47°48′58.61″N 7°37′16.27″E / 47.8162806°N 7.6211861°E / 47.8162806; 7.6211861

Franco-German Brigade
French: Brigade Franco-Allemande
German: Deutsch-Französische Brigade
Coat of arms of the Franco-German Brigade.
Active2 October 1989 – present
Country France
 Germany
Branch French Army
 German Army
TypeMechanized infantry
Size1 brigade (5,980)
Part of1st Division and 10th Panzer Division
Garrison/HQMüllheim, Baden-Württemberg, Germany
Motto(s)Le devoir d'excellence
Dem Besten verpflichtet
("Devoted to excellence")
Commanders
Current
commander		Brigadier General Marc Rudkiewicz

The Franco-German Brigade (French: Brigade Franco-Allemande; German: Deutsch-Französische Brigade) is a special military brigade of the Eurocorps, founded in 1989, jointly consisting of units from both the French Army and the German Army.[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 2 October 1989, under the command of General Jean-Pierre Sengeisen. Currently, the FGB is stationed at Müllheim, Metz, Donaueschingen, Illkirch-Graffenstaden, Sarrebourg, and Stetten am Kalten Markt 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 German occupation of World War II.[3]

On 31 October 2013, France announced that in 2014 it would inactivate 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]

Since 2016, French units are part of 1st Division and German units are part of 10th Panzer Division.

Organisation

The Franco-German Brigade parade in Reims in honor of the 50th anniversary of Franco-German friendship.
Franco-German brigade at the Glade of the Armistice

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]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Franco-German Brigade". Eurocorps. Archived from the original on 20 February 2008. Retrieved 23 February 2008.
  2. ^ "Geschichte" [History]. Deutsch-Französischen Brigade (in German). Archived from the original on 12 December 2007. Retrieved 13 February 2008.
  3. ^ "German battalion to be stationed in France". International Herald Tribune. 7 February 2009. Archived from the original on 12 February 2009. Retrieved 9 April 2018.
  4. ^ Agence France-Presse (31 October 2013). "France Dissolves Symbolic Regiment Based In Germany". Space War. Space Media Network.
  5. ^ "Struktur". Deutsch-Französischen Brigade (in German). Archived from the original on 12 December 2007. Retrieved 23 February 2008.

External links

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