1st Mechanised Brigade (France)

1^re Brigade Mécanisée
1re Brigade Mécanisée
	Insignia of the 1st Mechanised Brigade
Active	1999 – 2015
Country	France
Branch	French Army
Type	Mechanised
Size	4,000 including women
Part of	CFAT
Garrison/HQ	Châlons-en-Champagne
Motto(s)	Nomine et virtute prima ("First by name and valor")
Commanders
Notable; commanders	Général Éric Bellot des Minières

The 1st Mechanised Brigade (French: 1^re Brigade Mécanisée, 1^re BM) was one of the mechanized units of the Commandement des Forces Terrestres of the French Army. Created on 1 July 1999, as heir to the 1st Armored Division, the brigade was dissolved on 21 July 2015. Before the dissolution, formations reached 4000 men and women and the general staff headquarters of the brigade was garrisoned at Châlons-en-Champagne.

The 1st Division was recreated in 2016 within the cadre of the reorganization of the French Army.

Creation and different denominations

1 May 1943 : creation of the 1st Armored Division 1^re DB from the Light Mechanized Brigade (BLM);
31 March 1946 : dissolution of the 1^e DB
1948 : the 1st Division was recreated;
1 July 1999 : created of the 1st Mechanized Brigade 1^reBM which inherited the traditions of the 1st Armored Division;
21 July 2015 : dissolution of the 1st Mechanized Brigade and the 1st commandment and transmission company

Motto

The motto, Nomine et Virtute Prima literary means "First by name and valor". The choice of the insignia, the cross of Saint Louis by général Jean Touzet du Vigier, comes from the place of formation of the unit, Tunisia, where King Louis IX of France came to rest in 1270.

History

The 1st Armoured Division was dissolved with the reorganisation of the French Army in 1999, and the dissolution of the French Forces in Germany FFA. The division's honours and traditions are carried on with the formation of the 1st Mechanised Brigade in Châlons-en-Champagne.

The brigade was strong with 4000 men and women. The brigade was engaged on the ensemble of exterior theatres operations with an average of 3500 soldiers on average per year: Afghanistan, Lebanon, Guyana, Kosovo, Ivory Coast, Tchad and Senegal.

The 1st Mechanised Brigade was dissolved on 21 July 2015.

Organization

The brigade consists of at least 5000 personnel in 5 regiments and 3 brigade units.^[1]

1^er Régiment de Tirailleurs (1^er RTir) – infantry regiment in Epinal with VBCI
1^er Régiment d'Artillerie de Marine (1^er RAMa) – self-propelled marine artillery regiment in Laon with 12x CAESAR self-propelled howitzers and 16x 120mm RTF1 mortars
402^e Régiment d'artillerie (402^e RA) – artillery regiment in Châlons-en-Champagne
3^e Régiment du Génie (3^e RG) – engineer regiment in Charleville-Mézières
1^re Compagnie de Commandement et de Transmissions (1^re CCT) – command and signals company in Châlons-en-Champagne with VAB
Escadron d'éclairage et d'investigation – brigade reconnaissance squadron
Batterie de renseignement brigade

Notes

^ "1^re brigade mécanisée". French government. Archived from the original on 21 February 2012. Retrieved 17 February 2012.

References

www.defense.gouv.fr

External links

Official site (in French) – 1^er BM

[comp-1] "1^re brigade mécanisée". French government. Archived from the original on 21 February 2012. Retrieved 17 February 2012.

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