1er Régiment de Parachutistes d'Infanterie de Marine
Regimental insigne
Active	1941-
Country	France
Branch	Armée de Terre
Type	Infantry
Role	Special forces
Part of	Army Special Forces Brigade
Garrison/HQ	Bayonne, France
Motto	Qui Ose Gagne (Who Dares Wins)
Anniversaries	Saint-Michel Day
Engagements	World War II First Indochina War Operation Desert Storm Operation Enduring Freedom
Commanders
Current commander	Colonel Vidaud

The 1st Marine Infantry Parachute Regiment (French: 1er Régiment de Parachutistes d'Infanterie de Marine, 1er RPIMa) is one of two regiments in the French Army Special Forces Brigade. Based in Bayonne in the local Citadel.

Contents 1 History 1.1 Origins 2 Parent unit 3 Organisation & Structure 4 Selection & Training 5 Lineage 6 Honours 6.1 Battle Honours 6.2 Decorations 7 References 8 External links

[edit] History

[edit] Origins

The origins of the 1er RPIMa dates back to the Second World War the Regiment was first formed as the 1ère Compagnie d’Infanterie de l’Air in Britain, redesignated 1ère Compagnie de Chasseurs Parachutistes (1e CCP) under Captain Bergé. It consisted of around 50 paratroopers when they were transferred to David Stirling's SAS in the North African campaign where they took part successful operations in Africa, Crete, France, Belgium, Holland and Germany. Today, this SAS heritage still shows in the regimental motto "Qui Ose Gagne" (Who Dares Wins). After completing the SAS training course they were called French Squadron SAS. The regiment is the heir to the two Free French Special Air Service (SAS): 3 SAS (2e RCP) and 4 SAS (3e RCP). Following the end of World War II, 3 and 4 SAS was handed over to the French Army on 1 October 1945. The regiment was restructured after returning from Indochina and acted as training depot for the colonial parachute force during the Algerian War. It remained in this role until 1974 when it became a Special forces regiment.

[edit] Parent unit

• Army Special Forces Brigade.

[edit] Organisation & Structure

Due to its long history with the British Special Air Service much of the 1er RPIMa core aspects are based upon the British SAS. Each company specialises in a particular area such as maritime, air ops/pathfinder, mobility.

• Three main Combat Companies RAPAS (Recherche Aéroportée et Action Spéciale (RAPAS) which translates to Airborne Reconnaissance and Special Action.

• • 1e Compagnie(RAPAS)
  • 2e Compagnie (RAPAS (Pathfinder CW)
  • 3e Compagnie (RAPAS)
  • 4e Compagnie (RAPAS Maritime)

There are also three support company's:

• Command and Logistic Company
• Signals Company
• Training Company

[edit] Selection & Training

Few details are available regarding the selection and training for the 1st RPIMa. However, it is thought that the recruitment and selection process is extremely demanding with failure rates of around 90%. Candidates are put through physically and mentally demanding assessments. It is possible that selection is similar to that of the British Special Air Service as the 1st RPIMa has a close history with the regiment.

[edit] Lineage

• May, 1941: 1st Air Infantry Company
• June, 1943: 1st Air Infantry Battalion

[edit] Honours

[edit] Battle Honours

• Crete 1942
• Libye 1942
• Sud Tunisien 1943
• France 1944
• Ardennes Belges 1945
• Hollande 1945
• Indochine 1946-1954

[edit] Decorations

• Cross of the Légion d'honneur
• Cross of the Libération
• Croix de guerre 1939-1945 with 6 palms
• Croix de guerre des Théatres d'Opérations Exterieures with 3 palms
• Croix de guerre (Belgium)
• Bronze Star (USA)
• Bronze Lion (Netherlands)

[edit] References

• James Shortt, The Special Air Service. Oxford: Osprey Publishing, 1981. ISBN 0-85045-396-8

[edit] External links

• Official website