The2nd Dragoon Regiment (French:2e régiment de dragons, 2e RD) is the only NBC Defense Unit of theFrench Army, stationed atFontevraud-l'Abbaye, bySaumur inMaine-et-Loire. The current regiment is an amalgamation of the old 2nd Dragoon Regiment and thegroupe de défense NBC, which took effect in July 2005. It incorporates the capabilities of the previous 2nd Dragoons, which was specialised as areconnaissance unit, in a new mission as the sole French Army unit dedicated to combattingchemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) weapons.
Despite the recent formation of the regiment in its current configuration, it is the oldest French cavalry regiment, dating back to 1556. The regiment found fame as the personal regiment ofLouis, Duke of Enghien and later Prince of Condé, from 1635 to 1686; in honour of the "Grand Condé", it is still called the "Condé-Dragons". TheFrench Revolution gave it the designation of the second regiment ofdragoons in the French Army, and with brief interruptions it has served under this name in successive French armies ever since.
The 2nd Dragoons trace their lineage to the formation of acompagnie d'ordonnance byLouis de Bourbon, head of theHouse of Condé, in 1556. At the time it numbered 50lances fournies—50 knights, plus about 5 supporting men-at-arms each, for a total of about 300 men.[1] In 1635, this company became theRégiment d'Anguien-Cavalerie, after its proprietorLouis, Duke of Enghien (the future Grand Condé), one of twelve regiments formed by a royal order of 16 May to fight in thewar against the Holy Roman Empire. Enghien appointed the Chevalier de Tavannes as the commander (mestre de camp) of the regiment.[2] It immediately was sent to serve in the Italian peninsula, where it probably operated as a collection of independent light cavalry companies. In 1636, it was sent to join the French campaign againstFranche-Comté, and it participated in the unsuccessful siege ofDôle that spring. It was reduced to independent companies in July 1636, and restored to a full regiment in January 1638.[2]
Sent to fight in the Pyrenees in thewar against Spain, theAnguien-Cavalerie participated in the unsuccessfulSiege of Fuenterrabía, during which their commander de Tavannes was killed. Under its new commander the Marquis de Livry, the regiment fought in the successfulSiege of Turin in 1640. Following the siege, the regiment helped take several towns inPiedmont for the French, and in 1641 it fought in the siege ofConi.[2]
During 1642 to 1643, the regiment fought in theReapers' War under MarshalPhilippe de La Mothe-Houdancourt, helping gain large sections of thePrincipality of Catalonia for the French–Catalan alliance. It joined the Duke of Enghien in Germany in 1644, fighting atFreiburg,Philippsburg,Mainz, andLandau. At theSecond Battle of Nördlingen on 3 August 1645, the Marquis de Livry was killed. The Marquis de Lanques replaced him, and under his command, the regiment was among those at the vain siege ofHeilbronn and the successful capture ofTrier. The regiment was sent to the siege ofDunkirk, where on 26 December 1646 it was renamed theRégiment de Condé-Cavalerie, after Enghien became Prince of Condé on the death of his father. TheCondé-Cavalerie was sent to Catalonia for two years, while Prince Louis was assigned to command the French and Catalan forces, where it took part in the unsuccessful second siege ofLleida.[2]
In early 1649, the regiment was called to join the blockade of Paris as part of theFirst Fronde, a rebellion of the French parliament and a section of the nobles, including the Prince of Condé. Little blood was shed in the resolution of the First Fronde, but the outbreak of the Second Fronde meant that the regiment was sent into battle against royalist forces again in early 1650, having moved toBerry. After the Prince of Condé reconciled withCardinal Mazarin and the royal faction in February 1651, the regiment returned to the royal army. This only lasted until September, when the Prince of Condé was forced to flee France. He became a high commander in the Spanish army, and his regiment of cavalry fought for him as part of Spanish and Lombard forces. During this time, the Prince of Condé commissionedNoël Bouton de Chamilly, laterMarshal of France, into his regiment; he served as itsmestre de camp lieutenant in 1667–1682.[2]
The regiment returned to royal service on 7 November 1659, following theTreaty of the Pyrenees, reduced to a single "colonel's company", belonging to the Prince of Condé. The full regiment was reinstated in December 1665, and in 1667 the regiment took part in the French invasion of the Low Countries as part of theWar of Devolution. In 1668 the regiment, now nine companies strong, was part of the Prince of Condé's incursion into Franche-Comté. In May 1668, the regiment was once again reduced to the colonel's company, until the 1671 reorganisation of the cavalry.[2]
The regiment was sent to fight in theDutch War in 1672, taking up winter quarters nearUtrecht. It fought in theSiege of Maastricht of June 1673. On 11 August 1674, the regiment had a leading role in theBattle of Seneffe, a victory won by the Grand Condé which restored him to royal favour. In 1675 the regiment tookDinant,Huy, andLimbourg, and spent 1676 campaigning in theSaar valley and concluded the war fighting in theBattle of Kokersberg in 1677.[2]
After being stationed in northern France inArtois and on theSaône, the regiment was sent to fight in Catalonia in theWar of the Reunions, fighting along the riverTer and inBernardin Gigault de Bellefonds' siege ofGerona. The Grand Condé died on 11 December 1688, leaving his princely title and regiments to his sonHenri Jules. The regiment had been sent east already, where it fought in all the campaigns of theWar of the League of Augsburg, inFlanders, on theMoselle, and on theRhine. It fought with distinction at theBattle of Fleurus on 1 July 1690 and theBattle of Neerwinden on 29 July 1693, and fought in the 1697 siege ofAth, the final battle of the war.[2]
During theWar of the Spanish Succession, theCondé-Cavalerie fought in the Flemish and Rhine campaigns of 1701, and was present during theBattle of Friedlingen in October 1702. In 1703, it fought at theSiege of Kehl and at theBattle of Hochstedt. In 1704, the regiment fought at theBattle of Blenheim, a disgraceful defeat for the French. It continued to fight in Flanders and the Rhine valley for the rest of the war. In 1709, title to the regiment passed toLouis Henri, Prince of Condé and Duke of Bourbon.[2]
On the outbreak of theWar of the Polish Succession in 1733, theCondé-Cavalerie was sent to the Rhine valley, where it fought at the sieges ofKehl andPhilippsburg, and the battles of Ettlingen andClausen. After the war, the regiment was based inBrittany, with its main center of operations atLamballe. During this time, the regiment passed toLouis Joseph, Prince of Condé on the death of Louis Henri in 1740.[2]
In the early years of theWar of the Austrian Succession, the regiment served inWestphalia,Bavaria, andBohemia until its return to France in July 1743. It was then sent toAlsace to serve as part of MarshalFrançois de Franquetot de Coigny's army, overwintering atDijon before being sent to the garrison ofBelfort. It then participated in the taking ofWissembourg, and in the defense of thelines of the Lauter, and then the takings ofAugenheim and Philippsburg. After overwintering inPontarlier, the regiment was part of the taking of Kronembourg nearStrasbourg in 1745. Called to Flanders in 1746, it figured in the siege of Mons and thebattle of Rocoux. It fought in thebattle of Lauffeld in 1747, and thesiege of Maastricht in 1748, at the end of the war.[2]
Following the War of the Austrian Succession, the regiment was stationed in various towns in northern and eastern France and Westphalia. During theSeven Years' War, theCondé-Cavalerie served in Germany under MarshalsLouis d'Estrées andCharles de Rohan-Soubise. In 1757, they fought at theBattle of Hastenbeck on 26 July, and theBattle of Rossbach on 5 November, where the French were resoundingly defeated by an inferior force but theCondé-Cavalerie were praised for their steadfastness. At theBattle of Krefeld on 23 June 1758, the men of the regiment fought fiercely, and helped put up a strong fighting retreat after the French defeat.[3]
After 1762, the regiment continued to be moved between garrisons mostly in the north and east of France, until the Revolution. At Lille in March 1763, theCondé-Cavalerie was reorganised, partly through the incorporation of the formerRégiment de Toulouse-Lautrec into it. The brilliantcolonel of that regiment, the Count of Toulouse-Lautrec, had previously been chosen to serve as themestre de camp lieutenant of theCondé-Cavalerie.[2] While based at Hesdin in 1776, the regiment was designated as a unit ofdragoons, theRégiment de Condé-Dragons,[2] a name which still is the nickname of the regiment today.[4] At the same time the 3rd Squadron of theChasseurs de la Legion de Lorraine was incorporated into its ranks.[2]
When theFrench Revolution began, the colonel of theCondé-Dragons wasFrançois Jaucourt, who favoured the revolution and ended up joining the moderateFeuillant faction.[5] On 31 August 1791, the regiment was one of the regular units called upon to suppress theNancy Mutiny.[6] On 1 January 1792, all the regiments of the French Army were given numbers in place of the names of their aristocratic patrons. TheCondé-Dragons were designated the second-most senior dragoon regiment, and became the2e régiment de dragons, even though they had been the eleventh-most senior dragoon regiment prior.[7] Around this time, Jaucourt went into exile and command of the regiment briefly passed to ColonelEmmanuel de Grouchy, a future Marshal of France.
With the outbreak of theWar of the First Coalition in 1792, the 2nd Dragoons were assigned to theArmy of the Centre. After participating in the defeat of thePrussian Army in a number of small actions and then at theBattle of Valmy on 20 September, they were assigned to theArmy of the Ardennes.[8] The 2nd Dragoons were reported to have fought brilliantly at theBattle of Neerwinden on 13 March 1793, but owing to the lack of training of most of the French infantry, the battle was a defeat and resulted in the loss of the Low Countries by France. That year the regiment also fought atWattignies andCholet.[2]
Following the Flanders campaign, the 2nd Dragoons were sent to put down therevolt in the Vendée in late 1793. After seeing service in the Vendée, the regiment was given garrison duties, and was probably split into two detachments, one inDouai and the other in west-central France.[2] In late 1795, the 2nd Dragoons were assigned to theArmy of Sambre-et-Meuse, which was being prepared for a crossing of the Rhine the following year. At the time, the regiment was recorded having the strength of 485 horses.[9] The regiment distinguished themselves in the campaign of 1796, particularly at theBattle of Siegburg in June and thetaking of Bamberg in August. In 1797, the regiment was made part of theArmy of the West and then theArmy of Mainz.[2]
At the start of theWar of the Second Coalition in 1798, the 2nd Dragoon Regiment fought in southwestern Germany as part of theArmy of the Danube.[2] In 1799, it fought in theSecond Battle of Zurich, earning itself a battle honour.[4] In 1800, the regiment was part of theArmy of the Rhine, in MarshalLaurent de Gouvion Saint-Cyr's Centre Corps, fighting at the battles ofBiberach andHohenlinden.[10] From 1801 to 1805, the regiment was stationed at towns in theFlanders region andPicardy.[2]
In 1805 the 2nd Dragoon Regiment was made part of the 1st Dragoon Division (commanded by General of DivisionLouis Klein) of MarshalJoachim Murat'sReserve Cavalry Corps in theGrande Armée ofNapoleon I.[12] The First Empire gave them scarlet as their distinguishing colour on their facings and coat lapels, which they shared with the 1st through 6th Dragoons.[13] In the autumn of 1805, the regiment and the rest of Klein's division was part of the remarkably successfulUlm Campaign, fighting at the battles ofWertingen andAlbeck on 8 and 11 October, at theBattle of Ulm a week later, and at theBattle of Austerlitz on 20 November.
During theWar of the Fourth Coalition, the regiment fought at theBattle of Jena on 14 October 1806, theBattle of Golymin on 26 December that year, theBattle of Eylau on 7–8 February 1807 (including Marshal Murat's colossal cavalry charge), theBattle of Heilsberg on 10 June, and the eventual victory at theBattle of Friedland on 14 June.
From 1808 to 1813, the regiment and the rest of the 1st Dragoon Division (now under General of DivisionVictor Latour-Mabourg) along with much of the Reserve Cavalry Corps (underJean-Baptiste Bessières) served in thePeninsular Campaign. There, they fought many small skirmishes with the Spanish, and saw action in several major battles. They began their campaign at theFirst Siege of Zaragoza in the summer of 1808, followed by theBattle of Tudela on 23 November. In 1809, they fought in theBattle of Uclés on 13 January, theBattle of Medellín on 28 March, theBattle of Talavera on 27–28 July, and theBattle of Almonacid on 11 August. On 27 September 1810, the 2nd Dragoon Regiment fought at theBattle of Bussaco, in 1811 it fought at theBattle of Chiclana on 5 March and the siege ofElvas later that year, and on 21 June 1813 it fought in theBattle of Vitoria. A small detachment served in theFrench invasion of Russia in 1812 as part of MarshalPierre Augereau's reserveXI Corps.[12]
The regiment joined in theGerman Campaign of 1813. It fought in the siege ofKönigsberg, theBattle of Leipzig of 16–19 October, and theBattle of Hanau of 30–31 October. In late 1813 it was assigned to the French corps d'observation in Bavaria, and then theV Corps when the corps was sent to reinforce the garrison ofDanzig, then under asiege by a Russo-Prussian army.[2] During theCampaign of France in early 1814, the 2nd Dragoon Regiment fought in an action atRambervillers, at theBattle of Brienne on 29 January, and at theBattle of Saint-Dizier on 26 March. That year, the regiment incorporated 25 survivors from theCompagnie des Guides-interprètes (the predecessors of the later French corps ofInterprètes Militaires or military interpreters), which was first formed at Boulogne in 1803 in preparation forNapoleon's planned invasion of the United Kingdom.[14]
On the return of the regiment from Germany in 1814 following theFirst Bourbon Restoration, it went to Paris and received the title ofdragons du Roi, as the most senior regiment of dragoons (the previous 1st Dragoon Regiment now was a regiment ofchevau-légers lanciers). Following Napoleon's return to France, it returned to its previous name and number on 23 April 1815.[2] During theHundred Days, the regiment was initially part of the 4th Reserve Cavalry Division. In theArmy of the North's Belgian campaign, it was part of the 11th Cavalry Division, in MarshalFrançois Étienne de Kellermann's III Reserve Cavalry Corps. During the retreat following thebattle of Waterloo, the 2nd Dragoons attacked and defeated a Prussian force in askirmish at Sentis. After Napoleon's surrender, it joined the many units camped out in theLoire valley while a new settlement between the coalition and the Bourbons was made. The regiment was dissolved on 4 December 1815, after theSecond Bourbon Restoration.[4]
On 29 December 1815, the regiment was re-formed with the same men and officers, and named therégiment de dragons du Doubs, again the second-most senior dragoon regiment.[4] Thedragons de Doubs were given a new uniform and headgear, with scarlet facings and green cuffs as their distinguishing colours.[15] The men of the regiment remained openly sympathetic to Bonapartism, including its first commander after the Restoration, Colonel François-Joseph Planzeaux, who gave a speech at his first review of the regiment praising the deeds of the "2nd Dragoons of the Empire, a regiment beyond reproach...the immortal dragoons of Spain."[16] In 1816, Planzeaux was accused of participating in a Bonapartist conspiracy and discharged from the army.[17]
In 1823, the regiment was part of theSpanish Expedition (known as the "Hundred Thousand Sons of Saint Louis"), the French force sent to defeat the liberals of theTrienio Liberal and restore the absolute power ofFerdinand VII. It was part of General of Division Bertrand Castex's 1st Dragoon Division, in MarshalNicolas Oudinot's I Corps.[18]
During theJuly Monarchy, the 2nd Dragoon Regiment dropped the nameDoubs, and was among several that were favoured byLouis Philippe I, and called to the maneuvers and festivities at his camp atCompiègne every two years.[19] In 1832, it participated in the suppression of theJune Rebellion.[20]Charles-Marie-Augustin de Goyon, who would be a senior general of the Second Empire, served as its colonel from 1846 to 1850. Under de Goyon, the regiment earned the nickname of "demoiselles de Goyon", owing to his high standards for drill and dress.[21] During the1848 Revolution, the officers of the regiment kept their men calm and disciplined, much to the relief of the citizens of its garrison town ofBeauvais.[22]
Following the establishment of theSecond Republic, the regiment was ordered to Paris in May. There it helped protect the new government from working-class revolutionaries during the seizure of thePalais Bourbon in May and theJune Days Uprising.[22] During theSecond French Empire, the 2nd Dragoon Regiment was given orange as a distinguishing colour, until all of the dragoon regiments lost their distinguishing colours in 1862.[23] In January 1854, while theCrimean War was ongoing, a detachment of half a squadron of the 2nd Dragoons was sent to theKingdom of Greece, where it attempted to control the local "bandits" for about a year.[24] In 1865, BaronJoachim Ambert was appointed the colonel of the regiment, a role in which he served until 1873.[25]
During theFranco-Prussian War of 1870, the regiment was part of the 2nd Brigade of General of DivisionGeorges Eugène Blanchard'sIII Corps.[25] After its arrival at the front on 8 August, it protected baggage trains in the retreat toMetz following theBattle of Forbach-Spicheren, before serving in a reconnaissance role, and facing the Prussians at the battles ofBorney–Colombey,Mars-la-Tour, andNoiseville. Most of the regiment was briefly taken prisoner by the Prussians on 29 October.[26]
Following the defeat of the Second Empire, the remaining troops of the regular army were called upon by theGovernment of National Defense to the defense of Paris from thePrussian siege, but they were scattered and disorganised, and had to be organised into provisional regiments (regiments de marche). The troops who had not been captured, including the depot and a squadron of new recruits, were in the 4th and 6th dragoon and 11th mixed cavalryregiments de marche.[27] By the time a peace with Prussia was reached in May 1871, most of the 2nd Dragoon Regiment's complement was gathered together, as the 2nd dragoonregiment de marche, and was called upon to aid in the government's suppression of theParis Commune.[28]
During theBelle Époque era of theThird Republic, between 1871 and the start of war in 1914, the regiment was based inChartres, and thenLyon.[4][29]
At the start ofWorld War I, the regiment was based inLyon. In early September 1914, it fought in the counteroffensive of the Charmes Gap in theBattles of the Frontiers. From mid-October to 2 November, it fought in theFirst Battle of Ypres. In September 1915, it fought in theSecond Battle of Champagne. In 1917, it fought at theSecond Battle of the Aisne. In March 1918, it participated in theBattle of the Lys.[30]
In 1930, the regiment was designated amechanised infantry regiment (with companies of motorcyclists,sidecars, andhalf-tracks), and renamed the 2nd Motorised Dragoon Battalion (2e bataillon de dragons portés).[4]
On 1 December 1939, the unit was redesignated as the 2nd Motorised Dragoon Regiment, with two battalions. During the early stages of the war, they made up the 13th Light Mechanised Brigade, along with the3e régiment d'automitrailleuses. In February 1940, this brigade was attached to the 3rd Light Cavalry Division, in theThird Army. The first battalion was stationed atRussange and the second atRédange. After the Germaninvasion of Luxembourg began on 9 May, the 2nd Dragoon Regiment and the rest of the 3rd Light Cavalry Division briefly entered into Luxembourg on 10 May in an attempt to slow the Germans by destroying key infrastructure.[31]
During theBattle of France, the regiment fought in the attempts to slow the German advance from 24 to 31 May and from 5–7 June, including at theBattle of Abbeville. It was in a fighting retreat until 17 June.[32]
After France surrendered on 22 June, the regiment's survivors were brought together atAuch inGers department in August 1940, by the army of theVichy government then ruling southern France. The men were formed into two horse-mounted squadrons, three squadrons of cyclists, anarmoured car squadron, a signals platoon, and afanfare. Much of their heavier weaponry was well-camouflaged, and hidden whenever Vichy officials or German officers were in the area, as it was officially forbidden for the Vichy military. Their commander, ColonelGuy Schlesser, was determined they would still have some role to play in defending France. By his speeches and pamphlets, and his encouragement of skiing (at a dedicated chalet nearCampan) and a wide range of sports and other recreation, he kept morale high. Generals sent to inspect the regiment expressed their admiration at its high level of organisation.[32]
In late November 1942, Germany began to occupy southern France, underOperation Anton. On 27 November, Germany ordered the dissolution of the Vichy army.[33] The 2nd Dragoon Regiment was officially disbanded on 29 November 1942 by its superior officer GeneralLouis Gustave Bérard, commander of the 17th Military Region. At the ceremony of farewell to the regimental standard, Colonel Schlesser gave a dramatic speech in which he proclaimed that "despite [his] determination to resist" he was forced "with tears in [his] eyes and heart full of bitterness, to obey".[32] After the ceremony he gathered together some officers and non-commissioned officers and made plans to escape the Germans and continue to fight. At Schlesser's instigation, nearly all of the officers and soldiers of the 2nd Dragoons decided to escape and rejoin the fight against Germany, whether by heading for North Africa to join theFree French Army or joining theResistance.[33][34] Although many of the men who headed for North Africa were delayed by imprisonment in neutral Spain, most of them eventually were released and transported toCasablanca by Free French merchant vessels.[32]
Some men who remained in the Resistance ended up creating the center of resistance in Gers department, while others formed independent cells in the mountains and hid some of the weaponry of the regiment in mines.[32] The standard of the regiment was hidden in the village ofLa Romieu, and when Schlesser made plans to re-form the regiment in 1943, he had Captain Robert de Neuchèze, who had remained in the Resistance, bring it to Algiers. He embarked the submarineAréthuse on 29 September atRamatuelle, and managed to reachAlgiers still carrying the standard of the regiment.[34] In 1945, the same standard was decorated with theMédaille des évadés, a decoration created in 1926 for individual soldiers who made a successful escape from enemies or at least two unsuccessful attempts. The 2nd Dragoons remain the only French military unit ever to receive this decoration.[4][33] This standard is now in theMusée de l'Armée in Paris.[34]
On 7 November 1943, plans to revive the 2nd Dragoons in the Free French Army were finalised and the regiment was designated as atank destroyer unit; it was re-formed on 21 December 1943, atSfax, Tunisia.[4] At a ceremony attended by a number of senior French and Allied officers, GeneralHenri Giraud formally returned the regiment's standard, to its new commander, Lieutenant Colonel de Sauzey. The regiment incorporated men from the 2nd and 6th AlgerianSpahis, nearly three full squadrons from the former. This was the first time large numbers of French colonial natives had joined a cavalry regiment from metropolitan France. Once the regiment arrived in France, many of its men who had fought in the Resistance rejoined.[32]
The regiment was equipped withM20 Scout Cars. In May 1944, Lieutenant Colonel André Demetz was appointed to command the regiment. He was a specialist in armoured warfare, whose philosophy was that the way his men treated their equipment (similarly to the way mounted cavalrymen treated their horse) showed their ability. He began the practice of naming all the vehicles of the regiment, after places in Paris; for example, the colonel's vehicle is named afterParis itself, the most prominent armoured vehicles are named after monuments such as theLouvre andArc-de-Triomphe, and the regiment's trucks are named after working class banlieues likePantin andBillancourt. The regiment embarked inMers-el-Kebir andOran on 25 August, and spent five days in the crossing to Provence, during which Colonel Schlesser radioed in an encouraging message.[32]
On 30 August, the 2nd Dragoon Regiment debarked in Provence, and headed toEyguières. The regiment was immediately assigned to a battle group that capturedMontpellier, and formed GeneralJean de Lattre de Tassigny's escort when he entered the city on 2 September. On 4 September, the regiment began advancing north towardsLyon, attached to the2nd Army Corps. Covering the left flank of the Corps, it reachedParay-le-Monial, where it met the8th Dragoon Regiment of theFrench Forces of the Interior, which from then served as its infantry support. From 8 to 10 September, the regiment fought in the capture ofAutun, meeting fierce resistance from German troops. There they took several casualties, including Chef d'escadrons de Neuchèze.[32] On 10–11 September, the regiment linked up atSaulieu with U.S. troops who hadlanded in Normandy, the 86th Cavalry Reconnaissance Squadron (Mechanized) (part of the6th Armored Division).[35][36]
During October, the 2nd Dragoon Regiment fought in the campaigns of theVosges andDoubs, reachingSaint-Loup-sur-Semouse on 30 October, where it was allowed to rest. In mid-November, it was called upon to join the advance towardBelfort andMulhouse as part of the2nd Moroccan Infantry Division. By 24 November, it had reached the area ofRéchésy, where it acted rapidly to destroy German tanks and to cut off the communications of the1st SS Panzer Division Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler to allow the French Army to captureMulhouse. During December and until 20 January, the regiment was positioned defensively around Mulhouse. On 20 January, it was part of the initial French advance against the southern flank of theColmar Pocket. They were engaged in this offensive, suffering heavy casualties, until its success with the capture ofCernay, in which some elements of the regiment participated. After this, the regiment rested atMasevaux, where Demetz was replaced by Colonel Clerck at the head of the regiment.[32]
On 1 April 1945, the regiment destroyed German bunkers to cross theRhine at Germersheim, and in the days that followed, it fought pockets of German troops aroundWeingarten entrenched in towns and armed with tanks and anti-tank weapons. On 16 April the 2nd Dragoon Regiment returned across the Rhine to attack the remaining German forces in theBlack Forest. The 2nd Squadron joined theGroupement Lebel, which chased a German force through the Black Forest and as far asKonstanz, while the rest of the regiment cut off the northeast of the Black Forest aroundFreudenstadt andSchwenningen. When news came of the German surrender on 7 May, the squadrons of the regiment had reunited and were staying atSchloss Heiligenberg.[32] In the months after the war, the regiment garrisoned the French zone in theoccupation of Austria, atInnsbruck andSchwaz.[4]
In 1957 to 1961, the regiment fought in theAlgerian War, losing 84 men. From 1961 to 1984, the regiment was garrisoned atHaguenau in Alsace; from 1977 to 1984 part of the6th Armoured Division. From 1984 to 1997, it was based atCrépy-Couvron inAisne department, Picardy. In 1997, the regiment moved toFontevraud-l'Abbaye, a village bySaumur inMaine-et-Loire department. It served as anarmoured reconnaissance regiment, using theAMX-30 and later theAMX Leclercmain battle tanks, theVéhicule de l'Avant Blindé, and theVéhicule Blindé Léger. It was part of the8th Infantry Division until its dissolution in 1993, and then the2nd Armored Division until 2005.[4][37]
On 1 July 2005, the regiment amalgamated with thegroupe de défense NBC. After the merger, the regiment briefly went by the name "2nd Dragoon Regiment – Nuclear, Biological and Chemical" (2e régiment de dragons – nucléaire, biologique et chimique, 2e RD-NBC), before reverting to the simple2e régiment de dragons. Since the merger in 2005, the regiment has been under the direct command of theCommandement des Forces Terrestres, the high command of the French Army.[38]
In January 2015, soldiers of the regiment were deployed toGuinea to provide decontamination for medical personnel fighting theWest African Ebola epidemic.[39]
As of 2013, the regiment was manned by 893 personnel divided into:[40]
There were 53 officers, 270 non-commissioned officers, 562 other ranks, and 8 civilians in the regiment.[40]
The 2nd Dragoon Regiment is currently the sole unit of the French Army specialised in defending againstchemical,biological,radiological, andnuclear (CBRN) weapons, although there also areFrench Air Force teams with CBRN defense capabilities. The regiment's personnel undergo their training at the Army's CBRN school, now located in Saumur. All members of the regiment are trained in decontamination, and upon completing this training, they may undergo training for CBRN reconnaissance and operating in a "light role team" (LRT).[41] The regiment's most immediate role is seen as being ready to deal with terrorism on French soil, but its role extends to handling accidents at industrial facilities such as nuclear power plants, handling attacks on France during a war, assistingcivil defence, and protecting French forces on operations. As well as being tasked with defending France, it has the capability to be deployed overseas if needed.[38][41] From its base, the 2nd Dragoon Regiment runs Detecbio, a network of environmental monitoring sensors that can detect a variety of potential biological threats.[41][42][43]
The regimentalstandard of the 2nd Dragoon Regiment is a French tricolor, with the following battle honours sewn on it in gold:[44]
The French Army does not retain any battle honours from before the Revolution; the battle honourAFN 1952–1962 for theAlgerian War was only retained after some controversy.[44]
Under the Ancien Régime, theCondé-Cavalerie had standards (guidons from 1776) that were blue, with the golden sun emblem ofLouis XIV and the mottoNec pluribus impar, on one side; andfawn, with a silver sun lighting a pyre and the regimental mottoDa materiam splendescam, on the other. The guidons were embroidered and fringed in silver.[2]
The motto of the regiment under theGrand Condé, maintained by the current regiment, is "Da materiam splendescam", after the motto of the Grand Condé, "Splendescam da materiam." This translates to "Give me a chance to shine" or "Give me means, and I will shine".[4][45]
The badge of the regiment consists of a black, winged dragon holding a guidon of theCondé-Cavalerie (showing the fawn side with the sun and pyre), on a blue background. At the bottom is inscribed "Condé Dragons".[37]
The regiment has been awarded the following decorations:
Because of the regiment's decoration with the World War I Croix de guerre, all serving members of the 2nd Dragoon Regiment wearfourragères in green with red stripes on their uniforms.
