9th Parachute Chasseur Regiment

The 9th Parachute Chasseur Regiment (9e Régiment de Chasseurs Parachutistes, 9e RCP) was an airborne unit of the French Army. It was formed during the Algerian War, during which it fought its most notable engagement: the Battle of Souk Ahras. It didn’t take part in the 1961 Algiers Putsch. The regiment took part in numerous overseas operations before it was dissolved in 1999. The regiment was the heir to the traditions, battle honours and decorations of the 9th Infantry Regiment.

History
The 9th Parachute Chasseur Regiment was created on 1 June 1956 in Algeria from the 4th Battalion, 18th RIPC and receives its standard from General Sauvagnac in Batna on 11 November. It becomes part of the 25th Parachute Division and was mostly based on the Algerian-Tunisian border. The most notable action took place in April 1958 at Souk Ahras where the sacrifice of the regiments 3rd Company permits the elimination of a large FLN group that was trying to break the Morice Line to reinforce the FLN forces in Algeria.

The regiment didn’t take part in the 1961 Algiers putsch and after the end of the Algerian War it moved to Toulouse on mainland France. The regiment takes part in operations within the UNIFIL in Lebanon and other overseas operations. The regiment was dissolved in 1999 as a part of a restructuring of the French Army.

Notable officers and chasseurs

 * Claude Barrès

Battle honours

 * Austerlitz 1805
 * Wagram 1809
 * La Moskova 1812
 * Sebastopol 1856
 * Verdun 1916
 * Soissonnais 1918
 * L’Ailette 1918
 * AFN 1952–1962

Decorations

 * Croix de guerre 1914–1918 with three palms, one vermeil star and one argent star
 * Médaille d'or de la Ville de Milan