Since Thursday, the population was somewhat disturbed by the presence of armed soldiers between the RD570 and the bridge over the Moselle. Three armed soldiers on duty at the crossroads of the ponds and the road, in the middle of the night, that wasn’t very reassuring.
Lieutenant Clémence, communications officer, explains that they were there to prepare the exercise which took place on Sunday as part of Baccarat 2024, a military exercise involving some 1,000 soldiers in the Grand Est and organized by the 4e Army air combat brigade, based in Clermont-Ferrand. “The general scenario is that of a country invaded. It is about containing the enemy before pushing it beyond the borders. »
On the ground, in Tonnoy, it’s the 4the foreign regiment, garrisoned at Castelnaudary in Aude, which played the role of the enemy while the defense was ensured by the 13e foreign legion demi-brigade installed at the Larzac military camp, in Aveyron. The latter was supported by the Caiman helicopters of the 3e combat helicopter regiment, Étain.
The bridge being held by the invader, the defenders transported by helicopters had the mission to seize it and hold it until the evening.
In the village, the ordinary calm of a Sunday morning was slightly disturbed by the passage of helicopters and the shots of the soldiers who were fighting on the ground.
