Algerian War)
Regimental Songs
L'Adieu suisse
Nous étions trop heureux, mon amie,
Nous avions trop d'espoir et d'amour,
Nous croyions nous aimer pour la vie, (bis)
Mais, hélas, les beaux jours sont si courts. (bis)
Le bonheur dure trop peu sur la terre !
Entends-tu tout là bas le tambour ?
Mon doux cœur je m'en vais à la guerre, (bis)
Ne crains rien jusqu'à l'heure du retour. (bis)
L'ennemi a franchi nos frontières,
Il a pris nos maisons et nos champs.
Défendons le pays de nos pères, (bis)
Il faut vaincre ou mourir bravement. (bis)
Mes amis si Dieu veut que je meure,
Retirez cet anneau de mon doigt.
Portez-le à ma Mie qui me pleure, (bis)
Dites-lui: « cette bague est pour toi ! ». (bis)
L'Echo du sapeur parachutiste
Sapeur parachutiste tu progresses loin là-bas,
En avant toujours prêt au combat,
En terres ennemies déjouant pièges et mines
Pour toujours le courage t'anime.
(Refrain)
Des rizières de l'Asie
Aux sables d'Arabie,
Partout, partout on salue notre ardeur,
Des hauteurs des Balkans
Aux vallées du Liban
Sapeur, Sapeur suis et Para demeure.
Parcourant le désert du Tchad
À l'immense horizon
Enthousiaste à remplir la mission,
Sur la terre africaine, sur la piste minée
La patience est ta fidèle alliée.
Tourné vers l'avenir, fidèle à ton glorieux passé,
Ton Drapeau fait toute ta fierté,
Germersheim, Indochine, Hommage à tes Anciens,
Derrière eux tu poursuis le chemin.
Decorations
The regimental colors are decorated with:
Croix de Guerre 1939-1945 with 1 star of vermeil (to quote the order by the Army OG 1148 of September 15, 1945),
