35th Parachute Artillery Regiment

The 35th Parachute Artillery Regiment (35e Régiment d'Artillerie Parachutiste, 35e RAP) is the only airborne artillery unit of the French Army, it forms the artillery component of the 11th Parachute Brigade. It is based in Tarbes together with 1st Parachute Hussar Regiment.

History
The 35th Artillery Regiment was created on 7 October 1873 in Vannes; the regiment was commanded by Colonel Ferdinand Foch, future Marshal of France and Supreme Allied Commander during World War I, from 1903 to 1905. The regiment fought in World War I, receiving four citations in the order of the army, and World War II. During the Battle of France in 1940 it was almost destroyed while covering the Dunkirk evacuation of Allied troops. The regiment was dissolved in 1942 after the invasion of Vichy France by Nazi Germany.

The regiment was reconstituted after World War II in 1947 and based at Tarbes, later it was reorganized into the 35th Parachute Light Artillery Regiment (Fr: 35e Régiment d’Artillerie Légère Parachutiste, 35e RALP). The regiment fought in the First Indochina War (1953), most notably during the Battle of Dien Bien Phu, and the Algerian War. With the end of the Algerian War it was repatriated to France and became part of the 11th Parachute Division.

Organization

 * Command and Logistics Battery
 * Intelligence Battery "Les Rapaces"
 * 2nd Battery "Les Corbeaux"
 * 3rd Battery "Les Sangliers"
 * AA Battery
 * 5th Reserve Battery

Battle Honours

 * Saint-Gond 1914
 * Champagne 1915
 * La Malmaison 1917
 * Noyon 1918
 * Somme-Py 1918
 * AFN 1952-1962

Decorations

 * Croix de guerre 1914-1918 (4 citataions)