The French Military Tradition (part 1 of ?

One of the things that I've always found disappointing about the French military is that although they do
have a glorious and long, storied history dating back to the middle ages, the French revolution and the
various domestic upheavals that followed along with decolonization had largely robbed France of its
"coolness" factor when it comes to military traditions and storied regiments of past. Thus while various
armies such the British army is chock full of regiments tracing their lineage back through the centuries
with cool names like the Royal Rifles, the Royal Inniskillin Fusiliers and so on, the French are pretty much
limited to divisional numbers.

This should not, however, distract from the fact that the French do in fact have several unique regiments
in their military establishment and even though they are much less well known that their British
counterparts (due in part to the language barrier), nevertheless hold a storied place on the battlefields
of the world.

Some examples include...

1er Regiment D'infantrie (1st Infantry Regiment)

This regiment traces its lineage back to the foundation of the Bandes Picardes in 1479 and was one of
the first permanent, professional military formations in Europe. It was one of the first infantry regiments
created on the basis of provincial origin in the mid 1550s. As a non-royal regiment, the 1er Regiment
D'infanterie survived largely intact throughout the turmoil of the revolution. Battle honors include Valmy
(1792), Verdun (1916), the Somme (1917), and Algeria (among others).

1er Regiment de Tirailleurs (1st Tirailleur Regiment)

Renamed/Recreated in 1994 from the 170th Infantry Regiment (which after decolonization was the
tradition-bearer of several old regiments of Algerian tirailleurs), the 1er Regiment de Tirailleurs is the
descendant of the old Algerian tirailleur regiments of the Army of Africa. Battle honors include
Sevastopol (1854), the Far East (1884-85), Verdun (1916), the Vosges (1944), Indochina and Algeria.

6e-12e régiment de cuirassiers (6th-12th Cuirasseur Regiment)

In 1994 this regiment was created via the amalgamation of the 6eme regiment de cuirasseurs and the
12eme regiment de cuirasseurs.  Although given numeric designations as the result of the French
revolution, both cuirasseur regiments have a long and distinguished history.  The 6th was founded in
1635 by Cardinal Richelieu and in 1646 became the Regiment du Roi-Cavalrie (The King's Regiment,
Cavalry).  At the revolution it was given the desgination of the 6th cavalry regiment and in 1803 became
cuirasseurs (heavy cavalry).  The 12th was originally the Regiment du Dauphin- Cavalrie (The Dauphin
[ie. Crown Prince's] Regiment- Cavalry).  Like the 6th, it was also converted to a cuirasseur regiment in
1803 after having recieved a numerical designation at the revolution.  Combined battle honors for both
include Austerlitz (1805), Jena (1806), Wagram (1809), Borodino (1812), Paris (1944).

1er régiment de hussards parachutistes (1st Regiment of Airborne Hussards)

One of the more unusual regiments in the French establishment, the 1RHP traces its lineage back to
1720 as les Hussards de Bercheny, a Hungarian nobleman living in exile in France.  During the revolution,
it became the 1st regiment of hussards, and in 1946 became airborne.  Battle honors include Valmy
(17920, Eylau (1807), Sevastopol (1855), and Algeria.

There are a whole lot more, but that's all I have time to post now.