page_title: Fusiliers Marins
section_title: Creation of a specialized corps in 1856
hierarchical_section_title: Fusiliers Marins / History of the French Fusiliers Marins / Creation of a specialized corps in 1856
caption_attribution_description: Français&#160;: Légende de la photographie&#160;: les "Mathurins" chargeant à la baïonnette dans le Nord, ... Personne n'avait oublié l'héroïsme des fusiliers marins en 1870 et l'on attendanit avec confiance le jour où leur brigade monterait au feu. Ces braves se sont illustrés dès leur première rencontre avec l'ennemi...
context_page_description: The Fusiliers Marins are specialized French naval infantry trained for combat in land and coastal regions. The Fusiliers Marins are also in charge of providing protection for naval vessels and key French Navy sites on land.
context_section_description: These companies lacked specialized personnel trained for combat on land.
  An Imperial decree dated 5 June 1856, created the Fusiliers Marins, whose formation and training were undertaken by a battalion stationed at Lorient, Brittany. This specialized corps was put under the command of the captains and sergeants-at-arms of the various naval vessels of the French fleet, and was the direct ancestor of the modern Fusiliers Marins.
  Since that date, the Fusiliers Marins have participated the following conflicts:
  The military colonial campaigns of the end of the 19th century,
  The expeditions in China, Cochinchina, Tonkin and Madagascar,
  The European conflicts in 1870, 1914-1918 and 1939-1945.
  During the Franco-Prussian War of 1870, following the disaster of Sedan, several brigades of Fusiliers Marins and naval artillerymen were engaged in combat at Bapaume and subsequently participated in the defense of Paris, notably at the Bourget and at L'Haÿ-les-Roses. This force formed part of the Government Armée versaillaise (French: armée versaillaise) employed in the suppression of the Paris Commune in 1871.
  A detachment of fusiliers marins defended the French Legation (diplomatic mission) in Peking during the Boxer Rebellion of 1900. Amongst their officers was enseigne de vaisseau Paul Henry and Pierre Alexis Ronarc'h, who, in 1914, would serve as Counter-Admiral and Commandant of the Brigade de Fusiliers Marins BFM attached to the 32nd Army Corps.
  The Brigade de Fusiliers Marins distinguished themselves at Dixmude, on the Yser, at Longewaede, Hailles and Laffaux during the early stages of World War I. Three French ships have been named after Dixmude.
  The Fusiliers Marins participated in the campaigns of Free France. They initially formed a battalion then the 1ᵉʳ Régiment de Fusiliers Marins 1ᵉ RFM at the corps of the 1st Free French Division (1ᵉʳ DFL) and the 1ᵉʳ Bataillon de Fusiliers Marins Commandos (1ᵉʳ BFMC) who served in 10 (Inter-Allied) Commando. The 177 Commandos Kieffer who disembarked on 6 June in Normandy, were Fusiliers Marins forming part of the Free France Forces. Other Fusiliers Marins, drawn from the former Armée de Vichy, formed the Régiment Blindé de Fusiliers-Marins (RBFM) which served efficiently as part of the 2nd Armored Division. On 30 April 1945 the Fusiliers Marins played a role in the liberation of the Île d'Oléron. Disembarked at 0620 at Gatseau, an FM detachment advanced slowly through forested terrain facing a stern resistance.
  In 1945, the Far Eastern Marine Brigade (BMEO) was created with the RBFM and the 1ᵉʳ RFM. Based on the request of general Leclerc, the Marine Brigade formed river brigades in 1945-1946. They became the Dinassaut, which operated in Tonkin and Cochinchina from 1947 to 1954. In 1956, with operational cadres serving in Algeria; the Demi-Brigade of Fusiliers Marins (DBFM) was created to play a leading role in securing the borders between Algeria and Morocco until 1962. This demi-brigade was under the command of Vessel Commander (CV) Ponchardier.
  The French Fusiliers Marins are a specialised marine corps of the French Navy, similar to (for example) the Royal Marines of the Royal Navy, the Spanish Navy Marines (Spanish Navy), the San Marco Marine Brigade (Italian Navy), and the United States Marine Corps of the United States Navy.
caption: The first engagement of the Fusiliers marins in the Nord department, in November 1914
exif: {"Image Orientation": "Horizontal (normal)", "Image XResolution": "72", "Image YResolution": "72", "Image ResolutionUnit": "Pixels/Inch", "Image Software": "Adobe Photoshop Elements 6.0 Windows", "Image DateTime": "2011:03:03 21:40:36", "Image ExifOffset": "172", "Thumbnail Compression": "JPEG (old-style)", "Thumbnail XResolution": "72", "Thumbnail YResolution": "72", "Thumbnail ResolutionUnit": "Pixels/Inch", "Thumbnail JPEGInterchangeFormat": "310", "Thumbnail JPEGInterchangeFormatLength": "4974", "EXIF ColorSpace": "sRGB", "EXIF ExifImageWidth": "820", "EXIF ExifImageLength": "480"}