# 126th Infantry Regiment (France)

The 126th Infantry Regiment is a regiment of the French Army. It was first constituted during the French Revolution.

## History
### French Revolution and First French Empire

* 1793 : creation of 126th battle demi-brigade (French: 126$^e$ demi-brigade de bataille, 126$^e$ DBB).
* 1793 - 1796 : creation of the 126th battle demi-brigade, from the 2nd battalion of the 62nd Infantry Regiment (French: 62$^e$ Régiment d'Infanterie), merged from two revolutionary units, the 2nd Volunteer Battalion of Ain (French: 2$^e$ Bataillon de Volontaires de l'Ain) and the 3rd Volunteer Battalion of Nièvre (French: 3$^e$ Bataillon de Volontaires de la Nièvre).
* 1795: Quiberon
* 1796 in France : the unit was incorporated into the 99th Infantry Regiment.
* 1810 : creation of the 126th Line Infantry Regiment (French: 126$^e$ Régiment d'Infanterie de Ligne, 126$^e$ RI) from the 5th Infantry Regiment (French: 5$^e$ Régiment d'Infanterie, 5$^e$ RI) and the 1st battalion of the 8th Infantry Regiment (French: 8$^e$ Régiment d'Infanterie) of the Kingdom of Holland, during the annexation of Holland.
* 1812: the regiment took part in the campaign of Russia:
** Smoliany, Borisow
** November 26–29, 1812: Battle of Berezina where the regiment as a whole covered the unfolding of the Grande Armée.
* 1813 in France: incorporation of the remainder of the regiment into the 123rd Infantry Regiment (French: 123$^e$ Régiment d'Infanterie, 123$^e$ RI).

### Second French Empire

* 1870 : defend Paris.
* May 16, 1871 in France : creation of the 126 Line Infantry Regiment formed with the 19th Provsionary Infantry Regiment.
* April 4, 1872 : a decree of the President of the Republic constituted officially the regiment which was designated as 126th Infantry Regiment, composed of four battalions of four companies.

### Third Republic

* 1874: garrison at Lyon.
* 1881 to 1896: campaigns of North African and Madagascar.
* 1907, the regiment left Toulouse and arrived in garrison at Brive-la-Gaillarde.

### WWI

* August 1914 in France: gave formation to the 326th Infantry Regiment (French: 326$^e$ Régiment d'Infanterie, 326$^e$ RI). Unfolding of the Third Army and Fourth Army: Saint-Médard, Florenville (August 22–23), Carignan. First Battle of the Marne, September 5 to 13: Châtel-Raould, Courdemanges.
* 1915 :
** Meuse and Argonne : Regniéville, Réménauville, Wooden Forest d'Ailly
* 1916 :
** Battle of Verdun - Marre-Charny.
* 1917 :
** Champagne : Maison-de-Champagne (March 8–12), Auberive (April 17).
* 1918 :
** Italian front : Austrian offensive of June 15, Piave offensive

### Interwar period

The 126$^e$ RI was in garrison at Brive-la-Gaillarde in January 1939, and recalled to apply the "barrage plan" in the Pyrénées-Orientales.

### WWII

* The regiment showed its prowess in June 1940 in trying to halt the German offensives, marching a record 350 km in two weeks.
* August 5, 1940 : dissolution.
* 1944 : 126th Infantry Regiment. Reconstituted officially on October 15, 1944 in France. The regiment was reconstituted in 1944 from marquis of Corrèze and Périgord and participated in the liberation of Alsace, then entered the Black Forest. In January 1945, the 126th Infantry Regiment was integrated into the First Army, which was first at the disposition of the 2nd Brigade of the 1st Free French Division 1$^{re}$ DFL, where the 126th reinforced the 2nd Brigade during the period of the defensive mounted on Strasbourg, and the surveillance of left wing of the River Rhine. Then, with the 2nd Moroccan Infantry Division, and participating with the 9th Colonial Infantry Division (9$^e$ DIC) to campaign battles, combat of Karlsruhe, Ruppur, Rastadt with the 6th and 23rd Regiments d'Infanterie Coloniale.

### 1945 to present

* 1946 : dissolution.
* February 1, 1946 in France : creation of the 126th Infantry Regiment.
* In Algeria from 1947 to 1948, the regiment was designated as a center of instruction for that theatre.
* Assigned to the 15th Infantry Division; it received a number of U.S. equipment from World War II, including machine pistol types used in Indochina and Algeria.
* Professionalized in 1998, in the respective garrison, the regiment was attached to the 3rd Light Armoured Brigade.
* The regiment was part of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) in Lebanon in 1984/1985 then also in 1992 with the 5th Chasseur Regiment (fr:5e régiment de chasseurs à cheval) of Périgueux.
* Conducted operations in Bosnia and Herzegovina after 1992.
* Conducted operations in Lebanon in 2001.
* Conducted operations in Kosovo in 2011 and 2004.
* Conducted operations in Afghanistan in 2002, 2006, 2008, 2010 as part of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF). On February 29, 2008 in Afghanistan it instructed the Afghan National Army (ANA).
* Conducted operations in the Ivory Coast in 2001, 2003, 2004, 2005 and in 2008 during Opération Licorne.
* Conducted operations in the Central African Republic in 2006, 2011, 2012, 2014.
* Took part in Operation PAMIR in Surobi, Afghanistan from July to December 2010 as the Groupement tactique interarmes de Kapisa (Combined arms tactical group Kapisa).
* Permanently part of Operation Vigipirate, anti-terrorist operations, when stationed in France
* April 1, 1946 in France: creation of the 126th Infantry Battalion.

## Traditions
### Insignia of the 126$^e$ RI

White Buffalo since 1937, on the background of a blue Cross of Lorraine since 1944.
Lieutenant-colonel Godefroy, regimental commander of the 126$^e$ RI endowed the regiment with an insignia featuring the ruins of Oradour, to evoke the 134th Infantry Regiment (French: 134$^e$ Régiment d'Infanterie, 134$^e$ RI) which was integrated to the 126$^e$ RI in October 1945.
The actual insignia of the regiment was endowed by colonel Mestelan, regimental commander from 1979 to 1981.

### Decorations

The regimental colors of the 126$^e$ RI are decorated with:
* Croix de guerre 1914-1918 with :
** 2 bronz palms ( 2 citations at the orders of the armed forces)
* Croix de la Valeur militaire with:
* 1 bronz palm (November 23, 2011)
* 1 palm (June 26, 2013)
Fourragere:
* Fourragere with colors of the croix de guerre 1914-1918 and colors of the croix de la Valeur militaire.

### Honours
#### Battle Honours

* Bérézina 1812
* Artois 1915
* Auberive 1917
* Italie 1918

## Regimental Commanders

| Chef de brigade Marillac 1810 - 1813 : colonel Dumoulin 1870: colonel Neltner 1870 - 1871 : lieutenant-colonel Duban 1871 - 1873 : colonel Voynant 1873 - 1877 : colonel Denuc 1877 - 1878 : colonel Bergeron 1878 : colonel de Saint-Mars 1878 - 1881 : colonel Doumenjou 1881 - 1885 : colonel Bournenfou 1885 - 1887 : colonel Desfrancois de Ponchalon 1887 - 1894 : colonel Montagne 1894 - 1997 : colonel Roget 1897 - 1906 : colonel de la Brousse de Veyrazet | 1906 - 1908 : colonel Roustan 1908 - 1913 : colonel Chandezon 1913 - 1914 : colonel Dubois 1914 - 1915 : lieutenant-colonel Laporte 1915 : lieutenant-colonel Bressan 1915 - 1918 : lieutenant-colonel Labourdette 1918 : lieutenant-colonel Bontemps 1918 - 1919 : lieutenant-colonel Cholet 1919 - 1926 : lieutenant-colonel Larrieu 1926 - 1928 : colonel Tixier 1928 - 1930 : lieutenant-colonel Foures 1930 - 1931 : colonel Sonnerat 1931 - 1934 : colonel Baille 1934 - 1936 : colonel Vital | 1936 - 1938 : colonel Papillon 1938 - 1940 : colonel Duche 1940 : colonel Donnat 1944 - 1945 : commandant Passemard 1945 - 1946 : colonel Godefroy 1946 - 1947 : chef de Bataillon Lagasquie 1947 - 1948 : chef de Bataillon Basseres 1948 - 1950 : chef de Bataillon Dumas 1950 - 1952 : chef de Bataillon Habert 1952 - 1954 : lieutenant-colonel de Martin du Tyrac de Marcellus 1954 - 1956 : lieutenant-colonel Helme-Guizon 1956 - 1958 : colonel Henry 1958 : colonel Parisot 1958 - 1961 : colonel Gueneau |
| 1961 - 1963 : colonel Galle 1963 : chef de bataillon Toulouse 1964 : chef de bataillon Pellabeuf 1964 - 1965 : colonel Audibert 1965 - 1967 : colonel du Bois de Gaudusson 1967 - 1969 : colonel Lacoste 1969 - 1971 : lieutenant-colonel Blanquefort 1971 - 1973 : colonel Burgard 1973 - 1975 : colonel Goerger 1975 - 1977 : colonel Fregiere 1977 - 1979 : colonel de la Moriniere | 1979 - 1981 : colonel Mestelan 1981 - 1983 : colonel Castagne 1983 - 1985 : colonel Langlois 1984 - 1985 : colonel Anglade 1985 - 1987 : colonel Rozec 1987 - 1989 : colonel Brousse 1989 - 1991 : colonel Renault 1991 - 1993 : colonel Bresse 1993 - 1995 : colonel Seguret 1995 - 1997 : colonel Beauval 1997 - 1999 : colonel Martin | 1999 - 2001 : colonel Herbert 2001 - 2003 : colonel Lesimple 2003 - 2005 : colonel Didier 2005 - 2007 : colonel Barnay 2007 - 2009 : colonel Malassinet 2009 - 2011 : colonel Goisque 2011 - 2013 : colonel Secq 2013 - 2015 : colonel Ponchin 2015 - 2017 : colonel Mollard 2017 - 2019 : colonel Perot |