| Franco-German Brigade — X — | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Active | October 2, 1989- |
| Country | France, Germany |
| Type | Mechanised Infantry |
| Size | 1 Brigade (5.980) |
| Part of | Eurocorps |
| Garrison/HQ | Müllheim |
| Motto(s) | Dem Besten verpflichtet/Le devoir d'excellence (Devoted to excellence) |
| Commanders | |
| Current commander |
Général de brigade Philippe Chalmel Oberst Klaus Hahndel |
The Franco-German Brigade (French; German language: Deutsch-Französische Brigade) is a joint formation consisting of units from both the French Armée de Terre and German Heer armies and is integrated in Eurocorps.[1]
History[]
The Brigade was formed in 1987 following a summit between President Mitterrand of France and Chancellor Kohl of Germany. The Brigade became operational on October 2, 1989, under the command of General Jean-Pierre Sengeisen. Currently, the FGB is stationed at Müllheim, Metz, Donaueschingen, Illkirch-Graffenstaden, and Immendingen as part of the Eurocorps.[2]
In February 2009 it was announced that a German battalion of the force was to be moved to Illkirch near Strasbourg, the first time a German unit had been stationed in France since the Nazi occupation of World War II.[3]
On 31 October 2013, France announced that in 2014 it would shut down the 110th Infantry Regiment based in Donaueschingen and thus withdraw around 1000 men from Germany. This would leave the brigade with 4000 men, but would put an end to each country having a major presence in the other, France would be left with ~500 troops in Germany and vice versa.[4]
Organisation[]
The Franco-German brigade can be described as a mechanised formation; its combat units are an armoured reconnaissance regiment, three infantry battalions, and an artillery regiment. The logistical support unit and the brigade's HQ have mixed complements drawn from both countries.[5]
Staff, in Müllheim (D)
3e Régiment de Hussards (3e RH) (3rd Hussar Regiment), in Metz (F)
- 1st Reconnaissance Company
- 2nd Reconnaissance Company
- 3rd Reconnaissance Company
- 4th Light Reconnaissance and Anti-Armour Company
- 5th Supply and Support Company
- 6th Combat Service Support Company
- 110e Régiment d'Infanterie (110e RI) (110th Infantry Regiment), in Donaueschingen (D)
- 1st Infantry Company
- 2nd Infantry Company
- 3rd Infantry Company
- 4th Reconnaissance and Combat Support Company
- 5th Supply and Support Company
- 6th Combat Service Support Company
- Jägerbataillon 291 (291st Light Infantry Battalion), in Illkirch-Graffenstaden (F)
- 1st HQ & Supply Company
- 2nd Light Infantry Company
- 3rd Light Infantry Company
- 4th Reconnaissance Company
- Jägerbataillon 292 (292nd Light Infantry Battalion), in Donaueschingen (D)
- Panzerartilleriebataillon 295 (295th Armoured Artillery Battalion), in Immendingen (D)
- Panzerpionierkompanie 550 (550th Armoured Engineer Company), in Immendingen (D)
- Logistic Battalion (French German language: Deutsch-Französiches Versorgungsbataillon), in Müllheim (D)
- 1st HQ & Supply Company (bi-national)
- 2nd Supply Company (bi-national)
- 3rd Maintenance Company (bi-national)
- 4th Transport Company (German)
- Combat Service Support Company (French)
- Staff Company Franco-German Brigade (bi-national)
Future French participation[]
The Franco-German brigade was not one of the seven brigades mentioned in the French government's 2013 security and defence white paper.[6] The extent of future participation of French forces in the brigade, post the implementation of the white paper, is not known.
See also[]
- Franco-British Defence and Security Cooperation Treaty and Downing Street Declaration
- NATO
- Eurocorps
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Category:Franco-German Brigade. |
Notes[]
- ↑ "Franco-German Brigade on official Eurocorps website". Archived from the original on 2008-02-20. http://web.archive.org/web/20080220071754/http://www.eurocorps.net/organisation/german_french_brigade/. Retrieved 2008-02-23.
- ↑ "History of the Franco-German Brigade (in German)". Archived from the original on 2007-12-12. http://web.archive.org/web/20071212214138/http://www.df-brigade.de/site_de/gesch.htm. Retrieved 2008-02-23.
- ↑ International Herald Tribune, German battalion to be stationed in France, February 7, 2009
- ↑ Agence France-Presse (31 October 2013). "France Dissolves Symbolic Regiment Based In Germany". Defense News. http://www.defensenews.com/article/20131031/DEFREG01/310310018/France-Dissolves-Symbolic-Regiment-Based-Germany.
- ↑ "Structure of the Franco-German Brigade (in German)". http://www.df-brigade.de/site_de/struktur.htm. Retrieved 2008-02-23.
- ↑ "Le Livre blanc sur la défense et la sécurité nationale". Ministère de la Défense. 29 April 2013. http://www.defense.gouv.fr/actualites/articles/livre-blanc-2013. Retrieved 14 August 2013. (French)
- See also article in 'International Defence Review,' November 1994
External links[]
- (German) (French) Official website
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Coordinates: 47°48′58.61″N 7°37′16.27″E / 47.8162806°N 7.6211861°E
The original article can be found at Franco-German Brigade and the edit history here.