If the French media leaks are anything to go by, the French president has already tapped the regiment that is to be deployed to Ukraine to ‘counter Russia’. What is the big deal about the unit that once was a major part in Napoleon’s invasion of Russia, how well-equipped is it and why is it severely understaffed?
French authorities are no longer brushing off their intention to duke it out with Russia. The public is being gradually prepared to come to grips with one of the five scenarios, which include setting up arms factories in Ukraine. Further scenarios suggest a more extensive military engagement. The second scenario involves direct military aid in a limited number of operations, including personnel training and demining. Under the third scenario, the French troops will provide cover for Odessa, while the fourth one implies the creation of a protected area for infrastructure assets. Finally, the fifth scenario, the one being publicly discussed, calls for combat engagement.
The French media has revealed the units that are expected to come Ukraine’s aid. According to Le Monde, the likeliest candidate to go at it against Russia is the 126th Infantry Regiment (126e RI) stationed in Brive-la-Gaillarde, the largest town in the Corrèze department. The regiment’s symbol is the white bison emblazoned against the Cross of Lorraine on the unit’s coat-of-arms. Their motto is Fier et vaillant (lit.: Proud and valiant). However, the most interesting part is that the regiment is historically associated with Russia.
The regiment was established in 1793 during the French revolution and shot to fame under none other than Napoleon.
In 1811, the regiment protected the French coast against the British. A year later Napoleon would invade Russia. That campaign featured the 126th Infantry Regiment that was met with fierce resistance. In 1813, the few soldiers that survived the hostilities joined the 123th Infantry Regiment.
In 1811, the regiment protected the French coast against the British. A year later Napoleon would invade Russia. That campaign featured the 126th Infantry Regiment that was met with fierce resistance. In 1813, the few soldiers that survived the hostilities joined the 123th Infantry Regiment.
The regiment covered the French emperor’s famous retreat towards Poland during the 1812 Battle of the Berezina River. Technically, the unit was to be sacrificed to help Napoleon weave his way out of the trap devised by the Russian Cossacks.
Long after the Napoleonic Wars, the regiment was deactivated and reactivated time and again. In the late 19th century, it ended up stationed in Toulouse, but in 1907, it was re-quartered out in the boondocks, more specifically, in Brive-la-Gaillarde. During World War I, the regiment took part in the Battle of Verdun. In World War II, it engaged in the 1944 capture of Charleroi. Later the unit was posted to ‘maintain order’ in various war zones, including Bosnia, Chad, Afghanistan, Kosovo, the Central African Republic, Senegal and Mali (Operation Serval).
Today the regiment is part of a larger unit (1st Armoured Division, 9th Marine Infantry Brigade) that can be deployed outside Europe or swiftly posted to war theatres far away from France.
The French defence ministry’s website describes the regiment as a ‘mobile, air transportable and multi-purpose unit that is particularly efficient at close-quarters combat and urban warfare’.
According to the Italian newspaper Il Messaggero, it roughly consists of 1,200 active-roster personnel and 200 reservists. Both Le Monde and Il Messaggero hail the 126th Infantry Regiment as the French army’s elite unit. True, the Italian media outlet may be mostly rehashing the French publications. Crucially, though, unlike their French counterparts euphemistically describing the ‘growing shadow of war’, the Italians explicitly state that ‘France is preparing for the war’.
Reportedly, over the past months, the regiment has been intensely training for trench warfare, while the commanders are making sure it is properly equipped. An essential part of the unit’s hardware is said to be the brand-new Griffon multi-role APCs. Those entered production in 2018, and the ‘Bisons’ were among the earliest recipients.
According to the official sources, early into Russia’s special operation, around 100 regimental troops were posted to a Ukraine-border NATO base in Romania.
Their mission was to ‘help the Romanian army protect NATO’s eastern borders’. In an interview with the local media, one of the troopers, Lieutenant Thomas, 26, said he hoped he would ‘be able to humbly contribute to the young generation’s history <…> For many years, we have not been deployed in Europe’.
Whether or not Lt Thomas’s contribution was successful, last year, the regiment was reported to have faced recruiting shortfalls. For the first time in a decade, the army missed its recruiting goal by 2,000 soldiers. In fact, things got so bad, the 126th Infantry Regiment was allowed to accept the local Brive-la-Gaillarde residents, which had been a no-no before.
It turned out that – surprise, surprise – ‘a few months into the tour of duty, 20% to 30% of the young soldiers sought to terminate their contract as they had difficulty staying away from their families’. Besides, not everyone can join the army. The command opts for individuals ‘aged between 17.5 and 30 with a limited athletic background, adaptable and motivated’. Basic military training takes six months to complete, followed by more specialised infantry soldier training.
A French army contract allows a soldier to quit, should they reconsider during the basic training. Not the 126th Infantry Regiment, though. The unit was mentioned by several media outlets as the one that makes it hard for fresh recruits to bail. The higher-ups were putting pressure on those who sought to quit by making them rewrite their resignation request letters that were repeatedly declined. Worse still, the young troopers were threatened with potential desertion charges.
Eventually, a barrister blew the lid off the unsavoury controversy, and the defence ministry had to airbrush the story for the media. Like, needless to say, it was not the case. The misunderstanding only had to do with the notorious French legal chicanery. The young lads were apparently overreacting. Even when they were cut off from the rest of the recruits, kept out of the mess hall and forced to eat their MREs, it was all a troubling figment of the fellows’ imagination. No cap.
If these methods are indeed used to coerce those who are reluctant to serve into a military engagement, the French army is clearly not faring too well.
But neither the recruitment shortfalls nor the mistreatment of the personnel did not stop the command from holding a public training routine and an exhibition show at the Montignac-Lascaux stadium in the Dordogne department. They simulated tactical operations together with the 3rd Combat Helicopter Regiment, including emergency airlift missions.
These skills may prove to be of help in the future, but the ‘Bisons’ as well as any other French units will not feel safe once on the battlefield, and even the Griffons may not be able to mitigate their vulnerabilities.