5th Foreign Infantry Regiment

The 5th Foreign Infantry Regiment (abbr. 5th REI, 5e Régiment Étranger d'Infanterie), nicknamed the "Regiment of Tonkin" ("Régiment du Tonkin"), was a regiment of the Foreign Legion of the French Army created under the Third Republic, and dissolved in 2000. The history of this regiment is marked by its participation in World War II, the Indochina War and the Algerian War. TOC September 1, 1930 : Creation of the 5th Foreign Infantry Regiment (abbr. 5th REI) from the Demi-Brigade of the Foreign Legion. July 1, 1945 : Dissolved for the first time. Its units are regrouped at the corps of the Marching Battalion of the 5th REI (bataillon de marche du 5e REI). November 1, 1949 : The regiment was reconstructed from elements of the 6th REI and the 4th REI. October 1, 1963 : The regiment became the 5th Mixed Pacific Regiment (5e régiment mixte du Pacifique). July 1, 1984 : Designated as 5th Foreign Regiment (5e régiment étranger). June 30, 2000 : During the reorganization of the French Army, the 5th Foreign Regiment was dissolved. The regimental colours were entered into the French Foreign Legion Museum. Because of the reduction of effectiveness during World War I, the necessity of reinforcement in Tonkin was highlighted and four battalions of the Foreign Legion were routed to the Far East and formed the 5th Foreign Infantry Regiment. Partly made up of existing units that had been station in Tonkin since 1883, the regiment was created on July 17 1930, and was put into effect on September 1 1930. The regiment was established from the 1st, 7th and 9th Battalions of the 1st Foreign Infantry Regiment that had been previously deployed to Indochina from 1920 to 1927. Garrison duty in French Indochina proved to be a fairly peaceful assignment for the legionnaires until the outbreak of World War II with the notable exception of the Yên Bái mutiny in 1930. Lacking both human and material resources, the regiment was maintained provisionally under the previous operation of its field corps as part of the ephemeral Demi-Brigade of the Foreign Legion (demi-brigade de Légion étrangère, DBLE) issued from the 1st Foreign Regiment.